Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Vegan Cookies!

I made these marvelous cookies a couple of timesin the last month and definitely plan on making them again this month because they were so darn delicious! Rave reviews from everyone who tried one, can't argue with that.  They are so absolutely ooey, gooey, good!


Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies
Original recipe from Veganbaking.net


2 tbsp golden flax meal
3 tbsp water
2 1/4 cup cupsall-purpose flour
3/4 tsp bakingsoda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup + 2tbsp vegan butter, room temperature 
1.5 cup organic cane sugar
2 tsp vanillaextract
1 cupsemi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

1. Preheatyour oven to 350F. In a small bowl whisk together the flax meal and thewater. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes so the mixture thickens. Line two cookiesheets with parchment paper.

2. Ina medium mixing bowl whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda,cinnamon and salt until well incorporated. Set aside.

3. Inanother medium mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until well mixed. Beat inthe flax meal mixture from step 1 followed by the molasses and vanilla extract.

4. Addthe flour mixture from Step 2 and mix until just incorporated. Stir in thechocolate chips.

5. Using an ice cream scoop (to help make each cookie serving even) scoop out some dough onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

6. Bake for about 10-12 minutes (maximum).  Cookies will be soft and chewy, delicious!  Allow cookies to cool on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Better then Sliced Bread Banana Loaf

Found this amazing banana bread recipe from The Baking Bird (original recipe from Veganomicon) and made a loaf as a pre-camping/hiking/grueling rock climbing treat for me and Mike - our all-time favourite bread!

I tweaked it of course to have less sugar and more natural sweetness ...

Banana Maple Bread 

(from Veganomicon via The Baking Bird)

Makes one loaf

2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp molasses

1 cup gluten-free flour mix

1 cup spelt flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
3. Puree bananas until smooth. Add the maple syrup, applesauce, oil, and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate.
4. Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until all the wet and dry ingredients are combined well.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack or cutting board.

Might as Well Go All the Way?!

Sometime last year I tried eating gluten-free, as much as possible, but when I decided to be strictly vegan I decided I need my wheat man! I don't have celiac disease so what the heck, I'm okay to eat wheat, right?

Well I'm sure many can argue the healthy advantages to both sides and I'm not saying that I'm strictly eating gluten-free but I have been wanting to incorporate it into my vegan baking - at least better then I had been.

Found the perfect book to start me off: Flying Apron's Gluten-free & Vegan Baking Book

Carob Chip Cookies 

adapted from recipe on page. 42

• 2 3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix
• 1.5 cup plus 1 tbsp garbanzo bean flour (a.k.a. chickpea flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup carob "chocolate" chips (I use carob to reduce the caffeine and I have yet to find dairy-free chocolate chips in this city!)
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional - I omitted them)
• cocoa powder for dusting afterward (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Combine the the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a separate large bowl combine canola oil, sugar and vanilla - mixing very well (can use a stand mixer for this one, I didn't).

4. Add the dry mixture alternating with the almond milk to the wet mixture, combining well with each new addition.  The mixture should stiffen up a bit.

5. Stir in the chips and nuts if using.

6. Scoop the dough onto greased or parchment-lined baking sheets with an ice cream scoop.

7. Bake until golden and slightly firm to the touch, about 17 minutes.  For a nice touch, dust some cocoa powder to the tops of the cookies while they are still hot.

An Eco-friendly Edible Christmas Gift: The How-to

This year, like many years previous, I decided to make - or really, bake most of my Christmas gifts for family and friends.  This year however, I was determined to waste as little as possible and make Eco-friendly gifts.

Here's my attempt at it and tutorial for you to try it too!

What you'll need:

1. A variety of home-make baked goods, like cookies (like I have here) or even chocolate and candy works.  I made all vegan pecan chocolate cookies, oatmeal cranberry cookies and snicker doodles.

2. Newspapers - I prefer to use the comic and puzzles section; entertainment or sports sections also work well, depending on who the gift is for that person might enjoy the sports or entertainment news - anything with big bright photos also works and is decorative.

3. Eco-friendly, biodegradable plates - I found a great brand at Loblaws, they're really starting to get some good "green" products in.

Step 1: Mix and arrange the cookies on one plate.  Cover cookies with another plate.

Step 2: Tape the plates together to hold in place ... looks like a saucer!

Step 3: Choose the newspaper you would like to use - the Saturday newspaper comic section works the best.

Step 4: Proceed to wrap the cookie saucer. I basically started on one side, folding neatly and continued around the plate. 

Step 5: The newspaper will create a hexagon shape around the saucer and you will likely need to cut off the excess paper when you get close to the end.

As pretty as the wrapping and comics look I thought it would be a good idea to top off each cookie saucer with a hand-made card that can also be reusable, made with left over scraps of coloured paper.

Here's the how-to:

Supplies can include: various scraps of coloured paper, scissors, pencil, various cookie cutters, glue, coloured pens or paints, old magnets, and coloured string or yarn.

Step 1: I used a cookie cutter to draw out a star shaped tag for my gift.  Trace and cut.

Step 2: Add some glitter, sparkle and shine to your card, whatever you like!

Step 3: Once you've pimped up your card, time to add a string loop to the card so it can be reused as a decorative Christmas piece.  Another great option, glue a piece of magnet on the back, it's a fridge magnet! The best source are those free magnets you get from business offices, fairs, dentist or veterinary offices - get a stack and cut them up.

Step 4: In this case I added a gold piece of string through one of the corners of the star - good to hang on the tree.

  

Another great option: old Christmas cards! In this case, I took old Christmas cards that I had been collecting since (believe it or not) grade 5 and using a round cookie cutter I cut-out the pictures from them.  You can then add a magnet or a string and use them to decorate your gifts.

A completed package will look something like this.

I made a few this past week for friends.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

BIG Zucchini Many Ways

A couple of weeks ago a dragon boat teammate of mine, who grows and sells his own produce to fundraise for his many causes, sold me a massive and beautiful 15-inch zucchini! Yes, 15-inches ladies, I measured it.

It lasted me the two weeks and it tasted amazing in every meal.  Here are a few things I made ...

Zucchini Slaw
Original recipe from Taste of Home

2 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded and squeezed dry (in my case I cut about a 1/4 off the massive zucchini I had)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 cup coarsely shredded carrots
3 Tbsp reduced-fat or vegan mayonnaise
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
Dash cayenne pepper (to add some spicy)

In a bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Yield: 4 servings.


Chocolate Zucchini Banana loaf
Original recipe from Taste of Home

2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 medium ripe banana, mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4- 1/2 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini

In a bowl, beat eggs. Blend in sugar and oil. Add banana and mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; stir into egg mixture. Stir in zucchini just until combined.

Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 1 loaf


Other meals I managed to squeeze out of the 15-inch zucchini ...

Vegan Lunch: Zucchini Pizzas (ingredients include: zucchini, salsa, mushrooms, cheddar rice cheese and spices)

Zucchini Mushroom stir fry (ingredients include: zucchini, mushrooms, red onion, whole wheat pasta, BBQ sauce and cayenne pepper)

I Can't Eat These Ripe Strawberries Fast Enough!

Living in Toronto has been an amazing 10+ years experience so far.  One of my most favourite things about the city, is the varitety of places you can go to get your groceries, from supermarkets to Asian markets to farmers markets - you name it!  Besides Farmers' markets in the summer my next favourite place to go is the local Asian fruit & veg markets, which are basically spread out all over the city.  It's true, in almost any given Toronto neighbourhood you are sure to find one.

One of the things I love about these markets is that you can always find ripe, ready to eat produce at very affordable prices, although the items are not always local I do my best to buy Ontario grown produce.  The problem I find, is that sometimes the food is a little too ripe that by the time I get it home and to my kitchen it's starting to turn. I encounter this problem mostly with the berries - more specificaly strawberries!

Hence, my dilemma - I can't always eat the strawberries fast enough!  My solution - gluten-free / fat-free honey strawberry bread! This bread was very yummy and freezes well if you want to save and savour it.

Strawberry Honey Bread
(Gluten-free & Fat-free)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (GF)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup fat-free soy milk
- 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1/2 honey
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Lightly coat a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with coconut oil

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda

4. In a small bowl, lightly toss the strawberries with 1 Tbsp. of the flour mixture until strawberries are well coated and set aside

5. In another small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, orange juice concentrate, honey and oil.

6. Stir liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened

7. Gently fold in the strawberries and spoon the batter into the pan.

8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean

9. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack

Too Many Ripe Bananas? Here's a Solution ...

More then anything, I LOVE banana bread! Adding blueberries to this recipe just makes this banana bread that much more amazing.  This fantastic recipe is not only gluten and dairy free but also fat-free and high in anti-oxidants and potassium (mmm fruity goodness).

It's also a good excuse to use up those riping bananas sitting on your counter, you know the ones, they possibly have a fruit fly colony gathering right about now? Happy Baking!

 

Blueberry Banana Bread

(Recipe found and adapted from Fat-Free Vegan)

Ingredients

- 3 large over-ripe bananas

- 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

- 1/3 cup fat-free soymilk

- 1/2 cup agave nectar

- 1 cup gluten-free flour

- 1 cup spelt flour (not considered 100% gluten-free for most)

- 3/4 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with coconut oil.

2. Mix the soymilk with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and let stand until it curdles.

3. In a large bowl, mash the bananas and add the remaining lemon juice, soymilk and agave nectar. Stir well to combine.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until the mixture is well-combined.

6. Fold in the blueberries.

7. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

First Mission: Gluten-Free Lime Bread

My new year resolution was to start eating more healthy, clean and gluten-free foods - not that I wasn't eating healthy already but I really wanted to change the way I see food, my lifestyle.

It's been about a month into my meat-free, dairy-free and gluten-free diet and I feel great!  (Still eating eggs though, sorry, just love them way too much to give them up just yet).

Over the holidays I bought myself a great little bread baking book, filled with great recipes but obviously none of them gluten-free so I challenged myself to make them so.  First recipe I tried...

Lime Bread (gluten-free)

Ingredients

- 3 cups gluten-free flour

- 3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar

- 3 tsp baking powder (gluten-free)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/4 tsp baking soda

- 1.5 cups plain soy milk

- 1 beaten egg

- 1/4 vegetable oil

- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

- 2 tsp grated lime peel

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan (I used margarine to grease it) and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, oil, lime peel, and lime juice, stirring well.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry mixture once.  Stir just until moistened

4. Turn into a prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.  Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer bread to cooling rack.

**This bread will be a little denser then your usually sweet or white breads but it's oh so yummy!

Great as a side with soup or for breakfast!