Day 8 - Thanks, Tricotine!!

Did I tell you that Lady Tricotine is the one who I first heard from about the 30-Day Pledge? She has already completed two weeks and lost 8 pounds! I didn't weigh in before taking the pledge, but I know I do feel different...like all my "systems" are working better (if you know what I mean). Check out her blog!

And now for a little baking for next week's lunches...my (almost) Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies. "Almost" because I did not have any vegan chocolate chips on hand. I did still have some Belgian Milk-Chocolate Chips in the cupboard which contain a bit of milkfat. I decided to use them rather than waste them. My next batch will be all vegan...promise!

As I was stirring the cookie dough, I got some on my fingers. It dawned on me that I could go ahead and lick my fingers and not run the risk of salmonella poisoning since these goodies have no raw eggs! You mean all these years and I've been depriving myself of raw cookie dough!!! Dang.

The finished recipe turned out wonderfully. It's also pretty versatile. Don't like nuts? Leave them out or replace them with raisins. Don't have white and brown sugar? Use all of one kind. Out of whole wheat flour? Use all-purpose or a combination. Add a little cinnamon or allspice. However you make them, please make some soon... and share with a friend!

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies

• 1-1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup beet sugar (or vegan cane sugar)
• 2/3 cup vegan brown sugar
• 2 tbsp non-dairy "cream" or "milk"
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1 very ripe banana, mashed well
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, salt and sugars. Blend well with a wire whisk. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients together. Add to flour mixture and stir well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by heaping tablespoonsful onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes until edges are golden brown. Let set on cookie sheet for a minute or two and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an air-tight container...if they last that long!!

Today I was reading more about seitan. For those like me who don't know much about it, it's a wheat gluten product that can be cooked and flavored to resemble meat products. With the holidays looming, and the expectation of a house full of omnivores, I wanted to start trying my hand at making my own meat analogue. The only thing I remember reading about it in the past was how long it took to knead and rinse the flour to get the gluten to hold together. After doing my homework, I was delighted to find that most of that work has been eliminated with the use of vital gluten flour. I followed (mostly) a recipe from Ellen's Kitchen and I'm really happy with the results. In fact, I have a second batch simmering right now!

The first is in chicken-like pieces. I simmered it on the stovetop in a great chicken-y flavored vegan broth. Although it looks pretty blah...(but then, so does boiled chicken meat)...it really is tasty! I can already imagine the many uses for it.

A bonus...I used the leftover simmering broth to make a wonderful soup for lunch. I just added some of the leftover roasted potatoes from last night's dinner and a cup or so of frozen mixed vegetables. Perfect!

The second batch is supposed to taste more like beef. I shaped the gluten into patties or "steaks" and have it simmering in my crockpot as we speak (so to speak). Stay tuned!