Granny Slifer Cookies

Because sometimes a girl needs her chocolate!   These remind of Granny Slifer’s chocolate cookies — only richer.

Cookies

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies

• 2 c flour
• 2/3 c cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 c canola oil
• 1 1/2 c sugar (or 1/2 to 3/4 c maple syrup)
• 4 tsp ground flax seeds
• 1/2 c soy milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 c vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 c chopped walnuts
• Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Makes at least 3 dozen

These obviously don’t have the walnuts in them.  They are still good, but not nearly as good as with the walnuts.

HM is 19

HM turned 19 on June 17!

The outfit is one she bought with birthday money from her Aunt KGH and Uncle MM.

curried lentils with carrots and peas

lentil curry

Recipe from Vegan Planet.  This is an excellent cookbook.  So far everything we’ve made from it has been good and approved for a second making.

The cookbook says to serve this over rice, but we used quinoa.   It still tasted good.

Saute’ onion, ginger, garlic, and spices in olive oil.  Add 1 1/4 c lentils and 3 cups water — cook 10 mintues.  Add 2 carrots–cook 30 minutes.  Add 3/4 cup peas, 1 cup coconut milk, salt and pepper — cook 10 minutes.

*Spices:  cardamon, cinnamon, dry mustard, cayenne, allspice, tumeric

Made:  8 servings

Cost: $5 for the entire batch, $1.50 for the quinoa.

2 months, picture

Did I mention that I hate having my picture taken?  I really do.

2nd month

Today is my 2nd month health-i-versary!

I’m still following the Total Health Makeover.   It really works for me.  I feel so much better without all the dairy, meat, and sugar in my system.  I haven’t had any headaches (except the day I had a few bites of strawberry sorbet from Graeter’s — red dy 40) and no joint pain.

It is so much easier to make choices now.   I love how I feel.

Month 2:

• weight loss this month:  5 lbs, total weight loss:  16 lbs
• I didn’t measure inches before I started, but took some on Day 30.  Between day 30 and my 2 month birthday I lost 13.5 inches.  Yes, 13.5 inches in one month!
• Fasting Blood Sugar is staying lower.  I’m averaging about 92 (85 is my goal).
• I don’t have my cholesterol numbers or sed rate, so I can’t report on that.
• I’m exercising every day (except Sunday).  I do yoga all six days, treadmill 3 days, and The Firm’s Total Body Toner with 3#, 5# and 8# the other 3 days.  I’m getting in some mini-workouts every day in the afternoon.

podcasts and hummus

I found a great set of podcasts that were done a year ago when Oprah issued her 21 Day Vegan challenge.  I am so out of it; I didn’t even know that Oprah was still on tv, let alone eating vegan.  Anyway Vegan.com has a set of 21 podcasts that help people make the transition.

First up:  Hummus, Falafel, and Tabouleh.  Yum!  These are some of our favorites.  I make hummus sandwiches (bread,  hummus, broccoli sprouts).  You can serve it with crackers, pita bread, and veggies as a spread.  I have also been using it as mayonaise lately too.

Hummus Kim’s Way:

• 2 cans chickpeas/garbanzo beans (or home cooked)
• 2 TBSN tahini
• a dash of lemon juice
• a dash of tabasco
• 1/4 cup parsley
• Put it all in a blender along with a little of the bean juice
• Add a little olive oil and puree until smooth.
• Add garlic and salt, and puree a bit more.

new cookbooks

Cookbooks

Now that my diet has changed from a healthy version of the Standard American Diet (SAD) to vegan (plus fish once a week) I needed some new cookbooks.  I already had a couple, but got some news to jazz up the menu.

I have:

• Vegetarian Times
• Students Go Vegan
• Moosewood Cookbook
• Healthy Holidays
• 30 Day Total Health Makeover (full of good recipes along with advice on taking back your life and changing the way you eat)
• Healthy Life Kitchen
• Veganomicon
• How it All Vegan
• Cooking the Whole Foods Way
• Vegan Planet
• The Real Food Daily Cookbook
• Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
• Vegan a Go-Go

The Real Food Daily Cookbook is on the small side, but the pictures are perfect.  You can really see the food.  I made the steamed toasted millet and quinoa from it last night and it tasted super good.

deconstructing hm’s room

HM has decided to redecorate her room.  Since we wanted to completely re-do it, we decided to tear down the old dry-wall, and put up some with better insulation and sound barrier qualities.

So we got to work –

oats

Oats are a great pantry and budget saver.

oat groats and roller

I buy a 50 pound sack of oat groats for $35 from our food coop.   Our oat roller was $75.

oat groats in roller

Each 50 pound sack of oat groats makes approximately 480 servings of oatmeal.  Which makes each serving of oatmeal $0.07!

rolled oats

To cook:  1 cup water, 1/2 cup rolled oats, dash of salt.  Bring to boil, cook and stir 5 minutes, take off heat and let sit for 2 minutes.

Some of our favorite ways to eat rolled oats are:

• with maple syrup to sweeten
• with peanut butter (like butter)
• with apple chunks and cinnamon