Sweet Microwave Cornbread

What's cheap, tasty, and amazingly easy to make? Cornbread! This recipe appeared in the book Vegan Lunch Box, submitted by the Vegetarian Network of Austin. Corn bread is one 'bread' that works particularly well in the microwave, so I modified it to cater to my lazy side.

Sweet (microwave) Cornbread
Ingredients:
2/3 Cup maple syrup
1/3 Cup canola oil
2/3 Cup non-dairy milk
1 Cup flour
1 Cup cornmeal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
In separate bowls, mix the wet ingredients together and the dry ingredients together. Combine, and mix well. Pour into a round glass dish and microwave on high for 8 minutes. (Use a dish that has no handles - the batter will not cook evenly in a dish with handles. If you don't have a uniformly round dish, then add another 1/3 Cup of non-dairy milk to the batter and bake for 35 minutes at 350 F.)

Serve warm with your favorite vegan margarine and enjoy!

Microwave Vegan German Potato Salad

I'm a fan of microwave cooking. You can do nearly anything in a microwave that can be done in an oven (with the unfortunate exception of certain baked goods, such as yeast breads, puff pastry, and pizza dough, among others), but with the valuable advantage of not heating up your house in the summer! The first vegan cookbook I bought myself was Nancy Berkoff's "Vegan Microwave Cookbook". It has scores of delicious microwave recipes that are easy on preparation and clean-up, making it right up my alley. Here's a filling and tangy potato dish that only takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Vegan German Potato Salad
Ingredients:
1/4 Cup water
4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered (those are the little red potatoes)
2 teaspoons oil
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
(optional) 4 vegan 'bacon' strips, crumbled
1/2 Cup water
1/4 Cup vinegar



Preparation:
Place the potatoes into a 2-quart container, add the 1/4 Cup water, cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onion and cook the vegan bacon strips if you're using them, then chop or crumble them. (If you've never used Smart Bacon before, I highly recommend it. Tastes just like bacon; you can't tell there's no cruelty!) When the potatoes are done, set them aside.



Place the onions into a small bowl with the oil and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until tender. Stir in the sugar, flour, caraway, pepper, and vegan bacon crumbles if desired, and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir in the water and vinegar and microwave for 3 minutes or until thickened. (If it seems too runny, you can add another Tablespoon of flour.) While the onion mixture cooks, slice the potatoes in the bowl to whatever size you prefer - they should be soft enough. Pour the sauce over the potatoes, stir, and microwave another 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.



Enjoy!