Home-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Any vegans missing that classic homemade chocolate chip cookie indulgence?  Well, now you can indulge without need for the dairy, eggs, white sugar, or even refined flour if you choose.  These cookies can even be made wheat-free substituting spelt flour for wheat flour.  One other bonus: these are super-easy to make!

Home-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 18-24 regular sized cookies

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon Black strap molasses
1 TB pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips


Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2.  In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
3.  Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined.
4.  In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined.
5.  Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not over-mix).
6.  Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. 7.  Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out).
8.  Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.


Note:  These cookies freeze well after they are baked.  What I like to do is make extra cookie batter, place on cookie sheets, and freeze instead of baking.  Then take them out of the freezer, and put into a plastic freezer bag.  Then, whenever you crave a fresh-baked cookie, you don't have to worry about making the dough! 

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour or spelt flour produces a more classic cookie taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still get a delicious cookie. For a wheat-free version, use spelt flour, but add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of the spelt flour to the dry mix (the amount needed varies with brand of spelt flour and whether you are using a refined spelt flour versus a less processed spelt flour).

Note: If, as you are mixing together your batter it appears quite floury and thick, simply mix together a couple of teaspoons more canola and maple syrup and incorporate it into the batter. Sometimes humidity, type of flour used, and other factors can affect the density of the batter and so a touch more liquid may be needed.

Roasted Garlic Pesto

I make a bunch of this and freeze it so I can have good pesto whenever I want!!!  YAY!

Roasted Garlic Pesto
Yield: 4 servings

15 peeled cloves of garlic (1 head)

1/4 cup pine nuts

1 2-oz package basil, chopped (1 bunch)

2 tbsp + 1/4 cup olive oil, divided

Salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Preheat oven to 375°F

1.  In a small baking dish, toss garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2.  Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3.  In a food processor, combine roasted garlic, pine nuts, basil, remaining olive oil, and salt, processing until smooth.  Also, you can add salt to taste.

Easy Homemade Granola

Easy Homemade Granola
yields: a huge cereal container full


13 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 cup water
1 to 1 1/4 cup maple syrup
1 TB Celtic grey sea salt
1 TB vanilla
1/2 cup light oil


1.  In a very large mixing bowl, toss together oats, pecans, and coconut.
2.  In Vitamix or other blender, add water, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla.  Blend until very smooth (about 2 minutes).
3.  Then add in the oil.  Blend for 20-30 seconds.
4.  Pour wet mixture on the dry oats, and toss with hands until oats are coated with mixture.
5.  Place granola on 2 large cookie sheets.  Bake at 170 or 175 degrees for 8 hours to dry out.
6.  The next morning, you may mix in dried fruit, small dates, raisins, etc.  Then place in storage container. 
7.  Enjoy!

Variation:  Use almonds in place of pecans, and honey in place of maple syrup. 

Rich Chocolate Pudding

Rich Chocolate Pudding


1 pkg 14 oz. silken tofu
1/3 cup agave
1/8-1/4 cup cocoa powder (depends on how rich you want it)
1 TB vanilla
1 big pinch of salt

1.  Blend everything in a food processor until very, very smooth.
2.  Chill, serve.

Crockpot Black Bean Soup

Another recipe from weelicious.com that is one of my most favorite and EASY recipes on the site!  YUMMY!  I also demonstrated this at the Fargo Health Expo 2011, and everyone loved it! 

Easy Crockpot Black Bean Soup
Yield:  6 servings


1 TB olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
1 32 ounce chicken-like or vegetable broth, low sodium
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 cup water
Toppings:  sour cream, cilantro, olives, tomatoes, chips, onions.


Instructions:
1.  Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and saute onions for 4 minutes.
2.  Add chopped garlic and saute an additional minute.
3.  Place the onion & garlic mixture into the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
4.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
5.  Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the ingredients to your desired texture.
6.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh toppings.  Serve.

Big Bertha Burger

Big Bertha Burger
Yield: about 18 burgers


4 cups Water
1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
2 TB light oil
1 TB flaxseed meal
1 TB dried sweet basil
2 Garlic cloves, pressed
1 large Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp dried Sage
1 cup chopped Cashews, Walnuts or Pecans
4 cups rolled (or quick) Oats


Instructions:
1.  Place the ingredients in the order given above in a 3-quart pan.
2.  Place it on medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil.
3.  Quickly stir in the oats and remove from heat.
4.  Cover and set aside to cool (usually takes a couple hours).
5.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6.  Form oat mixture into 3-inch round patties and place on oiled baking sheets.
7.  Bake for 25 minutes on each side.
8.  Serve with whole wheat buns, vegan mayonnaise, lettuce, and slices of onion, tomato and pickles.


TIP:  To shape the round burger patties, use the lid of a large-mouth canning jar.  Fill and pat the burger mixture into the lid and then push the lid through the ring onto baking sheet.

Raw Almond Milk

This is my absolute favorite milk recipe to make at home.  Its WAY simpler and easier than making soy milk, and its a RAW recipe which makes it even better!  


Raw Almond Milk

1 cup almonds (soaked overnight)

4 cups purified water
Soak almonds overnight.

1.  Place almonds and water in Vitamix blender for 2 minutes, or until smooth. 
2.  Strain through good-quality cheese cloth or nut milk bag. 
3.  Pour into half-gallon mason jar. 
4.  Add a pinch of fine sea salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 TB maple syrup. 
5.  Shake.  Chill.  Serve.  Bon Appetite!

Variation:  Use any kind of nut you would like.  Even use brown rice if you’d prefer!  I chose almonds, because they are the most alkaline (and I like the flavor)!