Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

The last attempt I made at vegan cookies was so horrible I could not even blog about it. I finally gathered up the courage to try again after surfing through Heidi Swanson’s cookie recipes on her oh so amazing blog, http://www.101cookbooks.com/  She has two vegan cookies recipes posted that look amazing to me. This week I tried out her oatmeal carrot cookies and they are absolutely delicious. I substituted regular flour & olive oil and they still taste great. Next chance I have, I’m going to give her peanut butter ones a go!



Carrot Oatmeal Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.

Cabbage & Chickpea Soup

Simple Cabbage and Chickpea Soup


I am a solid believer in the soup diet theory. Soup is filling and nutrious, and something you can have large portions of without killing your calories intake for the day. When I saw this soup on http://www.fatfreevegan.com/, I decided to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic cloves, minced or pressed
6 cups hot water (plus bouillon cubes, below) or vegetable broth (and no bouillon cubes)
3 cubes no-salt added bouillon cubes (or enough to flavor 6 cups of water)*
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
2 teaspoons oregano
generous grating black pepper
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Instructions

Heat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the basil and pine nuts. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil and serve in individual soup bowls, topped with 1 teaspoon of pine nuts, if desired.