Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Doesn't get any easier than this! I've made these before and they are really good.
2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
cinnamon, to taste, optional
vegan chocolate or carob chips, put in as many as you like
1 cup raw sugar (turbinado #1; sucanat works too, but sucks up a lot of the moisture)
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Very important-make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. It will work if they're not at room temp but it works much better if they are. Also while your oven is pre-heating put the cookie sheets you are going to use on top of the oven so they get preheated as well.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

2. In a medium size bowl, add together sugar and oil; mix well. Add the vanilla and then add the water; mix well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to.

3. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Put them in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes and then flip and rotate the sheets (top to bottom & 180 degree rotation). Bake another 4 minutes and check them. The cookies are done when they seem a little bit softer then you want them to be. They will harden up some as they cool. I usually go in two minute increments from here until they get to where I like them.

4. Take them out when they are done and move them to wire cooling racks. If they split or come apart when you try to remove them let them sit on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks.

These cookies have come a long way, lots of time and tasting spent on getting them to where they are now. Vegans and non vegans LOVE them. In the words of my 6 year old son-Mom, you're the greatest because you know how to make the best cookies. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions. Sweet travels.

Serves: almost 2 dozen; Preparation Time: 10 minutes; Cooking Time: 10 to 12 minutes

I just thought this was so cute!

Cupcakes

Found this at the library. Will definitely be baking soon!

Macaroni anyone?

So i've been really wanting macaroni and cheese and just found a recipe to use:)
3 cups uncooked macaroni
3/4 nutritional yeast
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbs vegan butter or olive oil
2 tbs unbleached ap flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp stone ground mustard
1 1/2 cups of soy milk

1. Boil the macaroni according to the directions. Drain, rinse and place in a medium size casserole dish. Combine all the other ingredients in a medium size saute pan over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture starts to thicken. It will continue thickening as long as it is exposed to heat, if it gets too thick you can add more soy milk.
2. Pour the cheese mixture over the cooked macaroni and serve.

Morning Smoothie

1 banana
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
Soy Milk
Protein power
yummy!

Bad baking leads to more cooking?

Be sure to get your fiber

Baking

Two failed attempts at vegan baking. Maybe I'll try something new like crackers or granola bars.

Vegan Pizza Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teas. sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast (1/4 oz or 2 1/4 teas.)
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4. teas. salt

1/2 cup vegan pepperoni, chopped
1 cup vegan mozzarella, shredded (I used Teese)
3 tbsp. dried oregano
marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

In a large bowl, combine water and sugar and stir. Add yeast and let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the margarine to the water mixture and then add flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a clean, floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450. I recommend using a pizza stone if you have one. Prepare pepperoni, mozzarella and oregano. Roll out dough into a 18 x 24 inch square and cut into strips about 1 1/4 inch by 3 inches.


On one side of each strip, place a pinch of each filling component. You need to be able to fold and seal them, so keep that in mind when filling them

Roll over the naked side of the strip to cover the filling and pinch to seal. You may need to brush with a little water to get the dough to seal. If they don’t look beautiful now, don’t worry. They will get nice and puffy when they bake.


Brush or spray with a light coating of olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven, until lightly browned. You can also bake them for about 9 minutes in a toaster oven at 400 degrees. They will turn out fine, but the bottoms won’t be as crispy. Serve warm with marinara sauce. They reheat beautifully in a toaster oven.

Makes, approximately 30 rolls.

Vegan Meatloaf

1 medium sized onion, shredded or chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 teas. dried basil
1 teas. dried oregano
2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp. red win vinegar
1 1/2 cup cooked lentils (I used French, any variety would do)
1 1/2 cup cooked grain (I used buckwheat, brown rice would be good, too)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a loaf pan or Baker’s Edge pan.

In the bowl of a food processor, add the onions, carrots, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Process for 30 sec-1 minute, until it resembles a chunky paste. Add the herbs, soy sauce and vinegar and combine. Add lentils and grain to the processor and process until ingredients just come together, scraping down the bowl as needed. If there are still some discernible lentils, that’s fine, but overall it should be thick and paste-like. Hmm… paste-like doesn’t sound very appetizing.

Moving on, spread the loaf into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes (closer to 40 for the loaf pan), depending on type of pan. The top of the loaf should brown and get a little crusty on the edges There should still be a little mush-factor if you gently push down on the top of the loaf, as it will continue to firm up as it cools.

Makes 6-7 servings, depending on how much you feel like sharing.

Vegan Chili

1 bell pepper-any color diced
1/2 onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 can of black beans or pinto
1 can of kidney beans
1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup of vegetable broth
1 tbsp of cumin
2 tbsp chili powered
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
small dash of cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper if you like it spicier
I used a tbsp of thyme and fresh basil though it didn't call for it I just wanted to use it
1/2 cup of TVP-textured vegetable protein-gives the chili a heart texture like beef this is optional though add with 1/2 cup water.

Saute bell pepper, onion and garlic on medium heat with olive oil.
Add the tomatoes, spices and vegetable broth-2 minutes
Add the beans and simmer for up to 1 hour but can be 20 minutes if you are pressed for time
When you have 10 minutes left, add TVP and water.

It seems like a lot of ingredients but I had them all in my cupboard expect for the TVP which was $3.

Nutrition Facts:
One serving provides approximately:
Calories: 334, Calories from Fat: 54
Total Fat: 6.0g, 9%, Saturated Fat: 0.9g, 4%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 260mg, 11%
Total Carbohydrates: 55.4g, 18%
Dietary Fiber: 15.5g, 62%
Sugars: 5.9g
Protein: 18.7g
Vitamin A 49%, Vitamin C 107%, Calcium 11%, Iron 35%, Based on a 2000 calorie diet