DAY 6-

Vegan French Toast

1 banana, mashed up

½ cup (scant) soymilk (or rice milk)

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp cinnamon

3 to 5 slices of your favorite WHOLE GRAIN bread, dry. Leave out on the counter overnight to dry out.

Combine the soymilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and banana in a bowl. Dip bread in mixture and cook on a greased griddle or greased nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes per side or until golden brown. Be careful when flipping as toast can stick to the griddle easily.

Drizzle with maple syrup or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar – 1 tbs sugar + ½ tsp cinnamon – (our favorite.)  Serves 2.

Versatile Salad

1/4       lb         whole wheat rotini

1 ½       cups    green leaf lettuce, chopped

1 ½       cups    red leaf lettuce, chopped

1/4       cup      corn, canned or frozen and thawed

1          small    carrot, peeled and shredded (1/4 cup)

1          stalks   celery, diced

1                      scallions, chopped

1/8       cup      sliced almonds

1/4       cup      extra virgin Olive Oil

1          tsp        Dijon mustard

1 1/2    tbs        red wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cook rotini in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and let cool.

In a large salad bowl, toss the lettuces, corn, carrots, celery, scallions and almonds.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Add pasta to large salad bowl and toss with desired amount of Dijon vinaigrette. Serves 2.

Lentil Soup and Spinach Salad

Lentil Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 pound lentils (approximately 1 1/4 cups)

10 cups vegetable broth

4 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs

2/3 cup dried whole wheat elbow pasta

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until the juices evaporate a little and the tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the lentils and mix to coat. Add the broth and stir. Add the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the soup into bowls. drizzle with olive oil, and serve. Serves 4-6.

Poppyseed dressing:

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs agave nectar

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp poppyseeds

pinch of salt

Whisk together well.

Spinach Salad:

6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

3-4 button mushrooms, chopped

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup blueberries

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

This amount of salad serves about 2-3 people. Pour desired amount of poppyseed dressing over the salad and toss just before serving. Careful not to overdress the salad.