Lunch

Repeat

Great discussions going on this morning!!!

I have to say, and I think I can vouch for most of my other vegetarian and vegan readers, NO ONE is here to judge anyone! Whether you love meat or hate meat…I hope everyone can find inspiring meals on this blog and good food related discussion! I could never judge a meat eater, because, well, the guy I’m sure I will spend the rest of my life with IS a meat eater and would never go veggie! All of my friends are carnivores as well as my family. Non-vegetarians can still find delicious new ways to prepare meatless meals here so I hope no one feels left out :(.

Also, I have never professed to be a vegan! I don’t think I will ever give up seafood and I’m sure I own some leather I don’t plan to part with anytime soon. I do like to cook vegan meals and baked goods though, and I’m on a quest to give up dairy (for a ton of reasons including the fact that I think I’m lactose intolerant) so vegan meals seem to work when I cook at home. I’m still going to order seafood out at restaurants, but try to avoid dishes including dairy so I guess you could say I’m a “partial” vegan except for the fact that I eat fish, use honey and own a pink leather Kate Spade planner. haha!

Anyways! Lunch was boring because it was just sloppy joe leftovers again. I’ve got a bunch to do this afternoon (including getting over to the gym for a little while!) before going to work at 5:30. I wanted something quick and fast for lunch and sloppy joes on whole wheat toast fit the profile. I also had a wonderfully crisp granny smith apple and a bite of a chocolate chip cookie for dessert!

My exam went really well! I finished quite early as well! On my way to school I snacked on a “pineapple orange” that I got last weekend at the farmer’s market. I was a little disappointed because it tasted like just a regular orange…but it was still good and juicy!

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  • melissa
    February 14, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    Hi Jenna,

    I think you would appreciate the gorgeous recipes at http://gliving.tv/greenchefs/

    They are mostly vegan and all a feast for the eyes. The site can be a bit hard to navigate, but worth the trouble.

  • Lisa
    February 14, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    mmm…I must try that sloppy joe recipe! I think I should make it and then see if my husband likes it b4 I tell him there is no meat in it! hahah

  • Sam
    February 14, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    Rachel, could you post your low fat granola recipe? thanks!!

  • Carrie
    February 14, 2008 at 5:34 pm

    Hi, everyone,
    I am not a vegetarian but am interested in healthy living and eat lots of veggies, fruits, seafood, some chicken and very little red meat and never beef.
    This might sound trite, but my husband hunts and he is very, very respectful of the animals he kills. In fact, he learned from my father, a lifelong hunter, to be thankful to the animal for its sacrifice and to be reverent about the meat we eat. He never kills soemthing we can’t or won’t use. I find this approach much more thoughtful than buying pre-packaged, styrofoam and syran-wrapped packages of meat in sterilized stores, though, I have done that myself. I am hoping my husband takes up bird hunting this year so he can supply our Thanksgiving turkey! Just another perspective. (Not all hunters are blood-thirsty, thoughtless killers … though I am sure some are.)
    I do have one question for the veggies out there. I don’t mean this to sound disrespectful, so I hope I don’t offend anyone. Why do vegetarian food companies make foods that look and (potentially try to taste) like meat? Isn’t that kind of counterproductive? I mean, if you don’t want to eat meat, wouldn’t you not want to eat food that looks like a meat-replacement?
    Thanks for listening, everyone. I love to hear the exchange of ideas on this blog.

  • Katherine
    February 14, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    Jenna,
    In your faq section you explain that you eat fish because they have a different physiology system than animals. But that doesn’t make logical sense because you also say you become vegetarian for ethical reasons (in an answer to a blogger once). Fish still have brains, still have families, are still treated as poorly as animals (think of all the pollution in water). It would seem that if you have an ethical problem with eating living creatures that would apply to ALL living creatures. Justifying eating any living creature is equivalent to meat eaters justify eating cow, etc. Mind you I am not saying eating meat is wrong, I am saying that you can’t make a logical argument that it’s ok to eat one living creature but not another because their biological composition are different. Of course all living creatures have different biological compositions- that’s what distinguishes humans from dogs, etc. If you are saying that one group of living creatures is less important than another so you can eat that group, that is fine, but then you can’t say that it is your ethical standards as to why you don’t eat meat. Designating one group as inferior (fish)seems equivalent to designating one group of humans as inferior (something we unfortunately all witness). Rationalizing treating one group differently than another group doesn’t make something logically right.

  • Krista
    February 14, 2008 at 5:44 pm

    Carrie

    my dad and brother are hunters as well and when I was little it used to really bother me because I am a lover of animals but then my dad explained to me that the deer might get eaten alive by other predators in the wild and we humans are basically just a predator in the food chain…I feel better about eating hormone/antibiotic free animals such as duck and venison as opposed to tyson chicken….however I do live mostly vegetarian because that is the food my body is drawn to carbs/grains more over protien/meats. Just wanted to say I totally get what you’re saying about WHOLE foods and a persperctive on hunting.

  • christie
    February 14, 2008 at 5:46 pm

    Jenna so you think you will miss eating cheese, i know you said it is something you love.

  • Brianne
    February 14, 2008 at 6:01 pm

    I have mixed feelings about meat… I do not agree with conventional farming methods at all and refuse to support them. I think if we are going to take an animals life we need to do so respectfully and treat them well up until the point in which we kill them. i get really emotional thinking about animals being killed… I can’t even watch planet earth because of some of the scenes! It is not our right to treat farmed animals like crap but unfortunately that is what happens- you are in complete denial if you think otherwise. Right now i am avoiding meat… if I do eat some it will be eating organic meat. I have given up dairy for good though- we are not meant to drink it, it is for calves.- no one can argue that. Sorry, this is a bit of a rant… I’m not judging people who consume conventional meat/dairy but I do suggest you look up what your eating.

  • melissa
    February 14, 2008 at 6:12 pm

    Jenna,

    I just saw that you work at Roys – I’m eating there tonight for Valentine’s Day! How exciting! I’ll be at the one in Tampa, not Orlando. Do you have any healthy meal recommendations for me while I’m there? I would love your input! I’m a little nervous about their side options.

    P.S. I also own a leather Kate Spade planner – except mine is black!

  • JennS
    February 14, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    In the spirit of today’s holliday I thought I would post some words to the wise I found on my hometown’s news website! Enjoy!

    Dr. John Gilkey, M.D. Gynecologist – “I have had people who found that intercourse would relieve migraines.”
    People who suffer from migraine headaches have reported significant benefits from sexual arousal. There’s no guarantee the effects will last longer than the activity itself, but hey…
    Dr. Gilkey – “It’s a lot more fun than taking an aspirin, I would think.”
    Brian Keesee, YMCA Fitness Director – “Treadmills are very popular.”
    At reason number five, this is exercise at four calories-per-minute — the speed of sex. And, he’s losing weight.
    Keesee – “I’d prefer the other method, personally.”
    Endurance does matter, though. At four-calories per minute, it’ll take a full hour to burn that chocolate bar you got with your Valentine.
    Dr. Breit – “There’s a lot of evidence coming out that it’s good for your physical health.”
    Reason four doesn’t just deal with the cold and flu, though it could. Research shows sex twice a week increases the disease-fighting anti-body immunoglobin-A. But, it doesn’t just fight sniffles.
    Dr. Breit – “It can help be a preventative risk factor some of the major illnesses like cancer and heart disease.”
    Kim Davis, Ninth Street Spa – “This is a cleanser. This cleans all the oils and dirt from your face.”
    Reason three, beauty.
    Davis – “This is the age of youthfulness. People want to have healthy-looking, glowing skin.”
    Farmer – “Is this stuff going to make my skin glow?”
    Davis – “It is!”

  • Becky
    February 14, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    Let me start by saying that I think this issue can be argued and discussed until everyone’s faces turn blue, however, I would like to put my opinion in:

    I think Katherine makes an excellent point, and I would love to see the response. In response to Brianne’s statement, I would like to point out that the label “organic” can be confusing and misleading. There are certain guidelines that companies have to follow in order to put things on their labels. Just because something says organic, doesn’t mean its cruelty free. “Free-range” or “cage-free” doesn’t always mean what it sounds like. An animal just has to be given a certain amount of time outside of the cage(which could be clean or unclean, we don’t know) to be considered in this group. I’m not sure what the amount of time is, but I remember reading 15 minutes/day(don’t quote me, as I’m not quite sure). If you have these feelings that all animals should be treated humanely, I think you would be better off not eating meat or any byproducts. Also, “I think if we are going to take an animals life we need to do so respectfully” doesn’t make sense to me. Since when has it been “respectful” to kill anyone/anything? You also say that its not right to treat the animals “like crap,” but how is killing them any better?

    It seems that many people have mixed feelings regarding these issues, and that not all of these feelings have any real ground to stand on.

  • rivermomx3
    February 14, 2008 at 6:23 pm

    My father is one of 10 and grew up at the foot of a mountain in Tennesee. He has eaten every animal imaginable. Its actually kind of gross. He eats squirrel! Yuck.
    Anyway, we were raised to believe that animals were put on this earth for us to eat; it is the circle of life and the food chain. Now, that was before Agri-business and the big machine that is food now.
    I don’t believe in animal cruelty and torturing animals just for business, money or just because we can! But just as Carrie said, I do believe that animals can be killed humanely. It doesn’t need to be like ‘Slaughterhouse’ and ‘Skinny Bitch’ report. That is yet another branch of corrupt government being bought off by big money food companies. We are disrupting nature and the way its supposed to be. If it was like it was, we would all work for our food, such as hunting & gardening and baking and cooking from scratch. Maybe this country wouldn’t be in such a health crisis. Maybe there wouldn’t be so many eating disorders. Food is supposed to sustain life, not run it. Without the circle of life, the planet would be overun by animals (and humans).

  • VeggieGirl
    February 14, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    Jenna, sloppy joes are one of those meals like oatmeal, in that they usually are not the most photogenic foods, haha; but you manage to make your morning oatmeal AND your sloppy joe sandwich for lunch look stunning and delicious!! yum!! oooh, and that granny smith apple – perfection.

  • Nadia
    February 14, 2008 at 6:45 pm

    Carrie,
    In response to your question about why manufacturers make “faux meat-like” products…
    I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life..since I was 13 (24 now) and I couldn’t possibly imagine eating anything that resembles. let alone tastes, like meat but that’s the reason I became a vegetarian in the first place. In fact, I only buy veggie burgers or other such products if I know for a fact that they won’t taste like meat. However, over the years I’ve stayed a vegetarian not only because I don’t like meat but also for ethical reasons (as I became more aware of vegetarianism I realized this was a life choice that I wanted to stick to). I also don’t drink any dairy for ethical reasons. However, there are many (i think the majority) vegetarians/vegans who become vegetarians only for ethical reasons…and not necessarily because they don’t like the taste of meat. I think that’s why so many veggie products taste like meat. I know a lot of vegetarians who have said something along the lines of…since I became vegetarian I really miss turkey sandwiches or whatever…so a good alternative would be tofurky (personally, hate that product but whatever). Sorry this got so long 😛

  • BethT
    February 14, 2008 at 6:51 pm

    Jenna, just curious – with your new love of flax, have you thought about baking with it? I have a pkg of Bob’s Red Mill Ground Flaxseed, and it says on the pkg that you can substitute flax for butter in baking (but that the end product may brown faster). Have you ever heard of this? Thought it might be interesting to experiment on a batch of cookies…

  • arimcg
    February 14, 2008 at 7:11 pm

    This is an interesting discussion. In response to Becky, I believe “free-range” is completely unregulated in the US for everything other than poultry – and poultry only has to have access to the outdoors (doesn’t mean they use it). I don’t think “cage-free” even has a legal meaning at all. Personally I just buy organic – not because I think it’s cruelty-free (I only eat seafood, but only because that’s the only meat I like) but because it’s better for the environment and free of chemicals, etc.

    Brianne – I’m curious about your comment that milk is for calves. Couldn’t you say that about almost anything? i.e. grains are for animals to feed on too. In that sense, NOTHING (natural, at least) is for human consumption, because we weren’t always here. I’m just wondering your thoughts on this – not trying to be confrontational.

  • jenna
    February 14, 2008 at 7:14 pm

    Hi guys! I’d love a chance to chime in the fish discussion.

    You all are right. My arguement really does not make sense to others….but you know what, that’s ok. I eat fish because I like seafood and I really don’t like the strict vegetarian/vegan categories (you can’t be a vegetarian if you eat ____). Really, its all about what your body wants and needs. Ryan and my life is very much centered around the Gulf of Mexico. He has a boat and he is a very big fisherman (goes off for weekends at a time). In the summer one of our favorite things to do together is go out on the boat for the day, go fishing, then eat what we catch (we usually make fish tacos on those nights!). I don’t expect you all to understand my logic in not wanting to eat land animals but still eating fish…but I’m not here to totally defend my lifestyle choices…I’m just here to blog and give examples of my diet so you all can be inspired. I know plenty of “vegetarians” that eat seafood but no other meat. I think its very healthy and my body loves a good salmon fillet! There are many reasons why I became a vegetarian again…not just ethics, although ethics DO play a part in it as well. Fishing and being out on the water is a major part of my life and not one I’m willing to give up. If that makes me a “bad” vegetarian or not really one at all…then so be it. Its fine with me because my diet makes me happy and makes me feel good. I’m sorry if I offend anyone with my diet choices and my strange reasoning but it’s MY diet and I can eat what I want and choose not eat what I want as well. I don’t eat fish all the time..only on occasion….and I think that’s totally fine 🙂

  • Brianne
    February 14, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    Becky- I know that the term “organic” does not always mean that the animals have been treated well but at the very least they are not injected with hormones and antibiotics. Your right- my statement doesn’t make sense. It is not respectful to kill anything.. I think in a way I’m trying to make sense of it all. My boyfriend will continue to eat meat and he wants our daughter to as well (she is only 6 months)… I think I am in a way trying to make it better by feeding them organic. Does that make sense? I’m just really emotional… forgive me if my post didn’t add up!

  • VeggieGirl
    February 14, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    Well said, Jenna – I’m 100% with you, and a big supporter of you, and you (hopefully!) know that already :0)

  • jenna
    February 14, 2008 at 7:19 pm

    I think in situations such as this we all have to say “to each his own” and agree to disagree…but also be open to other people’s lifestyle decisions and choices. One can choose to eat whatever they want and not eat what they want…its their life. I know this subject would just go round and round and round with Ryan and I…so we just say “I’ll support you” and then get on with it!

  • Brianne
    February 14, 2008 at 7:30 pm

    arimcg- I don’t believe that grains and milk are even remotely in the same category. When we are born we are suppose to drink our mother’s breast milk- we drink this until we naturally wean (anywhere between 18 months to 4sih years- give or take). Once we wean we are no longer biologically meant to consume milk. In today’s society many mothers wean their child onto formula/cow milk before the child is ready… it is not socially acceptable to nurse a 4 year old in North America even though biologically this is what we are meant to do. I still don’t quite understand the correlation between cow’s milk (cow’s milk is to cow as to human milk is to human) and grains? Can you argue that we are biologically meant to consume another species milk? I’m not trying to be confrontational either- but a debate never hurt anyone!

  • Ellie
    February 14, 2008 at 7:31 pm

    I’ve gone back and forth between vegetarianism and not being a vegetarian for quite a bit now and I can’t definitely say that I can see the benefits of both. Coming from both sides of the fence, I agree that it is important to just be accepting and go with the flow.

  • Brianne
    February 14, 2008 at 7:32 pm

    I also would like to point out that I am not judging anyone for choosing to eat the way they do. I am still figuring it all out for myself and I enjoy hearing (reading) others opinions!

  • jenna
    February 14, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    Beth,
    I have never heard of substituting flax for butter…I will have to find out about that! I have heard about adding it in recipes such as granola (in my recipe you can easily sub. the wheat germ for the flax). I’ll look into that though–interesting!!

  • Becky
    February 14, 2008 at 7:51 pm

    Jenna,
    Thanks for clarifying your reasoning for continuing to eat seafood. I wasn’t trying to offend your or make you defend your choice-you are completly right that we all are allowed to have our reasons for eating/not eating whatever we want, I was just curious about your answer.

    Also, Brianne, I’m sorry if I sounded rude before, that wasn’t my intention at all! I totally understand trying to make sense (or in my case justify) “it all”!

    As I said earlier, I do eat meat, however when I think about/see the treatment of the animals, I am horrified! I think this makes me a hypocrate, but I like meat, and I’m most likely going to continue eating it. I could never watch an animal get killed, or eat one that I saw being killed, but when I buy it in its nice package all cut up in the grocery, it makes it easier! I guess thats why they do it that way!

    Sorry for rambling, but I guess my point is that I agree with Jenna, that we are all able to make our own choices-no one is “right” and no one is “wrong”….we are just different!

  • rachel
    February 14, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    jenna–i can definitely understand your point. i think that one thing that many americans deal with is trying to “fit into a mold”–that can even be in a “dietary mold”. i dont think it’s necessarily a good thing to have you identity revolve around food (ie; “im a vegetarian” “i am a vegan” “i will only eat X amount a day” etc…). one thing that americans seem to struggle with is balance (im preaching to the choir). i really like what rivermomx3 said about food sustaining life, not running it. if you feel like becoming a vegetarian for health reasons, as well as ethical reasons i think that’s wonderful. that does not mean you suddenly have to stop eating fish, cheese, or buying leather products. i feel like any step toward sustainability and better health is a good step–especially those taken in balance. balanced decisions, not those that make food the center of life, are those that those that you can stick with.

  • arimcg
    February 14, 2008 at 8:21 pm

    Brianne – I can’t! You make a very good point. I guess what I meant is that grain/grass/etc. was originally there for animals to eat, not us – but I wasn’t trying to make the connection between human milk/humans and cow milk/calves. Anyway, I definitely understand your reasoning. Thanks for explaining.

  • Ashliqua
    February 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    This is such an interesting discussion! I think the saying “to each their own” really applies here and I am happy to see a respectful and open dialogue going on. I have been a vegan for only about 12 weeks now, but I have faced alot of open hostility for my choices, so this really is wonderful to see!

    “To each their own” is sort of the motto of my life. I do not believe that a vegan or even a vegetarian lifestyle is for everyone. I do not believe that humans absolutely should not eat meat. My reasons for becoming a vegan were 60% health-related and 40% ideological; the ideological part includes the fact that I do not think that it is *necessary* for animal slaughter to be anything like what books like Skinny Bitch, Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating, and Slaughterhouse show us, and what we all know to be true. I think it is the result of a culture that commercializes and homogenizes things to such a point that they are unrecognizable from the way they were in the past. I think the idea of small family-owned farms that still raise and kill their own meat for the family’s consumption, and of people hunting and eating what they kill is amazing, and is so rare these days. Everyone’s choices for what they do and do not eat are so personal and do not always need to be rationalized. I know that if I one day *choose* to eat or wear something that is not entirely vegan or vegetarian, there are no vegan police that are going to come take me away and say I failed. I do it because I want to and because I like how my body feels, not because someone is forcing me or because one way is absolutely right and the other is absolutely wrong. Jenna, I respect your decisions and how you are fitting this into your life (including your personal ethics as well as your lifestyle!).

    PS- Brianne, I am totally with you on the milk thing!
    PPS- Sorry this is so long!

  • Ellis
    February 14, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    I’ve never commented, but do find the discussions interesting. I just wanted to offer one point on the whole vegetarian/vegan categorization. Although I absolutely agree with Jenna (and others) that everyone should choose to eat what is right for them and their bodies, I do think the actual definitions of vegetarian and vegan serve a purpose in society. As a vegetarian, it would be nice to be able to ask the question, “is XXX vegetarian?” when dining at a restaurant or someone else’s home and have people understand what that means. The word is somewhat useless now because everyone has their own definition of vegetarian (e.g., I only eat fish, I only eat poultry, I’ll eat things with chicken stock, I’ll occasionally eat a hamburger). It makes it impossible for those of us who adhere to the definition of vegetarian (or vegan) to use the word. There is a word for someone who doesn’t eat meat, but eats fish–it’s pescatarian (also used are piscatarian and fishetarian). Just a suggestion from a vegetarian who is sick of the question “You’re a vegetarian, but do you eat fish?”

  • Rachel
    February 14, 2008 at 8:38 pm

    “Just a suggestion from a vegetarian who is sick of the question “You’re a vegetarian, but do you eat fish?””

    I agree with this. I support every kind of diet (to each her own) but the term “vegetarian” has a specific definition, and it doesn’t include fish. It just makes it very tough on the rest of us, because people assume I’ll eat fish because they’ve met other “vegetarians” who do.

    Anyway, love the blog and good luck with your new re-found meatlessness!

  • Kelly T.
    February 14, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    First off, i just want to thank everyone for being so adult and mature about this. As im sure you have seen, these blogs can get pretty snipey, and its refreshing no one has turned to insuts or attacks.

    And to jenna- when i found out you were turning back into a vegetarian i was kind of disappointed, and im not sure why. i guessi thought you might end up preaching about the horrors of meat or something. But for me, a meat eater, this blog is still a great read. A lot of people think about of a well rounded meal as baked chicken or fish, whole grain rice and veggies. but you have shown that you can branch out from the boring traditional healthy meals and still get a great tasting, well balanced meal. Thanks!

  • SDF
    February 14, 2008 at 8:43 pm

    I agree with a lot of what everybodies saying here. Eating meat is a personal choice, and should not be characterized into such rigid guidelines. I only eat poultry and seafood, and people can’t seem to understand it. They’re like “but you’re not a vegetarian because you eat chicken…so why not just eat beef?” I enjoy having the options open to me to eat whatever I want, and if I eat something that makes me feel crappy (which for me is beef and pork) then I enjoy having the option to not eat it.
    One thing I would like to comment on is how a few people have commented that we should go back to small farms, where everybody kills the meat that they’re eating. The reason that as a society we have been able to evolve into where we are is due to segregation of duties- for example, I can be an accountant because I have the time to study math vs. having to go out into the forest and gather/hunt. I’m not trying to be rude to anyone who does this-I would starve before I ever caught anything-but if everybody had to grow their own food/hunt for it, the world would be back to how it was hundreds of years ago.
    Another point, which my friend recently brought up to me (after doing a research paper on it for her university class) is that if all food was produced organically, 97% of the population would starve! Although pesticides are terrible, they are required so that we can produce enough food to feed everybody (because we do have enough food to feed the entire world right now, it’s just a matter of distribution to get it to the poorer countries…which is an entirely different topic).
    I believe that there are better ways to produce our food (especially when you look into the details of slaughterhouses and pesticides put on our food) but we need to focus on moving ahead to more humane options, and not going back to the inefficient ways of the past.
    Sorry that this became so long, I just wanted to present the other side of the “coin”

  • blueberrybabe
    February 14, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    EMERGENCY!!! i planned to make the olive oil cake for dessert tonight for valentine’s and i just realized i dont have an electric beater. does ANYONE know if it will ruin the cake if i just whisk with a fork??!?! yikes! thanks!!!

  • jenna
    February 14, 2008 at 8:57 pm

    nope!!! whisk away—you are fine!!!!!!!

  • blueberrybabe
    February 14, 2008 at 8:59 pm

    oh thank god 🙂 ur the best!

  • JennS
    February 14, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    hahaha blueberry babe you are so cute. i dont have a beater either and i am making the shrimp and olive oil cake!

  • jenna
    February 14, 2008 at 9:12 pm

    Awwww it makes me smile to know you all are actually making my recipes tonight!!! have a great time with them! enjoy!!!!!!

  • JennS
    February 14, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    Jenna, you said it could make a guy propose! (lol I got engaged this fall, but if its that good I might as well give my fiancee a treat!)

  • blueberrybabe
    February 14, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    JennS thanks for the compliment! this blog makes me smile 🙂 and on a random note i just remembered i never “introduced” myself to the blog when a couple people did a while back so i’m going to at the dinner post wooohooo

  • JennS
    February 14, 2008 at 9:17 pm

    Hey Jenna, do you use natural body care products (ie wash,sopas, shampoos) from places like WF? just curious as to your take on that type of stuff. thanks! we’ll let you know how the recipes turn out!

  • Megan
    February 14, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    Hi Jenna,
    I would love to make the cookies that you made the other day, but can’t find the recipe under the recipe heading? If you get a chance could you give it to me? Thanks!!

  • Rachel
    February 14, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    Megan,
    If you look through Jenna’s dessert posts and find the day where she first made the cookies (it wasn’t that long ago) you’ll find a link to the recipe in the post!

  • Rachel
    February 14, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    Actually, I just went and got the recipe for you! Here it is:

    Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

    Recipe for Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies is from Vive le Vegan!, p.131

    Any vegans missing that classic home-made chocolate chip cookie indulgence? Well, now you can indulge without need for the dairy, eggs, white sugar, or even refined flour if you choose. One other bonus – these are super-easy to make!

    1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note below for wheat-free version)
    1 tsp baking powder
    1?2 tsp baking soda
    1?4 cup unrefined sugar
    1?4 tsp sea salt
    1?3 cup pure maple syrup
    1?4 tsp blackstrap molasses
    1 – 1 1?2 tsp pure vanilla extract
    1?4 cup organic canola oil (a little generous 1/4 cup)
    1?3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix). Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 8-10 large cookies.

    Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour produces a cookie with a very classic taste and texture, but you can use whole-wheat pastry flour and still have delicious cookies! For a wheat-free version, use barley or spelt flour. With spelt flour, you may need to add an extra 2-4 TB of flour, if it is a refined spelt flour. Also, if using all-purpose flour, if the batter is heavy and dense when mixing in the wet ingredients, add another 1-2 tsp each of maple syrup and canol oil and work through.

    Idea: Make a really special dessert treat… ice cream cookie sandwiches! Using two cookies that have been completely cooled in the refrigerator, spread some softened soy ice cream on the underside of one cookie, then place the other cookie on top. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until firm!

  • Megan
    February 14, 2008 at 11:56 pm

    Thank you so much Rachel!!!