Really Good Vegan Sugar Cookies

I had to make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for Phoebe's class this week and so I went in search of the perfect vegan, soy-free recipe (Phoebe and 3 others in the class are dairy-free).  I think I found a winner!  I adapted the recipe from here:  http://general.fastq.com/~jbpratt/recipes/dairyfree/desserts/sugarcookies.html

Dairy-free Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup palm oil shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg flax paste (1T ground flax to 3T warm water)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rice milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/4 cups + 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (Shake and then level off with a knife.)

Cream the shortening and sugar together.  Add the egg, vanilla, baking powder, and
salt.  Mix.  Add the milk (or fruit juice).   Mix.  Add about a cup of flour at a time to
the creamed mixture.  Mix as much flour in with the mixer and the remainder by hand. 
Add extra if needed.  Roll the dough using a rolling pin (put in fridge for a short amount of time).  Cut cookies to be about 1/4
to 1/3 inch thick.  Place on parchment paper.  Bake at 400 degrees F. for
8 to 10 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly golden brown on the bottoms (or firm
on the tops.  (It takes longer for larger cookies.)  Sprinkle white or colored sugar on top
before baking or frost the cookies after they are baked and cooled.  Makes about 56
cookies (less if they are larger).

Becoming (almost) Vegan

We have always strived to eat as little meat as possible and before children this meant quite a few meals with cheese or soy as the main protein.  Once Lillian came along and was allergic to dairy and soy (and later Phoebe to eggs) we switched to eating more meat.  With the help of a friend (thanks, Goldie!) I stumbled across Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book.  Between that and watching the documentary "Forks over Knives" I was convinced of a few things:
1.  Vegan diets are proven to be better for your health to a much larger degree than I realized
2.  Protein is actually in a lot of plants
3.  By eating meat and bread (and not enough veggies) my body will continue to be hungry and over stuff itself in order to get the necessary nutrients.  Eating a diet of plants means I'm getting more nutrients per calorie and not over eating.
4.  Now that I knew that I didn't need meat for nutrients I could consider being concerned with the animal industry practices that I have long tried to turn a blind eye to.

So I suppose we're not fully vegan, just mostly.  I am sure one could put together a very healthy diet that involved a little bit of meat (Fuhrman's plan isn't entirely vegan) but for us, it's been vegan and eggs at home and whatever out.  The kids eat a little more meat than Mark and I do while out.

I recall asking a vegan friend a while back 'what do you eat for dinner?' because it just didn't make sense to me and when she responded with lots of soy products I knew I couldn't do that (allergies).  But I have now learned enough recipes to do it.  So here is my ongoing list of vegan dinners

Vegan Dinners Featuring…

Beans

-mama’s sneaky black bean soup (vlb)

-katherine’s black bean soup

-bean burritos

-black bean and corn salad (whole foods website)

-chili

-stuffed peppers

-Red kidney beans with tomatoes and garam masala (doodle bug)

-Sherry’s chick pea stew (doodle bug)

-Chana Masala

-Minestrone soup

-Quick Chick Pea Curry (180 complete veg kitchen)

Lentils

-mujadara

-lentil soup (doodle bug)

-sloppy lentils                                                                                              

-lentil Egyptian stew

-lentil burgers (home made or don lee from costco)

Quinoa

-Quinoa salad with mushrooms, avocados, almonds, garlic salt & dressing

-Black bean & Quinoa (allrecipes)

Nuts

-Quinoa salad

-peanut & ginger stir fry

Other

-Aloo Gobi

-Portabella Mushroom burgers

-Pasta & sauce (add beans)

-Butternut squash soup

-Gingered acorn squash (240 complete V K)

-steel oats with kale

-veggie and hummus sandwiches

-veggies, wild rice and honey mustard wraps

Eggs (ok, I know it’s not vegan, but we eat eggs)

-scrambled

-quiche

Veggie side dishes

-kale krispies

-baked cauliflower

-everything steamed – broccoli, beans, peas, carrots

-sauted spinach, kale

-kale salad

Homemade Vegan Indian Cuisine

Chana Masala and Aloo Gobi.  Will be back with more info

Chana Masala (very good) http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/ChanaMasala.htm

• 1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon (approx 2 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.
Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy your chana masala!


Aloo Gobi http://veganrd.blogspot.com/2012/03/authentic-aloo-gobi.html

• 1 medium head cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into bite-sized florets
• 3 medium potatoes (red skinned really nice), peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed (about 1 cup chopped leaves, packed)
• 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 14.5-oz can organic diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/4 cup or so of water
• 2 tsp garam masala

Cut up the cauliflower and potatoes. You can do this in advance, keeping the cauliflower covered and the potatoes in cold water. It might be wise to de-leaf, wash, and chop the cilantro well in advance too, since this is really a time suck. (Doing fresh herbs in advance helps me greatly with time management!)

Heat canola oil and cumin seeds in a very large saucepan.

When the seeds start to sizzle, add the onion and saute for about 7-8 minutes over medium heat. You want to cook the onions to transluscent, not brown them.

Add cilantro, turmeric, and salt. Stir until well-combined.

Add tomatoes, juice and all, and the garlic and ginger. Stir well until heated through.

Add potatoes and cauliflower to the sauce plus water. Toss gently so that the veggies are coated with the sauce.

Cover pan and simmer for about 20 minutes. Test veggies to be sure they're tender.

Add the garam masala, stir again, and serve. I find that this tastes best if you let it sit in the pan (off the heat) for about 15 minutes, served warm rather than hot.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salad-- YUMMY!

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro
4. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/detail.aspx