Elanore's Best Peanut Butter Cookies (Vegan)

Basic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C. natural peanut butter, runny

2/3 C. real maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 C. almond flour

1/2 C. oat flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2) Combine liquid ingredients (panut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract) and blend until smooth.

3) Add dry ingredients (combine them into a blended pile right on top of the peanut butter blend) and stir until a smooth dough forms.

4) Scoop and form into round balls and place evenly on cookie sheet.

5) Bake 12–14  minutes or until lightly golden.

6) Upon removal from the oven, tap the pan down hard on the counter to flatten cookies, or very carefully (and lightly!) press a fork into the top of each cookie to form a criss cross pattern. NOTE: Be careful!  Cookies made with almond flour are very delicate and crumbly until cooled well.

For PB&J Cookies (Vegan)

Prepare as above through step 4, then lightly press a thumbprint into the top of each cookie ball. (Gently shape the cookies if they crumble at this stage.) Fill thumbprint impression with raspberry jelly and then proceed with baking as indicated above.

For Peanut Butter Minecraft Cookies (Vegan)

Prepare as above through step 5, then cool for five minutes and press two little squares of vegan dark chocolate into the top of each cookie. (They look like Minecraft blocks!)  Cool completely before attempting to move the cookies.

This recipe is loosely adapted from this original recipe: 

https://booboosbakery.com/healthy-peanut-butter-blossoms/

Brian's Vegan Cheez Ball (Vegan)

1 C. raw cashews

2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 Tbsp. coconut oil (can be omitted)

1/2 Tbsp. white miso paste

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh chives, divided

1/4 C. crushed roasted salted almonds

1) Place the raw cashews into a bowl and pour over them boiling hot water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for one hour.

2) Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with lemon juice, coconut oil, miso p paste, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, crushed garlic, and water, and blend until smooth.

3) Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in fresh chopped basil and 1 Tbsp. of chopped chives.

4) Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and spoon the mixture into the bowl. Twist the plastic wrap to seal it, creating a ball shape.

5) Place the bowl with your cheese ball into the freezer for 1 hour to set.

6) While the cheese is setting, crush roasted and salted almonds and place them into a wide bowl.

7) Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. chopped chives and mix in with the crushed almonds.

8) After 1 hour, remove the cheese ball from the freezer and gently remove the plastic wrap.

9) Gently roll the cheese ball in the crushed almonds and chilies, making sure the ball is evenly coated.

10) Return the cheese ball to the small bowl that it sat in and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until you're ready to serve.

11) Serve with crackers, breads, veggies, or tortilla chips.

NOTES:

Smoking the cashews is essential for easy blending.

Walnutes or blanched almonds can be used if allergic to cashews. Taste and texture will be different, but still delicious.

It's fine to limit the oil entirely, or use olive oil or coconut oil.

This is fine to make ahead for a couple of days before you need to serve tit.

Ball can be stored in the fridge for a week, or frozen for up to two months.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan)

Sitterding family Thanksgiving tradition. If making it for a crowd, triple the recipe.

COOK TIME: 25 mins

YIELDS: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 3 to 4 cups
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• ½ bunch of curly kale, about 4 large leaves, tough stems removed and leaves finely chopped
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

• Sauté onions and salt with a little bit of water to deglaze. Cook until onions start to get soften and turn translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and crushed red pepper flakes.Stir and cook for a minute or two, until spices become aromatic.
• Add the squash, black beans, and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until squash is just tender enough to pierce easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in kale and quinoa; continue to simmer until kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, then season to taste with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Oil-Free Vegan Sourdough Drop Biscuits:

Not as delicious as biscuits with a ton of (vegan) butter, but way healthier. And they'll do the trick in a pinch when you're craving that biscuit texture.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Makes 8 large biscuits.

Ingredients:

1  1/2 cups flour (einkorn whole wheat flour works, as will GF)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/3 cup sourdough starter discard

1/4 plant milk (oat/almond/soy)

Method:

Combine dry ingredients.

Add wet ingredients.

Mix until just combined (can’t see the flour). Will make a wet dough.

Drop by spoonful onto parchment paper baking sheets and bake at 425 for 12-13 minutes. Makes 8 big biscuits.

This is from this original recipe from Cultivator Kitchen.

Aunt Kim's Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (Vegan & GF)

1 ripe banana 
1/4 C. almond butter
1 C. almond milk
1/4 C. real maple syrup
1/4 C. applesauce (original calls for melted coconut oil)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 C. whole rolled oats
1 C. chopped pecans
1 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, for topping
2 Tbsp. coconut flakes, for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 baking dish or similar. (I use parchment paper and no oil. If you crumple the parchment paper, it will mold better.)

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, almond milk, almond butter, maple syrup, and applesauce. Add the baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and whisk again.

3) Fold in the oats, 3/4 C. of the pecans, and 1/2 C. of the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth into an even layer.

4) Top with remaining 1/2 C. blueberries, the remaining 1/4 C. pecans, the brown sugar, and the coconut flakes.

5) Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until topping is crisp and the middle part is set. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The original recipe (and photo credit!) can be found online at Love & Lemons.

COOK'S NOTES:

* This recipe is very forgiving and versatile with substitutions. I use applesauce instead of oil. In a pinch, I've used peanut butter instead of almond butter and oat milk instead of almond milk. I've substituted a frozen berry blend of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries for the blueberries. I've used a blend of chopped walnuts, cashews, and almonds when I didn't have pecans.

* The "batter" always seems very runny to me, for what it is supposed to be. I get this impression from the original post's photos (where the mixture looks thicker than mine when I follow the recipe exactly) and from her words to "spread the mixture evenly." When made as written, the recipe is runny enough to pour, for sure. So I always add some more oats, probably about an extra 1/4 C. or more per recipe (1/2 C. when I'm doubling it). It works great, as far as I can tell. I should probably try it once as written, but I haven't yet!

* I've used sweetened and unsweetened coconut flakes, and brown sugar and coconut sugar, for the topping. They all work fine, with differing levels of final sweetness, of course.

* I've stirred all the main ingredients together (without putting some of the berries and nuts on top) and it's worked fine.

* When I double this, I put it in a large metal pan I have that's larger than a 9x13, or in my Pampered Chef bar pan. (This pan is discontinued, much to my dismay! We love it. I'm nor sure of its dimensions, but it's a little smaller than a standard jelly roll pan.) The main difference will be how thick your final product is, and therefore how crunchy/crispy or moist it will be in the end.

* We like to serve this with some sort of nut milk or oat milk available as a topping. Extra syrup or something sweet like that is not needed. Enjoy!

Evie’s Potato Soup (Vegan)

Soak 3/4 cup raw cashews for at least a few hours

Sauté 2 onions in instant pot

Layer in 3-4 carrots, chopped potatoes, and leave just enough room for two bags of frozen cauliflower and/or broccoli (should be mostly potatoes)

Fill with broth or water to the top of potatoes

Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, nooch, and miso paste

Set to 10 minutes pressure cook

Once done, spoon out some broth and blend with 4-6 cloves garlic and cashews until smooth.

Add blended cashews back into soup. Then either use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash everything up smooth (I took the big chunks and about half the soup into the blender for a few seconds and mashed up the rest. For more texture use just the potato masher)

I mixed in some frozen corn at this stage but you can add anything you’d like. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Olivia's Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan)

This recipe originally appeared on Instagram from earths.feast. They are yummy!! I copied this directly from the recipe shared in the comments accompanying the instagram video. Thank you, earths.feast!

ingredients

dough:
550 g bread flour
50 g sugar
10 g salt
150 g water
150 g oat milk
115 g melted vegan butter (or coconut oil works, too)
75 g sourdough starter* (see NOTE below)

filling:
85 g softened vegan butter (coconut oil works)
100 g brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I don’t)
1/8 tsp ground cloves (I don’t)
1 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange (I don’t)

simple syrup:
50 g sugar
25 g water

* NOTE: This recipe (as copied and pasted, below) begins with the assumption that you have a bubbly sourdough starter, which will need to have been fed several hours earlier. Feed the starter in the morning, then make the dough when the starter is active and bubbly, doubled in size.

method

combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl combine warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and starter. pour wet into dry and mix with spatula or hands until everything is incorporated and you have a shaggy ball. cover and let rest 45 min. perform 4 sets of s&f (see NOTE below) every 45 min. after your last fold let the dough sit for 3 hours.

roll to 18x12 on a lightly floured surface. spread filling over entire dough. roll long ways and cut into 2” pieces to get 9 rolls. place in greased 8x8 tin, cover and move to fridge overnight. (NOTE: We make 12, in a 9x13 pan, as pictured at right.)

in the morning take out of fridge and let the dough sit at room temp for 3-4 hours. in the last hour of proofing preheat oven to 400f. bake at 400f for the first 10 min then lower heat to 350f and bake for another 30 min. in the last 5 min of baking, combine your ingredients for the simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. heat the syrup just until all of the sugar has dissolved. when the buns come out of the oven, brush or pour the syrup over all of them. let cool 5-10 min before eating, enjoy!

* NOTE on "four sets of s&f":

olivia_sdavis

Can you explain what sets of s&f means? Can’t wait to make these ☺️



• 
  earths.feast
  @olivia_sdavis hey sorry! it stands for stretch and folds! so basically you lift up one side of the dough, stretch it up and fold it into the center. if you look up how to do stretch and folds on youtube you should find tons of video that show how to do it!! i’m sure they’ll be more helpful than my explanation😅 but basically do that on four sides and that counts as one set!
  
  
  
  

Christine's Honey-Roasted Pears (Can Be Vegan)

These are so delicious it's hard to believe they're free of any processed sugars! It's more of a "procedure" than a recipe, but this is modified a bit from what I was able to get from my friend Christine, who first served these to us. Her take? "They're better the longer they sit." As in days. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Ripe pears*

Cinnamon

Ginger

Walnuts and/or pecans, hand crumbled

Honey (and/or date syrup, pure maple syrup)

Vanilla

Rum (opt.)

Instructions:

1) Halve the pears lengthwise and slightly hollow out a small "bowl" in each, where the seeds are. Leave a good bit of the flesh inside the skin of the pear, but make room for a generous serving of nuts in each. (Reserve the stuff you scoop out for your morning smoothie!)

2) Sprinkle each pear half with cinnamon and ginger. ill each pear "bowl" with crumbled nuts.

3) Thin honey slightly with a little water, maple syrup, vanilla, and/or a splash of rum. You are going for a pourable but still kinda thick consistency. (Maybe 1/4 C. warm water total, and 1 Tbsp. honey per pear half or so. It's really going by feel here.)

4) Drizzle over the pears, keeping it mostly in the "bowls" with the nuts—and on the fruit itself—but not spilling out into the casserole dish. Be generous with this honey mix. Don't skimp!

5) Add a little bit of water in the bottom of the casserole dish to keep things moist and to increase the yummy syrupy sauce that will be created as the pears bake.

6) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until pears are soft, which depends on their ripeness—maybe 20–30 minutes or so.

7) Let them sit for a good long time before serving. The "sauce" will thicken up the longer it sits. (I've been known to thicken it up with arrowroot powder in a saucepan if I'm desperate for it quickly, or if I've inadvertently added too much water during the cooking stage.)

*NOTE: The pears don't have to be super-soft ripe or anything, but if you would presume that firm, unripe pears might soften up with cooking like apples do, you would be mistaken. Ask me how I know...

Homemade Oat Milk (Vegan)

I figured out homemade oat milk that is perfect and not slimy! You must follow everything precisely. Every second counts. Hot or cold counts. 

Ingredients:

4 cups water, ice cold (important!)

1 cup organic rolled oats

1 date, blended into water first (opt)

Note: Store-bought oat milk has sugar in it, so you’re probably used to a little sweetness in there without realizing it. If you want it slightly sweet, add the date—or a splash of maple syrup and vanilla. It's good without it, though, so try it both ways.  (Don’t let your water get warm blending the date, though!)

Procedure:

1) Blend oats and ice cold water in Vitamix for exactly 20 seconds. 

2) Strain gently through milk bag without squeezing. 

Perfect! And with no yucky additives and preservatives—and not slimy!! All of my past attempts at homemade oat milk, using recipes on the internet, have been slimy after the first day. This way isn't. Enjoy! 

And if you think maybe it isn't worth the trouble, go look at the list of preservatives and other additives in our store-bought carton. And calculate out the cost per quart. It's definitely worth it, in my opinion.

Market Shepherd's Pie (Vegan)

For Potato Layer:

3 large potatoes (like Yukon Gold), peel on, roughly chopped

2 heaping C. cauliflower florets (or 2 additional potatoes to omit)

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. white miso

1/4 C. unsweetened almond milk (or more, if needed)

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or to taste)

For Filling:

1 large onion, finely diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 medium sweet potato, peel on, chopped into 1/2-in. cubes

2 C. green beans, cut bite-sized (or 1 C. if also using green peas)

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1 3/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)

5 oz. cremini mushrooms (or forest blend), finely diced

2 C. cooked black lentils, drained

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

1 C. frozen green peas (I omit these and double the green beans)

For Filling Sauce:

2 1/4 C. low-sodium veggie broth

4 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini

2 Tbsp. tamari

3 Tbsp. white miso

3 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 Tbsp. arrowroot starch

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Preparation:

1) Make the potato layer. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until potatoes are very tender (10–15 minutes or so). Drain well and return to the pot. Add the nutritional yeast, miso, milk, and salt. Mash and add more milk as needed to get a creamy–but not wet!–consistency. Set aside.

2) Make the veggie filling. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, sweet potato, and green beans in about 1/4 C. water until the onion is translucent and veggies begin soften (10 minutes or so). Stir occasionally and add more water as needed, 1–2 Tbsp at a time, to prevent burning.

3) Next, add the garlic, spices, and mushrooms (finely diced!) and cover. Continue to cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown. Remove the cover and stir a couple of times throughout. Add water if needed to prevent sticking.

4) Add the cooked lentils and white wine vinegar and cook for another minute. Turn the heat off.

5) Make the filling sauce. Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

6) Add the sauce to the pan of veggies and lentils and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered on low to medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens (5 minutes or so). Stir in the frozen green peas (if using) and remove from heat.

7) Transfer the filling to a 13x9-inch (or similar) deep casserole dish. (I use my lasagna pan.) Be sure to get all the sauce out of the pan! Now, vigorously stir the reserved potatoes and then gently spread the potato layer over the filling by dropping spoonfuls along the top and spreading it together with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Sprinkle extra nutritional yeast, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper on the top.

8) Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and lay a sheet pan underneath the casserole dish (on a different oven rack) in case the filling bubbles over. Bake the shepherd's pie for 30 minutes uncovered. The potato layer should firm up and brown in the corners and you might be able to see the sauce bubbling in the corners as well. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the original called "Market Shepherd's Pie" in the highly recommended The Plant-Based Cookbook: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Recipes for Lifelong Health by Ashley Madden. (It is by far my favorite whole food, plant-based cookbook, filled with lots of helpful information and delicious recipes.)

Cashew Coconut Cookies (Vegan, GF)

These are very sweet and indulgent—and not particularly healthy—but they are technically vegan and gluten-free, and they are delicious!

2 cups chopped cashews

2 C coconut flakes

1 C vegan dark chocolate chips

1/3 can coconut condensed milk 

1) Combine and spoon onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

2) Bake at 350 degrees till golden brown (usually 10-14 minutes).

Evie’s Raw Vegan Taco Salad

Any diced veggies desired:

tomatoes
cucumbers
green onion
jalapeño
bell pepper
etc.

sauerkraut
raw taco meat (see below)

Serve on a bed of romaine and greens. Top with desired veggies, raw taco meat, and dressing. 

Raw Taco Meat:
Equal parts walnut and carrots*
dash of Bragg’s liquid aminos or coconut aminos
cumin and chili powder to taste

Combine ingredients in food processor and pulse till crumbly.

*NOTE from Evie: I’ve only ever seen it with all walnuts BUT I saw a video on instagram where someone made it with equal parts carrots and it worked great! I’ve also made it with walnuts and mushrooms before but it’s much wetter and changes the flavor. The carrots are surprisingly neutral. 

Dressing:

I’m sure Evie did some sort of delicious veggie blend in the 

Vitamix—she's good at that. But I usually just combine cashew yogurt and salsa and vinegar for a nice Southwestern-flavored dressing. 

Evie’s Raw Vegan Pad Thai

For the sauce:

1 cucumber

2 apples
1/4–1/3 C. raw almond butter
garlic, to taste

ginger, to taste

onion powder, to taste

2–3 Tbsp. coconut aminos

hefty squirt of sriracha
1/4 C. (or so) apple cider vinegar
5–8 dates (adjust to taste)

1) Blend ingredients in Vitamix until smooth.

2) At the end, add a few chopped carrot pieces and blend slowly to get some crunchy texture like peanut sauce.

For the "noodles"

spiralized zucchini

water sprouts

snow peas

broccoli

chopped greens

julienne carrots

red bell pepper

purple cabbage

sweet onion*

Top with:

cilantro

crushed red pepper

lime

*Note: I dehydrate these two in the oven for a few hours or use green onions because raw onion is very strong. 

Carole's Shawarma Bowls with Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas (Vegan)

This original recipe is credited to Shelli McConnell, though it first came to me via my friend Carole.

Ingredients:

1/4 C. plus 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (or grind 1–2 dates in food processor)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 tsp. paprika (sweet or hot)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1–2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (6 C.)

1 15-oz. can chickpeas (rinsed, drained, and patted dry)

1/4 C. tahini

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 C. hot cooked brown rice or quinoa

1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (2 C.)

2 medium bell peppers, any color, cut into bite-size strips

1/2 C. slivered red onion

fresh cilantro leaves and lemon wedges, for serving

Procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2) In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 C. of the lemon juice and the next nine ingredients (through black pepper). Add cauliflower and chickpeas; stir to coat. 

3) Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet. Roast 35 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and browned on edges, stirring once.

4) As they cook, in a small bowl stir together the tahini, the remaining 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, the cayenne, and 3–4 Tbsp. water.

5) In bowls, arrange rice (or quinoa), cauliflower mixture, cucumber, pepper strips, and red onion. 

6) Drizzle with tahini mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with lemon wedges.

NOTES: 

* If tahini sauce is bitter, add another splash of lemon juice.

* The leftovers from this recipe and Carole's Lentil Salad are delicious served together over a bed of mixed greens.

Carole's Lentil Salad (Can Be Vegan)

The original version of this salad—which has been modified as listed here—appears as "The Best Lentil Salad" on NoraCooks.com.

For the Salad:

1.5 C. dry green lentils (or 4.5 C. cooked)

5 C. water

1 medium English cucumber, diced

1 small red onion, diced (1 C.)

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 C. crumbled feta (opt., I use Trader Joe's vegan feta)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered, opt.

3–4 C. arugula or baby spinach, opt.

For the Dressing:

1/4 C. olive oil (or use tahini instead)

3 Tsbp. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. agave (or blend a couple of dates in the Vitamix instead)

2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1) Add the lentils and water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes (until tender but not mushy). Drain and rinse under cold water so they stop cooking and cool fast. Add them to a large bowl.

2) Chop the cucumber, red onion, red pepper, and parsley and add them to the bowl with the lentils.

3) Whisk all dressing ingredients together (or blend in the vitamin if using tahini and dates) until well combined,

4) Pour the dressing over the lentils and vegetables and stir everything together. Sir in the feta and grape tomatoes, if using. Serve over a bed of arugula or baby spinach, if desired. You can also simply mix the greens into the salad.

NOTES:

* The salad will keep for 2–3 days covered in the refrigerator.

* May add in some cooked quinoa.

* May use green, brown, or black lentils, but don't use red as they will just cook down into mush.

* The leftovers from this recipe and Carole's Shawarma Bowls are delicious served together over a bed of mixed greens.