Hey everyone!

Today was yet another leisurely one for me; I’ve been having so much fun lately just lounging around at home and spending time in the kitchen. After all, vacation is all about relaxing and doing what you love, right?

My morning started with yet another fabulous bowl of pumpkin oat bran! In the mix today was 1/2 cup oatbran, 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1 mashed banana, a liberal drizzle of pure maple syrup, 1 tbsp brown sugar, and enough cinnamon to save the world. I topped it off with a sprinkling of shredded coconut, and the best part- melty, gooey chocolate chips! Pure perfection. I also drank my body weight in black coffee. I’m such an addict.

You better bet that I did some more baking today! Being that I’m an old pro at the art of baking cookies (cupcakes and muffins are a bit more challenging to me), I decided to stick to what I know best and make a delicious batch of Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Coconut Cookies! Is it just me, or do all of my baking creations always have the longest of names? Anyway, my rendition of these little jewels was based upon a recipe from the lovely Celine of have cake, will travel. One thing I love most about her recipes is that she generally scales them down to yield a smaller batch. Perfect for houses that are already flooded with copious amounts of baked goods (ahem, mine)! Here’s the recipe, my substitutions and add-in’s in italic.

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Raisin Coconut Cookies
yields 6 medium/large cookies

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (scooped up and leveled)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 t baking soda
pinch sea salt
1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks (I used dark chocolate chips)
1/4 cup pecan pieces (I used raisins)
2 tbsp shredded coconut
3 T chunky natural peanut butter
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 1/2 T soy milk or other milk alternative (I used almond)
1 t pure vanilla extract

1. Set oven to 425F. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk all wet ingredients together until smooth.
3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt. Add rest of dry ingredients to flour.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mix until well combined.
5. Divide into 6 equal portions, and place on cookie sheet. Flatten a bit as these don’t spread much while baking.
6. Bake for approx. 7 minutes- you want them to be golden brown on top.
7. Leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then place on a rack and cool completely.

Out of all the cookie recipes I’ve tried and tested (and god knows I’ve tested plenty!), these might just be my all-time favorites! They were big, thick, and crispy with an unmistakable moist, gooey interior that made every bite truly divine! The oats provided a rich and full-bodied texture, as did the peanut butter, and the chocolate chips and raisins added a decadent punch of sweetness. I was also very glad I decided to toss in the coconut- the flavor, although subtle, managed to enhance the aforementioned add-ins, and made for a truly wonderful cookie eating experience. No specific flavor overpowered the other; instead, they all worked together in perfect harmony. Yes, I am passionate about my cookies! So sue me!

Once lunchtime rolled around, I was really craving a warm, comforting bowl of soup! Good thing that the remainder of the container of whole foods carrot ginger soup was in the fridge, waiting to be devoured! I heated up a large bowl (2 cups or so?) of this creamy dreamy soup, and paired it with a glorious piece of toasted multigrain oatmeal flax bread topped with romaine, tofurkey slices, roasted eggplant spread, honey mustard, and vine ripe tomato, all sprinkled with thyme and black pepper. This lunch totally hit the spot, and left me feeling perfectly satisfied. However, I may still have ended my meal with one of my delicious homemade snickerdoodle cookies that I made yesterday. But I have no photo evidence, so it technically doesn’t count, right? Right. ;)

My lunch managed to keep me full all afternoon, so I barely needed a snack. The only thing I munched on was a luscious and juicy granny smith apple and a big ‘ol carrot that I dipped in a mighty spoonful of mighty maple. Deeelicious!

Dinner tonight was yet another success! Being that I had some leftover baked tofu that needed to be used, I turned to a old favorite that has never let me down- the wonderful Heidi Swanson’s Caramelized Tofu, of course! I followed the recipe to a tee except for the fact that I used walnuts rather than pecans. I was originally planning on serving it over brown rice, but the portion was so huge that no rice was necessary! The dish turned out spectacular, as expected! The tofu and walnuts caramelized to perfection, and the shredded brussels sprouts were subtly sweet and simply delicious. I garnished the dish with some toasted sesame seeds for good measure, and went on to completely devour the entire plate in record time. Mmmm!

Right now, I’m going to head into the kitchen, grab a bunch of grapes to snack on while watching my recorded episode of America’s Next Top Model, and then call it a night! Hope you all had a great day! I’ll leave you with this:

<3. Enough Said.