Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Vegan Cookies
• Easy Baking Recipes
• Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

History of Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal cookies have a long history and are believed to have originated in Scotland, where oats have been a staple grain for centuries. The cookies were likely a way to use up leftover oats and create a tasty, portable snack. They became popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and have remained a favorite cookie to this day. There are many different variations of oatmeal cookies, including those made with raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, and other ingredients.
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About my Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
This is a recipe for a classic, chewy oatmeal raisin cookie. Raisins in cookies are occasionally polarizing. You either love em or hate em but I would take this cookie over a chocolate chip cookie every day of my life. Next time I will try subbing 1/4 cup of AP flour for whole wheat because generally I like the nutty flavour whole wheat flour adds to baked goods. ​If raisins aren't you're thing try subbing chopped walnuts, chocolate chips or go with any combination you like!

Yield:  16 cookies
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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup room temp Earth Balance Spread (or other vegan butter)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Flax Egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 2.5 tbsp water, let sit 5 min)
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 3/4 cup AP flour
  
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  
• 1/2 tsp flaked Kosher Salt
  
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  
• 1.5 cups Rolled Oats
  
• 1/2 cup Raisins

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Cream together butter and sugar for a few min.
3. Mix in flax egg and vanilla
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to wet ingredients, mix until just combined on low speed.
5. Fold in oats and raisins
6. Shape into balls (I got 16, just depends how big you want your cookies to be) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten the cookies, bake for about 15 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Recipe Difficulty: Easy, just read the post well for all my tips for success.

​Recipe Notes
I get a strong craving for this salad every so often, and it doesn't go away until I make it! It is definitely one of the more indulgent salads in my repertoire and not the type of thing I want to eat everyday (although I do eat it daily for about a week until I run out!). I like lots of dressing, an obscene amount of coconut bacon, and a good amount of vegan cheese. Yeah. Like I said, it is an indulgence, but I find it perfect as I make it. The sweet smokiness of the coconut bacon balances the briny caper dressing. ​

Caesar Dressing
This Caesar dressing should probably be called "creamy garlicky caper dressing", because it does taste different than the non vegan Caesar dressings I have made in the past. If you don't like capers, and are looking for something that is identical to classic non vegan caesar salad, this isn't it. I don't care that it's kind of its own thing, because I love this even more. The dressing is made by blending together vegan mayo (I use vegan Hellman's mayo or I make my own), capers, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt & pepper. So simple. It's super garlicky but that is what I like. It is also bright and punchy from the capers and red wine vinegar which for me is perfect. It will be very thick, but just toss your salad well to distribute evenly.  This dressing will keep in a container in the fridge for a long time. I always double the recipe.

Coconut Bacon
​I am guessing that coconut bacon might be a polarizing thing. This salad in general would undoubtedly be a polarizing dish... Not everyone is going to love it, but I love it, and all of my recipes are what I use for my own meal prep soooo....if you try it I hope you like it, but if you don't...that's OK too, everyone is different.

Shredded Coconut
This recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut. Where I live, I have never been able to find it at the grocery store in a normal bag you typically buy coconut in. I can find every other kind of coconut, but none of them are what you want for this recipe. Shredded coconut is larger than the stuff I usually use in baking recipes. I have a cloth bag specifically for shredded coconut in my cupboard and I refill it at the bulk store when it is empty. I buy it specifically for this recipe. 

Prep
The coconut bacon is sweet, smoky, salty. I don't hold back while adding it to my salad. I like lots, the salad needs lots. If you think you think you have added enough, you probably didn't. To prep the coconut bacon, you just toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl, spread it onto a lined baking sheet, and then bake. When it cools the bacon will crisp up.

Cooking
To bake the coconut bacon, you need to keep it in an even thin layer but also keep the shape tight together if that makes sense. No straggly bits of coconut hanging out by their lonesome along the edges. The edges burn easily so compacting it as much as possible without being a thick layer is the idea. When I toss it a few times while it's cooking, I form it back into this shape. Again, this is to prevent the pieces from burning along the edges, although the edges will darken first.

Taste
I want to mention that when I taste the coconut bacon right off the pan I don't love it. Not much of an endorsement I realize, but my final judgement of this coconut bacon isn't from just eating it alone. I love it when it is mixed into this salad. I also often make a double batch for sprinkling in other random salads, too. The recipe calls for a ridiculous amount of liquid smoke, I am aware. It is potent, but again, mixed into the salad it just works for me. 

​Croutons 
I don't typically bother with croutons. I really only made them for the photograph. But if this salad just doesn't seem right to you without them, go for it! I like sourdough bread for making croutons if I am going that route. Rip the bread into bite size chunks roughly the same size. Toss with extra virgin olive oil , salt & pepper and bake in the oven at 350°F. Stir occasionally until golden brown and crispy. If they taste more like toast than a crouton, you probably didn't add enough oil. (It happened to me once, I just drizzled a bit more oil on my toast-like croutons when they were out of the oven and they seemed to just absorb the oil and tasted great in the end. Not really a tried and true method but I would do it again.) You can always buy croutons at the store, I have yet to find vegan ones at the shop near me.

Cheese
 I find not all vegan cheeses are created equal. Sometimes a vegan parmesan works. I have also used vegan shredded mozza in this recipe, certain brands work well and honestly remind me more of parmesan than the mozza they claime to be. However some vegan mozza is actually mozza like and that isn't what I want here. A few brands that work in this recipe are Emborg, Vio Life & Presidents Choice. Parmela Creamy has a shredded mozzarella that for example doesn't work in this recipe, because it's convincingly mozza like. I love it for pizza and other applications. This is all very wordy and perhaps confusing. Bottom line look for a firm, thin vegan shred. I would also love to try making my own parmesan topping sometime, but haven't gotten around to it yet. 

Lettuce and Other Add Ins
You can use straight up chopped romaine for classic Caesar salad vibes, but I personally really do like to add in some shredded kale to my chopped romaine. I like shredding it because kale is quite fibrous. If you chop it too big it is harder to chew. I know straight up kale Caesar salad is a thing, but I definitely like using a combination because of the fresh crunch romaine lettuce gives. I often use romaine hearts, and used somewhere between 2 - 3 for the amount of dressing.

Finely chopped broccoli is something I don't hesitate to add to this salad too. I also like halved cherry tomatoes in there. Beyond veggies, I often add chickpeas or tofu for protein, and if I want the salad  to be really hearty,  fusilli pasta tossed into the mix is delicious. 

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**The coconut bacon recipe is adapted from Avant Garde Vegan. 

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: Bruschetta, Pizza, Summer Recipes, Basil, Dairy Free

Bruschetta Pizza Recipe Notes
So excited to share another recipe using Fresh Start Fauxmage!!! Bruschetta PIZZA! Inspiration for this recipe came from one of my fav flavours of Fauxmage, and that is the Creamy Pesto...mmm. It's flavoured with basil, garlic and lemon and is the perfect creamy spread to enhance the bruschetta toppings on this pizza.

To keep things REAL simple, I start with a store bought, pre baked pizza crust (thin crust/PC brand).

I then spread creamy pesto Fauxmage on the base of the crust, top with cherry tomato bruschetta mixture and then bake in the oven until crisp and hot. A drizzle of balsamic glaze and some fresh arugula to garnish finishes it off. (I also bought the balsamic glaze because this recipe was all about making something fresh tasting & delicious when you don't have a lot of time)

This would be a lovely (and quick!) app to serve company, or have it for dinner with a big green salad along side. 

If you aren't familiar with this delicious product it is available in many Sobey's locations (and various other locations) across Atlantic Canada and now also Ontario. Check their website for more details about the product and where to shop!

Substitutions
I haven't tried this recipe with another vegan product, but if you can't get your hands on some fauxmage, you could always buy vegan cream cheese and blend it in a food processor with garlic basil and lemon salt and pepper. The fauxmage has a lot of flavour...it is really punchy, so I would make my cream cheese that way too. Before being vegan, I used to make something similar with an store bought herb cream cheese. 

MMM Curry!! This was a quick curry that I ate as a soup/stew. Warm Naan (I heated my naan in a cast iron pan with a bit of veg oil) for dunking. Serving it with rice is always a good idea. When I was making it I wanted to add more coconut milk and less veg stock, but I only had the one can. Next time I am going to try leaving out the apple and swapping some stock for the coconut milk. 

This curry comes together with mostly pantry items Red lentils, canned tomatoes, curry powder, cumin & a bit of maple. (I add the maple towards the end. I like to add it to taste because I'm just trying to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and apple, not trying to make it a sweet curry. Anyhow, I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup in the end.) 

Garnish the curry with vegan sour cream or yogurt & fresh cilantro...or whatever you want...
Toasted cashews?? Yum.  

The sour cream brand I use and love is Tofutti. It's super thick and creamy, and nothing at all like dairy sour cream...but honestly I mean that in a good way because I love it. A rich neutral base to mix other things into. For example, I make a chipotle crema for my nacho salad with it and honestly, in my humble opinion, it's delicious.  

Warm naan bread for scooping and dunking is my favourite way to eat this curry . (I found vegan naan at Sobeys the last time I was there, it was just in the regular bread section of the store. Loved it.)

The apple in the recipe I threw in to use it up. I think it adds a bit of tartness. If you don't want to use it, the soup might need a squeeze of lime juice or something to add a bit of acidity to compensate. Just give it a taste!  

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Keywords: Veggie Pate, Appetizer, Vegan Charcuterie Board Holiday, Christmas, Sandwich
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What is Veggie Pate?

Veggie Pate is a spread or dip made with vegetables and other plant-based ingredients. It is a delicious and nutritious alternative to traditional meat pate, and it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. There are store bought versions but I have yet to find one that is worth spending any money on. This veggie pate recipe is simple, delicious, and something I make several times a year. 

My Veggie Pate Recipe Notes

I really love this veggie pate, and pretty sure you will too. The base is made from almonds, sunflower seeds, potato, onion, carrot, nutritional yeast and a few other ingredients. Everything gets pureed in a food processer then transferred into a loaf pan and baked in the oven. You can serve it with crackers and your favourite condiments (I went with a store bought beet and onion jam which was epic) or tuck it into a sandwich or wrap. Seriously delicious. If you are planning a veggie charcuterie board don't skip this pate!!!

Gluten Free Cracker Option
​Mary's Organic Crackers are the crackers pictured in my veggie pate photo above. I really do like them. They got a few negative reviews I noticed. I guess to each their own. Maybe they aren't perfect for every context, but I liked them with my veggie pate! Anyhow, the one downside is they are a bit pricey for the amount you get. I only buy them sometimes because of that, but still, I will buy them again in the future. 

Veggie Pate Crostini 
This is the most recent thing I made using my pate. I bought a loaf of Ace Bakery sliced sourdough bread. Toasted in the oven with olive oil. A layer of dijon mustard, Vio Life smoked provolone cheese, arugula, pate, sliced baby dill pickles, and balsamic caramelized onions. For the onions I just caramelized them using a bit of olive oil. The trick is to cook them on low heat, don't stir until they start to turn a bit golden. It can take a long time, mine took longer than an hour. I seasoned them with s & p. When they were closed to being done, I added brown sugar to the pan because I wanted them to be sweet and jam like. When they were caramelized, I added a good splash of good quality balsamic vinegar to the pan to deglaze everything. Yummy!!!

Veggie Pate Sandwich

The photo below is just an example of how I eat the pate in a sandwich. It's kind of a comfort food version that I have made so many times. I layered the veggie pate on a toasted ciabatta bun with greens, sprouts, a slice of vegan cheese, tomato, dill pickles, red onion, mayo & mustard. Not fancy, but really good. I hope you try this veggie pate and enjoy it as much as I do. I love having it in my repertoire.