Short bread cookie ball doodle

I’m not usually picky with sweets, but I have had problems making vegan cookies that I like. Then one day I tasted a veganized sugar cookie recipe from a friend that substituted banana for egg and it was the closest to tollhouse cookie dough I have tasted since going vegan. I’m not a big supporter of tollhouse type cookie dough, but I remember eating it right out of the package my first year in college.

The Chameleon Cookie Dough

• 1 cup softened margarine (or 1 cup canola oil + 1/4 tsp salt)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 cups flour
• optional: cocoa powder, cinnamon, coconut, chocolate chips, etc…

Beat the margarine (or oil+salt) with the sugar. Add banana and vanilla extract and stir until well combined. Add flour and baking powder in intervals. The dough will seem dry but this makes it easier to shape.

Roll into balls, roll into a log and cut into disks, squish into flat cookies with a fork or whatever you would like to do with these. They keep their shape pretty well so whatever shape you make them will be the one they stay in.

Bake at 375 F for 10-20 minutes. The longer you bake them, the more they turn into short bread.

Flowers don’t just look pretty

I had never tasted flowers before this summer. No one told me that I was missing out. Actually, I don’t think there are that many people who eat flower pedals at all. Maybe I’m special because of it

Flower Pedal Salad

• Baby greens
• Daikon Radish
• Fresh Chives
• Fresh Parsley
• Calendula flower pedals
• Broccoli flowers

Dressing

• 2 parts balsamic vinegar
• 1 part olive oil
• 1 part yellow mustard

Toss the first set of ingredients except the flowers. Mix the dressing and pour over the greens. Then sprinkle the flowers over the salad to serve.

Feline Friday

Some felines are just photogenic no matter what. Or maybe it’s because Joe knows how to match his eye color with his resting spot.

Avocado Goodness

Credit goes to Claire, one of my fabulous vegan housemates, for wanting to make avocado quesadillas.

Avocado Quesadillas

• 8 corn tortillas
• 2 avocados
• “cheese” sauce (below)
• some of your favorite salsa

Put a large pan over medium heat. Gently mash the avocados into chunks. Spread one half avocado on a tortilla, top with a quarter of the cheese sauce, cover with second tortilla and place in pan. Let it heat up until the tortilla is crip but be careful not to burn it. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and serve with salsa. (makes 4 quesadillas)

“Cheese” Sauce

• 2 tbsp corn starch (also works with flour, but you have to use a little more of it)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1-2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp red pepper powder (chili powder would work as well)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed
• 2 tsp braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp oil (optional)

Stir the cornstarch, nutritional yeast, and dry spices together in a sauce pan. Add one cup of the cold water and put over medium heat while stirring with a whisk. Add garlic, vinegar, and oil now. Keep stirring while the sauce thickens and bubbles adding more water if the sauce is too thick (will take at least 5 minutes, more if you used flour instead of cornstarch). Add braggs to taste. Turn off the heat when the sauce gets to desired consistency. Remember that it will get a little thicker when it cools down.

Feline Friday

I’ve been wanting to do this for months now.

Here is Joe The Curious, also known as Curious Jojo, Joseph, NO-JO!, or AwwWhatACuteKitty. His best friends are Claire and anyone allergic to cats. He has a peculiar fondness of warm laps and the kitchen counter. His favorite past-times are scaring visitors by sneezing up a fit, catching flies for a quick snack in the afternoon, and hissing at Amanda the dog that shares his fur color.

June Kitchen Frenzy

Beginning June I moved into a new place, and after not having access to a kitchen since March I find myself thinking I should put up camp in the kitchen because I practically live in it now. Back to food now. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to share my peanut sauce recipe. I use it for anything from salads and stirfries to dipping veggies.

Peanut Sauce

• Peanut Butter
• Something to thin it out
• Something Spicy
• Something Sour
• Something Salty
• Something Flavorful
• Something Sweet

My version:
• 1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3 cloves garlic, mashed
• 2 tsp apricot jam
• 1 inch cube fresh ginger, grated
• juice of 1 large lime
• 1/3 tsp cayenne pepper

Stir until well combined. Keeps for quite a while in the fridge. However, the coconut milk tends to set solid, so straight out of the refrigerator this sauce is more of a paste.

In the picture above I cooked whole wheat spaghetti, and meanwhile sauteed some onion and spinach, which I then tossed with the spaghetti and the peanut sauce. I can imagine this would be good with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top, though I have had a slight infatuation with adding sesame seeds to my cooking lately.