Decadent Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm usually not a fan of peanut butter cookies, but these cookies are phenomenal. They're chewy, buttery, and completely vegan! I made a double batch last night (one with chocolate and one without) for my step-dad so that he would change the oil in my car for me. They also brought my omnivorous boyfriend to his knees, even without the chocolate. A must try!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup vegan margarine (I like organic Smart Balance)
2/3 cup brown sugar (break apart all clumps or hard spots first).
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Subsitute
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons plain/vanilla soymilk
1 or 2 teaspoon(s) of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Handful of vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Note:If you do not have Ener-G, use 1 egg's worth of another substitute that you know works in cookies. The water in the recipe is the amount required to make the egg replacer, so omit if your replacement already has the same amount of liquid as an egg

1. Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C.
2. In a small cup, mix the egg replacer and water.
3. Using an electric mixer/beater, cream together the peanut butter, sugar, and margarine until you have an even consistency. If your peanut butter is sugar free and you are not adding the chocolate chips, you may want to add an extra tablespoon of sugar.
4. Blend and mix in soymilk, prepared egg replacer, and vanilla extract.
5. Add flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixture and mix fully.
6. Fold in chocolate chips if desired.
7. Make dough into slightly squished balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. The cookies will expand a little so give them some room. Don't flatten the cookies too much, thin cookies end up dry and hard.
8. Bake for 8-12 minutes. When they are done the edges will be slightly browned. As with most veganized cookies, they will be soft and first but will harden as they cool.

This recipe should make around 20 cookies. The brown sugar is what gives these cookies an extra special boost.
Another tip: If your peanut butter is really oily (as a lot of organic and natural nut butters are), use a tablespoon less of margarine. Don't worry if the dough is really greasy, it won't be an issue once the cookies are fully baked.

12 Ways to Jazz Up A Salad

I previously posted a similar article called 15 Ways to Jazz Up a Veggie Burger.

Salads are great. They're cool, crisp, and can encompass a wide variety of colors, flavors, and textures. They're also generally pretty healthy (especially vegan salads.) Sometimes though, salads can get boring, and they can get boring very easily if you are eating a lot of them in hopes of losing weight or becoming healthier. So, here are some ways to spice it up without killing your diet!

1. Try an interesting dressing. Okay, so I know this is really obvious, but sometimes your "favorite" just doesn't do the same magic that it used to. For traditionalist, try a raspberry vinaigrette, the sweet and sour blend is very different from the more conservative blends. Using your own custom blend of olive oil and balsamic/red wine vinegar is also a good bet. You can reduce the amount of oil to help save calories. One of my favorite homemade dressing is dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, oil, and minced garlic. My grandmother makes her own of garlic-infused EV olive oil with red wine vinegar. You can also use pickle juice or banana pepper vinegar straight from the jar for a mild no-calorie pick-me-up. At the store, Drew's line of salad dressing are my favorite. Try Kalamata Olive and Caper or Lemon Goddess Tahini if you're feeling adventurous.
2. Use an adventurous mix of greens. If you don't want to clean and wash 5 different types of greens, buy a bagged mix. If you find salads to be very bitter, or if you think that you have to add too much dressing in order to be able to taste it, add in lighter flavored lettuces, such as Iceberg. Iceberg isn't the healthiest (its less green), but a little goes a long way in making your salad taste that much better. Many store bought mixes incorporate Iceberg along with healthier greens such as Romaine, Arugula, and Baby Spinach.
3. Grow your own lettuce. Fresh picked lettuce is always the best tasting! My favorites are Romaine and Butter Crunch. Always pick the leaves before they get too big, they will be tenderer and you won't waste as much if the centers of the leaves are still green and soft. Baby Spinach is also easy to grow, and you can replant lettuces later in the season as well. Just make sure to read up on preventing it from bolting (going to seed)!
   
4. Add non-traditional and non-leafy ingredients to your salad. Try walnuts, apple slices, grapes, hot peppers (banana rings and pepperoncini) , grape tomatoes, thin sliced onions, olives of all kinds, vegan cheese, couscous, and avocados to name a few. Just be sure to pick a dressing that goes along with your choices. "Garlic Delight" might not be the best dressing for a salad with lots apples and grapes, whereas a raspberry vinaigrette would be a good pick.
   
5. Add meat-imitators to create mock "chicken" and "steak" salads. I like Boca Chik'n patties, just microwave them for a minute or two and slice 'em up! Morningstar Farms Steak Strips are also a good option, though they take more work to prepare then patties.
6. Wanna go Greek? And I mean without crazy frat parties and kegs of cheap non-vegan beer of course! Add kalamata olives, pepperoncini, vegan cheese (if available), and vegan Greek dressing (try Drew's Kalamata if you can't find a cheese-free Greek.)
7. Or go south of the border! Add vegan cheese (if available), microwaved refried pinto beans, black beans, salsa, guacamole/avocado and crushed up tortilla chips/taco shells to make a Mexican salad.
   
8. If you add vegan taco meat instead of or with the beans, its a Taco Salad.
9. Try croutons! You can either make your own croutons from old sliced bread or can look for vegan prepackaged ones.
   
10. If your local grocery doesn't carry any vegan croutons (like mine), I suggest taking a look for these Santa Fe Tortilla Strips by Fresh Gourmet (next to the croutons). They are absolutely fantastic! Add them to a Mexican/Taco Salad for a great treat that still is okay for your waistline.
    
11. Greens don't always have to be the star of the show, though for this guide I am mostly keeping it to traditional-type salads. However, mixing cooked and cooled penne pasta with spinach leaves, olives, onion, grape/cherry tomatoes and a Greek/Italian dressing is a sure winner, even better if you're lucky enough to have some vegan mozzerella on hand!
12. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If life gives you salad, put it between some bread and make a sandwich. If you stack a veggie sandwich high with lettuce, spinach, onion, and tomatoes you basically have a salad between two slices of bread. Just be careful to use low-calorie bread if your intention is to lose weight. Subway and D'Angelo's are great places to get a quick, vegan sandwhich that is packed with healthy and fresh veggies.

First Dog Scandal?

The Obamas finally have their new pet, Bo, a purebred Portuguese water dog. Though Mr. Obama would have preferred a mutt (because it would be like him), they needed to get a purebred because of Malia Obama's allergies. Throughout the campaign, the first family said that the wanted to adopt a shelter dog, which pleased many animal activists.

However, there is somewhat of a dispute over whether or not Bo is really a "rescued" dog. We do know that he came from a breeder. He was put into a home that did not work for him, and was given back to the breeder. Then he was adopted by the Obamas. The dispute lies in that Bo never spent time in a shelter or with a rescue group. He was still taken out of a poorly-fit home and given a new lease on life.

Bo's breeders also bred the Portuguese water dogs of Massachusetts Senator Kennedy. The Kennedys actually gave Bo to the Obamas as a present, knowing that they needed an allergen-free purebred dog, and that there was a dog in need of a good home.

So what do you think? Did the Obamas do the right thing or did they skimp on their campaign promise?

Personally, I 100% support what the Obamas did. It is hard to find an allergy-safe purebred in a shelter, especially one with good temperament (for living in the White House. If the presidential shelter dog ever bit someone, what would that do for the reputation rescued dog adoptions?) Second, Bo was a gift from the Kennedys. If someone gives you a gift, it's kind of rude to refuse it, especially when it (or he) is something that you are looking for. Third, the dog wasn't just bought from a breeder, it had been in a home that was not a good fit. They did not go to a puppy mill or high-end breeder specifically to get a brand spankin' new puppy.

Though they did not end up adopting a shelter dog, they still donated money to the places that they were looking at. My only concern is that Portuguese water dog puppy mills will increase "production" in hopes of fans wanting to purchase the same breed as the First Family. However, we no longer live in the era of idolization, such as 50 years ago when our society was enthralled with the DiMaggios, Monroes, Ruths, and FDRS, etc of the time.

I'd like to say congratulations to the Obama's on their new family member, and that I am very pleased that they took in a "quasi-rescued" dog, considering they had to make sure it would be okay for Malia.

Guilty As Charged

So its been quite a while since I last posted, and I feel like I have made waaay too much of these "sorry for not being very active" posts. Here's the scoop of whats happened with me:

• Got inducted into the National Honor Society. NHS does lots of things after school that take up much of my precious free time.
• Got dumped by one boyfriend, now I have a new one who actually lives less than four miles away so I'm not spending a lot of time at home any more.
• Bought my own car, 2001 Toyota Camry LE, so again, not staying at home much any more.
• My A.P. classes (calculus and chemistry) are really cracking down since the A.P. examinations are coming up looming in the near future.
• I'm taking all honors classes and the papers/projects/homework seems to never end.
  
• I do a myriad of other things after school, like Prom Committee, track and field, tutoring, and work (car payments and insurance aren't cheap).
• AND (best one), I'm the President/Founder of my school's Students For Animal Advocacy group. Which takes up a considerable amount of time. Currently we're doing a fundraiser for our local shelter and we also are organizing the Great American Meatout (this friday) at the school.

So that's why I haven't really posted in a while. I've had this blog for 3 years now, it's hard to come up with new ideas for posts as well as report on "my life" when my life consists of no free time to set down and write. If you have any suggestions or things you'd like me to do/write about, I'd be more than happy to hear them!

Much love,
Allie

Choose a Compassionate Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate with family and to be thankful for all that we have. Somehow, the murder of 300 million turkeys each year doesn't seem to fit in with that equation. Instead, have a compassionate Thanksgiving with all the veganized trimmings you want and a non-meat centerpiece.

Here are Gentlethanksgiving.org's top ten reasons to forgo the carcass at your celebration:

10. Your body will appreciate a holiday from saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones.

9. You won’t sweat the environment and food resources devastation guilt trip.

8. You won’t spend a sleepless night wondering how the turkey lived and died.

7. Animal advocates will cherish you.

6. You won’t have to call the Poultry Hotline to keep your family alive.

5. Fruits and vegetables don’t have to carry government warning labels.

4. Commercial turkeys are too obese to breed. Won’t happen to you.

3. Your kids can tell their friends about their cool “tofurky.”

2. You are what you eat. Who wants to be a “butterball”?

1. You won’t fall asleep during the football game.

For a vegan Thanksgiving, try a Tofurky centerpiece with some of the following sides:

• cranberry sauce (some are gelatin free)
• mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
• steamed green beans
• maple-glazed carrots
• mashed sweet potatoes
• roasted potatoes
• pasta salad
• vegetable soup
  
• butternut or acorn squash
• fruit salad

For dessert, you can make vegan versions of:

• pumpkin pie
• "cheese"cake
• chocolate cake
• trifle
• cookies
• spice cake
• bread pudding
• pound cake
• brownies
  
• just about any other baked good
  

As you can see, ditching turkey and other animal products does not limit your options in any way, and there are plenty of delicious dishes to choose from!

So, please choose a compassionate Thanksgiving that leaves murder and cruelty out of the celebration. Your conscience and millions of turkeys will thank you.