Kickstart Day 1

I didn't do my grocery shopping ahead of time, so I woke up day one not fully prepared.

Luckily I had everything I needed to prepare the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.

I've eaten oatmeal in the past and have found that even if it's undercooked, I still have a bit of an issue with it's texture. 

 This was no exception. So while the flavor of the oatmeal was fantastic, I just couldn't eat it. 

Good thing my kids love the stuff!

I had a quick lunch of McDougal's Black Bean and Lime soup with a chunk of whole wheat baguette.

For dinner, I made Carrot and Red Pepper soup with Couscous Confetti Salad.
Both were amazing!

After dinner Zak convinced me that making Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies was in the best interest of of the family so of course I HAD to make some. Yum!
I substituted the milk for almond milk but realized my margerine isn't 100% vegan so technically, neither were my cookies.

I ate some anyway.

Who Needs PB & J when you can have THIS!??

Spinach, Tomato & Mozzarella Chz on Bolillo Bread with Olivada Spread...YUM!

What you will need:

Bolillo Bread or some type of Hogi Roll

Mozzarella Cheese (I used Rice Cheeze)

Baby Spinach, washed

Roma Tomato, washed

Olivada:

1 cup of whole black olives, pitted

1/4 cup of olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the oil, olives, garlic and black pepper in a blender or food processor and process until it becomes a thick paste. Slice cheese and place on bread, then put under the broiler for a few minutes, be sure to keep a close eye on it! Once cheese is melted and bread toasted, remove from oven. Spread the Olivada on a toasted piece of bread, layer with spinach and roma tomato. Put the two halves together in a sandwich and ENJOY!!

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

These are our family's absolute FAVORITE cookies.  Zak and I spent some time baking them last weekend when I spoke to my mom on Sunday she'd mentioned that dark chocolate and coconut are favorites of hers so...

here is the recipe!!! ENJOY!

From Crackle: Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

Sarah Kramer is the author of La Dolce Vegan! and co-author of How It All Vegan! and The Garden of Vegan!. In addition to creating her vegan masterpieces and maintaining her popular website GoVegan.net she also ownes and operates Tatto Zoo with her husband Gerry in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

When I am in need of a good sugar fix, I make a batch of these. They are simple and taste heavenly. Even omnivores agree!
-Adina, Trinidad, Colorado

2 tbsp ground flax seed (we use EnerG Egg Replacer, usually)
3 tbsp water (this can be omitted if you use a real egg or another type of egg replacer)
1/2 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (we use 72% dark chocolate chips, it makes the perfect blend of sweet and slightly bitter so the     cookies are never too rich)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small dish, mix together the ground flax and water. In a food processor or large bowl, blend or mix together the flax mixture, margarine, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and set aside. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, coconut and chocolate chips. Add the margarine mixture and stir until well incorporated. Roll dough into balls, lay on cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool 5 minutes before removing from sheet.

Makes 18 to 24 cookies

Recipe adapted from VEGAN A GO-GO!, by Sarah Kramer, 2008, Arsenal Pulp Press

Note: This information was originally posted by www.everydaydish.tv