Valentine Oatmeal Cookies (vegan)

 Baking day with my Big Boy B.  He's home from school on Valentine's Day so why not!  :)

Set Oven to 375

In Kitchenaid bowl, combine:

3/4 c. Earth Balance vegan butter, softened (or butter)
3/4 c. Sugar
2 TBSP Milk (Soy, Almond, etc.)
1 TBSP Ground Flax mixed with 3 TBSP hot water, let sit 5 min (or use 1 egg)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat these ingredients together until creamy.  Then add:

2 1/2 c. Whole Wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Add:
1 c. Oatmeal

Mix all together in Kitchenaid Mixer until it forms a stiff dough (don't refrigerate)

Roll out and cut into shapes with cookie cutters, top with candy, sprinkles etc.

Bake at 375 for 10 min., watching carefully until they are just starting to brown.

I liked the ones that were rolled thinnest and were crispy.

Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Not exactly "health" food, but they do have oatmeal, whole wheat flour, raisins and flax in them!  And dark chocolate IS a health food!  ;-)

(Makes 2 Dozen)

Chocolate Chip Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

• 1  cup Earth Balance vegan spread (or butter), softened
• 3/4  cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2  cup granulated sugar
• 2 TBSP Ground Flax mixed with 6 TBSP hot water - I get my flax at BJ's, pre-ground in a bag (or 2  eggs)
• 1-1/2  cups whole wheat flour
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon salt (optional)
• 3  cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 1/2  cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (My go-to brand that is dairy free is Ghirardelli  semi-sweet)

Preparation
Heat oven to 350°F. In Kitchen Aid mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add flax mixture; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats, raisins and chocolate chips; mix well.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Mexican Night! Burritos filled with mashed sweet potato, black beans and kale - topped with mole sauce

Burritos filled with mashed sweet potato, black beans and kale - topped with mole sauce.

Side of Mexican rice, chips and guacamole.

(Mexican rice is just brown rice mixed with 1 can diced tomatoes, garlic, cumin and corn)

Mole Sauce - combines chocolate and spice to make a tasty, smoky sauce

*The original recipe called for 1 c. almond butter but I scaled it to 4 TBSP and it still turned out great with less fat!

1/2 white or yellow onion finely chopped (I used my Ninja)
4-6 cloves garlic finely diced

Saute for 5 minutes the onion, garlic, 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (add some cayenne if you want to make spicier, I left it out so Ben could have some too)

Add 4 TBSP smooth almond butter until blended with seasonings.

Add1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups broth or water, some salt, and 1 slice of soft bread
Simmer

Once all is combined and heated through, put sauce in blender (I have Vita-Mix) and puree until smooth

Pour sauce over burritos and bake in oven for 20 minutes (reserve remaining sauce to pour over burritos before serving)

Quinoa Black Bean Pilaf with Kale Salad

Pilaf

3 cups pre-cooked quinoa (we cook ours and freeze it in containers so we have it ready to go and all we have to do is microwave it)

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can cooked sliced carrots, drained

1 cup frozen or fresh broccoli, chopped and cooked

1 can of peas or green beans, drained

*Any other veggies you want - tomatoes, corn, peppers, onions etc. (We added in finely chopped kale)

Spices - Lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper

Method

In a large pot heat a little oil and fry the garlic a few minutes
Add in thawed/cooked quinoa, veggies

Stir in 3-4 tsp lime juice (or more to taste)
Salt, pepper and cumin

Kale Salad

3-4 cups kale, stripped from stems and torn into bite sized pieces
1-2 ripe avocados
Handful of pine nuts
Chopped veggies (tomatoes, cucumber etc.)
1 TBSP lemon juice
Salt and pepper

*This is messy but worth it -

Wash your hands and take off any rings
Add avocado flesh to kale and squish with your hands until the avocado is completely mashed and the kale is a bit wilted and the avocado makes a "dressing" over all the kale
Add lemon juice, salt, pepper and squish more until well blended

Chop any veggie toppings you want - Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion etc.
Mix into salad/avocado mixture

Toast pine nuts in a frying pan (no oil needed) and sprinkle on top of salad

*We also had left over roasted, marinated beets and arranged those on the salad

Broccoli Potato "Secret Bean" Soup

Broccoli Potato "Secret Bean" Soup
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli, cooked
(microwave about 5 min. in a microwave safe container with a few tablespoons of water until cooked)

10-15 small new potatoes, unpeeled and diced into small cubes - boiled until tender about 10 min.

1 can of Great Northern Beans, drained
2 cups plain soy milk
1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
1/2 c. finely chopped Kale
Salt and pepper to taste
2-4 TBSP Garlic, chopped
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP Nutritional Yeast (optional)


Preparation:

In a large soup pot, heat oil and garlic, onion and kale, fry a few minutes

In a blender (Vitamix) blend the 2 c. soymilk and can of beans
Blend until smooth and creamy

Add to soup pot of garlic/onion/kale mixture

Stir in broccoli and potatoes

If soup is too chunky, ladle out some soup back into the blender and blend, then add back to pot.

Ladle into bowls and top with Bacon Bits or Croutons just before serving.

Serve with a salad and a good crusty whole grain bread, like Italian or French loaf.

Super Easy and Cheap Black Bean Soup

Take 1 can of black beans, empty into microwavable container, heat
(If you want to get crazy, you can defrost and add a sprinkle of frozen corn)
Add salsa, a dab of sour cream, a small sprinkle of cheese and 1-2 crumbled tortilla chips to the top
Stir and eat

About 350 calories, 3-4 fat
A can of black beans is about 80 cents and the rest I had on hand
Total cost under $2