Chocolate Chunk Buckwheat Cookies (Vegan)

I made a version of these before. These are a vegan adaptation of them. I think these turned out better. The top photo is of the dough on the pan, and the bottom is of finished cookies cooling on the rack. They are yummy warm or cooled. They are yummy two days later. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegan stick butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground flax seed
3 tbsp water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buckwheat groats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/2 inch chucks

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 375°F.
2. Make flax egg by mixing 1 tbsp ground flax seed with 3 tbsp water in a small bowl. Put into fridge for 15 minutes. It should then have an egg consistency.
3. In a stand mixer or bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla, and almond extract until well mixed.
4. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt and buckwheat, and add to the butter mixture, beating to incorporate. When the flour is mixed in, add the chocolate and stir until combined.
5. Drop 2-tablespoon-size balls of dough onto ungreased sheet pans, leaving 3 inches of space between the balls. The cookies will spread while baking.
6. Bake for 6 minutes, reverse the position of the pans in the oven, then bake for 4 to 6 minutes more. A pale, soft center surrounded by golden brown cookie is the desired result.
7. Let the cookie cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks with a spatula. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to a week.

Other Details:

• Makes a dozen cookies 
• Although I got a baker's dozen

Fajita-topped Baked Potato

Honestly, this could be served on a tortilla, but a baked potato is a fun base. 

Ingredients:
4 potatoes
16-oz frozen peppers & onions 
1 fajita seasoning packet 
2 cups prepared black beans (1 can)
1 cup corn 
8-oz guacamole

Directions:

1. Bake potatoes.
2. Place frozen peppers and onions in a skillet and start cooking, stirring constantly to defrost the vegetables. 
3. After a few minutes of stirring, whisk seasoning packet with 1 cup water (or as directed) and pour over vegetables. 
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring every so often, until peppers and onions are warm (but still crisp) and liquid has thickened.  (Stir in water to thin if it gets too thick.) 
5. Mix in beans and corn. 
6. Top with fajita mixture and guacamole.

Notes:

• Per serving: 432 calories, 11.2g fat, 71.9g carbs, 14g fiber, 12.1g sugars, 11.1g protein
• Serves 4 

Sweet Pea Risotto

I love risotto, but it is hard to come by as a vegan.

Ingredients:
3 cups (24-oz) veg broth
1 diced onion
3-4 minced garlic cloves
16-oz riced cauliflower
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 cups cooked quinoa
garlic powder
2 tbsp miso paste
2 cups green peas
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Stir in riced cauliflower and cook 5 minutes, adding splashes of broth to prevent sticking and stirring occasionally. 
3. Stir in 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, remaining broth, and cooked quinoa.
4. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 
5. Uncover and stir in miso. 
6. Stir in peas, and keep stirring until any excess liquid cooks off (risotto should be soft, ie risotto consistency). 
7. Turn off heat and add milk to cream it up, adding more milk as desired. 
8. Cover and let rest for a few minutes. 

Notes:

• Per serving: 402 calories, 5.1g fat, 68.8g carbs, 17g fiber, 9.3g sugars, 26.3g protein
• Serves 4

Sweet Potato Breakfast Mash

This is one of my new favorite breakfasts. I've been eating it regularly for about 8 months now, but it seems like a great holiday season breakfast to share. The photo doesn't do it justice. You can prepare it to order, or ahead of time, and serve warm or cold. Often, I make it ahead of time, so it all coalesces in flavor, and then microwave it to serve warm. I got this from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor Big Breakfast Book. 

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, cooked 
¼ cup applesauce 
ground cinnamon 
4 tsp brown sugar 
1 tbsp chopped pecans 

Directions:

1. If you haven't cooked the sweet potato yet, do so.
2. Mash potato in a bowl and mix with applesauce. 
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar then garnish with pecans.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 282 calories, 4.8g fat, 58.6g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 36.3g sugars, 5.3g protein
• You can add raisins.
• You can sub peanuts for pecans.

Chana Aloo over Rice

This is another omnivore approved meal. My photo is a little lacking, but it will be made again, so hopefully I can update the image.

Ingredients:
2 cups (16-oz) vegetable broth 
oil
1 onion, diced 
2 garlic cloves,  minced 
1 tsp ground cumin 
2 carrots, dice 
2 potatoes, diced 
¼ cup raisins 
1 tsp garam masala
dash ground coriander 
15-oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed 
4 cups fresh spinach 
3 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. Sauté onion and garlic for 1 minute. 
2. Stir in cumin to coat, then add carrots and potatoes. 
3. Sauté 5 minutes, or until just tender. 
4. Add raisins and broth. 
5. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness. 
6. Stir in 1 tsp garam masala plus a few dashes of ground coriander. 
7. Turn off heat and rest 5 minutes. 
8. Stir in chickpeas and spinach until spinach softens and folds in. 
9. Add more broth or water to thin, if desired. 
10. Heat over low until thoroughly warm. 
11. Serve over cooked brown rice. 

Notes:

Serves 4

Pumpkin Lentil Curry

This one looked and sounded so good that a friend of mine asked me for the recipe. It was a little thicker than I'd prefer. My friend agreed, it needed to be more soup-y. It probably just needs more vegetable broth added towards the end, but I didn't test it yet so I didn't put a suggested amount in the recipe, other than a (+).

Ingredients:

3+ cups vegetable broth 

oil

1 onion, diced 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

2 tsp curry powder 

ground cinnamon or coriander 

turmeric 

15-oz canned pumpkin 

¼ cup applesauce 

1 cup dry lentils 

3 cups cooked brown rice 

Directions: 

1. Sauté onions and garlic until translucent. 
2. Add curry powder, a dash of cinnamon or coriander (whichever one you choose) and turmeric (added for color).
3.  Stir and cook briefly, then mix in pumpkin and applesauce. 
4. Add 2 cups of broth and lentils. Stir. 
5. Cover, bring to boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 15-45 minutes, until lentils are tender. 
6. Add broth as desired to thin out curry. 
7. Taste, adjusting seasonings as desired. 
8. Serve over cooked brown rice. 

Notes:

• Serves 4

Spiced Vanilla Baked Oatmeal

I am loving baked oatmeal dishes. I first learned about them from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. This one is a great breakfast any time of the year, but tasty in the fall.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp dry rolled oats 
2 tbsp flour 
¼ tsp baking powder 
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
dash of ground cardamom 
dash of ground allspice or cloves 
½ cup unsweetened almond milk 
1 tbsp maple syrup 
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F 
2. In a bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, and spices. 
3. Stir in milk, maple syrup, and vanilla, mixing until well combined. 
4. Transfer batter to a ramekin or ovensafe dish. 
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until firm.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Approximately 250 calories