Chocolate-Chocolate-Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

Today seemed like a cookie day - even if it was 79º outside AND inside by the time I was done baking. These cookies are easy, pretty fool-proof and great for when the inevitable chocolate craving hits. Plus you can throw just about anything in that you like - nuts, raisins, cranberries, dried apricots...

Chocolate-Chocolate-Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp wheat germ or wheat bran
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
  
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats - not the "instant" kind
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, whatever you prefer here)
  
• 2/3 cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
  
• 2/3 cup plant milk of your choice (almond milk is very good here)
  
• 2/3 cup coconut oil or margarine, melted
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• (OPTIONAL) 1 cup "extras": raisins, dried cranberries or chopped apricots, chopped nuts, etc...
  

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, wheat germ, cornstarch, coconut, oats, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flax, milk, melted margarine, and vanilla. Blend with electric mixer until well blended

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until combined, it will be very thick. If too stiff to stir, add a Tbsp. of milk JUST enough to make batter soft enough to stir. Stir in the chocolate chips and whatever "extras" you'd like.

Drop the batter by the heaping Tablespoon-fulls onto your baking sheets. Flatten a bit with back of spoon, they don't spread much.

Cook for 10 minutes or until firm looking, and 'done' (they will lose their "wet' appearance and look less shiny). I like mine pretty soft in the middle. Let set on cookie sheet until firm, about five to seven minutes then remove to cooling rack.

Lavender Lemonade and Other Variations On A Theme

I dearly love real, homemade lemonade and we keep a pitcher freshly-made in our refrigerator all summer long.

Yes, I know, it requires sugar, and quite a bit, to taste good; though I do use much less than commercially prepared products (and absolutely no high-fructose corn syrup, which is in almost all store-bought lemonades!) Of course you could use agave or stevia or whatever sweetener suits your fancy - Rant away about sugar and it's unhealthful properties if you feel the need, we all have our vices and this is unapologetically mine.

Now - your basic lemon-sugar-and-water beverage is indeed refreshing, but I love adding other flavor elements as well, especially lavender! The recent Lavender Festival in a neighboring town reminded me how much I drank of this beverage last summer and started the trend all over for the summer. Favorites in our family actually include mint, basil, ginger or lavender (not all at once - though that might be interesting!) all of which add a distinct, but not over-powering taste that turns plain lemonade into something new and different!

I also love nasturtium blossoms, but the subtle peppery flavor in their lemonade is not a hit with my kids, so I'll leave that one up to you.

If you haven't had the pleasure, (and real, homemade lemonade over ice in a tall glass is a simple pleasure all it's own) you owe it to yourself to break out of the summer-time rut and try a uniquely flavored, homemade lemonade soon!!

Basic Lemonade

Light Sugar Syrup
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 cups water

Put water and sugar in small pan on stove and bring to a boil, stir well to make sure all sugar is dissolved and turn off heat.

Lemonade
2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice - about 10 lemons (or lime, or combination, but ABSOLUTELY use fresh squeezed here)
water
1 thinly sliced lemon

In large pitcher, stir in sugar syrup and lemon juice. Add enough water to make one gallon.
Add sliced lemon and chill. Serve over ice.
(If this is too sweet or sour add more water or sugar to taste).

And now, some variations on the lemonade theme (these amounts are for a gallon, if you're not sure you'll like it, maybe start with half a recipe?):

Basil Lemonade:
Add 3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves to sugar syrup as soon as it comes off the heat. Let steep for 1/2 hour or longer (up to overnight) and strain. Use in lemonade as directed, you can add a few leaves to the lemonade if you want but the basil flavor becomes more pronounced the longer the leaves are in the lemonade.

Lavender Lemonade:
Add 1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers to the sugar syrup as soon as you remove from heat. Let steep 1/2 hour or longer to develop flavor. Strain and use as directed.

Mint Lemonade:
Stir 1 - 2 cups chopped fresh mint leaves into sugar syrup as soon as you remove from heat. Let steep 1/2 hour or longer to develop flavor. Strain and use as directed.

Ginger Lemonade:
Stir 1/4 cup fresh grated ginger root into the sugar syrup as soon as you remove from heat. Let steep 1/2 hour or longer to develop flavor. Strain and use as directed.

Nasturtium Blossom:
Stir 1 cup clean, un-treated nasturtium petals into the sugar syrup as soon as you remove from heat. Let steep 1/2 hour or longer to develop flavor. Strain (though I usually don't here) and use as directed.

You can see a pattern here. Obviously all these flavors can be changed-up according to your family's tastes. The sky (or your herb garden)'s the limit. Enjoy.

Vegan Migas (Southwest Tofu and Tortilla Scramble)

This morning while rummaging through the 'fridge for something original to perk up the day's 'fu-scramble, it occurred to me how easy it would be to vegan-ize that late-night-greasy-spoon Mexi-Diner college favorite of mine. Migas.

If you're instantly able to translate that from Spanish, you're either wondering why I'd want to eat "crumbs", or, if you have any Tex-Mex connection at all, you're probably drooling as I was with the memory.

In Tex-Mex cuisine, migas (pronounced MEE gahs) is a traditional breakfast dish of Spanish or Mexican origin, consisting of scrambled eggs mixed with bits ("crumbs") of soft corn tortilla and topped with cheese and a host of savory ingredients, from black beans to salsa, avocado and chiles. I originally thought "migas" meant "mess" because it really is a big scrambled mess on your plate. But SUCH a delicious mess it is!!!

As a bit of history, I attended college in Eastern Washington state, far from typical Tex-Mex cuisine (one would think); but it seemed every other all-night coffee-shop and diner was owned and operated by local Hispanic families, no doubt brought to the area by it's abundance of agricultural employment. So my college years of far-too-late-night cramming for exams and study groups were centered around whatever all-night coffee-shop would put up with us. And I happily discovered that "traditional" menu items like omlettes and club sandwiches were heavily supplemented with enchiladas, huevos rancheros and what would soon become my all time fave - migas! As a vegetarian, they were usually a safe bet too, as none of the migas dishes I ran across were anything more than tortillas, eggs and cheese.

That said, let me share this extremely simple dish with you. If you've never tried it, you MUST, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's one that should be in everyone's vegan repertoire, and a GREAT way to use up leftover taco fixin's.

VEGAN MIGAS
(all measurements are approximate,
according to your taste and available ingredients)

* 1/2 a package soft or medium tofu (water packed, not silken!)
* 2 Tablespoons soy or other plant milk
* 1/4 tsp. EACH: salt, pepper, onion powder, red pepper flakes/cayenne
* pinch EACH: turmeric, cumin and Indian Black Salt (if you have it)
(OR, make scrambled tofu however YOU like it)

* 1 Tablespoon vegan margarine
* 3 6-inch corn tortillas, torn into small pieces
* 1/2 cup grated "melty" vegan cheese
* 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
* 2 tablespoons chopped green chiles or red bell peppers
* (OPTIONAL) 1 medium tomato, chopped
* (OPTIONAL) 1/2 cup chopped avocado
* (OPTIONAL) 1/2 cup salsa
* (OPTIONAL) 1/2 cup rinsed black beans or veggie "taco meat"
* (OPTIONAL) 2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
* (OPTIONAL) vegan sour cream

Pat tofu dry, crumble in a bowl, add soy milk and all seasonings. Mix well. Set aside.

Warm the margarine in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened but NOT crispy. Add the chopped onion and chiles or peppers and sauté until soft.

Pour the tofu mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" until set and liquid has evaporated and tofu is starting to lightly brown. (Don't stir constantly - let set a few minutes until it starts to brown, then turn and cook some more) Add vegan cheese and stir a bit more, then cover for a couple minutes until cheese melts into the mess. (It will look like a mess!)
Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle with whatever topping you'd like: chopped tomato, avocado, cilantro or beans and stir again.

Serve at once (I like it with warm flour tortillas and hashbrowns). Garnish with additional salsa or vegan sour cream if desired.

Vegan Eats In Seattle: Wayward Cafe.

So I finally got around to checking out the vegan mecca that every other veg-type-person in Seattle except myself has had the opportunity to dine at. Wayward Cafe. I suppose I can be forgiven for taking so long, because technically I live about 40 miles from Seattle. Not really convenient for grabbing a bite to eat.

But this past Monday/Sorta Holiday, I realized I had the day off, 2/3 of the Sprouts had deserted me and it was a perfect opportunity to check out the legendary yumminess. I even grabbed a very non-vegan friend to come along.

OK, so, Wayward used to be in another location. I'm not exactly sure where, and I guess it really doesn't matter for purposes of this review. Apparently the new place has more seating and more room, and that's good because they seem to be VERY popular. Located just across the street from two of my other favorite Seattle destinations (Sidecar Vegan Grocery and Pizza Pi vegan Pizza) this trinity of veganism is reason enough to head for Seattle, even for people like me who live almost an hour's drive away.

So? Did I enjoy my meal at Wayward? Was it worth the drive? Did my non-vegan dining partner find it palatable? Did my very-picky-hard-to-please Sprout like it?

An unequivocal YES! It lives up to the hype and then some!!!

I'm trying to remember what all we ordered - I chose an amazing, flavorful, crispy "fried chicken" type slab of tofu on a homemade bun with chipotle mayo (I'm already craving another in a SERIOUS way); my friend Kevin ordered some sort of BBQ-sauced-spiced tofu which we inhaled; and my Sprout ordered French Toast. We also had miscellaneous sides of deliciousness like cheezy grits, kale, hashbrowns, french fries, biscuits, salads, coffee, juice, etc... Being brutally honest, I will say the French Toast did not "wow" us. Maybe my Sprouts and I are spoiled by my own sometimes awesome cooking or maybe it just wasn't to our taste, but even though we passed everything around the table for everyone to sample, the French Toast got set aside. HOWEVER: Absolutely everything else was incredible and totally worth another hour-long drive in Seattle's famous traffic, even the potatoes were awesome, and I'm SUPER picky about potatoes. I need to return. SOON.

And my friend Kevin, who came along for the adventure? I have to give him extra points for being a good sport because he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Kev and I went to grade school together (LONG ago!!) and tried to out do each other with our artwork when we should have been paying attention to the teacher, I'm sure. I'm so proud of him though, because he actually kept up with his passion for art, as well as being a very successful businessman - he owns the fabulous, fun, funky, hip, edgy, classic Acme Barber Shop over on Capitol Hill (voted one of Playboy's Top 10 Barber Shops in America, what can I say?). Though he isn't vegan, a good percentage of the meals he eats end up that way. I mention all this because he cleaned his plate enthusiastically and remarked afterward that he would definitely come back, and often, because the food was so good. And it's not exactly around the corner from Capitol Hill. Somehow genuine praise from a non-vegan seems to carry almost more credibility.

Read the reviews on "Yelp" and other sites if you don't believe me, (don't take the occassional whine about slow service too seriously, they're still getting the kinks worked out - our service was VERY friendly and prompt, and this isn't McDonalds. Sit back and ENJOY your meal!!).

Summer Potato Salad With Arugula

Last weekend, my Sprouts and I hit the road for a much-needed getaway. What a TREAT!! Our destination: a sweet little vacation rental in lovely Hood River, Oregon.

My kids were excited to see their Aunties, watch the kiteboarding that Hood River is famous for, and explore; I was excited to just get out of town, spend time with family, hang out somewhere besides my own boring house with maybe a little wine-tasting and porch-sitting thrown in.

In keeping with the blog, I'll mostly share the foodie part of the weekend, but rest assured, we did much more than just eat!

So, because I wasn't sure what items were available in town, we brought all our own food (And because my kids can eat anyone out of house and home in mere minutes.) I also wasn't sure their Aunties - my sisters - were grocerially prepared for such an onslaught. (Yes, I made up the word "grocerially, don't go trying to Google it.) Fortunately, I'm blessed with siblings who will willingly eat - and even cook!! - vegan food which made the weekend even better!

The first night, after settling in and enjoying the view of the river, my Middle Sprout whipped up some most delicious pizza, complete with Daiya vegan (and very melty) cheese and Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper Spread.

Being that one of my sisters is gluten-free, they had also made a savory lentil loaf before we arrived, and we ended up crumbling some of that and putting on the pizza too!

I would have been fine with just the lentil loaf but the Sprouts had created the weekend's menu and were pretty determined that we must have pizza. No recipe here, but it is purty to look at...

The next day we spent reading, drinking iced tea, updating FaceBook (because that's always important, right?) being lazy (hey! it's vacation), driving around the beautiful countryside and orchards, wine-tasting, vineyard-visiting, hanging out at the river watching the fine-looking, suntanned, muscular...*ahem* I mean, ...watching the kite-boarders and flying the trainer kite (learning the "kite" part of kite-boarding). I also discovered the Full Sail Ale and Tofurky factories in town and decided NEXT time we're going to HAVE to tour them! (Ran out of time this weekend!).

Supper was a bucket-full of my Sprouts' favorite, most requested "mom-special", my Taco Salad (I'll post that recipe another day). Literally, we made it in an ice bucket, the house didn't come with a great selection of mixing bowls. Vegan, gluten free, everyone went back for seconds or thirds tonight.

Sunday morning, way too early, two of the Sprouts headed to the river with their Uncle (who's an amazing and award-winning kite-boarder himself) to learn the fine art of wrestling a huge kite while balanced on a surfboard while wrapped in a harness and a wetsuit while trying to stay upright, while trying to dodge other kiteboarders, windsurfers and the occasional barge in the river, all while trying not to eat a face-full of sand on one of the many sandbars in the river, all while maneuvering the wind gusts that the Columbia River Gorge is famous for... Easy.

We'd talked about a bike ride, a hike and helping sort the recycling, but again, we just ran OUT of time. But vacations aren't meant to be too busy, right? Hopefully our schedules will allow another visit!!

I'll leave you with the beautiful (and yummy!) vinaigrette potato salad my sister made for lunch; light and refreshing with crunchy celery and onions, sweet red peppers and a little bite of arugula - perfect after a hot, wind-and-sunburned day on the sand bar, or maybe a 4th of July BBQ.

(Yes, I was hot and sunburned because I was taking pictures, and working very hard on NOT wiping out headfirst in the rather "refreshing" waters of the Columbia River!) Anyway, I thought I'd share the recipe, this one's definitely a keeper - as is my sister ;-).

Summer Vinaigrette Potato Salad
With Arugula

3 pounds waxy-type yellow potatoes (Yellow Finns or whatever you have available)
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced sweet red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar for a milder taste)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon minced chives
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
a handful or two of fresh, small arugula leaves cut in a chiffonade. (For great instructions on how to chiffonade beautifully, I like THIS link:)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
couple pinches red pepper flakes

In a large pot, cook the whole potatoes in boiling, lightly salted water for about 20 minutes so, or until just barely fork tender (I like them more firm for this salad). When they are done, drain them and set aside to cool for 30 minutes or so, warmer potatoes will absorb the flavors and dressing better.

When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, slip peels off (it should be easy - or skip if you want) and cut them into bite-sized cubes, whatever size you prefer - I like the slightly larger chunks my sister used, they had a nice bite to them. After you cut them up, put them in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, and toss gently.

Taste and adjust if you want more vinegar, salt, pepper, whatever. Cover and chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend before serving.