Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

It's cold and crappy outside. What else is there to do but bake, drink coffee, and watch old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and That 70's Show? Seriously, what else???


COOKIES
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (the natural kind, not the hydrogenated crud)
1/2 cup vegan shortening, softened (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 white sugar (organic preferred)
1/2 cup brown sugar (organic preferred)
1/4 cup soy or nut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Cream together peanut butter, shortening, and both sugars until fluffy and pale. It will take several minutes to reach the right consistency.
• Add vanilla and milk. Mix until well-blended.
• Add baking soda and salt. Continue to mix.
• Gently add flour, a half cup at a time, until mixed in well (be careful not to over-mix). Scrape the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator while you prepare your filling... (see filling recipe below)
• After you have prepared the filling, and your dough is nicely chilled, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
• You'll need a big, flat area to roll out your dough. I used my kitchen table. Sprinkle your table with flour (use more as needed) and rub your rolling pin with flour too. Roll out the dough in batches (I did a third of the dough at a time). Make each batch about a quarter of an inch thick and use a circular cookie cutter or a glass (which is what I used) to cut nice, uniform circles into your dough. Gently place each piece of dough, two inches apart, onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, using a thin spatula.
• Bake for 10 minutes. 
• When you take the cookies out of the oven, leave them to sit on the cookie sheet until they are cool. They will break very easily if you don't. But, once they have cooled, they will be very sturdy.
• Once they have cooled, stack them and set them at the work station where you intend to cram them with filling.

FILLING
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (ditto what I said above about the natural stuff)
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar (organic preferred)
2 tablespoons soy creamer

• Cream together the peanut butter and Earth Balance until fluffy.
• Add the vanilla and continue mixing. 
• Add the sugar and continue mixing. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
• Add the soy creamer a tablespoon at a time, mixing well each time. 
• Place about a tablespoon of filling in between two cookies and gently squeeze until it reaches the outside edges. 
• Give one to your kid and another to your husband to shut them up so you can finish the rest!
• Repeat. Eat!
• Makes between 12 and 16 cookie sandwiches, depending on how big you cut your cookies.
• Enjoy! 

Just for funsies, I used the new Star Wars pancake molds I got for my birthday on some of the cookie dough. They turned out great! It inspired talk with my husband about a Star Wars-themed Christmas party...
 

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Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Sorry I've been incommunicado lately. I've had a very busy holiday season this year! But, hopefully, I'll get back on track soon. Unfortunately, I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to cook, and I've been eating a lot of junk food. So, yesterday, I had a little bit of time to myself while my daughter napped, and I decided to make some healthy spinach and bean dip (recipe coming soon), with whole wheat pitas, in an effort to get some good vitamins into my tummy. They were so tasty! They don't have the consistency of your standard pita - they're more like a sprouted grain tortilla. But they still puffed up nicely, and can be stuffed with any manner of yumminess. Give them a try! Here's the recipe...

4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• Mix all ingredients together. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook. Otherwise, just stir until you can't stir it anymore, then start kneading and mixing with your hands until you have a nice ball of dough. 
• Turn dough out onto a flat surface and knead for five minutes. 
• After kneading, allow the dough to rest for fifteen minutes. 
• While dough is resting, go ahead and preheat your oven to 500 degrees. If you have a baking stone place that in the oven to heat as well.
• Roll out the dough with your hands until it forms a long snake, then divide it into sixteen equal pieces.
• Roll each piece into a ball with your hands.
• Working with only two at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten the balls into wide circles, making them about a quarter of an inch thick. Place the circles onto your baking stone, or directly onto the oven rack. Watch them carefully, with the oven light on. They will only need to bake for a few minutes. Once they've puffed up nicely (or have puffed all they're going to puff) take them out and set them on a cooling rack.
• Now go roll out the next two while your oven regains its 500 degree temperature. It is important for your oven to stay very hot. 
• When your done, slather those things in vegan butter, pop them open and stuff them with hummus. Do whatever you like. Just enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS (per pita):
Calories: 101.5 / Total Fat: 0.6g (Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g) / Cholesterol: 0.0mg / Sodium: 218.0mg / Potassium: 0.0mg / Total Carbohydrates: 22.0g (Dietary Fiber: 3.7g, Sugar: 0.0g) / Protein: 4.0g

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CASHEW-TEMPEH CHICKENLESS SALAD

This delicious salad doesn't really mimic chicken salad, because it's so much tastier, and much better for you! But I didn't know what else to call it. I've been experimenting with recipes that include cashews because I snagged four huge bags of them at only $2.99 a pound at my local salvage grocery (they run $8.99 per pound at the grocery store)! I've also been enjoying a lot of cashew no-milkshakes. But you can leave the cashews out of this recipe if you can't afford them. It will still be super nummy. If you don't want to go the standard sandwich route, try it on crackers. My daughter loves it! (See photo below for proof.)

Here's the recipe...


1 8 ounce package tempeh (I used organic 3-grain)
1/2 cup raw or dry-roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

• Toss ingredients into a bowl, stir, and enjoy!

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Easy "Eggless" Salad

This is such an easy fix when you're drained from running around all day and you don't want to be tempted by junk (which is exactly why I made it today). It whips up super-fast, and is extremely versatile. Sometimes I'll just throw in random stuff that I have on hand, like grated carrot or diced red bell pepper. Just about anything works. Try it on toasted bread with lettuce and tomatoes for a great sandwich. Throw some vegan cheese on there too and grill it for a yummy melt!

1 lb. firm tofu, drained
2 stalks celery, minced
3 green onions, chopped
2/3 C vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbsp yellow or dijon mustard
1/4 C dill pickle relish (or sweet relish, if you prefer)
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

• Throw everything into a medium bowl and stir it up until it's mush. Yum!
• This recipe makes quite a bit, easily enough for seven or eight average sandwiches. Keeps well if covered in the fridge - it'll stay fresh for a few days, at least.
• Enjoy!

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