By Sarah

Delicious and moist banana bread or muffins that are perfect for breakfast. Makes one loaf or a dozen muffins. This is also a great base recipe for other muffins. Just leave out or replace the bananas with other fruit. Some variations are listed at the end of the recipe.

Vegan/Vegetarian Tortilla Soup in blue bowl with toppings in bowls behind it

Potatoes, black beans, and corn add substance to this vegan/vegetarian tortilla soup to make it healthy, filling and absolutely delicious. I promise that no one will miss the chicken that is customarily put into tortilla soup. And, if you have any leftovers, the soup is just as good then next day, as long as you make sure to bake up some fresh tortilla strips.

Delicious ravioli with spinach, prosciutto, and vegan cheese filling

We made this as a filling for ravioli and they were absolutely delicious! They do however stick together if you are not careful, so if you want to take an easier route, just make lasagna instead.

Finished Mini Fruit Tarts topped with Lime Tofu Cream

These are perfect for a light and healthy summer dessert. They can be made using any kind of fresh fruit (go to the farmer's market to see what is in season!) and if you'd prefer a warm version of this, feel free to stew the fruit until soft. Apples, pears, nectarines, or peaches would be delicious for this and you could even add a bit of cinnamon for a bit more flavor. The lime tofu cream can be changed to a plain cream by decreasing the lime or lemon juice down to 1-2 tablespoons.

The Lemon Pastry Shell recipe comes from the Patricia Wells at Home in Provence cookbook and the tofu cream is adapted from a German tofu cookbook.

Whole Rainbow Trout with Lemon Slices

Lacking parsley and a barbeque, I came up with my own version of Jamie Oliver's "Grandad Ken's Crispy Grilled Trout with Parsley and Lemon" recipe (http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/grdad-ken-s-crispy-grill...). Make sure to serve it with lemon halves so that people can squeeze more lemon juice onto the trout while eating.

This is my favorite tomato salad, and trust me, that is no small feat: I LOVE tomatoes and eat them by the pound when they are in season (preferably fresh-picked from the garden). This is a true Italian recipe out of a cookbook Mom bought in Italy. With recipes that are this good, let's hope she continues practicing her Italian by translating recipes from it into English for all of us!

Mom gave me this recipe years ago. It is perfect for a cold fall or winter evening, either as an appetizer or served together with bread as a main dish.