Eric's Double Chocolate and Andes Mint Cookies

Ingredients (makes ~16 cookies)
2 sticks butter, cubed at room temperature
1 1/4 C sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 C cocoa powder
2 1/4 C flour
1/4 t sea salt or coarse salt
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1 C (1 box) broken up Andes mints


Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs. Mix in cocoa powder until well blended. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder just until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and Andes mints. The dough will be very thick.


To prepare cookies, roll 1/4 cup dough into a ball in your hands, then break into two halves. Recombine halves so the broken part is now the top (this is what gives the cookies the rough texture). Place cookies a couple inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 16-20 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for five minutes then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

Roasted Tempeh With a Creamy Dijon Sauce

For the Tempeh:

1 lb. tempeh, cut into 4 portions

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup wheat-free tamari

1/8 cup rice vinegar

2 bay leaves

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

3 garlic cloves, minced

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in the tempeh. Cook for about 10 minutes. (Tempeh has a mildly bitter flavor that boiling will remove.)

Meanwhile, mix together the vegetable stock, tamari, rice vinegar, bay leaves, rosemary, and garlic.

Place the tempeh in a baking pan and pour the liquid mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes in a 350°F oven, turning once halfway through. Remove from the oven but leave the tempeh in the pan to soak up the remainder of the liquid while it cools to ensure moist tempeh.

After the liquid is absorbed (or pour it off if there is too much left), reheat in the oven until slightly browned on the edges, about 10 minutes or so.

For the Dijon Sauce:

1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup soy milk

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. honey

Mix together all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Cook for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Make mashed potatoes as you normally would, adding prepared vegan horseradish, as well as soymilk, and earth balance and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Saute spinach with a tiny bit of olive oild and salt and pepper.

Assemple on plate with potato first, then spinach, then tempeh and pour sauce on tempeh and around plate.

Apple Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Salsa:
2 Granny Smith apples, chopped (I only used 1 apple. Eric, you could replace this with pear)
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi, chopped
1 sm. orange. zest and juice orange
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. apple jelly (optional)

Chips:
water
1Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
10 in flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 475. Lightly brush one side of tortillas with water. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture onto tortillas. Cut into wedges or strips. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 5-7 min.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup

From: The America’s Teat Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

1 T canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 tsp. sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. saffron threads, crumbled (I never add this because saffron is SO expensive)
2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 pound red potatoes (about 3 medium) cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or Veggie broth)
1 zucchini cut into ½ inch pieces
salt and pepper
fresh parsley (I prefer it without the parsley)
Lemon wedges for serving (I don't do this either)

1. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sugar and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, ginger, and cumin until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the garbanzos, potatoes, tomatoes with their juices, and broth.  Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and continue to simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a fork to thicken the soup slightly.