SO.FREAKIN.GOOD.
That’s all I can say right now. Why? Because my mouth is completely engulfed in hot chocolatey-wonderfullness. I want to go run and hug every single animal I can find because I FINALLY—for the first time ever—–baked a vegan dessert! And, the best part is, it’s actually GOOD! No, great! No, fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don’t know why the v-word scares me so much. I have always felt proud telling people I was a vegetarian…but still, “vegan” has some unknown scariness to it for some reason! I don’t know if I had some weird image in my mind of dreadlocks and unshaven legs or what, but if vegans can eat these cookies, then being a vegan can’t be that hard…or that bad! Granted, I am not a vegan and I don’t profess to instantly be one by cooking vegan chocolate chip cookies. But…I am trying to cut down on my dairy intake and a nice, hot, gooey chocolate chip cookie coupled with an ice cold glass of vanilla hempmilk really did it for me tonight.
You know the really funny thing? I’m going to school to be a pastry chef. Every night I will be creating new buttery, eggy, milky sweets that have cows crying everywhere. But you know what I think? I can use these next 8 months or so to really understand the concepts of baking, and therefore, be able to explore new, cruelty-free ideas. You have to know the background of the subject before you can make changes and in a week I start my first class: “Baking Principles”, so I’m hoping I will learn enough to help me recreate new sweets at home. Seriously guys, these cookies tonight changed my whooooole opinion on scary vegan baking. It’s wonderful! And easy! No messy eggs and soft butter to deal with…and I could lick the spoon to my little heart’s delight.
Of course now you all are wondering where in the world I found this recipe. I actually was craving chocolate tonight (you girls know what I’m talking about here) and on a whim, googled “vegan chocolate chip cookies”. I used a recipe I found called “Dreena’s Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies”. They are from her cookbook, “Vive le Vegan!”. I am def. going to look for this cookbook next time I have money and am at the bookstore. If the rest of her recipes are THIS good……I’m in trouble.
Seriously, make these tonight!!!!
Kate
February 11, 2008 at 1:37 amHey Jenna,
My name is Kate and I have been reading your blog since before you got the website, but am posting for the first time tonight.
I am fifteen years old and from South Carolina(I love Charleston also). A few years ago, I set out to lose a few extra pounds and ended up getting deep into full blown anorexia. I struggled for a year and finally sough inpatient treatment. I gained weight and learned a lot during my inpatient treatment, but a week after I got back, my father committed suicide. (He was bi-polar). So, anyways, that was two years ago, and for a while after that, my weight got dangerously low again, then I realized that if I wanted to really pursue a career as a nutritionist/marathon running coach, I would need to get myself healthy. Over the past year and a half, that is what I have been trying to do. And then, I stumbled across Kath’s blog. I am about an hour and half south of Charlotte, and felt a certain connection to her. Then your blog came up on hers, and I felt like I found another friend. You are an amazing inspiration and you are a true definition of health. Both you and Kath remind me that eating well balanced(including fats in your diet) is what is going to keep me alive and well and active. Being active is such an AMAZING stress release and nothing else can give me the “high” that running does!! I’m so thankful for your blog and tune into it EVERY day.
I am looking into the College of Charleston and wonder if their nutrition program is any good. Could you let me know?? Have you ever run the Cooper River Bridge Run?? If you haven’t, you should come back to Charleston for the weekend and participate in it. Thanks again for everything that you have done for me and others that read your blog!!
Kate
Brianne
February 11, 2008 at 1:37 amYou took the words out of my mouth- I love the idea of being vegan but the word vegan really scares me! If I slip by eating something I shouldn’t I would feel like a fraud. I really like experimenting with vegan/vegetarian dishes though even if I’m not one myself! I will defiantly be making these cookies sometime!
Katherine
February 11, 2008 at 1:44 amVeggiegirl, you don’t even know how much you made my day 🙂 It is so hard to find soy free products! Are you allergic too? Do you consider soy lechtin soy……its in all products essentially. Sorry to ask so many questions but I gotta find out what brand pita, bread, and tortilla you recommend. I prefer something not really high cal as I’m not trying to gain weight and already eat tons of nuts, pb, etc
Thanks so much!!
p.s. how do you learn about all these new products (well they may not be new to you!)
Alyssa
February 11, 2008 at 1:45 amKate- stay strong! I have an eating disorder too and it started the same way yours did. I agree, I love Jenna and Kath’s blog because both are an enormous inspiration and can help remind us what it means to live and be healthy, but not to such a point of a restrictive lifestyle. Thanks for putting so much dedication and passion into this blog Jenna! I’m still jealous of your nice warm Floridian weather though! Grrrrr….. It’s only supposed to be 8 degrees tomorrow!
BethT
February 11, 2008 at 2:00 amhaha, I always felt the same way about vegan baking until I had the vegan choc chip cookies from Trader Joe’s – which are AMAZING! I will have to try this recipe because homemade ones are probably even better.
VeggieGirl
February 11, 2008 at 2:03 amJenna, isn’t that recipe fabulous?? You should check out Dreena’s blog (she left the very first comment on my new blog post, actually, so you can click on her name in my comment box and check out more of her recipes and such). And hey, with all the baking I do, I bet it shows that vegans CAN have their cake and eat it too, sans animal products!! :0D
**Katherine:
I’m not allergic to soy, but I find that it aggravates my digestive system (I have Crohn’s Disease); and frankly, there are so many other quality protein sources out there (that are NOT animal-based), that I don’t need the soy.
I don’t consider soy lechtin to be the “same” as soy, because it isn’t as concentrated (for instance, the soy lechtin does not bother my system). How does your system react to the soy lechtin?
I HIGHLY recommend this brand for breads, tortillas, etc.: http://foodforlife.com/our-products.html
As someone who is (and has always been) very interested in nutrition and well-being, I like to stay informed and know what is going into my body; so I always stay up-to-date with all-natural products.
Keep asking questions – I don’t mind at all! Glad I can help :0)
Emma
February 11, 2008 at 2:25 amHey Kate,
I just read your post, and felt I really needed to respond.
I’m 15 years old, gained a bit of holiday weight last year, went through some friendship issues, and along the way ended up with anorexia, which spiraled way out of control (after trying to lose a few pounds, of course.)
I started out reading the “Eat Like Me” blog, b/c Kristin lives near me (we eat at the same restaurants sometimes). As someone with an eating disorder, I would hate to admit how much I thought about food — and how much I loved food.
Now I’m proud to say, I LOVE food, and I can eat it too! Kristin, Kath, and Jenna really show that a person can eat good food and can still be thin and beautiful. I’m not totally over all my little food “phobias” and I’m not in the clear yet, but I’m getting my life back. I can go out w/ my friends and not have to worry about when I’ll eat, what I’ll eat (I also don’t have to lug around ten jackets to keep myself warm) 🙂
Anyways, (this was a very long post, I just realized.) Kate & Alyssa, keep up the good work, I’m in the same boat.
Jenna, thank you so much for inspiring all the great comments and discussion in the forums, I really do appreciate what you are doing!
Erica
February 11, 2008 at 2:31 amOh my god, those cookies look like little bites of chocolate heaven. I’m definitely going straight to my local health food store tomorrow and picking up a bag of carob chips.. these look irresistible!
Quick question Jenna – any idea how many calories are in each cookie? Thanks!! 🙂
Katie Mc
February 11, 2008 at 2:33 amQUESTION!!! Can you get dairy-free chocolate chips at the grocery store? And how do you know if they are dairy-free or not? I just looked at the recipe and the only ingredient I am confused about are the dairy-free chocolate chips! these cookies look AWESOME!!
Ruby Red Vegan
February 11, 2008 at 2:39 amOh, I love Dreena’s Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies too! If you were to get any Dreena cookbook, I’d recommend her newest one – Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan. And you chose well with your snack – my favorite way to have hempmilk is with a few cookies. 🙂 It’s the best!
LT
February 11, 2008 at 2:42 amJust wanted to say THANKS, JENNA!! Your passion for delicious food is contagious! Your blog has inspired many delicious meals lately….i was in a food rut! (just the same ol’ stuff everyday). I like your style, well done my friend.
jenna
February 11, 2008 at 2:49 amGoodness…I have no idea how many calories are in each cookie!! On things such as thing I choose to “guesstimate”….I would say about 140 just to be safe…I made big cookies too! There’s no way it could be over 140. I usually overestimate on things. but think about it—what’s bad in this??? Theres chocolate–which CAN be considered a health food with all its good-f0r-you “badness”, canola oil=good for your heart, only 1/4 cup of all natural cane sugar, maple syrup…..no butter, no eggs, no artery clogging gunk. I think you all would really be surprised at how great these are!!!!! Or at least I was! I am going to make another batch later this week I think to bring to Ryan because I KNOW these won’t last too long!!!!!!!
Kay
February 11, 2008 at 2:50 amVeggieGirl:
Thanks for your anwer 🙂 I tried leaving a comment at your website and kept getting an error so here I go… (on Jenna’s blog!) I was just wondering why you chose blue as your background color? The color blue calms people down but it also makes food less appealing, at least studies show this tendency…. People tend to eat more when they are in red rooms as opposed to blue rooms as well. I won’t be painting my dining room red! I am planning on trying your oatmeal raisin cookie soon!!
Mel H
February 11, 2008 at 2:54 amHey guys,
I have an observation, but I do not want to offend anyone AT ALL! Believe me of all people! I have noticed a lot of girls that either used to or are struggling with eating disorders (myself included- I struggled with anorexia sr year of HS through my first couple yrs of college!) read a lot of food/nutrition blogs including Jennas, Kaths and Cristen’s. I just wanted your all’s opinions on why you think this is, or why you all are so interested in these blogs. I know for myself, I became more interested in nutrition and food when recovering bc I lost weight the totally wrong way (only eating ff products and low cal processed foods that I thought were good for me ) and now I’m staying healthy by trying to eat the right foods! . just wanted some views on this- lov of food/nutrition, interest, self – control?? . take care everyone!! xoxo
Mel H
Erica
February 11, 2008 at 2:55 amThanks Jenna, I’ll take your word for it! I’m making these tomorrow, I can’t wait! 😀
Alyssa
February 11, 2008 at 3:11 amMel H- I thought about that too. The only reason why I mention that I have an eating disorder is because blogs like these help remind me what normal eating is like. I use it as one of many tools to help remind myself how important it is to stay on track. Yes, nutrition interests me, in that I like to know what foods are healthy and what I can do to live a healthy lifestyle, but I have no interest into going into nutrition or becoming a fitness guru. I know what you mean though! I use Jenna and Kath’s blog as one tool in my toolbelt of recovery (ok, reallllly cheezy metaphor!), and not to the benefit of ed. Sorry if mentioning this puts any weird vibe on the blog, I don’t mean it to!
VeggieGirl
February 11, 2008 at 3:27 am**Katie Mc:
There are several brands of chocolate chips that are dairy-free/vegan, such as Sunspire, Tropical Source; and even Whole Foods markets bags of vegan/dairy-free chocolate chips.
**Kay:
I choose blue for my background color because that’s the color that comes with my photography studio :0)
Kelly
February 11, 2008 at 3:56 amIt seems to me that people with eating disorders are driven to these sites for many different reasons. Contrary to popular believe, anorexics and bulimics dont hate food, they are just scared of it which makes for a really weird relationship. Many suffering from eating disorders wish they could eat normally and thus become fascinated with people that can, and really enjoy it. Its weird to people with EDs that people can be so focused on food, but not in a restrictive way.
Something else that I have noticed is when people recovering from ED’s try and get healthy they have very few models of what a “normal” person eats like. Recovery doesnt mean eating fast food and junk, but that tends to be how most people eat, so they get the complex of “if i say not fast food am i restricting? if i choose an apple over a piece of pizza am i giving into the ED or am i making a healthy decision?” Seeing people that can eat healthily without guilt really helps them feel better about food, and gives them ideas on how to eat healthily themselves.
i am a personal trainer and have worked with recovering ED-ers in the past. Its healthy to learn more about food and fitness. Dont feel like you are slipping back or people that mention they have an ED are somehow being fueled by the blogs to remain sick. They do a world of good in being a positive influence!
Jill
February 11, 2008 at 4:52 amAlyssa and Kate,
I am dealing with an eating disorder (starting from the same place as yours, oddly enough) and TOTALLY agree with the blogs, I read them for the same reason! It makes me so inspired to see people eat and exercising in healthy amounts… and loving life with it! Would you two be interested in sharing e-mails or something of the sort for a group?
Jenna,
Have you seen Fatfree Vegan Kitchen (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/)? It’s not fat free, but uses the name as a sort of healthy style of cooking. Anyway, she has some GREAT recipes, I have only tried a few though!
KP
February 11, 2008 at 6:13 amJenna, I just want to tell you what a great spirit you have and how much I love your blog. Your meal ideas are great and all of the info you post is very beneficial to me. Thank you so much!
I have a question for Jenna or anyone that can help…
When I was in high school, I lost about 25 pounds by meticulously counting calories and eating many low-fat and fat-free foods. This only made me crave “real” food when I was finally down to a healthy weight and I have been struggling to keep off the weight since. It’s now 7 years later and I have since gained back 15 pounds and would LOVE to lose them again, but this time by eating healthy, whole foods and exercising.
I really want to avoid counting calories (because personally, it makes me obsessed although I know it’s a wonderful method for others) and I want to try intuitive eating. My question is how do I eat intuitively and lose weight at the same time? Do I just have to follow exactly what my body wants and exercise a lot more? I don’t want to eat less than my body wants because I want to feel satisfied, not deprived. Has anyone had any success with this? I’m just wondering how to go about this.
Thanks to anyone who can help!
Serena
February 11, 2008 at 6:17 amHi everyone, I just posted this on Kath’s site but wanted to make sure everyone knew about the coolest new thing (I think):
I was reading Real Simple today and I read about the best-sounding product ever – it’s a lid w/ a stirrer designed specifically to help stir natural peanut butter! And here I thought I was the only one that got the oil everywhere when I tried to stir it up. Given that this issue has come up on the blog before, I thought I’d share – Check this out: http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5912&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=peanut+butter
Alli W.
February 11, 2008 at 7:03 amHey Jenna–
Just wanted you to know that you’ve inspired me to start giving up some “unnatural” parts of my diet…starting with Splenda!! This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I use about four packets a day on my teas….so this is a big deal to me!! I can’t quite bring myself to cut out diet coke yet, but I will get there soon! Thanks for being such a great inspiration! You are super!
Lilveggiepatch
February 11, 2008 at 8:29 amhey! congratulations on going back to vegetarianism! it’s a big change, but it’s getting easier and easier to do with all of these wonderful non-meat products. i’m living in france right now, and i’ve started eating a breakfast my host mother prepares every morning (she, like me, is also a vegetarian + fish – “pescatarian”?-). it sounds a little bit gross, but it’s really healthy and filling and tastes pretty good!
she uses:
soft tofu
crème fraiche/ greek yogurt
cut up fruit
soy milk
muesli
it all gets mixed together and the sweetness of the fruit and soy milk cuts the tartness of the yogurt and tofu. it takes a while to eat and keeps me full until lunch! i’m always looking for ways to pack protein into my day, and so far this seems to be a good option for breakfast (until i get tired of it!).
shred
February 11, 2008 at 10:32 ami have been baking vegan and gluten-free desserts for years — i never actually learned how to bake _with_ animal products, which is pretty funny (my diet is neither vegan nor gluten free — other circumstances required those parameters). sometimes i need animal nutrients for my health, but certainly not in my deserts!
Mel H
February 11, 2008 at 11:22 amalyssa, kate, and Jill,
I totally know what you all mean and I also use this blog and other great ones to get ideas of “healthy” but balanced means and to keep my mindset on track! Just wanted other opinions to see if my reasons were the same as some of yours! Have a great day guys! You all are awesome! xoxo
Mel H
Tina
February 11, 2008 at 2:36 pmThose look so GOOD!!!!! I am totally a cookie monster! 🙂
Alyssa
February 11, 2008 at 3:23 pmJill,
Yeah I would be interested!
Ashliqua
February 12, 2008 at 12:00 amJenna,
I know exactly how you feel–I was so nervous to call myself a vegan at first! It’s funny because I always had this image of vegans being kind of militant or holier-than-thou; all the vegans I had met in the past seemed like all they wanted to do was criticize my eating and bombard me with disturbing facts (PS-That is not my personality at all!). But being a vegan is so much fun and I have discovered a whole new world of cooking and baking since becoming one! I’m definitely going to try making these cookies–thanks for sharing the recipe!
Jill
February 12, 2008 at 4:47 amAwesome! Feel free to e-mail me ooshgi@hotmail.com