Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: Rocky Road, Baked Oatmeal, Breakfast Cookies, Vegan, Gluten Free, 

Healthy Breakfast Cookies Recipe Notes

I developed this recipe because I needed something I could quickly grab to fuel my work days. Breaks aren't really a thing in many restaurant kitchens where I have worked. When energy starts to dip, something to eat while standing in between prep jobs or during service is essential. I wanted to use healthy simple ingredients, and even though I'm fine with gluten, I know many people aren't so I wanted to keep them gluten free. They come together in 10 minutes in 1 bowl. 

 I used 70% organic chips in these, I am a huge chocolate lover so for me adding them was a no brainer. The marshmallows are definitely optional, I had an open bag and decided to garnish the tops with 3-4 mini vegan marshmallows per cookie. I don't tend to eat a lot of added sugar, but I'm not worried about a tiny portion size. The cookies themselves aren't very sweet, and I just thought they looked really cute with a few on top!

What is in these cookies? Answer: mostly simple whole food ingredients

• whole rolled oats
• crunchy natural peanut butter
• unsweetened apple sauce
• rice flour
• baking powder
• ground flax seeds (mixed with water for to make a "flax egg")
• maple syrup
• ​vanilla
• sea salt
  
• add ins : chocolate chips & mini marshmallows 

Substitutions
I haven't tried other variations but this is what I would consider trying.

• swap crunchy natural peanut butter for almond or cashew butter.
• instead of white rice flour (it's all I could get at the time), use brown rice flour or another gluten free flour.
• instead of chocolate chips, I am eager to try dehydrated strawberries, figs, dried apple or another dried fruit.
• I can see myself adding warm spices like cinnamon, ground ginger, and or cardamom. I would decide what to add based on what dried fruit I was using. 
• You could try using mashed over ripe bananas instead of apple sauce. I love banana, but I didn't want these to be "banana-y" this time. I'm sure I will try it in the future. 

Storage

• ​I recommend storing these in the freezer. They can keep at room temperature for awhile, but there's a low sugar content so they will go moldy if left out too long. (I made that mistake) You could definitely keep them in the fridge too, but my preference is the freezer so I don't have to worry about how long they will stay good. 
• You can pull them out of the freezer for something on the go and just let it thaw, or if you want to eat it immediately just toss it in the microwave for 15 seconds. 

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Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: Baked Pasta, Vegan Pasta, Cheesy, Roasted Vegetables, Summer Pasta

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables Recipe Notes

This baked pasta dish is adapted from rebar modern food cookbook, a fav book I have been using for over 20 years. The recipe is vegetarian and I wanted to veganize it. I have only made it the once, but it was really good so I am publishing it to serve as inspiration for anyone else, and so that when I go to make it the next time I have a reference point. Will I tweak some things? Yes. I'll describe all the details. It's a really simple thing to make, and you can read my notes and make adjustments if you wish. No matter what it is going to be good, I just know that over time I tweak things until they are perfect. (It was already pretty perfect...small details....I will update the post whenever I make it again to adjust anything I think is a worthy improvement)

What is in this Cheesy Pasta Bake?

• Roasted Vegetables. I used 2 zucchini, 2 red pepper, 1 eggplant, and one red onion. Next time I might add some mushrooms. I think the dish could handle a bit more veg, and I love mushrooms. You can definitely use whatever combination of things you like best. 
• Vegan Cheese. Mozza & Feta. I used 2 x 198 g packages of Earth Island Vegan Mozza. That is  the brand the store had. I also used a 200 g blog of violife vegan feta. This was less feta than the recipe called for. (1.5 cups) I would have bought another block but the store didn't have any. Does it NEED more vegan feta? I'm debating that. In theory I would add another half - full block, but then again, vegan cheese is expensive. I am curious to try it, but I might not. I added lots of olive oil compared to what the recipe suggests to compensate, and it was really good.

• Fresh Herbs. I used a combination of fresh Basil and Mint. I had a 28 gram package of basil and used all of it, and a 20 gram package of Mint and used half. Next time I would increase the basil. I'd probably even double it, I love basil. (2 tbsp of herb mixture reserved for crumb topping) 

• Capers. The recipe calls for 2 tbsp of capers. Which I added, but next time I will increase it to 3 tbsp I think. I personally wouldn't leave them out the briny pop they add is really good. 

• Sundried Tomatoes. The OG recipe didn't call for sundried tomatoes. I used oil packed sundried tomatoes in a jar, and added about 2 chopped tbsp. Next time I might try adding more. Not sure if the dish really needs it, but that's what I want to do. 

• Pasta. The recipe does call for rigatoni, and I must say I love it in this dish. There's something really satisfying about the big tubes, but of course use whatever you want. 

• Lemon Zest & Juice. The recipe called for only the zest. I added the zest, but when I tasted my mixture I knew it needed some juice too. This might be due to using violife vegan feta, dairy feta might have more brightness to it. Anyway, I just squeezed a couple of wedges in to taste. 

• Olive Oil. The recipe calls for olive oil for roasting the veg, tossing the cooked pasta, and for making the crumb topping. I also drizzled extra into my bowl when mixing the pasta together with other ingredients to compensate for having less cheese than the recipe called for. 

• Garlic. I always add more garlic than a recipe suggests. 4 cloves definitely was not enough in my books. I added 6, and I will definitely increase that next time. I'll try 8 next time. 

• Bread Crumb Topping. This was pretty good. Fresh bread crumbs (I wouldn't use dried here) mixed with one cup of the vegan mozza, 2 tbsp of fresh herbs, olive oil and salt and pepper. It definitely wants a generous amount of olive oil. You can give it a taste to make sure it is seasoned properly. I think next time I will increase the topping to better cover the pasta. Maybe just extra cheese. I'm not sure yet. The very top pieces of the pasta got a bit crunchy while baking, it wasn't a really big deal, though. Or maybe I'll try baking it covered with tinfoil first, then remove at the end to crisp up a bit. 

• Chili Flakes. There is no discernable "heat" factor in this recipe, so I simply sprinkled a few chili flakes on top before serving. It's something I always have on my table. I don't like things to be extremely spicy, but adding a bit of warmth really enhances the dish in my opinion. 

Step 1 : Toss chunked veggies with olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic and roast at 425F until golden. Anywhere from 15-25 minutes depending on your oven and the size of your chunked veg. I don't want the veg crunchy, but not mushy either. They should be softened. 

Step 2: Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water, strain, and drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking. You could use whatever pasta shape you like, but I am really digging the rigatoni in this recipe.

Step 3: Mix together remainder of ingredients in a large bowl. (excluding breadcrumbs, and reserving some grated mozzarella cheese and herbs for bread crumb topping)

Step 4: Once everything is mixed together, add to lightly oiled baking dishes. (9 x 13 inch baking dish or 2-3 smaller ones)

Step 5: Mix up your cheesy crumb topping, spread evenly over pasta and bake at 350F until hot and bubbly. About 40 minutes. 

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