Yummy in MY Tummy

Every, ok most, nights I enjoy having my "treats," usually something I bake or make. Lately I have been making different types of cookies like oatmeal raisin with a lot of cinnamon, jam filled, peanut butter, brownies, trail mix, etc. For Christmas my brother gave me a nice collection of new vegan baking cookbooks that I have to start trying out. One cookbook has a recipe for samoas (those girl scout coconut chocolate delicious cookies), oreos, and some other interesting looking things that I cannot wait to make. Having some more time until I find another part time job, I am going to be enjoying myself in the kitchen and probably making myself sick with all the treats!! So I will need some test subjects for those of you willing to give up your stomachs for my newest feats!

I am still trying to prefect a peanut butter cookies. In one of the books, "The Joy of Vegan Baking" by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, I found a recipe for Raspberry Oatmeal Bars. The recipe was hum, so I tweaked it a little bit by adding peanut butter!! yum, I know. So here is the original recipe:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup ap flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats
1/2 cup nondairy butter, softened
3/4 cup fruit preserves
Basically, combine all the ingredients except the preserves. Press two-thirds of batter in the bottom of an oiled 8 or 9 inch square pan. Spread with preserves. Top with remaining batter, crumble it and press it down lightly into jam. Bake 35 to 40 minutes.

My version: Peanut Butter and Jelly Oat Bars

2/3 cup date sugar
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup jam/preserves
1/2 cup carob chips or chocolate chips

Parchment paper line a 8 or 9 inch square pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Add in the peanut butter and applesauce and using your fingers create a crumbly mixture.

Press two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan.

Top with jam,

then crumble the remaining batter on top and lightly press into jam. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Once you take it out sprinkle with carob chips. Let it cool completely and then place in fridge before you cut it to let the carob chips harden a little to make it easier to cut.

This time I made them with grape jelly and peanut butter chips to give it that extra pb and j feel!

Chocolate Fudgey Brownies

1 cup canola oil
3 mashed bananas
1/4 to 1/2 cup maple syrup (depending on how ripe the bananas are)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I like Hershey's special dark)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat white flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum
1 cup chocolate chips (or other chips you would like to add)

Parchment paper line a 8 or 9 inch square pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl mix flour, flax meal, baking soda, xanthum gum, and chips.

In a medium sized bowl, mash the bananas.

Add in the maple syrup (if your bananas are really ripe only add in 1/4 cup because your end product will turn out too sweet), salt, oil, vanilla, and cocoa. (I have two special secret ingredients, that I am sorry to say I will not be informing you of because they are my little tweaks on brownies and if I don't keep them secret the whole world, or rather those of you who actually read this, which may not be many-so maybe it is safe to share them haha- will know my secrets and then when I eventually become "famous" I will have people making my food that I will be trying to sell so there you go my secrets!! I will only tell you that they enhance the taste of chocolate and one is a spice.)

Then add the chocolate mix to the flour, the texture of the batter is a little strange but that is because of the xanthum gum.

Add to the pan and spread out.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, but I find that you bake it for the first 15 minutes then turn the pan and bake another 15 minutes and it should be done after the 30 minutes.

They are really fudgey and yummy!! I love these, and I know a few of my friends do too.

I added this whole What's For Dinner? segment and really haven't been keeping up on it but that is because I feel like I need to add a recipe with a post, but maybe I will just do some dinners so that I don't have a huge list in one post...

What's For Dinner?
Tuesday, January 11th
I think I had a salad, but I honestly do not remember- opps sorry! I'm thinking it had roasted asparagus, eggplant, yellow peppers, roasted red peppers, and tomatoes with the roasted red pepper dressing. Yes, I am sure that was what it was.

Wednesday, January 12th

Roasted corn and pepper taco with black bean and corn salsa, black olives, 4 cheese Mexican blend, and guacamole.

Thursday, January 13th
Roasted root vegetable parsley salad. It had parsnip, sweet potato, purple sweet potato, Idaho potato, and mushrooms, with roasted cashews.

Friday, January 14th

Salad with mango, and toasted pecans, and the usual veggies.

Saturday, January 15th
I was out in Westfield and I was craving miso soup, so I had that and a green salad.

Sunday, January 16th

Salad with roasted mushrooms and asparagus, yellow peppers, tomatoes, and spinach, with roasted red pepper dressing.

And here are some of my breakfast that I make:

As you can see, and I did not mean to do this, I like black grapes, kiwi and toasted almonds. The top one has persimmons and the bottom has mango. Fruit salad yummy yummy! 

Tomorrow I will be posting my dinner that I am going to make tonight. Something that I am even going to share with my mom and older brother because they enjoy what I am going to make, it is a surprise for them so I can't say what it is just yet because they might read this before I get to make it so no spoilers here! Until tomorrow...