Banana Oatmeal Cookies

My daughter Kayla introduced me to these deliciously healthy cookies. You can call them Banana Oatmeal Cookies or even Breakfast Cookies, and they are exceptionally easy to make and extremely healthy for all you lactose-gluten-sugar-intolerant vegan folk. You can send some with your children in their school lunches, or even send it with them to school as their breakfast if you're running late. I guarantee they will be eaten with gusto!

3 mashed ripe bananas (the riper, the sweeter the cookie--plus they are easier to mash--use a blender, if possible, so there won't be any lumps of banana in your cookie)
1/3 cup applesauce (what, no egg?)
1/4 c. alternative milk (almond, coconut, rice, soy, etc.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups oats
1/2 cup raisins, optional (or other dried fruit)
a little coconut and/or chopped nuts (optional)

Very lightly grease (parchment paper works great) a cookie sheet and spoon batter onto sheet. (The cookies will not spread, so place as close together as you like.) Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container. Makes about one and a half dozen cookies, or 2 doz. if you use an ice cream scoop. (You may want to double. They freeze well.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Breakfast!

Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookie

~submitted by Betty Jacobs--she found it on Pinterest, and claims it's healthy enough to be eaten for breakfast! They are not only gluten-free, but have NO refined sugar, NO flour, a ton of good fat, magnesium and Vitamin E, and a whopping 4 grams of protein per cookie.

 

1 cup raw cashews**
1/2 cup unsalted almond butter**
2 eggs, preferably pasteurized
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to sprinkle on top if desired
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup of chocolate chips of choice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a food processor, blend the cashews for 2 - 3 minutes, or until they form a paste, with the oils visibly releasing. Add in almond butter and process for 30 more seconds, scraping down the sides, before adding eggs and vanilla and processing an additional 30 seconds, scraping down the sides, until the batter is uniform.

In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, sea salt and baking soda; then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir thoroughly.

Mix in the chocolate chips.

Spoon teaspoon sized amounts onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving 4 - 5 inches between each cookie to accommodate spreading, and sprinkle with sea salt if desired, before baking for 20 minutes.

Remove cookies from oven and let sit on pan for 5 minutes before moving to a drying rack.

Makes 18 - 22 cookies.

*You can make this recipe with all almond butter (you would omit the cashews and use 1 cup of almond butter), or all cashews (omit the almond butter and use 2 cups of cashews), but I’ve found you get the best, most traditional chocolate chip cookie taste and texture by "combining the two."**

Presto, Pesto!

Here are two recipes for pesto (one vegan and one with Parmesan cheese). The first vegan one was submitted by a friend of mine, Betty Jacobs. Holly, another friend of ours, shared it with her on Facebook.

I understand Holly developed the recipe herself, so I know it would be yummy and nutritious. She said you might want to adjust the consistency and seasonings to taste.

I liked Susan's suggestion of putting hers in ice cube trays and enjoying it on your hot pasta that way, one cube at a time--Susan's pesto only took a little for quite a bit of pasta!

Pesto (vegan, gluten-free)    ~by Holly Hill Jackson

3/4 cup raw almonds (blanched would be best)
1/4 cup pistachios
1 cup fresh basil
1+ cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup navy beans

2-3 Tbl. non-dairy milk
3 ladles of hot pasta cooking water (use gluten-free pasta, if desired)
Garlic salt to taste

2 T. olive oil

Blend or process til smooth and creamy.

(It would have been smoother if I had used blanched, or soaked almonds, but it still had a good texture.)

And here's another pesto recipe a friend shared with me years ago:

Pesto ~by Susan Zacharias-Jutz (Iowa City, IA)

4 c. fresh basil leaves

3-4 cloves garlic, or less

1/2 c. olive oil, or a little less

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper, as needed

Chop in blender until smooth. Use on pasta or as a cracker spread.

Tip: Freeze excess in ice cube trays and package in Ziploc freezer bags.

(Can put chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned, on pasta with pesto.)