Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies with Miyoko's Vegan Butter

Oh, boy! Hi! It's Caitlin here and I haven't personally written a blog post on Kitchen Grrrls. in what feels like years. That's probably because it has been years - literally. I can't stop making chocolate chip cookies and I'm not sure if we've just gotten better at baking or we have happened across better recipes as of late but the cookies we've been baking have been gorgeous and delicious and (I daresay) perfect.

On a recent visit to New York, Riley and I did our usual big grocery shop in the Organic/Vegan section of Wegmans. I was adamant about finally trying Miyoko's Vegan Butter because every vegan ever seems to rave about it. We opened it to smear on some deliciously gluten-laden bread and I kind of hated it. It didn't have much flavour and had an odd smell. So, what were two grrrls to do except think of another use for it and what better use than chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to make sure we were working from a recipe that was tested with Miyoko's Vegan Butter so we went with an adaptation of the recipe from Nom Yourself (the Okayest Chocolate Chip Cookie). Prepare to have your socks blown off but before you make these cookies, do yourself a favour and buy one of those fancy Stainless Steel Spring-Loaded Scoops. Your cookies will never be the same and you'll die happy.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies with Miyoko's Vegan Butter

Adapted from Nom Yourself

Ingredients
6 oz. Miyoko's Vegan Butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp apple sauce
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
sprinkling of tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1. Beat together vegan butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple sauce and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
2. Shift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon and sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. One cup at a time, dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients while mixing on a low/medium speed. I incorporated the flour fully each time before adding the next cup of dry ingredients.
4. Pour in chocolate chips and nuts and use a spatula to mix until well combined. 
5. Cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 1 hour (or two, like we did because life happened but they were wonderful nonetheless).
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Use a spring scooper (seriously, this tool was a game changer for our cookies) and place scoops of batter about 1 inch apart. Do not flatten.
8. Bake time depends on the kind of cookie you want. We don't like super goopy cookies so we baked for 15 minutes but 10 minutes will get you that barely baked soft cookie that will harden as it cools. Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to cooling rack. 
9. Enjoy! With your favorite non-dairy mylk. 

Are these not the most beautiful cookies you've ever seen? The pecans were a nice addition though you can, of course, omit if you're not into nuts in your chocolate chip cookies. Or, add more! We won't judge. We won't even judge if you add raisins to these cookies. 

Vegan Hot Fudge and Strawberry Sundaes from Globally Local in London

We visited family in London, Ontario a few weekends past and we couldn't leave without trying the these delicious-looking sundaes from Globally Local. Both the Strawberry sundae and Hot Fudge sundae were amazing. There are vanilla cake crumbles at the bottom of the strawberry sundae and brownie crumbles at the bottom of the hot fudge sundae. The crumbles are optional, however, so if you're just in the mood for sauce and soft serve you can get just that. 

When I first dipped into the hot fudge sundae I was transported back to the summer of... '69, just kidding. But I was transported back to a summer when McDonald's had a 99 cent special on their sundaes..we're talking way back now. We ate so many sundaes that summer, or at least it felt like it. Both sundaes are amazing but being a chocolate gal, I really enjoyed the hot fudge. 

Globally Local knows how to turn those classic fast food flavours into vegan wonders. Thankfully they'll be opening a franchise in Mississauga this year and we'll be able to get our fix a little more regularly :)

The BEST (and Eggy-est) Vegan Scrambled Eggs

These are by far the best vegan eggs we've ever had! Well, "false eggs," as they're often called. The look and feel is just like real scrambled eggs but in a less creepy way. No tofu required, either. We made these for our mom's birthday and she was very happy with them. They don't necessarily taste like eggs, more like lemon, garlic and onion, but those are excellent flavours in my opinion! The recipe uses chickpea flour as the base, hence the sunny yellow hue. You'll gobble these up in no time!

Just look how convincing that "egg" breakfast wrap is! All of the ingredients are relatively cheap and easy to find, no scouring the grocery stores for specialty items, which is always a win in my books.

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Scrambled Chickpea Eggs (But'Techa)

adapted from Terry Hope Romero

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour 

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large shallots, finely minced

1 2/3 cups warm water

3/4 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

Directions

Put the chickpea flour in a large saucepan and toast for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. I find my flour always gets lumpy so I take this time to try and break up the lumps. When it slightly darkens in colour, transfer to a bowl. Wipe out the saucepan so it is free from flour and then add the oil and shallots until beginning to soften, around 2 minutes. Transfer the softened shallots to another bowl.

Add the water and salt to the saucepan, increase heat to medium. Add the chickpea flour back to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a wire whisk until it reaches the consistency of muffin batter (about 6 minutes). Switch to a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula and continue stirring constantly for 6 to 8 more minutes. Remove from the heat when a thin film starts to form on the bottom of the pan and sides. Stir in the shallots and taste for seasoning. 

Spread the mixture out on a large dinner plate or glass dish. Leave the mixture about an inch thick. Let it cool for 20 minutes or until it feels firm. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon juice. Drag a fork through it and mash it into crumbles.

The traditional way to eat this is with injera, but we typically serve this with veggies or in a tortilla as shown above. 

Washing the pan can be a bit of a pain afterwards, so you've been warned. 

Lightlife Gimme Lean Meatless Veggie Sausage Hash

You may see this picture and question whether Kitchen Grrrls is still a vegan blog, but I will happily inform you that, yes, it is in fact still a vegan blog. You are looking at some pretty realistic looking breakfast sausage, though. 

We typically shy away from realistic vegan meats because we were never big fans of the texture of meat, but we thought we would give this a go for posterity.

I was personally never a fan of breakfast before going vegan. It seemed like a meal consisting of all my most hated foods but now I love it.

We used the Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage (not sponsored) in a traditional-style breakfast hash, and it was pretty good! I don't know if we'd re-purchase it because, as previously mentioned, we don't love the texture of realistic vegan meats. But, if you're looking for that meaty chew, this might be for you!

Veggie and (Vegan) Sausage Breakfast Hash

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegan butter

1 package of vegan sausage, crumbled

1 small onion, diced

1 zucchini, diced small

1 bell pepper 

1/4 cup corn, fresh or frozen 

1 carrot, shredded

2 cups of frozen diced hashbrowns (the little cubes)

Directions

In a medium-sized frying pan heat one tablespoon of butter. Once melted, evenly distribute the sausage in the pan. When the meat is browned on all sides remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large frying pan heat two tablespoons of butter. When the butter is heated, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the rest of the veg and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Incorporate the hashbrowns and cook for another 10 minutes or until heated through. Then toss in the sausage and cook for another minute. 

 The Platters - The Great Pretender 

Vegan Veggie Soup with Pastini

We love soup all year round but especially during the winter months. It makes us feel warm and healthy. We've had a big dumping of snow today and some really cold temperatures, so soup is the perfect remedy. And soup is a great way to clear out your fridge when those vegetables gotta go fast.

We can't help but add pasta to our soups, especially cute baby pasta like these stars.

I wish we could buy local, seasonal produce throughout the year but our climate just doesn't allow it. So, this might not be a typical winter soup but it will sure make you feel healthy and warm.

Veggie Soup with Pastini

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped into bite-size pieces

small broccoli, cut into florets

2 medium zucchini, diced

150 g of green beans, cut into bite-size pieces 

1 can diced tomatoes

4-6 cups of vegetable broth

115 g cooked pasta

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. 

Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes or until softened, followed by the garlic. Cook until fragrant.

Toss in the carrots and cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the veg, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering cook your pasta. Once it's ready, strain it and add it to the whole pot or to each individual bowl before serving.