Toasted Millet, Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Gratin (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)

I just realized this is my first post of the year.  Life sometimes gets too busy to really stop and write down the steps I take when I get creative with recipes, but tonight I was working on cleaning out my fridge and wrote down the recipe.  I had cauliflower about to go bad, and we love millet and cauliflower together.  I also had a pepper, and will be getting more oats from subscribe and save with amazon.com soon.  This is a result of all those factors and will become a staple in our home. The sauce is cheesy and tangy and free of nuts (something not found in many vegan cheesy sauces.)

Ingredients:
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
salt
1 cup of millet
2 cups of veggie broth (or water)
1/3 cup old fashioned gluten-free oats
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1/4 cup unhulled sesame seeds (hulled ar fine too but unhulled have more minerals)
1 tsp Braggs liquid aminos
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dill seed
1 red bell pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, over med/high heat, add the  millet and toast for approximately 5 - 7 minutes.  Toasting millet brings out a nutty flavor but don't let it toast to long or it can burn.
3. Once millet is toasted, add 2 cups of room temperature or warm veggie broth (or water).
4. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn down and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Wash and chop cauliflower into bite size pieces.
6. Place cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a sil-pat, toss with a bit of salt and bake for 25 minutes.  The cauliflower and millet should finish very close to each other.
7. To make the red pepper gratin sauce, add the remaining ingredients to a blender and whirl until everything is incorporated.
8. Layer in a 9" x 13" casserole pan the millet, then the cauliflower, and pour the gratin over the top to coat the cauliflower. 
9. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Cheeze Dip/Spread - Cheddar Style (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)

Cashews make some of the yummiest vegan cheese or at least the base for it.  Red peppers add both color, nutrients and a tangy taste.  I haven't had cheese in over a decade but this works for us as a cheese dip, on sandwiches, veggie burgers, etc.

Ingredients:
1 cup of soaked cashews (soak at least an hour and discard soak water)
1 large red bell pepper
1/4 cup purified water
2 tablespoons unhulled sesame seeds
1/4 small onion
1 garlic clove
juice of one large lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Put all of the above ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until creamy and smoothe. Keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

(If you don't have a high speed blender, any blender will work.  You may need to soak your cashews a little longer so they blend easier and blend until creamy.  You also may want to substitute tahini for the sesame seeds if you are using a regular blender.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

This was a quick recipe and so easy my 15 month old helped pour and stir the ingredients.  Depending on the size of your cookies (we went large) this will make 18 large or 36 small cookies.  These cookies are cake-like and chewy and the date syrup makes them very dark in color.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free flour

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Oats (regular not the quick cook kind)

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 Tbls cinnamon

1 Tbls garam masala

1 1/2 tsp zanthan gum

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup cold pressed olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

2 Tbls vanilla extract

3/4 cup Date Syrup

1 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325, and either line or oil 2 cookie sheets
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients (except the raisins) and whisk together.
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix all the wet ingredients then pour into the dry ingredients.
4. Mix together until well incorporated, then add raisins
5. Drop by spoonfuls on to the lined cookie sheets leaving about 1 inch between each cookie (they will spread as the bake)
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until dark and golden.
7. Let stand for 15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool another 10 minutes.

Date Syrup (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I just got an order of wet pack dates in from The Date People and have been enjoying them immensely!  If you enjoy dates and have never had fresh or wet pack dates, treat yourself and call them.  I want to use dates as sweetener in recipes as my family has gone sucrose free.

Ingredients:
1 cup pitted organic dates (soaked for 2 hours if you have a regular blender)
1 cup fresh apple juice or purified water

Directions:
Blend pitted dates and juice or water in a high speed blender until mixture is thick and syrupy in texture.
Use immediately or store in an air-tight container in the your fridge for up to 3 days.

This is great over waffles, muffins, in oatmeal, or in place of any liquid or dry sweetener.  Use in place of dry sweeteners in recipes in a ratio of 1 cup of dry sugar = 3/4 cup date syrup, or 1:1 for liquid sweeteners (1 cup of maple syrup = 1 cup date syrup).

Red Lentil, Millet and Kale Stew (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

It has been raining for 3 days almost straight here in the Sunshine state which really when I type it sounds like no big deal, but we don't get rain like this where it rains all day.  It reminds me of rainy days up north even though today it was still over 85 - still that is about 10 degrees cooler than last week and to me means autumn is starting and what better way to start it than with a thick, hearty, bone warming stew!

Makes 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, just mashed
1 medium onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 mini sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 Tbls Braggs Liquid Aminos or other Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
2 Tbls of your favorite salt-free dried herb mix
6 cups of vegetable broth (or water, but broth is so much tastier)

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1 1/2 cups millet
1 bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped fine (I used purple kale and loved the color but any kale will do)
1 Tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt and peper to taste

Directions:

1. In a cold dutch oven, pour the olive oil and add onions.  Turn heat to medium and cook until onions carmelize.  This is the key to this soup so that the sugars in the onion really get carmelly and lend that flavor throughout the soup.  This alone can take 20 - 35 minutes depending on your dutch oven and how long it takes to heat and how efficient it is.
2. Add garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and the pepper.  Stir and cook another 5 minutes until the vegetables get soft.
3. Add Braggs and herbs, cook one more minute
4. Add broth, lentils and millet and stir.  
5. Bring the broth to a boil, cover, turn to simmer, and cook for 35 minutes.
6. Remove lid, the lentils will have dissolved and make the soup now look like stew without much liquid.  Add the kale, stir to incorporate, and put the lid back on for another 3 - 5 minutes.   We like a little crunch to our kale, but if you enjoy more wilted, you can always add the kale in with Step 4.
7. Salt and pepper to taste, and add fresh lemon juice just before serving.

Frijoles con Queso (vegan, gluten-free)

I don't really know what to call this recipe - it satisfied my craving for Velveeta and Rotel, but it really is not a chili con queso type sauce, so until I think of a new name for now, it is Frijoles con Queso

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white beans
1 roasted red pepper
juice from 1 large lemon (approx 1/4 cup)
3 Tbls tahini
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups pico de gallo, or your favorite salsa, or even a can of ro-tel!

Directions

1. Place all ingredients except salsa into high speed blender and blend for 2 - 3 minutes.  It will be smooth after about 30 seconds, but blending for the extra time will heat the sauce as well.
2. Pour salsa, pico de gallo or ro-tel into a medium bowl
3. Pour the bean mixture over the salsa and stir to incorporate
4. Enjoy with tortilla chips!

Veggie Burgers (Vegan, Gluten-free)

Ahh, the veggie burger.  Why is it when I look for any recipe for a veggie burger, there are hardly any veggies in them?  I don't want a bean patty, or a wheat and grain patty, I want a patty made predominately of veggies and maybe some flax seed to bind!  So, in an effort to make a veggie burger like that, and include a bit of grain because my son loves rice, this is my cooked veggie burger recipe.  Our entire family loved them - my 14 month old ate half of one just waiting for the others to finish cooking!

Makes approx 8 - 10 burgers
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 stalks of celery, minced
2 carrots, minced or shredded
2 mini sweet peppers, seeds removed, minced
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
1 Tbls olive oil
1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup cooked brown rice

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Wash and mince all the veggies, or take the easy way and wash then add them to your food processor fitted with an "S" blade and pulse until finely minced.  Set aside in a medium mixing bowl
2. Add the ground flax seed, poultry seasoning, Braggs, and olive oil and incorporate well - mix this with your hands to get everything really mixed well.  Let this sit for about 5 minutes so the flax can absorb some of the water of the veggies
3. Add the brown rice and mix again
4. Add your oil to a cold frying pan and turn to medium high heat.
5. Take a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop into your hand to form a patty add to the fry pan.  I can fit 4 patties at a time in my pan - you want them to have space and not to be crowded - no touching each other.
6. Cook for about 2 - 3 minutes or until you see a golden brown crust form, then flip and continue frying for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes until the other side is also brown.
7. As you finish each patty, set aside on a plate, salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve in fresh romaine leaves rolled up with your favorite condiments, tomatoes, sprouts, avocado, etc.
9. Store any leftover veggie burgers in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days.

Chai Spiced Pecans and Almonds (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-free)

I usually do not care for pecans, but if they are sweet, I love them. I completely understand pecan pie now - pecans on their own do nothing for me, but coat them in sugar and they are quite tasty. I made these for a playdate recently where the adults and the children ate them and really enjoyed them. These are sweet, spicy and salty and may make it into regular rotation for snacks in our home.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup pitted dates plus 1/4 cup water for soaking (reserved)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp chai tea

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on your taste for heat)

2 1/2 cups of nuts (I used about 2 cups of pecans and 1/2 cup almonds)

Directions:

1. Soak 1/4 cup of dates in 1/4 cup of water for about 20 minutes.
2. Place dates, reserved soaking liquid, salt, chai tea, and pepper in a highspeed blender and blend for 15 seconds until the mix is completely liquid and looks like a syrup.
3. Place nuts in a medium mixing bowl, pour syrup over them and mix to coat each nut.
4. Let sit for a few minutes and retoss - pecans seem to loose their syrup after the first mix.
5. Either eat and enjoy immediately, or you dehydrate until dry and sticky - about 8 hours at 105 degrees.
6. Keep dehydrated nuts for about 5 days in the refrigerator.

Raw Chocolate Fudge (Gluten-Free, Anti-Candida)

We have started an anti-candida diet in our home and I am craving chocolate and sweets. I know that means my body just wants to feed the yeast, but I needed something to help me through this healing time from candida overgrowth. Messing around in the kitchen tonight, I think I found something that helps cover just enough sweetness and a lot of chocolate cravings for me. My 4 year old loved this and while we still have 3/4 of the pan left, he is already asking if we can finish it and just make more.

The ingredients here are listed by parts so that you can adjust the ratio as you need based on how much coconut meat you yield.

Ingredients:

2 parts raw cacao butter

2 parts fresh coconut meat (young or mature coconut works)

2 parts coconut oil

2 parts cashew butter

1 part raw honey (used for anti-fungal properties and to sweeten - use more or less to your taste)

1/2 part raw cacao powder (or carob)

1/8 part cinnamon

1/8 part vanilla extract or portion of vanilla bean

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

1. Measure approximately 2.5 - 3 parts raw cacao butter in a small bowl. Place over another bowl filled with hot water to make a double "boiler." Stir as the butter starts to melt. Start this before anything else because it takes some time to melt cacao butter.
2. Open and remove all the meat from the coconut. Reserve the water for your morning smoothie!
3. Add all ingredients to food processor fitted with an "S" blade and blend until creamy. Add more cacao for richer taste, but the more cacao, sometimes the more bitter the taste.
4. Pour into a glass baking dish and refrigerate for 4 - 6 hours or overnight.
5. Cut into squares and serve chilled.

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake (vegan, gluten-free)

Raw Blueberry Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups pecans

1 cup dates

a pinch of salt

Cheesecake filling:

3 cups macadamia nuts, soaked overnight

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup agave nectar

3/4 cup coconut oil

1 vanilla bean, insides scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla)

2 tsp probiotic powder (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

14 oz blueberries

1. If your coconut oil is solid, place a little over 3/4 cup of coconut oil into a glass measuring cup or, bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a large bowl or sink filled with a few inches of, very warm water, making sure the water does not reach over the top of the cup or, bowl holding the coconut oil. Stir every couple of minutes while you make the, crust, and it will melt faster. If your oil is already liquid, then just measure the 3/4 cup
2. Place all "Crust" ingredients into a food processor fitted with the "S" blade and process until fine.
3. Press crust mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. (I used a pie pan because I cannot find my springform and had leftover of the filling)
4. Check your coconut oil measurement once it's all melted. It should be 3/4 cup, when melted.
5. Put all Cheesecake filling ingredients into a high-speed blender or process in a food processor in batches until smooth.
6. Adjust lemon juice and agave nectar to taste.
7. Pour mixture onto crust. Tap the pan on your bench/countertop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
8. Put the cheesecake in the freezer until firm for at least 3 hours but, preferably overnight.
9. Transfer the cheesecake to the fridge about 2 hours before serving.

Make Your Own Toothpaste

Most toothpastes, even the ones found in natural food stores, are filled with ingredients that really do not need to be there, including toxic chemical, parabens, and petroleum by-products. When Tom's of Maine was purchased by Colgate-Palmolive several years ago, I started making my own tooth powder. Now I add glycerin to it and it is toothpaste.

This recipe takes minutes to make and I make a little cup of it for each of us. Because there are no preservatives in it, I only make about a month's batch at a time. I use arrowroot because it is less abrasive than baking soda or salt on our gums. I also like mint in my toothpaste but any flavored extract could be used here or none at all.

Ingredients:

3 Tbls Baking Soda

1 Tbls Arrowroot

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Peppermint Oil (food grade)

3 Tbls Vegetable Glycerin (may take a little more)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until lump free. You can put the final product in a squeeze tube or a small cup. Too keep it sanitary, I typically use either one container per person in the family, or the squeeze tube.

This makes almost 1/2 cup and depending on how much and how often you use it, should last at least 1 - 3 months.

To make whitening toothpaste, add 1/2 Tbls ground sage.

Popcorn Bars (gluten-free, vegan)

These are inspired by my brother and sister-in-laws trip to North Carolina recently. They came back and said they had the best gluten-free vegan thing they have ever had - Swag bars from The Swag, but when they told me the recipe, it has corn syrup which I avoid using in our recipes so I adapted the recipe a tad...

Ingredients:
1 cup turbinado or raw sugar
1 cup agave nectar
2 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1 tsp vanilla extract
6 cups popcorn
8oz. chocolate chips

Instructions:
Place sugar and agave in large heavy pan. Heat on med high, almost to a boil, stirring constantly. Add peanut butter and continue to stir again until almost boiling. Add vanilla extract - make sure to add vanilla right at the end or it all evaporates in the cooking process.

Take off stove; mix in popcorn. Add chocolate chips and mix again. Press into lightly oiled 9 x 13 pan. Score into bars while still hot. (They are hard to cut when cool.)

Oat and Pepita Patties with Tahini Gravy

Not proud of this photo - note to self: flash photography and food do not mix! But the patties themselves were really tasty. There would have been a photo retake, but the leftovers were gone before the camera was ready :) These were in place of a veggie burger - my omni husband loves when we have veggie burgers and potato salad. I am trying to move away from the bun and this burger seemed to be okay to eat on its own to him. My son also picked it up and inhaled it which he never does with food so I consider this a big win in our house!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw pepitas

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups shredded carrots

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 green onion (whites and greens), scliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Braggs

3/4 to 1 cup hot water

Add first 6 ingredients to food processor fitted with the "S" blade and pulse to a rough chop (so that the patties have some texture.)

Transfer to a large bowl and add Braggs, then slowly start adding water. Start with 3/4 cup, and add more if needed. The mixture should be thick and not runny. If you add too much water, add some more oats to thicken the mix.

Scoop out about 1/3 cup of mixture and form into patty shape, place on an oiled baking sheet.

Form patties with the remaining mix, then bake at 400 for about 8 minutes until golden brown.

Flip and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Makes approx 10 patties.

For the gravy:

In a blender, combine 1/3 cup tahini, juice of one lemon, 1 clove of garlic and whiz. Stir in some chopped chives then pour over patties, or make smaller patties, and use this as a dipping sauce.

Raw Tacos

These are really great, simple, healthy and filling tacos. This is also the first raw taco that I have made that my son, husband and I all like.

Ingredients:

Tacos:

Romaine or Cabbage leaves for the shells

Butternut Squash (about 1/4 of a small squash)

for the avocado salad:

2 avocados

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, chopped

1 green onion, green and whites chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

juice from 1/2 lime

salt and pepper to taste

for the "beans":

2 cups soaked walnuts, drained

10 soaked sundried tomatoes, soak water reserved

3/4 - 1 cup reserve liquid from sundried tomatoes

1 roma tomato, quartered

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 TBSP ground cumin

salt to taste

1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

To make the avocado salad, scoop out the fruit of the avocado, then add and mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl.

To make the beans, put all ingredients in the food processor fitted with an "S" blade and pulse to a creamy consistency. Start with 3/4 cup of the reserve liquid from the sundried tomatoes and add more if you need it. This recipe makes enough for about 12 tacos but I make a large batch so we can have tacos two nights. This will last in the fridge for about 3 - 5 days.

To assemble tacos, take a romaine or cabbage leaf, add a couple of spoonfuls of "beans," top with avocado salad, then top with shredded butternut squash. Eat and enjoy! (1 serving is 2 tacos)

Strawberry Blueberry Cobbler (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I made this for a workshop this past Saturday, and while technically, it should have served about 14 - 16 people, 6 of us devoured it. The workshop was a mix of people including vegetarians and omnis - I plan to make this again for an upcoming omni event.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 cups pecans

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted dates

Pudding Center:

2 cups blueberries

1 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup water

Fruit topping:

3 cups strawberries, sliced

Directions

1. To make the crust, place seeds, nuts, salt and vanilla bean in food processor fitted with an "S" Blade until the mixture becomes crumby.
2. Add olive oil and process again until the mix becomes dough like
3. Add dates slowly through top while processing
4. Cover the bottom of a 9"x13" pan allowing some of the dough to come up about 1/4" on the sides
5. To make the pudding center, blend berries, dates and enough water to make a thick syrupy mix. The pectin in the berries will make this gel like after it sets
6. Pour the blueberry pudding on top of the crust and spread evenly
7. Evenly distribute the strawberries on top of the pudding

Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Ganache (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I was craving peanut butter and chocolate so whipped up this ice cream (and topped it with chocolate ganache) - it comes together very quickly and you can start enjoying it within about a half hour as long as you have the ice cream maker in the freezer.

ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

3 Cups Coconut Milk (either canned, or taking the water and meat of a young coconut to make your own coconut milk is fine)

1 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Cup Dates, pitted

2 tsp Vanilla extract (alcohol-free so the ice cream will freeze)

1/8 tsp Almond extract (alcohol-free)

Blend all ingredients together until smooth, then place in an ice cream freezer and follow the manufacturers directions.

GANACHE

Ingredients

1 Cup Coconut Milk

1 Cup Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped (or as chocolate chips)

2 tsp Vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place chocolate in a heat safe bowl.
2. Bring coconut milk to a boil, then remove from heat.
3. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and let it stand for a moment to allow the chocolate to soften.
4. Whisk chocolate and coconut milk together until smooth.
5. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
6. Warm and use like hot fudge over ice cream.

Chocolate Coconut Brownies (Raw, Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I have made these brownies for the last few potlucks I have gone to - and even omnivores love them. I have yet to bring home any leftovers.

Makes 24 brownies (depending on how you cut them)

Ingredients:

1 cup raw walnuts

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup raw pecans

1 vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 cup dehydrated coconut flake

3 cups fresh dates, pitted

2 Tbs coconut oil

Directions:

1. Process nuts, vanilla bean and salt in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade until nuts are powder.
2. Add cacao powder and pulse to incorporate
3. Add coconut flake and pulse to incorporate.
4. Add dates and coconut oil and pulse until mixture starts to form a dough ball.
5. Press into a 9"x13" pan and let set in the refrigerator for about an hour.
6. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Gluten Free, Vegan)

I have been craving Pineapple Upside down cake for the last few days, so finally decided I needed to take a stab at it. I did got he easy way here and bought a Pamela's Vanilla Cake Mix - I just didn't have the various GF flours to make a good cake batter, so here is my alteration to make this cake mix into an awesome cake!

Ingredients:

Cake

1/4 cup coconut oil

Egg replacer for 3 eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 bag Pamela's Classic Vanilla Cake Mix

2/3 cup pineapple juice (reserved from pineapple rings)

Topping

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 can pineapple slices in water (10 slices)

10 cherries without stems (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Melt coconut oil (if solid) in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan in preheated oven.
3. When melted, remove pan and sprinkle brown sugar over oil.
4. Place pineapple slices side by side in top.
5. Place cherries in the centers of the pineapple rings.
6. Whisk egg replacer in a large bowl until frothy.
7. Add coconut oil and whisk until incorporated.
8. Add almond extract.
9. Mix cake mix into the oil/egg replacer mixture.
10. Add pineapple juice and mix until incorporated - in a mixer, turn on med for about 60 seconds.
11. Spoon cake mix evenly over pineapple rings and cherries - do not pour or you will likely make the rings move around in the pan.
12. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
13. Let stand for 5 minutes then invert cake onto plate.
14. Spoon any remaining syrup from pan over cake.

Of course, after I made this, I realized as a kid, my mom used to put pecans in the topping as well because my dad loves pecans. I was going to do this too and completely forgot until I had already put the batter over the pineapple, so maybe next time there will be a few pecans in our topping.

Vegan GF Monster Cookies

This is a revamped recipe from this cookie recipe. The differences make for a coconutty, chewy cookie that is not too sweet.

Ingredients:

4 Tbls flax seed

2/3 cup water

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grind the flax seed in a spice grinder
3. In a large bowl, combine the flax seed meal and water and beat until frothy
4. Add oils, peanut butter and vanilla. Add sugar and brown sugar.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt. (No need to sift)
6. Combine with oil mixture.
7. Stir in the oatmeal and chocolate chips until well combined.
8. Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cashew Cheese - Cheddar Style (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Most people when confronted with the change from vegetarian to vegan claim they could never give up cheese. This is not really where I want to get into that statement so much as to offer alternatives to cheese that are not only soy-free, but tasty and will also melt. The below recipe is kid approved - we had a taco bar party and there were at least 10 kids ages 18 months to 6 years. All the kids and the parents loved the cheese, and at long last, here is the recipe to share as requested.

Cheddar Style Vegan Cheese (adapted from The Uncheese Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

2 T agar powder (get this from the Asian market or you will pay way too much for it)

4 oz jar of pimiento pieces, drained (this lends flavor and color - if you do not like the taste, you can subsititute 2 T tomato paste

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

juice of 1 large lemon

2 T tahini

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/8 tsp mustard powder

Directions:

1. Place the water and agar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often and making sure to stir down the sides of the saucepan
3. Place in high-powered blender with the remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth
4. Pour immediately into a lightly oiled 3 cup loaf pan
5. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight
6. To serve, take a slim knife around the edges of the loaf pan, and turn out of the mold. You can now slice, grate or cube this cheese as you would any other cheese.

Yields One 3-cup brick

As an alternative, for a liquid sauce (great for mac & cheese or topped on baked potatoes) skip steps 1 and 2 and just blend the mixture with approximately 1 cup of water until the cheese sauce is the consistency you want.