Vegan Exploration

Today I was inspired to try some vegan cooking. Just to be clear right now, I do not want to be a vegan. With all this free time I have I thought I would try something new. It all started because I am throwing a bridal shower for my friend Cari who has a vegan friend so I googled vegan party food and stumbled upon a vegan recipe blog and decided to try at least 25 new recipes. Nothing with tofu. Not a fan of the tofu.

I told Jacob about this venture over a text message and I knew that he would be very hesitant. His response, "I am raising our kids on meat and that is final," followed by a few more confused and upset responses. Well, I am not going to let Jacob stop me and I know he wont mind being a taste tester, vegan food or not.

So, recipe number 1: Low Fat Peanut Butter Banana Cookies (with my comments). I chose it because I had all the ingredients.

1/2 cup natural peanut butter, chunky or smooth1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar (I left about an 1/8 of room left at the top of my measuring cup and filled it with corn syrup. Higher moisture percentage in cookie recipes makes them more chewy and I think for this it worked.)
3/4 cup mashed banana (I used 1/2 a cup and thought that was plenty)
1 cup unbleached flour (What difference does it make?)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used white cake flour. I grew up on white bread and white everything. Wheat bread isn't bad, but I avoid using wheat flour for baking anything but bread. I think wheat flour in this type case would be a great compliment to the peanut butter and banana flavors.)
1 teaspoon baking powder1 pinch salt
1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Cream together the peanut butter and sugars. Add the mashed banana and mix until creamy.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter a little at a time until totally absorbed. Add the chocolate chips, if desired, and mix until well-blended, but do not over-mix.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared pans, about 2 inches apart. Flatten with a fork dipped in water. (These cookies will not spread as they cook, so the shape they’re in when they come out of the oven will be about the same as when they went in.) Bake for about 10 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. (Don't wait for the whole cookie to look done, I promise.) Remove and let cool before serving. (http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/12/lower-fat-peanut-butter-banana-cookies.html)

All in all, these were not too bad. Obviously not your Otis Spunkmeyer or your grandma's secret recipe. I would do this again if I had kids with an insatiable sweet tooth. Its fun and different and not too fatty. And that is saying something because I forgot the salt.

Jacob just walked in the door and is giving it a try. He is pacing and doesn't look pleased that he wasn't welcomed with a normal cookie. Not much to say from Jacob. He likes his animal products. Animal Killer. (But I like him so we'll let it slide.)