Warm celery potato peanut butter salad

Ingredients: 

• 1 large apple, chopped
• 1 small bunch celery, chopped
• 3 Tbsp peanut butter
• 4 boiled white potatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp mustard
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 can cooked chickpeas or black beans
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp  salt
• Optional: 1/4 cup raisins and peanuts
• Optional: serve over top warm rice

Instructions:

Boil potatoes until tender, drain, cut into big chunks and keep warm.

Whisk together the lemon juice, softened peanut butter, mustard, maple syrup, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, gently toss together the chopped celery, chopped apples, chopped bell pepper and chickpeas/beans.

Gently mix together to create a peanut butter coating on all the ingredients. Now add the potatoes (still warm!) and gently fold them in.

Sprinkle the optional dried fruit or nuts on top.

Serve right away! Optional on top of rice or other warm grain.

Yield: 4 servings

Apple-Oat Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or sugar
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup oil (e.g. canola)
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, plain (soy or almond)
• 1 banana or 2 tablespoons applesauce
• Optional: raisins, almonds
• 1 large apple, diced into tiny bits (e.g. honeycrisp)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

Mix the rolled oats and flour. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add all the remaining dry ingredients. Fold well to mix.

Blend all the wet ingredients until smooth, the banana should be mashed into a thick puree first.

Fold the blended liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Fold for a minute until a thick and wet batter is formed. Fold in the diced apple bits.

Fill muffin tins and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cool muffins on a cooling rack and serve warm for best texture and flavor.

Yield:  10 or 12 muffins