Cold Vegetable Noodles With Peanut Sauce

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon sugar (reduced from the 2 tablespoons the recipe calls for)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice or white wine or other vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
[left out hot sesame oil or Tabasco sauce, to taste]

3 medium zucchini, spiralized with the green blade
1 medium English cucumber, spiralized with the green blade
salt if needed
1 medium carrot, peeled, spiralized with the green blade

1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1.Whisk together the sesame oil, peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and pepper in a large bowl.
2.  Spiralize the cucumber onto paper towels to absorb some of the water; be sure to cut the "noodles" so they are not too long.
3. Spiralize the zucchini onto paper towels to absorb some of the water, again cutting the "noodles" so they do not get too long.
4. Spiralize the carrot.
5.  Pat dry the noodles and combine them and the carrots in a large bowl.  Add the peanut sauce and serve with the green onions and toasted sesame seeds on the side.

Falafel Burgers

3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats

6 cups (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves

3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

zest from 4 lemons (3 will be used for juice)

1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. Black pepper

¼ tsp. Cayenne pepper

3 tsp. Cumin

3 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas (reserve liquid)

3 lemons, juiced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line baking sheet with parchment and spray with baking spray (or use silpat)
3. Drain chickpeas, reserving the liquid.
4. Process oats in food processor until powdery.
5. Add parsley through cumin; pulse until roughly chopped.  Add chickpeas, lemon juice and enough reserved chickpea liquid to make the mixture moist enough to make into patties.  Pulse until the chickpeas are finely ground.
6. Form into patties on the prepared baking sheet.
7. Bake 20 minutes, flipping after 10.
8. Serve with desired toppings

• Creamy yogurt/cucumber sauce 
• 1 cup plain yogurt, ½ seeded/peeled cucumber (finely diced), minced garlic clove, lemon zest
• Sour Cream and "Mural of Flavor" spice from Penzy's to 
• Avocado and tomato

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

100 g pecan halves, soft-dried morello/sour cherries OR white chocolate chips
175 g unsalted butter
65 g cocoa powder
340 g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
100 g flour
salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  If using nuts, toast them for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven.
2. Put the butter into a saucepan that is large enough to hold all the ingredients.  Set over low head and melt the butter gently, stirring occasionally.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cocoa using a wooden spoon.  When the mixture is smooth, stir in the sugar.
4. Beat the eggs with the vanilla, until just combined, then stir this into the cocoa mixture.  Sift the flour and a couple of pinches of salt and mix until combined.  
5. Transfer the mixture to a 8 or 9 inch square baking pan that is lined with parchment paper.  
6. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the brownie center comes out clean.
7. Set the pan on a cooling rack.