Mother's Day Treats for Vegan Moms

You want to make Mom a delicious breakfast in bed--or great dinner--but aren't quite sure what to prepare for her since she's decided to become vegan. Not to worry-there are plenty of great dishes you can prepare that Mommy will love--and they're healthy too!

If Mom loves pancakes or waffles for breakfast, there are great mixes you can buy from Natural Foods and Ener-G that are completely vegan. Bob's Red Mill also makes a great pancake and waffle mix that you can use to make these brunch treats, and you can use Ener-G egg replacer and soy or rice milk before putting the mix in the skillet or waffle iron. For extra sweetness, you can add agave nectar to the mix, or fresh fruit like blueberries or bananas. If Mom is still a chocolate fan, you can order vegan chocolate chips from Cosmos Vegan Shoppe (www.cosmosveganshoppe.com) or visit your local Whole Foods Market to pick up these morsels to add to Mom's brunch.

A great fruit salad will also make a great addition to Mom's vegan breakfast. Since Mother's Day is in spring, you may want to check your local organic markets for fruits like papaya or starfruit to add to the salad, and adding cinnamon, lime juice, and fresh nutmeg will give the fruits a warm sweet flavor that goes great with vegan biscuits or waffles. Other fresh foods, like pureed sweet potatoes, may also be added to a main dish for an original meal Mom will enjoy.

For dinner, you can make a great stirfry for Mom using cubed tofu (NaSoya makes a great variety), along with tasty veggies like snowpeas, broccoli, asparagus, and carrots. Brown rice will make the dish even healthier, and homemade teriyaki sauce made from liquid aminos will make the dish even more flavorful. Or, you can bake a vegan lasagna using Vegan Gourmet cheeses (sold at Whole Foods Market) and whole wheat pasta. For dessert, Soy Delicious makes delicious varieties of ice cream like strawberry, vanilla, and butter pecan that Mom will love, and cookies from the Eat Freely line will make a vegan, healthy dessert--you can add fresh fruit here as well.