Easy Healthy Cookie Recipe For Vegan Cookies And Gluten-Free Cookies

Why This Is An Easy Healthy Cookie Recipe For Vegan Cookies And Gluten-Free Cookies

We don’t really need a recipe for these incredible power morsels of nutrition. It all depends on what we have on hand, or what we like to eat, or what we want to buy. Here is a simple recipe template utilizing the ingredients discussed above:

4 cups ground nuts

1 cup nut butter or 1/2 cup organic canola oil

1 cup organic brown rice flour

3/4 cups agave nectar

1 Tablespoon vanilla or almond extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon crushed anise seeds, cardamom, or other spices

1 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1/2 cup each raisins or toasted oats or seeds

The individual ingredient quantities don’t really matter that much. The template is just a general guide line. Our goal is to mix a batter that holds its shape when divided into cookie-size balls. We might have to add a little water if the mix is too dry and crumbly. Or, we might have to add more brown rice flour to a wet and sloppy batter.

This is the best part: As we are not using raw eggs, we can taste our cookie batter before we bake it off! Add more agave nectar if you like it sweeter, more spices or seeds, until you are happy!

Important points for the baking process!

Place 2-inch balls on a parchment-lined cookie pan and flatten lightly with a fork (similar to making peanut butter cookies, dip the fork in cold water before pressing it on the cookie portions)

Use a fairly low oven temperature: 8-10 minutes at 300-325 degrees; agave nectar browns a little faster than sugar, so keep an eye on your cookies and don’t let them get too dark on the bottom!

Remember, there are no raw eggs in our batter; we won’t have to bake it completely through. A lightly “under-baked” interior is wonderful!

Recipe from why buy agave nectar blog, photos by Laura Spear 

Vegan Brownies

Vegan Brownies

Dense, nutty, with a crisp crust and flaky top. Come to mama.

Inspired by Vegan Baking, found on the Oh She Glows blog 

Ingredients:
1.5 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water, whisked
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole almonds, ground into a flour/meal & sifted (OR sub 1.5 cups almond flour)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter substitute
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup non-dairy chocolate, divided
1 cup + 1/4 cup organic cane sugar (note: a reduction in sugar will lead to a more cake-like brownie)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
powdered sugar for topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9 inch square pan with parchment and grease allsides. In a small bowl, whisk
together the ground flax and water and set aside.
2. In a blender or processor, process almonds into a meal/flour. Sift out large pieces. Or use store bought
almond meal/flour. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, cocoa, salt, soda).
3. In a large microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and Earth Balance and melt in microwave for about 30-45
seconds until melted. Stir well and add in flax egg, sugar, vanilla, and milk. Whisk.
4. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and stir well. The mixture will be VERY dry, but not to worry keep mixing!
Now fold in the walnuts and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
5. Scoop batter into prepared pan and place a piece of parchment on top. Spread with hands or a pastry roller
untilsmooth and even.
6. Bake for 32-34 minutes at 350F and allow brownies to cool in pan for about 1.5 hours. DO NOT REMOVE BROWNIES (uh oh I’m yelling!) until completely cool or they will crack apart. After an hour or so, gently separate edge of brownie from pan with a butter knife and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely and slice carefully. Some cracking when slicing is normal and I say it gives the brownies character, right? Store in air-tight container for up to 3-4 days

Recipe from the Oh She Glows Blog, photos by Laura Spear

Avocado Feta Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (vegan or dairy)

Directions

1. In a bowl, gently stir together tomatoes, avocados, onion, and garlic. Mix in parsley and oregano. Gently stir in olive oil and vinegar. Then stir in feta. Cover, and chill for 2 to 6 hours. 

Recipe from allrecipes.com, photos by Laura Spear 

Spicy Three Pepper Hummus

I love hummus! I could eat it each and everyday if i had it available. It is expensive to buy at the store, once in a while I'll treat myself to a container at our local sams club but most of the time we make it ourselves. Recently I was in the mood to treat myself so i was browsing the hummus section at sams... gasp*  a new flavor!!! The excitement overwhelmed me when I read the title "The Seasons Finest Hummus" a seasonal flavor! I was so excited I knew since it was a seasonal item that it wouldn't be around forever so i snatched it up and headed to the checkout. Once home i opened one of my favorite chips to dip in the hummus, I always go with blue corn tortilla chips or pita chips. I took my fist bite, a big one fully loaded, I wanted all the flavors.......It was the worst tasting thing I have ever tried..... it didn't even taste like hummus!!!! It had all the herbs and spices one would put on a turkey at thanksgiving, olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and this God awful turkey taste!!! Obviously there was not turkey in it but the taste was there. Now don't get me wrong these flavors are spectacular on a turkey but i do not want them in my hummus on a chip!!! So I took my disgruntled vegan self to the pantry determined to save the $5 hummus. I added black pepper, cayenne pepper, and about a 1/4 cup of franks red hot and stirred. This made the hummus tolerable but never again will I go for the holiday seasonal flavor. 

Now this brings me to my recipe which is for Spicy three pepper hummus. I liked the cayenne and black pepper mixed with the hot sauce so I figured i'd browse the internet and search for a peppery hummus. i came across this recipe on allrecipes.com so we decided to give it a go. My wonderful husband actually whipped this up for me in a matter of minutes and it was SO good!!! It definitely lived up to its 4 1/2 star review. 

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon liquid from the jar of jalapeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and juice from the jalapeno jar. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.
2. Mix using the whisk attachment on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Make sure your container is sealed well, or your fridge will smell like garlic!

Recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by FLCRACKER Photo By Laura Spear 

Jalapeno Poppers

 

To prepare Jalapenos
• 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Cups Water
• 10 Medium Jalapenos
For Bread Coating
• 3/4 to 1 Cup Panko Vegan Bread Crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For Batter
• 3 Tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
• 6 Tabelspoons Water
For Filling
• 3/4 Cup Blanched Slivered Almonds
• 2 Teaspoons Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Cup Tofu, Well Drained
• 1 Teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Canned Pimentos

Wearing plastic gloves, split peppers half way through length wise and with a small spoon carefully scoop out seeds. While doing this take care not to break the jalapeno. In a deep sauce pan bring water and vinegar to boil and add peppers, cover and boil for 7 minutes. Careful not to stick your face around the top of the sauce pan when raising up the lid. :D While those are cooking prepare bread crumbs and filling.

First place bread crumbs into food processor with olive oil and nutritional yeast and pulse 5 times. Pour into large mixing bowl and set aside. Prepare batter by mixing water and egg replacer together in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For filling, place almonds, salt and sugar into a food processor and blend for about 2 minutes or until clumps start to form. Place tofu, olive oil, onion powder, salt, red wine vinegar in processor and mix another 2 minutes. With a spoon stir in pimentos into filling mixture by hand.

Grease cookie sheet.

Drain peppers after cooked. Fill with filling using a small spoon. Dip into batter and then quickly place into bread crumbs mixture and roll the filled jalapeno around until completely coated. Place onto cookie sheet. Place in oven and bake 12 to 15 minutes.

 

Recipe by my vegan cookbook blog, Photos by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Spicy Cheezy Vegan Popcorn

Ingredients:

• ½ cup olive or canola oil
• 1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
• ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 T. cayenne pepper
• Salt, to taste

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a 3-quart stock pot (or bigger) over medium-high heat.
2. Add popcorn kernels, cover.
3. When kernels begin to pop (after about 45 seconds), shake pot every few seconds to toss kernels, making sure that the lid stays closed.
4. After most of the kernels have popped, turn off heat and let pot rest for about twenty seconds to ensure that all corn has popped before opening the lid.
5. Pour popcorn into a large bowl. Add nutritional yeast, cayenne and salt, mixing well.

If you have an air popcorn popper like we do you can skip all the stove top directions and just pop the popcorn in your popper add the nutritional yeast, cayenne, and salt. Mix well. 

Recipe from about.com, Photos by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

The Best Vegan Fried Pickles

You will need:
Crinkle cut pickles (I buy the big jar at Sams Club)
1 cup Flour
1 cup soy milk
Deep fryer with oil
Seasonings to top the pickles with, all optional:
I used 1 T Cajun seasoning, 1 T Old bay seasoning, and 1 T cayenne pepper.

Directions:
Preheat the deep fryer to 375 degrees. Meanwhile put the milk in one bowl and the flour in another bowl. In a third bowl mix the 3 seasonings together and set aside.

Grab a handful of pickles out of the jar, shake off excess juice and place them in the bowl of milk. Make sure they are all evenly coated.

Place the pickles in the bowl of flour 1 at a time making sure they are well coated on both sides.

When all your pickles are coated add them one at a time into the fryer so that they don't clump up and stick to one another.

Fry for 3 minutes and then raise the basket and let the excess grease drip off. Once its stopped dripping place the pickles on a plate lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle with seasonings to taste.

For a spicy dipping sauce I use Vegenaise mixed with franks red hot sauce, or sirachi chili sauce until its nice and hot. 

Recipe and photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Spicy Jalapeno Hummus

Ingredients:

    1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
    2 tablespoons juice from jar of pickled jalapenos
    1/2 cup pickled, sliced jalapeno (start by adding half then add more to taste)
    2 tablespoons tahini
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    2 garlic cloves
    1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    pinch kosher salt


Directions:

In a food processor, puree all of the ingredients. Test it, you may want more Jalapenos. You may want to add more jalapeno jar juice in order to attain your desired consistency. Transfer to a bowl.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and garnish with a slice of jalapeno.

Recipe and Photos by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Vegan Chocolate Blueberry Crumble

Serves 8

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
1/2 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup vegan margarine, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and zest, mixing well. Spread the mixture evenly into a 9 inch pie plate. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, margarine, and cinnamon. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top of the blueberries. Bake until the top is lightly browned about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm.

Recipe by Robin Robertson "Vegan on the Cheap" photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Vegan Big Stick Pepperoni

Ingredients

1 cup wheat gluten flour (vital wheat gluten)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, yeast, tapioca flour, and spices. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the water, ketchup, oil, soy sauce, and liquid smoke, stirring to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Knead for a few minutes, then divide in half and roll into 2 logs, about 7 inches long. Wrap the logs in foil, twisting the ends to seal.
Place the logs in a 9-inch baking pan, add about 1/2-inch water to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour, turning halfway through. Unwrap and cool for 15 minutes, then refrigerate to firm up, about 1 to 2 hours. Use a serrated knife to cut thin slices. Use as is or pan-fry as needed. If not using right away, wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator, where they will keep for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for 3 to 4 weeks.

Recipe by Robin Robertson "vegan on the cheap" photo by Laura Spear

Bon Appétit,

Paletas de Melon, Cantaloupe Ice Pops

 Have you heard of a Paleta? They are authentic Mexican ice pops, shaved ice, and aguas frescas (you know them as popsicles) that are amazingly good! I first fell in love with them while watching a paleta throw down with Bobby Flay on tv, they looked so refreshing and came in so many wonderful flavors I just knew I had to have one. Since Texas was a bit far to drive for a popsicle I opted for the next best thing.... a paletas cookbook so that we could enjoy our very own homemade treats!

makes 8 to 10

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups chopped fresh cantaloupe (about 1 small cantaloupe)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Pour the syrup into a food processor or blender. Add the melon, lemon juice, and salt and blend until smooth.  Pour into popsicle molds (I use the all in one units so that I don't have to purchase sticks). Freeze about 5 hours until solid.
Tip: If the Popsicle is not coming out of the mold easily run some warm water over it before trying to pull it out to loosen it up.

Photos by Laura Spear, Recipe by Fany Gerson from the cookbook Paletas!

Bon Appétit,