Crunchy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

I have been on a quest for a vegan peanut butter cookie that is decent, forever. I spent months trying all sorts of recipes and totally failed. I kept creating these chalky, dry awful cookies that no one even made effort to pretend they liked. I finally found this recipe in one of my favorite cook books ever, Vegan with a Vengeance. Given, it's not a plain peanut butter cookie, but it's not bad as far as peanut butter or oatmeal cookies go. One day I may just find what I'm looking for, but until then this will do just fine. AND....if somehow you have managed a delicious secret peanut butter cookie recipe please please please share it with me!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup canola oil

3/4 cup chunky all-natural peanut butter (creamy is okay if that's all you have, it just looses some good texture)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets.

Toss together the flour, oats, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. in a spearate bowl mix together the oil, peanut butter, sugars, soy milk, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix. The dough will be very firm and moist. For large cookies: pack a 1/3 cup measuring cup with dough, pop out and roll the dough into a firm ball and flatten just baely on a prepared cookie sheet, spacing them well apart, about an inch. Flatten to 1/2 in thickness. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes till cookies have puffed a bit and are lightly browned. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes to firm up before moving off the cookie sheet.

You can also make these cookies normal size by using 1 to 2 tbsp of dough and bake 8 to 10 minutes.

Recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Garlic Kale dressed with Apple Cider Vinegar

Years and years of my childhood was spent refusing to eat any kind of greens my mom made. Well maybe I was just refusing anything she asked as a general rule, but that's beside the point. Kale has made a scrumptious return to my life and lately I can't get enough. I don't really have a recipe for this one, and to be honest I can't cook the damn things anywhere near as well as my mom. I just felt the need to proclaim my love for kale and greens alike, and possibly inspire a meal that welcomes their presence.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Cloves of garlic, sliced or minced

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped

Directions:

Once again, me sharing how to cook kale is borderline "the blind leading the blind," but who cares. I'm still gonna tell you how I do it!

I saute the garlic in the olive oil over medium high heat for 1-1 1/2 minutes stirring frequently, until golden brown. Add the kale and throw in some water....whatever looks good. Toss it around so the garlic and oil get evenly distributed and cook until tender. Most recipes say about 5 minutes but I don't believe that. I feel that kale is pretty tough for a leafy vegetable. I just play it by ear and taste it every few minutes.

I like to dress kale in vinegar, apple cider vinegar to be exact, but you can use any or none at all!

Eggplant with Sweet Chili Glaze

I love eggplant. It has this rich dark flavor that I love, which makes it easily one of my favorite vegetables. I have been exploring new ways to cook eggplant, since the ones I was familiar with were very limited. I came across this recipe on Vegweb.com and I love it. This recipe is simple, delicious, and super fast to make.

P.S. This sweet chili sauce is just as good as store bought, and consists of things most people ALWAYS have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1 garlic clove

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 cup water

oil for frying

Directions:

Glaze:

In a small saucepan heat water, hot sauce, sugar and minced garlic until sugar is dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes.

Eggplant:

Slice eggplant into 1/2 in to 3/4 thick rounds. If you're concerned that it might be bitter, sprinkle with salt and let stand for 10 minutes, then rinse.

Heat oil in a skillet. Fry eggplant slices for about 3 minutes over medium to low flame (covered). Now flip them over and carefully spread a teaspoon or so of glaze over them. Cover and fry for 2 more minutes. Test with a fork - it should be tender.

Recipe submitted by keda

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=25777.0

Vegan Lifestyle

Hello, I am Gabbe. I currently live in Columbia, SC which I have found rather depressing thus far. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any vegetarians let alone vegans around here, but there's a theory about that. So in a nutshell I'm gonna make my own animal free fun. I'm currently unemployed and I haven't had much to do lately besides cook...and I am wanting to document it so that's what brings me here. All of these recipes are from my favorite cook books, that I will note. Many of them I have modified to my liking. Also. I love Isa Chandra Mosowitz.