Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies (recipe adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cook’s Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)
4 ½ tsp Ener-G egg replacer (equivalent of 3 eggs, ¾ medium banana or 3 TBS ground flaxseed and 9 TBS water)
6 TBS water
1 cup water
1 cup non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup firmly pack brown sugar, light or dark
2 tsp vanilla extract (we used 3-4 tsp)
2 ¼ cups un-bleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (we used ½ tsp)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
1 cup chopped almonds
(Side note from Jordan: Deb and I thought it might be fun to try substituting the eggs with a mixture of Banana and Flaxseed (2 parts banana, 1 part flax) on our next attempt on these cookies, in order to keep the fluffiness AND the nutty flavor. We will tell you how that goes when we do it in the future. If you don't feel like waiting for us to try it, do it yourself and tell us the outcome!)
Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick pan. In food processor or bender, whip the egg replacer and water together until thick and creamy (I did the same for the flaxseed).In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add the egg replacer mixture to the wet mixture, and thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat the four mixture into the wet mixture until it begins to form a dough. When it is almost thoroughly combined, stir in the chips and nuts, if using. Bake on the cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes: Remove to wire racks and cool completely
Regardless of how they were baked (banana or flaxseed), they were delicious! We hope you enjoy them as much as we did! This was Analeigh’s first experience with chocolate chip cookies and they definitely gained her stamp of approval. I wish all of you could have seen her chowing down! Our next vegan baking adventure was to branch out with Chai Spice Cookies and Coconut Lime Cookies. Now, I’ve created a recipe for non-vegan Chai Spice Cookies and these vegan ones tasted EXACTLY the same. You cannot tell the difference between the buttery, dairy and egg-laden cookies and those that were dairy and egg-free. I highly suggest making them if you like a spicy, delicious cookie to dunk into your tea or coffee. They would be wonderful slightly warmed and dunked into a glass of Vanilla Hazelnut Rice Milk on a cool fall day. The Coconut Lime Cookies were equally scrumptious. There is a chance that these were the tastiest cookies I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I could gorge myself on those babies and I’m not exactly the type of person that can eat tons of sweets; definitely a salt-aholic.
Chai Spice Cookies (recipe from 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1 tsp Nutmeg (optional: Jordan adds this to the mix for an added zip!)
½ tsp salt
¾ cup vegan margarine
¾ cup butter
2 TBS plain or vanilla soy milk (I recommend NOT using soy milk and using rice or almond milk instead. I’ll explain later in the blog)
2 TBS agave nectar (pure (or fake) maple syrup does the trick also)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, fennel seed and salt. Mix to combine well. In a large bowl, beat together the margarine, sugar, milk substitute, agave nectar and vanilla until well blended. Add the flour mixture, stirring well to form a smooth, stiff dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them between your hands into balls. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet and use a metal spatula or fork (Jordan dips the fork in Sugar to add some additional sweetness and uses a "X" design to flatten them down) to flatten the cookies to about ¼ inch thick. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Now for the soy milk debate… I’ve read multiple studies that show the phyto-estrogens in soy milk act the same way, in your body, as estrogen would. I’ve also read studies for the other side of the debate that states that they don’t affect your body. I tend to lean toward the first argument, only because I watched my dad grow moobs (man-boobs) when he went crazy drinking soy milk and eating soy cheese while trying to lose weight. The growth of said moobs stopped immediately upon his halting of the consumption of copious amounts of soy, after his doctor warned him of the effects of large amounts of soy on the body. I’ve read a few interviews and articles from soy-advocates that have stated that soy consumption should be limited to 2-servings/day. I’ve also read that doctors recommend that menopausal woman consume soy milk instead of hormone treatment. I’m taking that to mean that we don’t quite understand how phyto-estrogens effect our bodies yet, though it seems they have a negative effect, so take it easy. Rice milk and almond milk are far tastier than soy (and superior, in my opnion) so I will be sticking with those. Honestly, it’s your opinion and choice. If you want to risk growing moobs, getting a high-pitched voice and subsequently losing your man-card (if you’re a guy) or risk hormonal issues as a woman, that’s your deal. I’ll play it safe.
Coconut Lime Cookies (recipe adapted (entirely by Jordan) from 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson. Original recipe was for Vanilla Walnut Cookies)
½ cup vegan margarine
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
3 TBS lime juice
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetend coconut flakes
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes, plus additional for sprinkling
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat together margarine, sugar, and lime juice until well blended. Add the flour, coconut, baking powder and salt and stir well to form a smooth dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them between your hands into balls. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet and press down to flatten to about ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with coconut, pressing the coconut into the dough. Bake until lightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. If you choose to use chocolate chips, press chips into cookies immediately after removing the cookies from the oven.
I, personally, feel that the Coconut Lime Cookies tasted even better the day after baking them, after they’d sat in the container with the Chai Spice Cookies. They slightly absorbed some of the flavor from the Chai Cookies which added a whole new dimension to the coconut and lime. The next time I bake these cookies, I am going to try to (very lightly) flavor them with Chai spices to add that flavor without needing to bake the Chai Spice Cookies.
It turned out to be a very fitting thing that we began vegan baking for both my sake and Analeigh’s sake this week.
Two days ago, Analeigh brought Jordan a fresh diaper and asked to have her diaper changed, for the first time ever. Did I mention that Analeigh is 14 months old? Last night, Jordan, Sean and I made a trek to Target to let Analeigh pick out her training potty. The darling girl picked out the plainest, reddest potty I have ever seen in my life but she does love it. In fact, she kissed the bowl in the middle of Target. It turns out Analeigh was more than ready to begin potty training. A total of SIX times today, Analeigh went to her potty, pointed at it, pointed at her diaper and said, “Potty!” Each time, Analeigh would get her diaper off, sit on the potty and pee. This child is SMART! I’m pretty sure the only time she peed in her diaper was when she was napping. Now, if only, she would poop in the potty, too.
Today was also Sean’s birthday. Jordan out-did herself with dinner tonight. She made an amazing, smoky chipotle-citrus marinade for some smoked pork chops and let them sit in the fridge overnight. The result was voted the best pork chops we’d ever eaten. She also tweaked her recipe for Spicy Vinegar Green Beans, creating the best batch she’s ever made. The plan was to have jalapeno cornbread but she accidently made Jalapeno Johnny Cakes instead. That turned out to be quite an appetizing mistake. I’m not sure I will ever eat cornbread again, choosing Johnny Cakes in its place.
Smoky Chipotle-Citrus Pork Chops:
Recipe By Jordan Carey
4 Smoked Pork Chops (Bone-In about 1/2 an inch thick)
1 1/2 Cup Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, Original #7
2 Cloves fresh Garlic (Coarsely Chopped)
1 1/2 Tbsp Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp of McCormicks Grill Mates Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning
1.5 Tsp of Garlic and Onion Spice Blend from the Gourmet Collection
1.5 Tsp of Chili and Lime Spice Blend from the Gourmet Collection
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper
1 Section of finely Diced Shallot
To prepare Marinade for Chops, mix all above ingredients in a Ziplock Bag, close and shake until blended. Place Chops inside said bag, make sure the marinade covers all the chops and let them marinate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚. Place chops on a greased pan and bake until cooked all the way through. About 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check meat before removing it from oven as cook times do vary depending on the age/model/altitude of oven.
Spicy Vinegar Green Beans (recipe adapted by Jordan Carey from FoodNetwork.com)
1/8 pound slab bacon, diced
1 Shallot, Coarsely Diced
2 Cloves garlic, Coarsely Diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper Finely Diced
1 lb Green Beans
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (I like to feel the burn! For a less "in your face" flavor, use 1/4 tsp Red Pepper)
Salt
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
(I like to season my beans with salt, pepper, sliced shallot and diced garlic a few hours before cooking, just to get a bit of that flavor on the skin of my beans. However, That is entirely optional!)
In a large deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stiffing, until golden. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the shallots, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the beans, pepper flakes, and salt and saute over moderately high heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the boiling water and cover the skillet immediately. Steam the beans, shaking the skillet occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until just tender. Add the vinegar, and salt and pepper and stir until combined. Sprinkle with bacon.
Jalapeno Johnny Cakes
1 Box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix (Please note: I substitute Original Flavor Silk Soy Milk for Regular Milk. This makes the recipe that much better for you!)
1 Tbsp Dried Jalapeño Flakes
Follow Recipe on the side of the Jiffy Box for Johnny Cakes but add the jalapeños to the batter. Cook and enjoy!
After tonight’s dinner and the recent baking, Jordan and I have decided we are perfectly capable of opening our own restaurant. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll see us on the Food Network Channel. Guy Fieri would so not be able to resist our delectable deliciousness.
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