vegan baby!!!!

I know I have mentioned my love for all things butter and eggs which means you are probably reading the title of this post and thinking has Katelin lost her mind no butter no eggs?  Don't fear I am still as dairy and egg friendly as always.  At the ripe old age of almost 27 I still have a glass of milk with dinner and think that bread is best with butter.  With that said I still wanted to get into the world of vegan baking because well a certain person I happen to be totally smitten with prefers a non dairy lifestyle and just had a birthday so I decided this would be the prefect time let go of the butter. (no one get excited this person is not a boy its still just me and miles in my bed)

Now most people about to make vegan something or other for the first time would think to look at other blogs or website to find good vegan recipes I decided to just experiment and figure it out on my own so while I do think I came up with a winner of a recipe there are probably some better substitutions then what I came up with.  I also wanted to cut out flour  so the consistency was a bit wet.

I happened to make these little guys at my mom's house since I have been staying there a few nights a week I am taking classes in the suburbs so I am living a bit like a nomad following the food, also known as my mom and mimi cooking all meals for me they are special ladies.  When I said I wanted to bake vegan cookies I had to explain to my grandparents what vegan was verse vegetarian  and my mom kept calling them "vaguen" which was super funny to me she hates when I tease her but I actually liked it I feel like most vegans I know are actually "vaguen" and i don't blame them who can say no to cheese all the time??  Just as many vegetarians are actually flexatrians there could be a whole dictionary for words to describe people and how they eat.  


Until recently I have been a total omnivore, I will eat any type of food I don't discriminate against any animal or plant my body is made to digest it all and in large quantity at that.  Now I find myself like so many others having a moral dilemma about food, I blame this all on Michael Pollan well thats not totally fair lets add Alice Waters and Jim Denevan to the mix and really the list could go on.  In an ideal world I would buy my meats straight from the farm and have a vegetable garden in the backyard maybe have a goat or two and make my own cheese and while I'm at it lets have a few chickens for fresh eggs everyday.  Sounds amazing right?  I see it as my future but for now I just don't eat processed things buy veggie from the farmers market or organic and limit my consumption of the bloody stuff that I very much enjoy.

I also want to bake better less white sugar less white flour more good for you ingredients so for this recipe I not only took out eggs and butter but added almond meal instead of flour and about 1/2 the amount of sugar.  They turned out really good my non vegan family devoured them and from what I was told by the birthday girl her family ravished them as well.  all in all first vegan recipe success!


CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES
makes about 3 dozen


3 cups rolled oats
1 cup smart balance spread 
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup almond meal 
1/4 flour (okay so i did use a little flour it just looked to runny)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 banana mushed up 
1 cup chocolate chips (trader joe's  are dairy free or just get some really nice chocolate and chop it up)
3/4 cup brown sugar
hand full of shredded coconut not the sugary stuff


preheat oven to 350 degrees
combine smart balance, sugar,vanilla, and mushed banana mix until smooth and sorta fluffyish. Then add in slowly oats, almond meal, flour, salt, and baking soda.  mix until well combined then drop in chocolate and coconut(I like coconut but this can be omitted if you want).  Scoop onto cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes they will still look pretty soft but let them sit and they will firm up a bit. 

I think I would add more oats next time and also chill the dough since it was super wet to scoop

If you have any vegan recipes you would like to share please do I want to make more treats also any tips using less flour totally welcome!