Apple Wrapper Pie

I found this recipe in a children's cookbook a long time ago. It is like a super quick and easy apple pie. I recently made it vegan and loved it equally.
1 cup flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup vegan shortening
2 - 3 T cold water
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 cups apples
1 T butter

Mix the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add water. Shape into a ball and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix the apples, brown sugar and flour.

Roll dough into 13" circle. Top with the apple mixture. Fold edges over apples. Top with butter cut into squares.

Bake 30-35 minutes.

Mushroom and Spinach Strata

I have never made a strata before, or heard of one. But apparently it is traditionally a layered bread casserole with an eggy custard holding it together. Tofu took on the role of the "eggy" part.

6 slices stale bread, cut into 2" pieces (toast them in the oven if they are fresh)
1 1/2 cups shallots (5 or 6 big ones)
3 T olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t dried thyme
1 t dried rosemary
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t crushed red pepper
several pinches of fresh ground pepper
1 t salt
10 oz fresh spinach

For the custard:
1 lb soft tofu
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 t yellow mustard
1 T arrowroot
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven 350. Cook the shallots in 2 T of olive oil. I used a cast iron pan so I could cook and bake in one. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Prepare the custard by putting everything into a food processor. Add the garlic and herbs to the shallots and mushrooms and saute. Add the spinach by handfuls, waiting for it to wilt before adding the next handful.
Turn off the heat and move the veggies to one side of the pan. Add 1 T olive oil and the bread. Mix it up and distribute with the veggies. Pour the custard over everything and smush it all together. Make sure everything is coated without "outright" mixing it all together.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. When finished, should be firm and lightly browned. Cool 10 minutes and eat!

Ginger Apple Coconut Granola

I have been playing around with a basic recipe for granola and found a favorite! I bought dried apples at the Portland Saturday Market. The ginger was purchased in bulk from Capella. It is candied (dried and sugar coated). I added coconut flakes and walnuts to the recipe and they toasted along with the oats. The apples and ginger were added after the granola came out of the oven. I love to eat it with Almond Milk!

Brazilian Dill Cheese

This stuff is amazing! It is very soft but slices and goes really great with ciabatta bread.
2 1/4 c water
3 T agar agar flakes

1 cup brazil nuts
1/2 c chopped onion
2 T lemon juice
3 T nutritional yeast flakes
2t salt
1 clove garlic

1 t fresh dill

Soak water and agar flakes in a saucepan for 10 minute. Simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Add to blender with remaining ingredients, minus the dill. Blend until smooth. Add dill and blend briefly. Pour into a small bread pan and refrigerate until set.
Keep it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for storing.

Chili

I have made vegan chili in the past but used TVP (textured vegetable protein) as the "meat." This time, I was making it for a family at our school and I wanted it to taste as "real" as possible so I used Boca Burger Crumbles. I think it turned out fantastic. I added a green pepper (as opposed to red) for a touch of brightness. I did worry that I made it a bit too spicy for the kids in the family, but I am very sensitive to spice so maybe it was just me. I used black beans and pinto beans (instead of kidney). Here is the recipe.
I also made mini cornbread muffins to send with the chili. I am not a fan of corn bread but think these, made as little muffins, are delicious (It definitely could be the large amount of maple syrup in the recipe!) It comes from a blog titled Vegan Lunch Box and is at the bottom in the comments section. Here is a copy of it (with my changes in parenthesis).

2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil (safflower oil)
1 cup plain soymilk (unsweetened almond milk)

Stir above together. In another bowl whisk together:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup fine organic cornmeal
1 TB baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix wet and dry together and pour into a greased 9x9 square pan. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 (or in miniloaf or muffin pans for about 25 minutes), until tester comes out clean.

Hot and Sour Soup w/Mushrooms and Cabbage

The recipe came from the Veganomicon cookbook. I couldn't find dried wood ear mushrooms so I used dried shiitake. I didn't have Asian hot chile oil so I added 2 extra teaspoons of white pepper (as the recipe suggested to do). Next time, I will only add one (or maybe even less) because it became very, very (too) peppery. Regardless, the soup was awesome. If I were to rename it, I would substitute sour for tangy. Edamame on the side was perfect.
1/2 oz dried wood ear mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
8 leaves napa cabbage
4 cups veggie broth
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 teaspoons Asian hot chile oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups thick-sliced white mushrooms
1 heaping Tablespoon arrowroot (or cornstarch)
1 cup cold water
1 lb extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into match-sticks
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 cup chopped scallions

Place the dried mushrooms in the boiling water, covered, for 20 minutes.
Cut the napa leaves into thin slices, widthwise.
To a soup pot add: veggie broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chile oil, sesame oil, and white pepper. Bring to a boil and add the cabbage and fresh mushrooms. Cook until the cabbage is completely wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain and dice the wood ears and add them to the soup. Mix the arrowroot and water until dissolved. Add to the soup along with the carrots and tofu. Cook until heated through. Garnish with scallions.

Lemon Bars

This recipe is from the Veganomicon cookbook. It is easily becoming one of my favorites! I have wanted to make these lemon bars for over a year and finally broke down and gave it a go. On a scale of 1-5 they were probably a 3.5. I would change a few things next time though. They were extremely tangy, which is great for a lemon bar! But, next time I would make sure there was a outer crust around all the bars. My "No Edge" pan worked perfectly except I didn't push the dough high enough to create a crust. The lemon custard part took over the top and was a bit too powerful! We topped the bars with soy whipping cream and this helped mellow it out a bit.
Crust
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I used spelt)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch (I used arrowroot)
1 cup non hydrogenated vegan margarine

Filling
1 1/3 cups water
3 Tablespoons agar flakes
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 cup soy milk (I used almond milk)

Preparing the crust
Pulse the flour, powdered sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor. Add the margarine and pulse until crumbly. Press into a 9x13 baking pan, making sure to raise the edges slightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven 350. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool.

Preparing the filling
In a saucepan, let the agar soak for 15 minutes. Mix the arrowroot into lemon juice to dissolve. Bring soaked agar to a boil and boil for 10 minutes until dissolved. Add granulated sugar and turmeric. Boil until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the arrowroot/lemon juice mixture. Add lemon zest and soymilk. Whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour onto crust. Let cool then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Sift powdered sugar on top of bars, cut and serve!

Carrot Cuppies w/Candied Walnuts

This is the same recipe I used for the carrot cake a few posts back. The only change I made was letting the batter sit for about 15 minutes before pouring it into the baking cups. It allowed the oil to soak in and the carrots to soften more. The recipe made about 2 dozen cupcakes but left a lot of leftover frosting! The cupcakes are so moist, they started to pull away from the paper as soon as I took them out of the pan to cool.
I added candied walnuts to the top. My friend Ariel gave me this recipe.
1 cup walnuts
4 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
a splash of vanilla
a sprinkle of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix and bake for about 10 minutes at 350.

Granola

My best girlfriend Susan gave this recipe to me a few years ago. I pulled it out to make because I was looking for a good granola cereal at Capella a few days ago and they were all ridiculously expensive. I remembered that I could just make it for a lot cheaper!
I bought Just Fruit Munchies made by a company called Just Tomatoes. They have lots of dried fruit and veggie options. A bit pricey but not compared to the store bought granola cereal!
Mix all ingredients except fruit. (I didn't read ahead and added my fruit before baking...it got a little hard. I will remember next time!)Place on a large cookie sheet on wax paper (I used foil). Bake for at least 45 minutes. I set the oven at 300. Then mix in fruit.
5 cups rolled oats
1 cup nuts
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried fruit

Marinated Tofu

I have been making this tofu, marinated, breaded, and fried in olive oil, quite a bit lately. It is fast and has a really great flavor. I press the tofu for at least a half hour first. The marinate is random amounts of fresh garlic and ginger, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, Sriracha chili sauce, rice vinegar, some splashes of lime juice, and olive oil. I then bread the tofu in a mixture of panko and nutritional yeast. Finally, I fry it in olive oil. Here is also made green beans with walnuts and shallot crisps (recipe from Thanksgiving meal!)

Carrot cake with Cream Cheese Icing

I have made this recipe before, not vegan. Tonight I tested it with egg substitute and vegan cream cheese and was definitely not disappointed. It is from an In Style magazine from 2005 and is called "Jenny Belushi's Carrot Cake." The ingredients for the cake are: 2 cups All-Purpose flour (I substituted one for Whole Wheat Pastry), 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 2 cups sugar, 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used safflower), 2 eggs (Ener-G Egg replacer), 4 cups grated carrots, and 1 cup sweetened (I used unsweetened) coconut. Heat the over to 350 and grease/flour two 9" cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl. In a large bowl beat sugar, oil and eggs until well blended. Beat the two mixtures together. Add carrots and coconut. Divide between two pans and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool on wire wracks. Ingredients for the frosting are: 11 oz. Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, 4 TBSP Earth Balance butter, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla (I forgot to add the vanilla). I added all the ingredients to my food processor and mixed. I had to add at least a cup more powdered sugar to make it thick enough. This cake rocks!

Mushroom Turnovers

This recipe is from an old Cooking Light magazine. It was not vegan but very easily converted. I used Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and for the butter, Earth Balance. Instead of egg, I used Ener-G Egg Replacer. The only other substitute was to replace one of the cups of All-Purpose flour with Whole Wheat Pastry flour. Mine baked for almost double the time specified and I only had filling enough for 15 instead of 24. I froze the extra pastry and will make more filling in the future.

Rigatoni with Red Pepper, Almonds, and Bread Crumbs

Happy New Year....finally! I don't think I am going to even try to catch up! I really have cooked a lot lately but haven't taken many pictures so I will wait to make it all again before I post recipes! Tonight though, I tried a recipe that my friend/co-worker Debbie gave me. I roasted three small red bell peppers for the 1 cup the recipe called for. Instead of buying croutons and crushing them, I made my own breadcrumbs. I have been saving my "heals" of bread for a while in the freezer and they worked really nicely! I just laid them on a cookie sheet and baked at 225 for about a half hour. Then I dumped them into the food processor with a little sesame Parmesan cheese and they were ready to go. 3/4 cup of oil really seems like a lot, but it needed it! I also substituted toasted hazelnuts for the almonds because I had run out.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had vegetarian friends over for dinner so there was no pressure of answering the question "Where is the turkey?" Last week John bought me the latest version of my favorite magazine, Vegetarian Times, and they featured a vegetarian (very easily converted to vegan)Thanksgiving dinner that I copied exactly. We had Mushroom, Cheese, and Vegetable Strudel. This link takes you to a blog that shows excellent pictures of the process. I substituted vegan cream cheese and cheddar and it was my favorite part of the meal.

The salad is called a Beautiful Fall Salad. It included mixed field greens, beets, fennel, oranges, radicchio, red onion, and a lemon/olive oil dressing with a little bit of ground fennel seed, salt and pepper mixed in. Very tasty. Normally, I don't like oranges on salads because it makes it too sweet for my liking, but they really complimented the flavors this time.

On the side, Green Beans with Walnuts and Shallot Crisps. The walnuts were toasted and the shallots were fried in safflower oil making them 100x better than those fried onion pieces people normally put on green bean casseroles! After boiling the green beans for 5 minutes, I added 3 Tbsp each of apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, and maple syrup.

The Garlicky Mashed Sweet Potatoes were really simple. 4 sweet potatoes and 2 diced apples boiled for about 10 minutes. After draining, a roasted head of garlic and rosemary were added along with 1 tsp balsamic vinegar. More rosemary was sprinkled on top for a pretty look.

Double Cranberry Chutney, whoa was it powerful! It only took a tiny bit but was much nicer than that can of cranberries people crack open and dump out, then slice. Eww.

And for dessert, Triple Nut Chocolate Tart and Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream.

Our guests brought Pumpkin Risotto.

Vegan Pancakes with Carmel Pecan Sauce

Bad blogger, I know. I really have been cooking lately, but many repeat recipes. We have also been eating out a lot because of ridiculously busy schedules. This morning, I had such a craving for pancakes. I wanted pancakes that taste like the real thing, not that the barley and whole wheat pancakes are not nutritiously delicious. It just wasn't what I had in mind today. If found the recipe at Recipe Zaar and was interested because they are called "5 Minute Vegan Pancakes." Ours took a bit longer because we were out of Almond Milk. I used King Arthur All Purpose Unbleached Flour. Instead of vegetable oil, I used Safflower. They were delicious! And to top it off, I made a pecan caramel sauce. I started with 2 tablespoon Earth Balance butter in a sauce pan to melt. I added a handful (maybe a 1/4 cup) of slightly broken pecans and cooked until the butter was brown and the pecans were toasted. I added 1/4 cup of sucanat, 1/2 cup Silk Soy Creamer, and a tablespoon arrowroot powder to thicken it a bit.

Happy Vegan Birthday!

I never posted a picture of the German Chocolate cake John bought me from Sweet Life for my birthday! Here it is, it was heavenly!


Because John's birthday falls on election day, we decided to have an Election Day/Birthday gathering. Our apartment is very small, so we had to keep the guest list limited. Lots of fabulous people showed up and I think everyone eventually found someplace to sit. I could kick myself for not taking a picture of the snack table. It was a really nice spread! For snacks, I made spinach dip and poured it into a bread bowl. The dip was tasty, although next time I will use fresh spinach instead of the frozen kind. I don't think it will effect the taste but I think it will make the color less green (and scary to some people!) I was finally able to break out my fondue pot for a "Miso Fondue" or so I called it. We dipped pretzels, rice crackers, and veggies. We also had chips and salsa to munch on. For dessert, I made awesome vegan cupcakes. John and I are getting married in March and have decided to serve cupcakes instead of a traditional cake. I have been making cupcakes for a few weeks now so we can select the flavors we would like made. We are settled on the Strawberry Mousse (pictured here with raspberries on top) but the other kind, Cookies and Cream, were just for fun.

Wild Rice and Chanterelle Mushroom Soup

This weekend, we went to the annual Eugene Mushroom Festival at Mount Pisgah. It was fun, very crowded though. We were a little annoyed with trying to look at all the types of mushrooms because people kept stopping to take a million photos of each mushroom. John sampled a few kinds of mushrooms, but I passed because they were sautéed in butter. We didn't purchase any mushrooms because they were a bit pricey. But, on our way home we saw a "side of the road" stand that was selling chanterelle mushrooms, a pound for $5. We only had $4 on us but the man was very nice and let us still have a pound! I decided to make a wild rice and mushroom soup in the crock pot when we got home. I sort-of followed this recipe but left out the cabbage, barley, and spinach. Instead, I added carrots and celery. I also doubled the wild rice amount instead of the barley (I didn't have any!) It cooked all day and tasted great. It did make a lot and after a few days, the rice had absorbed ALL of the liquid. It then became bloated rice and mushroom soup. Next time, smaller batch!

Lemon-roasted new potatoes and Seitan Nuggets

The potatoes were so easy and the flavor was sweet and tangy mixed with the creamy flavor of little new potatoes. I could have eaten the whole dish. I recommend the very teeny tiny red new potatoes. They absorb the most flavor and get the softest/crispiest. To this, I added rosemary breaded seitan nuggets. I have made these in the past, but left the gravy off this time. They taste like crispy chicken nuggets to me. And, for some added green to the meal, roasted brussels sprouts. They were a great addition because they roasted in a seperate pan side by side with the potatoes. I added a thin layer of olive oil to a baking dish, splashed balsalmic vinegar and salt and pepper and layered the washed and quartered brussels sprouts on top. It all baked at 375 for about 40 minutes.

Vegan Chili and Cornbread Muffins

I had a few cans of beans and tomatoes. I also had TVP, which I have never cooked with before. Because it is getting cold, chili seemed perfect. I followed the recipe pretty diligently but we did not serve it over rice. That seemed odd to me but I guess some people enjoy that. I also did not add red wine (didn't have any!) I cooked it in the crock pot on low while I was at work, and came home to a wonderful, fresh, pot of chili! I also made cornbread muffins from a recipe I have used, and loved, in the past. We had sauteed spinach on the side for a shot of iron!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes w/Rosemary and Mushroom Gravy

The recipe for the mashed potatoes is not vegan, but can easily be adjusted. Earth balance butter and almond milk in equivalent amounts are perfect. The gravy is so delicious and rich I could eat it plain! We added rosemary instead of thyme for a different flavor, but I have made it with the thyme and it is equally as good. In the mix we added Tofurky Italian Sausages that had been sautéed in olive oil. This is one of my absolute favorite meals, and very easy to prepare. On the side is spinach sautéed in garlic and olive oil.

Charred Eggplant and Coconut Curry

Although this recipe took about 2 hours to make, it was really good. Lots of leftovers, great flavor, and new spices I had never tried before. I substituted safflower oil for canola and added a carrot. Before I added the spices to the food processor for the paste, I toasted them on the stove. We ate the curry with basmati rice on the side. I didn't take a picture. I think it smelled so good, I was really hungry, and there was so much that I figured I would take a shot of left-overs, but never did. And the really unfortunate part is that I probably won't make this again, at least not for a long time because of how long it took! So, I think for now, if you want to see it you will have to make it yourself!!!

Banana Nut Muffins

I selected this recipe but made a few adjustments. Instead of three bananas, I used 4. For the flour I used 1 1/2 cups spelt and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry. I didn't have 1 tsp of the powdered ginger, instead I used 1 teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice. They turned out really great but instead of 12 like the recipe indicates, I ended up with about 3 dozen!

Baked Leeks with "Cheese and Yogurt"

We used to love this recipe back in the days of cheese and yogurt! After my awesome trip to the farmers market and a great find of fresh leeks, I decided to give it a try.
The ingredients are simple: 2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread, 8 small leeks (I used 4 large), the equivalent of 2 eggs (EnerG Egg Replacer), 5 oz Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella, 1/3 cup plain So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk (it now comes soy-free, made with coconut milk!!!! Fabulous!!!!), 1/2 cup Sesame Parm, 1/2 cup vegan bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350. Add butter to a baking dish, spread it around. Trim the leaks, cut a slit from top to bottom to rinse well. Arrange in the baking dish. Beat the egg replacer, mozzarella, cultured coconut milk, and half the sesame parm together. Pour over the leeks. Mix the bread crumbs and remaining sesame parm together. Sprinkle over leeks. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
We had steamed green beans on the side drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.

Farmers Market / Saturday Market

John and I had shopping for birthday gifts to do at the Saturday Market, and were in desperate need of food. We scored big on fresh veggies! We also found fresh ciabatta bread, mushrooms, and many unique items like a purple pepper! The huge bag of spinach lasted us two meals and the kale one! We let the corn sit for a bit too long and a caterpillar that was living inside one ear ate his fair share! I will be sad when the market ends.

Cheezy Cauliflower and Portobello Mushroom Steaks

I have a really good recipe for "cheese sauce" that I recently used in a batch of enchiladas. It gave me the idea for how to use the head of cauliflower I bought at the grocery store. To start, I chopped the cauliflower into bite-size pieces and spread them in a 9x13 baking dish. For the sauce, mix thoroughly 1/2 cup flour (I used spelt), 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt (I eliminated this and the flavor was still great), 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 cups of water. In a medium saucepan, heat on medium heat until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoon mustard and 4 Tablespoons margarine (I used Earth Balance Buttery Spread). When it was all mixed together, I poured it over the cauliflower in the baking dish. I then mixed 1/2 cup bread crumbs, a few shakes of sesame Parmesan cheese, and a tablespoon of Earth Balance. After mixing these three ingredients together, I sprinkled it on top of the cauliflower and baked it for about 35 minutes at 350. John washed and cut the stem off the portobello mushrooms, then brushed them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sliced fresh garlic on top. We added these to the oven and baked along with the cauliflower.

Chickpea and Veggie Salad

John and I started with the idea of a salad on a bed of chickpeas bit it quickly turned into a stir fry. First, we sauteed garlic in a little olive oil and added basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. We added a can of organic chickpeas and cooked them until soft and slightly browned. Then, we added a little of almost every veggie we had in the fridge including red onion, asparagus, green beans, red bell pepper, and tomato. John sliced a perfectly ripe avocado for on top and, on the side, we boiled a few ears of corn on the cob. It was a really tasty meal, excellent leftovers, and left a little room for Coconut Bliss later in the evening!

Quinoa and Chickpeas with Portobello Mushrooms

I haven't posted for a while because we have been out of town quite a bit and eating out even more! This weekend we went to Portland for a concert and had dinner at a restaurant called Nutshell. It was tapas style, all vegetarian, and all but 2 options vegan. The menu consisted of all whole foods, nothing processed (no tofu, seitan, etc). It reminded me of my original goal in becoming a vegan, to avoid a diet based on soy products. Lately, soy has been in just about everything I have eaten or cooked, sometimes multiple things in one meal.
Tonight's dinner was soy free, and full of many random (delicious) flavors.
My birthday was a few weeks ago and a lady I work with gave me a beautiful box of veggies and fruits from her garden. I boiled the green beans and two tablespoons dill for about 5 minutes. They were very thick and hearty beans so they didn't get overly soft in that time. Normally I would only cook thin beans for 3-4 minutes.
I have been slightly obsessed with artichoke hearts lately! I have made them following this recipe in the past (minus the snowpeas). It turns out awesome every time. And finally, I rinsed a cup of quinoa (really important! It takes a bitter layer off) and sautéed it in a tablespoon of Earth Balance buttery spread, until slightly browned. Add two cups of water and simmer until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender (not mushy, sticky, or dry). To this, I added a can of garbanzo beans and a splash of olive oil and lemon. To top the grains, I sautéed a sliced portobello mushroom in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lots of pepper.
It was a very satisfying, wholesome meal!

Banana Nut Bread

I have made vegan banana nut bread before but used a different recipe this time. Not because the last one was bad; this one called for three bananas instead of 2, and I had 3 bananas ready for use. I substituted the brown sugar for sucanat and the allspice for pumpkin pie spice (it was the closest thing I had). I used whole wheat pastry flour and Earth Balance for the margarine. I added walnuts this time also. We are heading out of town tomorrow, up to Vancouver BC to visit friends. I am packing it because I always need something to munch on as soon as I get up and I think this will be perfect with coffee.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever made, vegan or otherwise! I can't even believe how good they are. The website has a how-to video that does a nice job explaining some of the vegan ingredients that substitute common non-vegan ingredients in cookies. I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose and Sucanat instead of brown sugar. My chocolate chips were mini and I used chopped walnuts in the mix. I will be surprised if these cookies last more than a few days in my house!

Vegan Fajitas

I asked John what he wanted for dinner this week and Fajitas were number one, which is excellent because they are very easy! I followed this recipe, minus the corn and black beans (I completely forgot to add them), plus mushrooms. We loaded flour tortillas with the veggies, guacamole, and Frontera Salsa (currently addicted to!) And, an added bonus! There are TONS of leftover veggies that will make a delicious tofu scramble tomorrow morning.