moderately easy

1. Cream together butter and sugars.
2. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth.
3. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.  Add dry mixture to the above ingredients.
4. Once beaten smooth, add popped amaranth, chocolate chips, and cranberries (if desired).
5. Beat the mixture well.  Drop cookies 2 inches apart on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake to 7-9 minutes.  (If cookies spread out too much, add 2 tbs of flour.)

Directions for popping amaranth: (General rule is 1/4 cup unpopped produces about 1 cup popped.)  Heat frying pan.  Once hot, test 2-4 amaranth seeds to see if they pop quickly.  If so proceed by adding 1-2 tbs of amaranth to the pan.  It should pop quickly.  Cover and keep the pan moving, checking every 15 seconds or so.  Don't leave unattended, or it will burn.  Like popcorn, not every kernel will pop, but it'll will be just fine in the cookies!Enjoy!

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Blend until rattling stops.  You don't want to grind nut until finely non-existent, but until chunky and pulpy.
2. Place nut milk bag in a wide mouthed measuring cup large enough to hold all the contents of the blender plus the bag.  Pull the top of the bag up around the mouth of the measuring cup.
3. Pour the contents of the blender or food processor into the bag in the measuring cup.  Gently pick up the bag over the measuring cup, pull drawstring tight, and squeeze the bag over the measuring cup until all the liquid is strained out.  
4. Save the nut pulp in a glass storage container in the refrigerator for up to a week for use in other recipes.

Keep in the refrigerator in a tightly lidded, glass jar for up to five days.  Shake before pouring.To soak raw nuts: Place nuts in a glass container and cover with filtered water.  Cover and refrigerate.  Dark skinned nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts) must be soaked at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Other nuts and seeds (cashews, sunflower seeds) can be soaked 2-4 hours.  Drain soaking water off to measure, soaking nuts nearly doubles them in size.Watch this great video to get you familiar with the process.

1. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, agave/honey, baking powder, baking soda, milk and salt in a large bowl.
2. Stir together yogurt and eggs with a fork in another bowl.  Once mixed, stir into flour mixture with melted soy margarine just until incorporated.
3. If using blueberries, stir gently into batter.
4. Heat a lightly greased large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat until hot.
5. Pour 1/4 cup measures of batter into skillet in batches, forming approximately 3 inch cakes, and cook about 3 minutes, or until undersides are golden.  Turn and cook 1 minute more, or until golden.
6. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 250-degree oven while cooking remaining cakes.
7. Top with applesauce just before serving.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place paper cups in muffin tins, or spray two 8in. loaf pans.
3. Place flour (and xantham gum, if GF version), salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in medium bowl.  Use wire whisk to combine.
4. In a large mixing bowl, place oil, sugars, egges and vanilla.  Mix with hand mixer until fluffy.  Stire in applesauce and shredded zucchini.  Stir in flour mixture until just combines.  Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Divide batter and bake for 50 minutes for loaves or 25-30 minutes for muffins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

TIP: Don't have any applesauce, but have an apple? Cut up 1 large apple into chunks, remove core/seeds, blend with some water until consistency you like, simmer on the stove for a few minutes...voila!  1/2 cup applesauce!  Or make more and save some for later - I like to put mine on pancakes or waffles in lieu of syrup. (Got that from Boyfriend's sister-in-law - thanks, Isabel!)

1. Wash and dry tuna steaks.
2. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly.  Spread dry ingredients evenly on a plate.  Roll or lay tuna steaks on plate with wasabi/sesame seed mixture until all sides of the fish are coated.
3. Heat non-stick pan until hot.  Put enough sesame oil in pan to coat it evenly.  Heat until just starting to smoke.  Place tuna steaks in pan.  Cook for 3 minutes on each side.  Add more oil if necessary.  Remove from heat immediately, you want most of the center of the tuna still pink.
4. Squeeze fresh lemon over fish (if desired), and serve over salad or rice.

1. Peel and cut the onions, carrots, and beets (alternatively, shred the carrots and beets using the shredding blade of a food processor) and sauté over medium heat in the olive oil with a pinch of salt in a large soup pot. Reserve a small amount of beet to grate and add near the end to enliven the color. 2. In the meantime, bring the vegetable stock to a boil. When the vegetables are soft (about 5 minutes), add the shredded cabbage and the hot stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 15-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. With a few minutes left, add the reserved grated beet. 3. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then squeeze in the lemon juice, aiming for a pleasing but subtle sour taste. Serve with freshly grated black pepper, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped parsley, if desired.About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. He is currently living for the year in Tartu, Estonia.

1.  Drain the water and pat the sunflower seeds dry.  Pulse them in a food processor until mostly ground, leave some chunks for texture.  Mix in a bowl with the remaining salad base ingredients.
2. Combine dressing ingredients in the food processor or blender.  Whizz until smooth and creamy.
3. Add dressing to the sunflower seed base.
4. Spoon into lettuce leaves and top with tomato slices.

Save any extra salad in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until the butter is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
2. Ad shallots and zucchini to cook, stirring often, until softened, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add tomato halves, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1-2 minutes.
4. Stir in parmesan cheese and parsley.
5. Add gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

1. Whisk egg in a shallow bowl.
2. Mix cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper together in another shallow bowl.
3. Wash fish fillets and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Heat skillet to medium heat.  Put 2 tbs. olive oil in pan right before fish.
5. Thoroughly coat fish fillets (one at a time) with egg, then bread on both sides with cornmeal mixture.
6. Fry fish fillets until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes on each side.

1.  Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.  Place the beets, 1/4 of the chopped garlic and the olive oil on a piece of heavy aluminum foil; fold the foil around the beets into a sealed packet.
2. Roast beets in the preheated oven until easily pierced with fork, 40 minutes to 1 hour.  Let beets cool just until they can be handled, then rub with a paper towel to remove skins.  Chop into 1/2 inch cubes; set aside.
3. Heat the sesame oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook and stir bok choy and the remaining garlic together until bok choy is slightly softened but still crunchy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in the beets and feta.  Serve warm.