The 'Less Is More' Healthy Cookie

Here's one for you: flour-less, egg-less, butter-less (and potentially sugar-less) cookies! I know what you may thinking, "You're losing it, Liz", but as unappealing as it may sound (for a cookie), I was intrigued by the ingredients (or lack thereof). Honestly, as much as I wanted to try them, I didn't think that they were going to be this good (and that I'd keep going back for more)... Sweetened and held together by overly ripened bananas and almond meal; mixed with rolled oats and chocolate, they really are a treat. And one that you can feel good about eating, at that.

I'm so happy to have found this recipe, as it's going to have to become a regular when I'm craving a chewy , delicious treat. Filled with chocolate and smelling of sweet, ripe bananas and Cinnamon - you can't go wrong. I owe it all to 101 Cookbooks (once again) and her article on her friend, Nikki's 'Healthy Cookies' recipe. In my version, I used both dark chocolate chunks and carob chips; coconut oil was replaced with olive oil since it would be one less thing to buy, and almond meal/flour was out of my price range, so I made my own by pulsing raw almonds in my Cuisinart to a fine, sand-like consistency (beware not to over do it, or else you'll end up with almond butter).

The 'Less Is More' Healthy Cookie (Nikki's Cookies)

Yields about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies

Ingredients

- 3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips, carob chips or dark chocolate bar - chopped

Preheat oven to 350*F, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut/olive oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips. The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, but don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto an oiled pan. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these until golden brown on top, but soft on the inside. They were perfect. About 17 minutes baking time in my oven.

Knockout Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing With Homemade Croutons

Some days, I love a big salad. I usually just toss it with some olive oil and lemon out of simplicity's sake, but this time around I was craving something with a bit of a bite, and a little more substance. I stumbled across a recipe last week that I tweaked and have managed to have a salad at least once a day since because it's just that good. I'm most certainly a fan of the caesar salad but I've always felt weird about it's ingredients such as raw egg, and mayonnaise - possibly one of my biggest adversaries. I discovered vegan caesar dressing about two years ago at my local co-op, PCC, and have been smitten with it ever since. But, just last week was the first time I took it upon myself to create my own rendition of the recipe that I had come across. It called for all things I was comfortable with, practically favorites - tofu, olive oil, garlic, mustard powder - a heaven-sent dressing! Then, came the capers. Capers always found their way into our pasta dishes growing up (Mom...), so I almost completely disregarded the capers in the recipe, but then decided to just give it a go, and go with the flow. $1.79 later, capers are in hand and we're en route back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, and a couple pulses on the Cuisinart, I was set for a week and a half worth of delicious, vegan, zesty caesar salad dressing just waiting to mix and mingle with my other tasty-salad contributors: homemade croutons, garbanzo beans and sweet peas, all spread over a bed of baby romaine and frisee lettuce. Needless to say (after tasting), I went back for thirds.


Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

- 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3/4 cup silken tofu
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon capers
- 4 teaspoons caper brine
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- salt to taste

Tools

- Cuisinart or blender

Blend the garlic, tofu, and oil in the food processor or blender until creamy.
Add the lemon juice, capers, caper brine, and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. Adjust the salt and lemon juice to taste.
Put into container and allow dressing to chill in refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes, optimally 1-1 1/2 hours.

Homemade Croutons

- any loaf of bread (I prefer a couple-day-old sourdough baguette, or something like rosemary ciabatta), torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
- olive oil (to taste/cover croutons)
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- salt & pepper to taste
- freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 425* F
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with hands until blended well.
Pour mixed croutons onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Bake in oven until golden brown (10-15 minutes).
Let cool and store in plastic bag or airtight container


This salad is great plain, as a classic caesar with croutons and dressing, but if you're looking for something a little heartier, consider throwing in things like chickpeas/garbanzo beans, grilled tofu or soy beans for an extra fill and a protein boost.