Sweet Tooth

We needed a simple snack to cure our sweet tooth...and I had a fresh bag of flower just waiting to sift.  It's a wild Tuesday night, y'all!

I found this recipe for maple cinnamon cookies somewhere on the internets and took a screen shot.  It was so simple, everything is pretty much a staple item in my kitchen, and they are delicious!  Nothing like warm cookies and cold almondmilk—am I right?

Maple Cinnamon Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 c. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T applesauce
1/4 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
cinnamon for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix wet ingredients:
3/4 c. canola oil
2 T applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. sugar (I know, this isn't a wet ingredient but we're pretending today)
1/4 c. maple syrup

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and then add to wet:
2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Mix to combine.  Then, place dough by spoonful onto baking sheet.  I used my hands to roll them into balls.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with cinnamon.

During the first batch, I check at the halfway point and noticed they weren't spreading at all.  I pulled them out and pressed them with a fork (peanut butter cookie style) so they would bake through in the time allotted.  For the second two trays, I pressed them prior to baking.  You can sprinkle the cinnamon before baking or after.

Next time: I think I will form the dough into a tube and wrap and place in the fridge for a few minutes to chill.  Then, I'll slice and bake instead of pressing.  For some reason, the pressed hash marks on cookies don't taste right if they're not peanut butter.  Yep, I'm quirky. ;)

Enjoy!

Comfort Food

Our family's comfort foods have slowly started evolving as our menu has changed.  One thing that has remained consistent: our kids find comfort in a warm bowl of soup.  Taco soup, noodle soup, veggie soup...we love soup!  Soup that cooks in a crock pot is even better!

I decided to switch things up a bit and check out a new recipe for lentil-veggie soup.  This is a crock pot recipe, but I had to finish it up on the stove top.  If I had it to do all over I'd soak my lentils overnight, and make sure my veggies were chopped small enough to cook in a crock pot in the time allotted.  Otherwise, the flavor was wonderful.  The kids loved it and have already asked when I'm making it again.

Alongside our big bowls of soup were steaming, delicious corn muffins.  One of the girls helped me whip these up from a box mix.  We used applesauce in place of the eggs.  They were delicious!  Very dense and moist.  Yum!

And that's what it's all about!

In our homeschool co-op, Sunshine is taking a class in which each student has to complete a 20 minute presentation on a topic of his/her choice.  Today was Sunshine's day to present.  Their teacher instructed them to choose something they felt passionate about.  Sunshine chose...veganism!  :)  We were very proud of her informative presentation and her passion for veganism.

She spent 3 weeks doing research and organizing her notes, prepared a PowerPoint presentation, and then decided that she wanted to share some vegan food with her friends.  After all, most people assume that vegan food is nasty.  She wanted to prove otherwise, so she armed herself with chocolate chip cookies.  YUM!  We've made these at least 4 times in the past (almost) 7 weeks.  They come together easily and are delicious!  (I've had several non-vegan friends ask for this recipe, too!)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. flour (I have used 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c. Earth Balance "butter"
3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
replacer for 2 eggs (either 1/4 c. applesauce per egg or Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl cream "butter", sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and "egg".  Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes until edges are golden.

Product Review: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free (and vegan!) Brownies
(Paper plate dress up idea courtesy of Pinterest)

Belle was invited to a friend's house over the weekend for a small gathering.  She asked me if there would be food: yes.  Then she asked how she would know what was okay for her to eat.  I gave her what I assume will become my standard reply: Eat what you are comfortable eating.  Eat what you want to eat.  Do not make a big deal out of it.  If you want to eat something that is not vegan, eat it.  Nobody is going to give you a hard time, nobody is going to judge you, nobody is going to say you're not doing a good job.  You're nine years old.  Enjoy life.  Period.

And then the question I actually had prepared for: Can I take something to share that is vegan?

But, of course!  I had planned for this, but not entirely.  It was a project filled weekend for me, so I decided to grab a pre-packaged mix for brownies while I was picking up other groceries.  I had a sneaking suspicion that my girlie was going to want to take a snack to share.  She was excited to hear that she was taking a family favorite, but I think she was a little leery when I pulled out the ingredients.

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix calls for butter & eggs.  Instead, I used Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread and applesauce.  Yum!  I love applesauce as a substitute for eggs in sweet recipes like brownies, muffins, cupcakes, etc.  It really helps keep the final product moist and delicious.  (Next time I'm going to use coconut oil in place of the buttery spread.  Doesn't that sound delicious?!)

One line reviews for the brownie mix:

Sunshine (13):  They are very moist and chocolatey.  Very delicious!

Belle (9):  Sticky, milk chocolatey, delicious!

Punky (3):  I think they are yummy and juicy!  (Me: Juicy?! o.O)