Sweet and vegan

New Life Journal, Oct-Nov, 2004 by Molly McDonough

Following are two favorite vegan recipes that I often make for my family. First is a lovely casserole which I learned to make overseas from a classmate in New Zealand and is versatile and always yummy, with any combination of vegetables. The preparation time is under an hour and the vegetables used can be substituted with basically anything ready in the garden or fridge. The coconut milk adds a nice creamy flavor and texture and complements the nutty flavor of the tahini potato topping.

Coconut Vegetable Casserole (Preheat ovento 375[degrees]F)

potatoes, cubed
tofu, cubed
splash of olive oil
onion, minced
garlic, minced
ginger, minced
mushrooms, sliced
pumpkin, cubed
carrot, sliced
corn kernels or baby corn
spinach, roughly chopped
basically any fresh vegetables you have at hand
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup sesame tahini sesame seeds
spices: cumin, coriander and turmeric or curry, salt
and pepper

First, place potato cubes in pot of boiling water until soft.

Meanwhile, saute the onion, garlic and ginger in large pan until soft and add spices (depends on how much you like) for one minute, then add mushroom, pumpkin, carrots, corn and any other vegetables you desire and saute together about 5 minutes, then add coconut milk and stir well.

While that's cooking and blending flavors, place cubed tofu in pan with splash of oil and brown tip on all sides.

Meanwhile, mash up the potatoes with sesame tahini and set aside. Add browned tofu to vegetables and place coconut-vegetable-tofu combo in deep casserole dish. Top with tahini mashed potatoes and sprinkle top with sesame seeds.

Place casserole in oven for approximately 30 minutes until potato top starts to brown, and serve hot.

The following dessert recipe for "delicious iron bars" is a healthy sweet snack, dessert or travel food. This recipe came from a midwife, who shares the recipe with pregnant women as a healthy sweet that is high in iron from the molasses and oats. These iron bars are also high in protein from the nuts and seeds as well as a good source of fiber. As with most recipes, the ingredients can be changed and substituted. Dates (also high in iron) could be used in place of raisins, and coconut is often a tasty addition. Enjoy!

Delicious Iron Bars

(Preheat oven to 350[degrees] F). Mix well in large bowl:

4 cups oats
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola oil
egg replacer, equivalent to 2 eggs
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (I like to combine walnuts,
almonds and pecans)
1 cup chocolate or carob chips

After combining with spatula, spread in 9x13" pan and sprinkle handful sesame seeds over top, press in and bake for 30 minutes. Makes 12 bars.

Molly McDonough-Leota is the primary baker for Vegan Sweets N Eats, and assistant midwife with the New Dawn Midwifery. She lived in New Zealand and Samoa as a midwife, and baked vegan goods in Maine. She can be reached at 828-254-6527 or moksamama @yahoo.com