Heat a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining olive oil and minced garlic into the saucepan. Sauté 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the can of tomatoes, dried oregano, salt, and chopped basil to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes until thickened.

Meanwhile open the tube of polenta (I used sun-dried tomato/basil flavored polenta). Slice the polenta into bite-size pieces. I like to slice julienne-style, but quartering also works well. Thinner is better for this dish. Arrange polenta slices in the prepared baking dish; overlapping is fine.

Spoon warm tomato sauce over and covering the polenta in the baking dish. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, then top with sliced mozzarella. Bake until bubbly and cheese is starting to golden (20-25 minutes). Remove it from the oven and set the dish on a rack. Let it sit 5 minutes then slice into squares and serve with basil garnish.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the cubed butter, half-and-half and chocolate chips. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir with a spatula. Continue microwaving at 30-second intervals and stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool for 10-15 minutes.

In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture until combined.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan, and bake at 350°F until the cake has puffed up. This should take about 35 minutes or so. (Do not open the oven during those 35 minutes. If at 35 minutes the cake has not puffed up, bake for 5 more minutes.)

Cool the cake in the springform pan for at least 1 hour before removing.

Serve the cake warm, with ice cream, or let it cool completely, dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries.

(Technique adapted from Real Simple magazine.)

2. Add the milk to a small bowl and pour the lemon juice over it; let it sit for 2 minutes without moving the bowl or stirring the milk.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl, and then cream in the eggs until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon zest, vanilla, and milk/lemon juice mixture (which will be curdled). Set aside.

4. Whisk together the flour mix, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate large bowl.

5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry all at once and gently stir with a wooden spoon until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.

6. Fill each muffin well about 2/3 full and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Add brown rice and stir occasionally for 10 minutes or until rice is golden brown. Increase heat to medium high. Crack eggs into skillet and stir vigorously until eggs are cooked and evenly spread throughout the rice.

Sprinkle pepper, throw in Braggs amino acids (soy sauce substitute), give it one last stir and it’s ready to enjoy!

2. Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls. Mine were about 1 to 1 1/2-inch in diameter.

3. Place the bites into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Other add-in ideas:
raisins
nuts
dried fruits
shredded coconut

Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for about 5 minutes until pale and fluffy. I used my Kitchen Aid stand mixer on high.

2. Pour olive oil and lemon juice into egg mixture and gently fold.

3. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour through salt) and lemon zest. Gently fold this into the egg mixture.

4. Fold the chopped strawberries into the batter. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Place a strawberry on top of each muffin. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and set on a wire rack.

5. Let muffins cool for about ten minutes. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve!

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat and stir-fry shallots and ginger for 1 minute. Add carrots and broccoli and stir-fry until brightly colored and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove veggies from pan and set aside on a plate.

Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Crack and whisk eggs into a small bowl and add them into the pan to scramble the eggs. As they cook, break up the eggs with a fork into small pieces.

When eggs are cooked to your liking add the veggies back into the skillet along with the defrosted peas and cooked quinoa. Add tamari to the pan, stir, heat through and serve.

Top with gomasio, toasted sesame seeds or nuts like cashews or peanuts if you’d like. Enjoy!

While the griddle is heating, prepare the batter. In a food processor or blender, mix all ingredients until smooth.

Grease your griddle with a bit of oil or baking spray. Pour 1/4 cup rounds of batter onto the griddle (fit as many as you can onto the griddle without touching). Cook on the first side and flip when desired browning has been achieved. Cook the other side until desired browning has been achieved. Remove cooked pancakes to a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve topped with applesauce, maple syrup, blueberries, bacon or whatever is your favorite!

Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the pan (otherwise they’ll stick!).