Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I played around with an old favourite recipe of mine and came up with this vegan option.  Sooo good.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
- 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
- 1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
- splash of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325.  In a small bowl, combine the unsweetened soy milk with the apple cider vinegar.  Set aside to let the soy milk curdle.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.  In the food processor, combine the brown sugar, Earth Balance, curdled soy milk, and vanilla.  Pulse until well blended and smooth.  When finished, add the sugar mixture to the oat mixture.  Stir until everything is moistened.  Stir in the raisins.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and use an ice cream scoop to get even portions of the cookie dough layed out on the sheet.  Flatten the cookies with the back of the scoop or your finger.  Bake for 30 minutes for tender, chewy cookies or 35 minutes for crisp cookies.
Allow to cool.  Enjoy and happy pooping!

Scrambled Tofu

Tried the recipe for Basic Scrambled Tofu (page 19) from Vegan Brunch.  I was hesitant to try this, but I am glad I did.  Just the word tofu used to gross me out in my omnivore days.  The funny thing was, I didn't even know what tofu was and had never tried it.  I was missing out on a whole world of opportunity.  Now, with eyes open and palette ready, I gave scrambled tofu a shot.  Yum!  The recipe had too much cumin in my opinion, but I would make again (just with less cumin of course).  I didn't miss scrambled eggs a bit.

Satay On The Road

For my husband's birthday we went out for dinner at our favourite Thai restaurant in Toronto "Satay On The Road".  We called in advance to ensure they had vegan options.. and they did (they were actually very happy to oblige).  We had the following when we arrived:

S1:  TOM YAM HED: Thai Mushroom Soup

Fresh Mushrooms with Coconut Milk served with Lemon Grass, Lime Juice, and Chili, served piping hot

==> this is the best soup HANDS DOWN I've ever had

N1: PAD THAI (Vegetarian version -> when ordering, ask for this without meat & eggs)
Thai Rice Noodle with Tofu, Tamarind Sauce, sprinkled with Roasted Peanuts served with Fresh Bean Sprouts and Lime

R: VEGETARIAN THAI FRIED RICE without eggs

==> not on their menu but they made it for us anyways (fried rice with vegetables)

V7: TOFU GORENG
Marinated grilled Beancurd, Stir Fried Fresh Assorted Vegetables served with Steamed Rice and Peanut Sauce

==> this was really really good.  The beancurd tasted great, especially with some of the peanut sauce

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

I wanted to make cupcakes for my husband's birthday and chose the Toasted Coconut Cupcake recipe from page 87 of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.  It was really really good!  We loved them.  Made with flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, coconut oil, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla & coconut extract, and unsweetened shredded coconut (I did not add the chocolate covered coffee beans because I can't stand coffee).  I didn't take pictures because I didn't dress the cupcakes up.  I simply iced them.

Laundry Soap

Sounds weird to blog about laundry soap, but when trying to live with compassion and avoid products that are harmful to animals, you need to do your homework and research companies to ensure you are supporting a morally responsible company.  Most grocery stores carry the big company laundry soaps and powders.. you know the ones.. they smell artificial and are produced by big commercial industry.  My local grocery store has three isles now devoted to responsible living - organic foods, environmental & biodegrable products, as well as vegan lines of products.  I replaced my commercial laundry soap with Nature Clean Laundry Liquid.  It is produced in Canada and does a great job cleaning my clothes (is safe on all fabrics by the way).  None of their products are tested on animals or contain any animal by-products - making them vegan friendly.  They also carry the Leaping Bunny logo, which highlights their dedication to cruelty free products.  You can also find them on the PETA site as well.

Herb-Scalloped Potatoes

I tried the Herb-Scalloped Potatoes recipe from page 108 of Veganomicon and it was awesome (and easy).  Will make again and again.  I used my food processor to get even thin slices of the potatoes and served with a dollup of vegan sour cream on top with a sprinkle of dill.  Contains potatoes, vegetable broth, unsweetened soy milk, olive oil, garlic, nutritional yeast flakes, thyme, basil, rosemary, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Rockin Vegan Pizza

I made this pizza tonight and it rocked our worlds.  Best pizza I've had in a loong time.

INGREDIENTS (makes 4-6 servings - very filling)

- store bought refrigerated pizza dough in a bag
- 2 Tbsp high oleic Safflower oil
- 2 medium onions, chopped into slivers
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- couple handfuls of sliced mushrooms
- Tofutti Herbs and Chives Better than Cream Cheese
- pizza sauce
- 1/2 green pepper, finely sliced
- 1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
- couple handfuls of pineapple tidbits
- 1/2 package of Earth Island Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Cheese Alternative, gently grated
- sprinkle of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend

INSTRUCTIONS

Allow pizza dough to come to room temperature before starting recipe (allows for easier handling).

Preheat oven to 425.  Spray a large cookie sheet with oil.  Drop the pizza dough onto the greased cookie sheet and spread out with your hands.  When it is the thickness and shape you desire, poke several holes in the flattened dough with a fork.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large skillet up to medium heat and add the oil and onions.  Sautee for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic.  Sautee for a couple more minutes and then add the mushrooms.  Sautee together for 5-7 minutes.  If your pan gets too dry, add a splash of water.
When the pizza dough is ready, remove from oven (but keep the oven on).  Spread a couple tablespoons of the Tofutti spread onto the dough (like you were buttering toast).  Next spread as much pizza sauce as you like on the dough.  Then top evenly with the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture.  Add your peppers and pineapple.  Finally, top with your grated "mozzarella" and sprinkle the entire pizza with Mrs. Dash.
Place back in oven and bake for 20 minutes.  When the 20 minutes are over, put your oven to broil and broil for 3-5 minutes (to allow the "mozzarella" on top the pizza to melt and brown a little).
Remove from the oven, slice up and enjoy!

Note:  In Canada, Vegan Gourmet is made by Earth Island.  In the USA, Vegan Gourmet is made by Follow Your Heart.  Same company, same product, just different names.