Happy Cow Cakey Peanut Butter Cookies

Edit: Just another reason to try these bad boys out, just found out they won the DailyMeal + Flour Bakery Contest! Now to try to veganize the free Flour Bakery Cookbook they sent me... :)

Christmas was always my favorite time of year as a child. Not because of the presents--no, the best part of Christmas came in the days before, where my mum, my aunt, and I would get together and make tons of cookies all day! This is my (loose) rendition of the peanut-butter chocolate chip cookies we made, veganized! They cookies have a cakey texture, but are nice a crispy on the outside (whipping the margarine with sugar is key!) Cornstarch is the perfect binder in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 14 tablespoons vegan non-hydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup vegan granulated sugar (or turbinado sugar)
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of corn starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water (mix only right before usage)
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) vegan chocolate chips
• A good dollop of peanut butter, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the margarine with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. (If you do not have electric mixed, beat well with whisk by hand). Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and cornstarch mixture. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and peanut butter.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges and set in the center, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Enjoy!

The Ugly Side of Food: A Quick US/UK Comparisons

High Fructose Corn Syrup, mechanically separated chicken, partially hydrogenated soybean oil: it’s the ugly side of food, the side we wish not to see, but it’s still there, too hard to ignore. It may not be until you live in another country that you can really conceptualize how bad the problem in America is, how we are a nation that supports and allows for processed, unnatural, nutritionally-lacking food to flood our markets. Here’s just a few interesting things I’ve noticed so far while abroad in the UK:

1. Heintz Ketchup and Coca-Cola soda, to name a few, do not need high fructose corn syrup, unlike their American counterpart

2. The American McDonalds is actually much worse for you than the UK McDonalds (and even in the UK McDonalds is looked up as a junky treat)

a. US chicken nuggets contain dimethylpolysiloxane (a chemical used in making silly putty) and tertiary butylhydroquinone (a petro-based chemical). A kid's size serving of chicken nuggets, four nuggets, have 3 more grams of fat and 20 more calories than the UK counterpart.

b. The UK McDonalds uses all free-range chicken eggs (a proposal which American McDonalds has publically opposed), and organic milk.

3. Animal welfare standards in the UK, in-so-far as they are related to food products, are clearly a more prominent issue: labels based on RSPCA welfare standards are clearly marked on numerous items that are available in any local grocery store

4. American's lunch system is often times in such despair, that it takes a British chef--see Jamie Oliver and recent interviews--to come over seas to reform school lunches.

These are just a few of the examples that I have personally witness while abroad; and so, it may not be any surprise that British men and women, on average, tend to be much healthier, live longer, and are less prone to diseases (everything from high blood pressure to diabetes) than similar American counterparts.

As bleak as such a comparison may sound, it truly illuminates what needs to happen in the future: as Oliver notes about the state of American food policy, “In America, what hasn't happened yet is the public haven't really told business what they want”. And its true. What needs to happen is a large scale public movement for a change in food policy, and it starts with the vote for change each of us makes every time be buy something at a grocery store.

Fourth of July Tapas Party

Black & Green Olive Tapanade w/ Roasted Garlic on Melba Toast

One of the best things about being home for the summer was having access to a fully stocked, recently remodeled kitchen. Using the new convection oven was epic and always having the grill by my side was something I began to take for granted. Of course then, any opportunity to utilize the beautiful new kitchen I took. In particular, my parents dinner parties were a favorite time to try out some new recipes.

Here's a look at a few other tapas dishes from our Fourth of July Party:

Sauteed Spinach w/ Caramelized Onion in Puff Pastry

Grilled Eggplant Baba Ghanoush

Spicy Hummus w/ Chickpeas and Cayenne

The Rise of the Veg Community

So I have to say that in the almost 7 years I've been a vegetarian/vegan, I have yet to notice such a peaking interest among so many varied people as now. More than ever, vegan options are popping up on menus, student populations are advocating for Meatless Monday's, and vegetarianism in general is making the headlines multiple times a day.

Among the numerous articles I could post, this one from the Daily Princeton illuminates how vegetarians are slowly creeping to outnumber the omnivorous. A change in consciousness is occurring among the youth who cannot remember the days before McDonald's and all forms of processed animals products, at a time when food, health, and the environment is more important than ever.

Another prime example is the prominence of vegan/vegetarian chefs and veg-friendly options in fine dining establishments.

Vegan Chef Chloe Coscarelli is among such, having won Food Network's cupcake wars with her Vegan Raspberry Tiramisu Cupcakes. Though I've made these luscious cupcakes twice now (pictures to come soon), I must say they are a bit sweet for my taste. Still, others have gobbled them down and the win alone is a great win for veganism.

One dish of Chloe's I did absolutely adore was hers was the Mexicali Sliders with Cajun Yam Fries! [Picture Above] I reproduced these for my family, and even my meat-eating parents asked for the recipe to make again. The texture of the sliders was just right and went perfect with a big, cold slab of fresh guacamole. I definitely suggest you try one of her recipes out! I'm going for the Beach Cookies next in an attempt to recreate Harvard's infamous (infamous to me at least!) coconut bars, yum!

The Power of Plants!

So after a long hiatus, I return. I spent the summer months cooking up new recipes, checking out amazing vegan eateries and farm fresh foods, and really discovering a lot about the role each of us has to ultimately determine our health through simple life-style choices.

My mother has, for as long as I can remember, always had health issues... high blood pressure, heart problems: my grandma died of a heart attack and my mother had one too. This summer my whole family and I included worked together towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.... and by the end of the summer, my mom's blood pressure was lower than it had ever been, and her doctor was talking about taking her off her medication! The individual has immense power over their own life, even over those things we think out of our control... we make our own reality and this is just a small, amazing testament to that.

With that in mind, here's just a few links to some new studies and videos supporting this idea in relation to health... showing us how a plant-based diet has the potential power to reverse even some of the worst medical conditions. What we decided to subject our bodies to determines how our bodies grow, or fall.

Bill Clinton on how a plant-based diet has helped him lose 24 pounds: "So I did all his research and I saw that 82 percent of the people since 1986 who have gone on a plant-based, no dairy or meat of any kind, no chicken, turkey—I eat very little fish, once in a while I’ll have a little fish; not often—if you can do it, 82 percent of the people who have done that have begun to heal themselves"

Time's food writer Mark Bittman's Vegan Before Dinnertime (in Food Matters): "Within three or four months, I lost 35 pounds, my blood sugar was normal, cholesterol levels were again normal … and my sleep apnea indeed went away. All these good things happened, and it wasn’t as if I was suffering so I stayed with it…. I have not eliminated anything completely from my diet."

Some books to check out:

The China Study

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease

Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery

The Engine 2 Diet

Walgreens is now selling fresh fruits and veggies at stores in Manhattan, Denny's now has a vegan veggie patty on their menu, and the support for flexitarian options such as Meatless Monday and Time's food writer, Mark Bittman's, Vegan Before Dinnertime.

And its no wonder since 3 out of every 4 Americans is expected to be obese by 2020 and the environmental impacts of factory farming (not to mention the horrible, abusive conditions for the farmed animals) are becoming more and more evident everyday...

Three Days Eating as a Vegan

Thought I might give the short introduction to life as a vegan: delicious, healthy, and a great variety

Day One

Breakfast: Whole-wheat toast with peanut butter and banana slices on it, a few strawberries, and a cup of gunpowder green tea
Lunch: Bean burrito with sauteed bell peppers and onions, guacamole and chips + sparkling water
Snack: Three-bean salad
Dinner: Vegan french toast + spinach salad w/ sliced fresh strawberries, walnuts, and beets w/ balsamic vinegar
Late-night Snack: Darjeeling tea

Day Two

Breakfast: Smoothie (frozen strawberries, frozen blackberries, fresh banana, apple juice, flax seed), small vegan bran muffin
Lunch: Curried cous-cous with peas, crasians, sauteed red onions, and softened apples w/ brown sugar + sparkling water
Dinner: Fried tofu marinated in hoisin sauce + lentils & brown rice
Dessert: Vegan chocolate chip cookie :D
Late-night Snack: Fresh Strawberries

Day Three

Breakfast: Steel-cut oats with flax seed, maple syrup, kiwi slices, and cinnamon
Lunch: Collard Greens with fresh garlic and red onions braised in vegetable broth with tomatoes and red pepper flakes, stir-fried veggies (lima beans, edamame, onions, carrots, and button mushrooms) w/ rice noodles
Snack: Golden Delicious Apple
Snack: Soy double cappuccino from Equal Exchange Cafe
Dinner: Falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, whole wheat pita, and ciaro salad from Falafel Corner (own pita :) )
Late-night snack (still to come!): Whole wheat bagel with tofutti cream cheese, spinach, and sundried tomatoes

New Vegan Frappuccino's at Starbucks

When I heard that Starbucks was starting their new DIY frappuccino program, and that it included the possibility of making your frappuccino vegan, I--of course--was very pleased. It's always great to hear that more and more mainstream places are offering vegan and vegetarian fare. This short article by the Observer's restaurant critic describes this new surge in vegetarian fare, particularly in the upper escalón of the industry, as the haute vegetarian revolution.

Anyway, so I went today to go try this DIY frapp for myself. It really was great the amount of choice now (of course, this is at Starbucks, the place that already seems to have way too much choice to begin with). Do note, some of the flavors and bases may not be vegan. For example, the light base is non-vegan, there is milk in it. So be sure to ask the barista beforehand.

It was only after receiving my order that I remembered why it was I hadn't gone to starbucks in about two years.... even if they are offering vegan fare, it still sucks. I got the plain coffee base, but the soy they use is vanilla so it just taste of vanilla... in fact, like a blended vanilla soy milkshake. Needless to say, I was less than impressed. It was packed with sugar, with little substantive taste. Also a bad idea to grab one for a pick-me-up, because it works instead as a downer (headache included) once the sugar wears off... only about 30 minutes after.

I guess I learned my lesson. The frappuccino is what it is, and still not any better because it's vegan. But if the sugary, high-calorie, icy dessert is your thing, then I'm glad you at least have the option of getting it cruelty-free now. More choice, in my opinion, is always better.