Tag Archives: VeganMOFO

Vegan Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

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Sometimes, you just really need a cookie.  And, what I wanted was oatmeal raisin, but one of the children had eaten all of the raisins.  So, out of necessity, I scouted out a wide variety of oatmeal peanut butter cookie recipes and squished them together into this!

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookie

2 cups of flour
2 cups of rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup veg oil
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients.  Combine.  Drop by the tablespoon onto a nonstick cookie sheet (parchment paper might be a good plan).  Flatten slightly with a cup or spatula.  Bake at 350* until done.

On Vegan Parenting – So Many Options

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Parenting is a challenge.  If anyone has ever told you that it isn’t, then he/she was either delusional or a liar.  There are so many decisions to be made, and few of them are simple.   It starts even before birth, when choices about prenatal testing, natural childbirth, labor anesthesia, circumcision, and breastfeeding are just a few of the issues faced by parents.  Once the child is born, the list continues to grow (cloth or disposable, co-sleep or not, stroller or babywrap,  immunize or don’t) and becomes even more complex.

As food is a rather vital part of living (if you want to continue doing that), choices eventually must be made about what/how to feed little junior.  For the vegan parent, this means electing whether to raise the child as vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore.

This choice is more complicated than it may seem on the surface.  Pediatricians and family members will want to weigh in on the decision.  If the parents have a similar diet, they might more easily select to raise baby in that same way.  But, if they have dietary differences (vegetarian and vegan, vegan and omnivore, etc.), there might need to be some negotiation.  Presence of older children in the home, and what sort of diet they  have, is also an issue.  And then childcare must be considered.  If the baby will be regularly cared for by a relative, friend, or paid carer with a very different diet, that might be an issue.

In the VeganAsana household, 4 of the six children arrived pre-vegetarianism.  2 arrived post-vegetarian, but pre-vegan.  Mr. VA is an omnivore.  So, all of our children have been presented with an omnivore diet, with a heavy emphasis on vegetarian and vegan options and meals.  In a week of dinners, I cook more than half vegetarian/vegan and the remainder omni.

This option, along with ongoing education about nutrition, the farm industry, and the origins of food items, has allowed our children to make their own decisions about diet.  At this point, two are vegans, one is a vegetarian, and three are omnivores.  It has worked fine for us.  I can’t say that I would be sad if I never had to prepare another non-vegan food dish, but until the time when everyone in the house is old enough to cook for him/herself, I will keep doing it.  I also wouldn’t say that it’s the “best” way to handle things, but in a mixed diet marriage, it is a reasonable option.

Vegan Mashed Potato Soup

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We are big fans of potato soup in the VeganAsana house, but we prefer the potatoes to be mashed, so that the soup is really thick and rich.  Since I‘m currently obsessed with the pressure cooker, I decided to work on making it that way.  Here was the end result!

5 lb potatoes peeled and diced
3 stalks celery diced
1 sweet onion diced
3 cups diced carrots
2 T olive oil
7-8 cups vegetable broth
1 cups unsweetened soy milk
4 cloves minced garlic optional
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Add olive oil and onion to the bottom of the cooker and cook on medium heat until the onions begin to carmelize.  Add the potatoes, celery, and broth.  Place the carrots in a small stainless or glass bowl and place on top of the potatoes.  Add several T of water to the carrot bowl.  Close lid and bring to high pressure.  Maintain at high pressure for 5 minutes and then remove from heat and allow pressure to dissipate naturally.   Remove lid, remove bowl of carrots (carefully!).  Using an immersion blender, or mashing by hand, gently mash potatoes to texture desired.  Add cooked carrots, nutritional yeast, soy milk, salt, and pepper and stir.  Return to stove (without lid) and heat on low, stirring often, for a few moments.  Serve with a salad and some bread.

(sorry for the lack of an “after” picture – mashed potato soup doesn’t photograph well)