Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Me: "Love, do you want something for dessert?" Husband: SIDEYE
Me: "Oh, I mean...what you do want for dessert?"

Since marrying me, the Dude has gone from being "not really a sweets person" to never turning down dessert. And since he ate all his brussel sprouts at dinner tonight, I thought I'd throw together something special - something homey, but not too indulgent: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  I wasn't feeling very inspired by the recipes I found online, so I decided to wing it. I think it worked...

Dry Ingredients
2 cups old fashioned oats (I supposed you can used rolled, but I like the heartiness of the old fashioned)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of Cinnamon

Pulsate the oat in a blender or food processor for just a few seconds until - you still want about 1/2 to be whole oats. Add to a large bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix and set aside.

Wet Ingredients
1/4 cup warm water + 2 tsp ground chia seeds + 1 tsp ground flax seed*
3/4 cup almond (or other non-dairy) milk
1 tbls apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup coconut oil (vegetable oil should work too)

Beat water, chia and flax seed well until gelatinous. Add the remainder of the wet ingredients, beating with a fork after each addition. Add wet to dry and mix, adding about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of vegan chocolate chips (or raisins...or both!).

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 12 minutes for (medium-sized cookie).

*This makes your vegan egg. You could also do all chia or all flax...I like both for fun.

Vegan Brownies

The Hubby wants dessert....so here I go!

2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar (I know!...but I never said these were gonna be healthy, just vegan)
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. brewed coffee
1 c. vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients well and then add wet (coffee & oil). Again, mix well and pour into a greased baking pan.

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 25-30 minutes.

Try and let them cool a little before enjoying.

Accidental Avocado Ice Cream

My mom swears by avocado smoothies, so I - having a bunch of ripe avocados on hand - thought I'd give it a whirl. I did two avocados to about 1 1/2 cup of almond milk, 1 tsp sugar and some ice and blended until smooth and creamy.

It was...uh...interesting. Honestly, it was a little to thick for my liking. But, totally perfect for an ice cream base. Out came my Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream maker (always stored in the freezer for emergencies like this) and after about 10-15 minutes of churning it was perfect. Creamy, delicious, guilt-free and vegan.

Vegan Mac & "Trees"

The kiddos love mac and cheese, so I had to find a great recipes for a vegan version. I threw some broccoli in the mix and this makes a great kid-friendly dinner. The girls are currently on their second helping this evening.

2 1/2 tbls vegan butter (Earth Balance)

2 1/2 tbls all-purpose flour

Salt & pepper

1/4 tsp turmeric (for color)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or any other kind of non-dairy milk)

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup Daiya vegan cheese shreds, cheddar style

Whole wheat elbow macaroni

Medium bunch of broccoli, cut into florets

Cook the pasta until almost done and then add the fresh broccoli florets until just tender.

For sauce:

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, turmeric and garlic powder. Melt the vegan butter in a medium saucepan and then add the flour mixture. Stir constantly until well mixed and the roux is cooked. Add the soymilk gradually, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. It should began to thicken at this point. Add the nutritional yeast and vegan cheese shreds and cook on medium low heat until the shreds are melted and the sauce is thick and creamy.

Pour over cooked, hot macaroni and broccoli.

Whole Wheat Bread

I love baking bread because it's pretty much a free-for-all process. Once you understands the basics, the options are endless. This is the version that I made today, but I really do use all sorts of ingredient combos, usually based on what I have available. Also, I'm making one regular sandwich loaf and one cinnamon raisin loaf.

Basic Recipe:

One packet active dry yeast

1 c. soymilk or other non-dairy milk (heated until very warm, but not hot)

1/3 c. sugar (brown or white work)

1 tbls. sea salt

1/4 c. vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)

1/4 c. vegetable oil

3 tbls. honey (or agave if honey isn't a part of your diet)

2 c. whole wheat flour

2ish c. white whole wheat flour

Note: I use an electric stand mixer, but you can do the same steps by hand - great arm workout.

Mix together the heated soymilk, sugar, salt, yeast and 1 c. of the whole wheat flour. Let sit until it begins to rise (should only take a few minutes, if it take longer your yeast may be bad).

Add butter, vegetable oil and honey and mix well. Gradually begin to add another 1 1/2 cups of the flour and mix until very elastic. Add the remainder of the flours and continue to mix until all the flour in incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky. Knead (either with your mixer w/ dough hook attachment or by hand) for 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer dough into a large greased bowl and let rise until double, about an hour. When risen, punch down the dough in the center and let is rest for 10 minutes. Next, create your bread shape, transfer it to the baking pan of choice and let it rise again until doubled.

Bake at 375 for ~30-40 minutes or until it sounds hollow while tapped on.

See, not so hard. Right?

Good Ol' Fashioned Home Cookin'

As I transition from vegetarianism to veganism, I battle cravings for comfort foods that most would assume off-limits. But I've got skillz and manage to satisfy the cravings sans caving. Here's one of my dude's favorite meals because, well, it includes gravy.

Pan Fried Tofu with Quinoa & Vegan Gravy

1 package extra firm/firm tofu (drained well and blotted with paper towels to remove excess water)

1 1/2 cups quinoa

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I'm lazy & cheap and make mine with Rapunzel Vegan Bullion with Sea Salt & Herbs)

1 tbs vegan butter

1tbs unbleached or whole wheat flour

salt & pepper to taste

Chopped herbs (depending on what you're serving it with


Pan fry to tofu in a little olive oil and be sure to use a good non-stick pan. Don't flip until the tofu is nice and crispy on the first side.

Cook the quinoa just like you would rice with a 1:2 grain to veggie broth ratio.

After the tofu is done, remove it from the pan and use the pan to start the gravy. Brown the flour in the butter until toasty in color and whisk in the veggie broth. Whisking constantly is important to prevent lumps. Continue cooking until the gravy thicken - then add salt, pepper & herbs to taste. Add the tofu back into the pan with the gravy and cook together for just another couple of minutes. Serve the tofu & gravy over the quinoa with a seasonal veggie on the side and you have a better version of a classic.

Vegan Black Beans & Brown Rice

While transitioning from vegetarian to vegan (still transitioning), I've been learning a ton of new recipes and then relying on some old favorites. Black beans and rice are one of those, but now instead of doing regular ol' white rice, I take the time to cook brown. Here's my basic recipe:

So, I don't really use measurements with these kind of recipes - I find it easier to eyeball it.

You'll need:

Dry black beans

Water

Vegan vegetable bullion (cube or paste)

Chopped onion

Chopped green bell pepper

Chopped garlic

Cumin

Sea Salt & Pepper (to taste)

You can always feel free to experiment with spices, but this is my go-to ingredient list.

Rinse and soak the black beans for 1 hour. Pour out soaking water and replace with clean water and bring the beans to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 1 to 1.5 hours. Add chopped onions, peppers, garlic, bullion (start conservative with this and then add to taste), pepper and cumin and let cook for another hour or so. Salt to taste (if necessary) and then cook for another 5 minutes or so, to let the salt dissolve. Of course, test your beans to make sure they're done before turning them off :)

Serve with cooked brown rice - so very good for you.