Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum! These cookies are so easy to make. Throw in the wet stuff, mix, throw in the dry stuff, mix, put on cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes, cookies! Also, I made two different types. I made the original recipe and these. The omnivore family went by and couldn't tell the difference between the two. 

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup Earth Balance (2 sticks), softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 Ener-G egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Form 1-2" balls of dough and drop about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake approximately 10 min or until light brown. 
7. Cool slightly until you can remove from sheet without disturbing cookie shape; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Makes ~3 dozen. 
• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min 
• You may want to use less than the entire package of chocolate chips.

Pasta Alfredo

This is a great winter to not-quite-spring all-in-one meal. There's a little prep, but it's worth it. You can use any pasta shape you like. Bow-ties (farfalle) is a fun and pretty choice.

Ingredients:
Alfredo Sauce 
1 head cauliflower florets 
2 garlic cloves 
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp nutritional yeast 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Main Dish
16-oz asparagus 
10-oz dry pasta 
10-oz cherry or grape tomatoes 
1 cup green peas (frozen works well)


Directions:
Alfredo Sauce:

1. In a pot, cover cauliflower with water. 
2. Boil until very tender, about 15 minutes. 
3. Drain off water (reserving ½-cup). 
4. Meanwhile, mince garlic in a blender.
5. Scrape sides and add cooked florets, working in batches if necessary. 
6. Add milk, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning, plus salt and pepper. 

Blend until very smooth, adding reserved cooking water as needed for consistency.

Pasta:

1. Cut the bottom ⅓ off the asparagus and discard. Chop remaining pieces. 
2. Cook pasta via package instructions 
3. Add asparagus, cherry tomatoes and peas a few minutes before pasta is done to soften and cook. 
4. Drain and return everything to the pot. 
5. Add Alfredo Sauce and stir to coat.

Notes:

• Per serving: 399 calories, 3.9g fat, 76.2g carbs, 16.4g fiber, 12.2g sugars, 19.8g protein
• Serves 4

WW Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were in the digital but offline codex, so I made them again for my omnivore family. The only complaint I got was that there were too many chocolate chips. You can use the entire bag, or add them slowly, stopping when you get to a point you prefer.

Ingredients: 
3/4 cup sugar 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar 
1 cup butter, softened 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 egg 
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:  

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla, and egg in large bowl.  
3. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff).  
4. Stir in chocolate chip cookies.  
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2” apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.  
6. Bake 8-10 min or until light brown (centers will be soft.) 
7. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.  
8. Cool on wire rack.            

Notes:

• Prep: 10 min           
• Total: 20 min
• Makes 3 dozen.  
• 150 Cal. 

Shells n'Cheeze

Feeling like some comfort food, I found a recipe that was a fancy vegan Mac n'Cheeze. I didn't want all the fancy stuff, and some of their ratios were off. But my adapted version is really tasty. I've made it several time.

Ingredients:
8-oz shells or other pasta, cooked via package directions
1 cup (8-oz) almond milk
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp miso paste**

Optional:
1 can (15-oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. In a saucepan, whisk together cold milk, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and turmeric. 
2. Cover and bring to a near boil, then reduce heat to low. 
3. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. 
4. Turn off heat and stir in miso. 
5. Fold cooked pasta into sauce, stirring to coat completely. 
6. If using, fold in beans and garnish with green onions.

Notes:

• Serves 4

ISP

Lentils, polenta, and yummy spices, what more could you ask for? The weather is not as cold as in the dead of winter, but this is a great meal for those chilly days that linger. 

Ingredients:
1 cup dry polenta 
½ cup (4-oz) almond milk 
1 diced onion 
4 minced garlic cloves 
1 seeded and diced green bell pepper 
2 tsp chili powder 
1 tsp Italian seasoning 
3/4 cups lentils 
2 cups marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cook lentils by covering with 3 cups of water and bringing to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. 
3. Reduce to low. 
4. Slowly whisk in 1 cup polenta. 
5. Keep stirring to break down clumps. 
6. Add milk (about ½-cup) to thin out. 
7. Add salt to taste. Set aside. 
8. In a skillet sauté onion, garlic, and bell peppers until onion is translucent and bell peppers have softened. 
9. Stir in spices to coat and cook 1 minute. 
10. Add cooked lentils and marinara sauce, stirring to combine. 
11. Continue to cook over low, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly warm and reduced slightly. 
12. Spoon lentil mixture into 4 bowls. Top with prepared polenta. Or, put the polenta in first and top with lentil mixture.

Notes:

• Serves 4
• Per serving: 412 calories, 5.2g fat, 75.7g carbs, 17.1g fiber, 14.8g sugars, 15.5g protein

Lentil-roni

Easy and Yummy!

Ingredients:
8-oz dry macaroni 
32-oz (4 cups) vegetable broth 
1 diced onion 
3 minced garlic cloves 
¼ cup tomato paste 
1 cup dry red lentils
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Cook macaroni via package instructions. 
2. Drain, rinse under cool water. Set aside. 
3. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. 
4. Add tomato paste, broth, and lentils.
5. Cover and bring to a boil. 
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. 
7. Combine mixture with cooked macaroni. 
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Per serving: 434 calories, 2.8g fat, 78.7g carbs, 20.7g fiber, 4.9g sugar, 26.6g protein
• serves 4 

Multigrain Biscuits

In my effort to make things I enjoy so that I will choose to eat them again, I decided to make my Homemade Multigrain Biscuit Mix.


Ingredients:
For mix:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup spelt flour 
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats 
1/2 cup wheat germ 
1/2 cup powdered coconut milk
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 cup stevia
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cold vegan buttery sticks, (short time in freezer helps) 

For biscuits:
1 cup biscuit mix
1/4 cup water or more
1 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk, optional

Directions:

1. For the biscuit mix, in a large bowl, mix the flours, cornmeal, rolled grains, milk powder, baking powder, stevia, and salt. When well combined use a grater to shred the cold butter or margarine into the bowl, tossing with the flour to coat. Squeeze the mixture in handfuls to break up the butter or margarine into small pieces. Store in zipper-top bags in the refrigerator or freezer. 
2. (If frozen, measure what you want to use and let it come to room temperature for an hour before proceeding.)
3. To make 4 biscuits, preheat the oven to 450ºF. Measure 1 cup of the mix into a large bowl. Quickly stir in 1/4 cup water or enough just to moisten; don't overstir. Flatten the dough in the bottom of the bowl and cut it into 4 wedges. Transfer the biscuits to an ungreased baking pan. Brush the tops with milk (if desired), and bake for 8-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Other Details:

• Makes 5 cups biscuit mix, enough for about 20 biscuits. 
• Subsitutes: kamut flour for spelt flour; rolled oats = rolled rye = rolled barley; wheat germ = rolled quinoa; almond milk = any milk. Use gluten-free flours for gluten free option. powdered coconut milk = soy protein powder.
• According to My Fitness Pal, nutrition per biscuit is 149 Calories, 19g carbs, 7g fat, 3g protein, 2g fiber.