"Yo Dawg" Oreo Cookies

This cookie was born about a month ago when we had extra Oreos that no one wanted to eat. So, naturally, I baked them into something! Since then, everyone who's tried them has pestered me constantly to make them again, and again, and again. These are especially good with mint Oreos.

Equipment: Oven, bowl, spoon, measuring devices, pan.

Ingredients:
1/2 c vegan butter (Earth Balance; or an equal amount of canola oil)
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp chocolate extract (optional; throw in some mint extract if baking with mint Oreos)
1/4 c potato starch mixed with 1 c water (equivalent of 8 eggs)
3/4 c cocoa powder (I always use Hershey's special dark)
2 tsp baking soda (or 3 tsp baking powder)
2 c flour
8 double stuf Oreos (the minimum requirement, of course)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and extracts. Rigorously mix the potato starch and water with a fork in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture. Add the cocoa powder and baking soda. Finally add the flour and mix until a dough consistency is achieved. Crush up the Oreos; quarter-sized pieces are perfect. Knead them into the dough. Grease a cookie sheet. Form 2 tbsp of dough into a ball, then squash a little. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes; it's hard to tell when the cookies are done, so I'd suggest trying one after 10 minutes to make sure it's been cooked all the way through. Feel free to share these, but be aware that you may gain a few stalkers if you do.

Settlers of Catan Cookies

So, apparently I never put up my FAVORITE vegan sugar cookie recipe! This recipe is adapted from Perfect Vegan Sugar Cookies, and it is one of the few recipes that I don't mess with, because they actually are perfect. They work great in all kinds of shapes, and you can get really fancy with them. Anyways, here's the recipe:

Equipment:
Oven, cookie sheet, large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons. (For fancy cookies: rolling pin/wine bottle, cookie cutters, lots of little bowls, toothpicks, ziplock bags and scissors).

Ingredients
Cookies:
1c vegan butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs (1 tbsp egg replacer, corn starch or potato starch mixed with 2 tbsp water, or mixed in dry if you're lazy like me.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 one-serving container of coconut yogurt (or soy yogurt, or 1/4 c vegan cream cheese or sour cream)
2 tsp baking powder (or 2 tsp baking soda with a little more corn starch, potoato starch, or egg replacer powder)
4 c flour (an estimate, add as much as you need to get the consistency you want)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Warm or melt the butter. Mix in the sugar, egg equivalent, and vanilla. Add the yogurt/cream cheese/sour cream and mix until combined. Mix in the baking powder. Add flour two cups at a time, mixing first with a spoon, then kneading with your hands until the dough is pliable, but stays together very well. If you are cutting cookies in shapes, roll out the dough (I use an empty wine bottle for a rolling pin), then use cookie cutters (or a Settlers piece wrapped in foil) to cut the cookies into the right shapes. Cookies can be baked pretty close, since they don't spread, for 10-15 minutes, just until they start turning golden brown on the edges. Let the cookies cool for at least an hour, then prepare the icing.

Icing:
Vegan milk
Corn syrup
Powdered sugar
Flavor extracts (I like almond, but anything will taste good)
Food coloring

Mix together the milk, corn syrup, and powdered sugar until you get a thick icing (you really just have to experiment with proportions, but start with a few cups of powdered sugar, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp corn syrup, then adjust based on how the cookies are coming out.) Add flavor extracts and food coloring. Once cookies are thoroughly cooled, dip them in the icing, then hold them upside down for a few seconds to let the excess drip off, and put them on a covered surface to dry.
For fancy cookies, use plastic bags as icing bags or toothpicks to add details. If you decorate while the icing is still drying, the colors will mix a bit, and the icing will be smooth. If done correctly it can look really cool and professional. If that doesn't work, wait for the icing to dry for at least an hour, then decorate with other colors on top of the dry icing.

Vegan Jell-O

This recipe is super simple and awesome, I can't believe I went jell-o-less for so long!

Tools
1 cup measure (or eyeball it)
1 tbsp measure (or eyeball it)
Microwaveable container to hold the jell-o
Microwave

Ingredients
1 20oz Sprite
Flavoring - I used a cherry mixer
Water (if desired)
4tbsp Agar Agar flakes (or 4tsp powder)

Directions
1) Measure out 4c of liquid - try 2c water, 1c Sprite and 1c flavoring, then adjust to taste. Take out 1 cup of liquid and set aside (helps prevent spills if your container is really full).
2) Add the agar agar flakes and mix
3) Microwave the solution for 5 to 10 minutes, mixing every 3 minutes or so until the agar agar is completely dissolved (be careful - if the agar agar isn't dissolved your jell-o will be lumpy; if this happens just reheat the jell-o, mix it, and cool it again). Add the rest of the liquid.
4) Chill in the fridge for a few hours.
5) Enjoy!

Super Bowl Cake

I know it's been forever, but I did want to share this Super Bowl cake. I made three thin layers, stacked them on top of each other, and frosted with green and yellow frosting. The goal posts are made from straws. Delish!

Opening a Young Coconut

I can't even count the number of young coconuts I've had to open for various recipes. Over time, I have come up with an easy and quick way to open them. All you need is a knife, cutting board (or plate) hammer, and bowls to store the meat and water if  you aren't using them right away.

The untouched coconut, knife, and hammer.

Cut off the fibrous white husk from the top of the coconut. Cut as close to the inner shell a possible.

Young coconuts have a natural stress line around the top. Gently hit the coconut in one point with the claw of the hammer until it gives.

Here is a picture of the hole punched through by the hammer.

Work your way around the top of the coconut in a circle, until it's ready to be lifted off.

Use the claw to pry off the top of the coconut.

The opened coconut. Pour the water into a bowl. Use a spoon to scrape the meat out of the coconut.

There you have it! I timed myself last time, and it only took me 5 minutes to get the coconut open. Hope this helps, and happy cooking!

Super-Simple Shave Ice (Raw)

Man, was today hot! I happen to have the privelege of working in un-air-conditioned elementary schools hauling heavy boxes of textbooks around. This morning, when I walked into the library of the school, it felt like stepping into a sauna. To cool off, I have come up with an incredibly simple summer treat that I know you will all love too!

Tools: Blender (or some other way to crush ice), bowl, knife, spoon

Ingredients:
2 c ice cubes
1/4 lemon
1/8ish lime
Agave syrup

Directions:
1) Blend the ice in a blender until desired consistency is reached. My Vita-Mix tends to make snow, but true shave ice has larger ice chunks. Place ice into a small bowl or cup.
2) Squeeze the juice of the quarter of the lemon and lime into the ice. Add more, if desired.
3) Squirt some agave over the top of the ice. Enjoy!

Of course, you could experiment with other fruits and such, especially if you are fortunate enough to own a juicer. This could even allow you to create syrups that you could store in the fridge for future shave ice creations! Also, I do have two other posts I've been meaning to get up, but it feels tacky to post three things in one day. Plus I need to use my laptop to get pics off my camera. Anyways, look out for two more posts very soon. Until then, happy cooking!

Flaxseed Crackers and Guacamole (Raw)

A double recipe for today! Though the crackers require a dehydrator, so only one for my non-dehydrator friends.

Crackers
Tools: Dehydrator, parchment paper or teflex sheets, bowl, measuring cup, spoon
Ingredients: Flaxseeds, water, salt and other spices to taste
Directions:
1) Measure equal portions of flaxseeds and water (1 cup each makes about one tray of crackers), and dump into the bowl. Wait for a few minutes (10-15) for the mixture to thicken, then add any spices or flavorings and mix.
2) Spread the mixture evenly on either parchment paper or teflex sheets. It should be no more than 1/8 in thick, maybe a bit more. If desired, sprinkle salt over the trays.
3) Dehydrate for a few hours at 105-115 degrees F. Flip crackers and peel off paper or teflex sheets. Cut into triangles or squares with a knife, and separate the crackers.
4) Place back in the dehydrator until completely dry.

Guacamole
Tools: Bowl, fork, knife, cutting board, a spoon is helpful
Ingredients:
1 ripe avacado
1/8ish white onion
Lemon (or lemon juice)
Lime (or lime juice)
Sea salt

Directions:
1) Cut open the avacado. Dispose of the nut. Spoon out the meat into the bowl, and mash with the fork.
2) Chop the onion, the size of the pieces is up to you, but I prefer mine very small. Add to the mashed avacado and mix.
3) Cut a wedge (about 1/6 of the fruit) out of the lime, and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Cut a very tiny wedge (1/4 of an inch wide on the outside) of the lime, and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Sprinkle some sea salt on top, and mix.

There you have it! Two simple recipes. The guacamole is based on the Chipotle guacamole, though you can look up better approximations than this. My mom also likes to add tomato to her guac, but I like this kind better. Here is a pic of the crackers and guac:

Hope you like the recipes, and until next time!