Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not a vegan, but I am lactose intolerant and I wouldn't miss meat if I could never eat it again. Since I am lactose intolerant and my daughter has a dairy allergy, I am fascinated by vegan recipes and have been incorporating them into our meals and desserts...not because I want to "save the animals", but out of necessity and the recipes are much healthier. That being said vegan or not--this recipe is amazing! The original recipe is from Happy Vegan. I make these all the time and they are definitely best fresh, so I usually bake one batch and freeze the remaining portion of dough so we can have fresh baked cookies another night. This recipe is fabulous as written, but I have noted the way that I prepare them below. Enjoy!


Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 c. unbleached flour (I use 1 c. AP flour/ 1 c. Whole wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
**I also add 1/2 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
cinnamon to taste (I skip this)
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like (I use mini-chips)
1 c. sugar
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil (I use smart balance oil)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup water (I use rice milk, but have used skim successfully as well)

In large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon (if you choose) and chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In medium bowl mix sugar and oil. Add the vanilla and then add the water (or milk). Mix well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix well but be careful not to overwork it. Spoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Take them out before you normally would. If you do not, they will dry out very easily. Cool for 2 minutes on sheets before transferring to cooling racks.

Velvet Chicken

Ok, I really struggled with a title fcor this recipe... I was originally thinking earth chicken, but that kind of makes me think of chicken with dirt all over it. Anyway, I wanted to make this recipe for dinner tonight. When I started getting the ingredients out to make it, I realized that I did not have most of the ingredients. What we ended up with was a really amazing meal that everyone enjoyed. I'm just not sure what it should be called because there is not one flavor that stands out above the others. I guess velvet chicken will have to do.

Velvet Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Salt and Pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

3/4 c. chopped onion

8 oz. bella mushrooms, sliced

2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I use 4)

1 c. chicken stock

1 pkg. reduced fat cream cheese

3 T. spicy peanut sauce (store bought)

3 T. fresh basil, chopped

1lb. box penne pasta (or your favorite pasta)

Salt and pepper chicken and brown in oil over high heat. Remove from pan. Set aside. In same skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add onion. Saute until tender. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add stock and simmer about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and peanut sauce. Add chicken and basil to sauce.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta.

Greta's rating: She loved this and our 1 year old loved it as well!

Lentil Stew

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted. I started a new job in November and have not had near as much time to try new recipes. This meal has become a regular at our house. It is easy, cheap and every one likes it. It's also a great meal to warm you up in the dead of winter.

Lentil Stew

6 c. water

3 vegetable bullion cubes

1 lb. lentils

1 1/2 lb. stew meat (optional)

10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 T. dried basil

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low all day (5-6 hours) or until meat is done. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Fudge

I was looking for a recipe for fudge, but did not have any evaporated milk on hand...I quickly discovered that there are few recipes for fudge that do not include this ingredient-so, I made my own!

Fudge

1/2 c. milk
1 3/4 c. sugar
3/4 t. salt

1 c. chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 t. vanilla (or peppermint) extract
*nuts, dried fruit, etc. optional

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Stir well and quickly pour into greased 8x8 pan. After fudge is set, cut into squares.

Italian Meat Pie

This is a recipe of my Mothers. This is an ideal meal to make for guests who are less adventurous in their eating. The flavors are familiar but the dish is put together in a slightly different way. While this recipe does not photograph well, it is an easy crowd pleaser!

Italian Meat Pie
1 1lb. ground beef (I use turkey)
salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 pkg. dried spaghetti mix
8 oz. sour cream (I use light)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1 pkg. crescent rolls (I use reduced fat)
margarine
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown meat in a little oil. Season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add onion and garlic and stir until just softened. Remove from heat and add tomato sauce and spaghetti mix. Stir and spread into 9 x13 casserole dish. Spread sour cream evenly over meat mixture. Sprinkle cheese over sour cream. Unroll crescent rolls over top of casserole and stretch to fit dish. Brush with melted margarine and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until crescent rolls are done.

Greta's rating: yum.yum.yum.yum!

Kolaches

What? You’ve never had a kolache? Around here, most people have had a kolache. Most people actually have their own family recipe that is “the best”. The kids and I spent Sunday afternoon in Wahoo at my parents. My Dad thought it would be fun to make some homemade kolaches, but to knead and partially rise the dough in the bread machine. We were so excited to see our results! If the bread machine yielded delicious kolaches, we would have found a precious shortcut to a long and laborious recipe. So? How were they? Awesome!

We used the dough recipe from my Grandma Swanda. The dough can also be used to make clover leaf rolls, crescent rolls- just about anything. We did the fillings Grandma Hain style. Her secret for good poppy seed filling is a little grape jam mixed in. But, you can use an type of filling. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and now that Dad has discovered a quick and easy way to make kolaches, I think we’ll be making them a lot more often!

Grandma Swanda’s Kolache dough

1 1/2 c. Milk (Evaporated or whole milk)

6 T. Margarine, softened

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

3 T. sugar

1 1/2 t. salt

1T. plus 3/4 t. dry active yeast

4 1/2 c. flour

fillings of your choice

Warm milk in microwave or on stove top. Place warm milk, eggs, margarine, salt and sugar in bread machine. Cover completely with flour. Pour yeast on top of flour. Turn bread machine on dough setting.

When dough is done- roll into 2″ balls and place an inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Cover with tea towel and rise 30 minutes or until double in size. Place fingers in center of dough ball and pulling outward, create a well for the filling. Repeat on each ball. Fill each with filling. Cover and let rise another 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Chocolate-glazed Pumpkin Cookies

My husband is so cute. He took a bite of one of these cookies, sighed and said, "I love fall." These are soft and very tasty. I like that there is very little spice in these and you can really taste the pumpkin.

Chocolate-glazed Pumpkin Cookies
2 c. flour
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. pumpkin puree
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk dry ingredients together. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light. Add egg; beat, until smooth. With mixer on low alternately add flour in two parts and pumpkin in one. Beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not overmix. Bake until puffed and golden- about 15 minutes. When cookies have cooled, melt chocolate either in microwave at 30 second intervals or over double-boiler. Drizzle over cookies and cool in refrigerator until chocolate is set.
Reference: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine.