Vegan Peanut Butter Apple Crumble Bites

 I can’t even begin to express how ridiculously excited about this recipe I am! First of all, it comes together SO easily (I would know, because I made this on a whim), but also, one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to stop letting food go to waste.  I never try to waste food on purpose, but sometimes you just let the bag of spinach sit too long in your fridge, or forget about the bunch of sweet potatoes you bought cause they’re sitting in the cabinet…(yikes) and I always just feel so bad when I end up having to toss the food.  I know that I won’t be perfect with this resolution because sometimes things just happen, but I’m hoping that if I put my mind to it, I can change my lifestyle and the way I make purchases going forward. 

Coming back from my last grocery run, I realized that I had accidentally bought new apples when I already had some old ones, and then putting away my snacks, I noticed some slightly stale peanut butter cookies sitting in the bag of my pantry (you see what I mean when I say I need to change the way I make purchases? I’m always forgetting what I already have :p ).  I didn’t want to break my resolution 3 weeks into the new year, so I got creative.  My aunt and uncle happen to be a fan of vegan foods even though they’re not vegans themselves, so I figured that I could whip up a dessert from these things to bring over to them.  

Turns out, apples, peanut butter and cinnamon crumble make for a bomb flavor combination.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since as I kid, I always had Ritz crackers with peanut butter and apple slices.  Let’s just say biting into these sweet and salty cuties straight from the oven brought me intense waves of nostalgia haha.  The one (and might I add, only) bad thing about these bits is that they definitely do get soggy if you decide to store them overnight.  Because of this, I’ve only made this recipe to make one batch (a full muffin tin), and would not recommend doubling the recipe unless you know you’re going to have a big crowd. 

In other news, my last first day of school (of the second semester) officially started Tuesday! Can’t believe that I’m hitting 18 years of being in school…man I feel old.  I’m sure it’ll be surreal once everything comes to an end, but for now, I’m going to concentrate on enjoying my classes and making as many memories as I can make in Big Apple.  And maybe making more of these lil’ apple bites!

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER APPLE CRUMBLE BITES | Makes 12 bites

INGREDIENTS

• 8 peanut butter cookies (the sweet kind, like Nutterbutters)
• 2 medium sized apples – cored and sliced into 1/2″ cubes
• 1 tsp granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (for the struesel)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp of vegan butter
• 12 Muffin tin liners

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350(F).
2. Line a regular sized muffin tin with liners.
3. Crush peanut butter cookies until a fine crumble is formed. I will usually just do this in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush cookies.
4. Divide crushed cookies evenly between the 12 muffin liners.  Pack the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the liners.  The bottom of a 1/4 cup works super well to pack down the crumbs.
5. In a separate bowl, toss the cubed apples, granulated white sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon together.  Let the apples sit while you make the streusel topping.
6. In another separate bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and 1/2 tsp cinnamon together.  Then cut vegan butter in with either a pastry cutter or two butter knives until a crumble forms.  It is SUPER important to keep the butter cold, cold, cold! If it starts to look soft/melty, just stick the bowl into the fridge for 5 or so minutes.
7. Divide apples evenly between the 12 liners and place on top of cookie crumble base.
8. Top with streusel.  Don’t be afraid to be generous!
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until streusel topping is golden. 
10. Bites should be consumed immediately and not stored overnight for best texture (taste won’t be affected).

Enjoy!

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The Best Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce

Think of all the possibilities! Salted caramel brownies (link to recipe for vegan brownies), salted caramel apple cake (link to recipe for apple cake), or even salted caramel ice cream! When I was small, my favorite flavor was vanilla, but everything changed when I was introduced to the salted caramel flavor *cue nostalgia*. Oh, the perfect combination of sweet, salty, rich and indulgent all at the same time. Anyone else agree with me??
Anyway, since I’m lactose intolerant now and is so pretty much 99.9% of my family, I figured it might be time to look for a dairy-free salted caramel replacement.  Not exactly the easiest thing on the planet unfortunately, since butter and cream make up pretty much the bulk of salted caramel. I do think that nothing really beats the luxurious taste of butter, but this recipe comes pretty darn near close. The consistency is a little bit different (I would say a little bit thicker and glossier), but still perfect to drizzle on ice cream, pies, or just to eat by the spoonful.

When I first started experimenting with creating the perfect vegan salted caramel, I was stumped. Yes, melting the sugar wasn’t any different, but what about the butter and cream? What was I supposed to do about that? The answer hit me as I was eating some coconut mango sticky rice (nope, I don’t do anything else except eat dessert haha) – coconut oil and milk!The key to this recipe is to make sure you buy a filtered coconut oil, that keeps the coconut taste to a minimum and ensures maximum caramel flavor. I got all my ingredients from Trader Joe’s (not sponsored, but seriously love that store and its reasonable prices in New York City).

When you start adding the coconut oil to the melted sugar, and it doesn’t look like the two are mixing, don’t panic! Once you add in the coconut milk, that’s were the magic happens. Not going to lie, the mixture will probably start bubbling and sizzling like crazy, but just stir away and when all of the hubbub dies down, you’ll have a creamy, deep golden salted caramel. Now, for a snack of salted caramel and apples…

IMPORTANT: When adding the cold coconut milk to the hot sugar and coconut oil mixture, make sure to add in the coconut milk SLOWLY, otherwise the caramel will harden and seize up.  If that happens, increase heat and whisk until the mixture loosens up.

VEGAN SALTED CARAMEL | Makes 1/2 cup of salted caramel

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 coconut milk (full-fat)
• 3 tbsp filtered coconut oil (Trader Joe’s has a great one!)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, melted granulated sugar over medium heat. This might take between 10-15 minutes, and the sugar can go quickly from golden brown to burnt, so keep a close eye on the sugar.
2. Once all the sugar is melted (color should be a dark amber), lower heat and add in the coconut oil.
3. Once coconut oil is completely melted, slowly pour in coconut milk (mixture will sizzle and might splatter a bit), but whisk coconut milk, oil and melted sugar together.
4. When mixture comes together, sprinkle in salt and whisk well.
5. Salted caramel will keep in an airtight container (I put mine in mason jars, as pictured above) for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Avocado Chickpea and Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

 Let’s talk sandwiches.  I’ll get straight to the point, I love them. There’s just something so satisfying about biting through two pieces of bread stuffed full of yummy deliciousness. During kindergarten, I would bring an fried-egg sandwich every day, doused in soy-sauce and nestled between two pieces of white bread.  Probably the first fusion cuisine I encountered, to be honest.  Obviously there was the classic peanut butter and jelly combo, which then quickly turned into peanut butter and Nutella (my mom put an end to that one after I came back from the dentist with too many cavities..oops). Pannini’s were the jam in college, so quick, so fast, and I could literally throw anything I had in the fridge on them (and I did). 

I’ll admit, I’m a little bit more health conscious now then I was a few years back, but I guess that happens when you become lactose intolerant.  Anyways, since I don’t eat meat anymore due to sustainability reasons, one of the things that I’ve really missed and sometimes do secretly crave is a meaty, satisfying sandwich. All the sandwiches that I’ve encountered without some sort of deli meat have been sad, limpy lettuce, wilty spinach, and dry bread.  And even if they are delicious (shout out dairy-free pesto!), they never really satisfy me.

This sandwich is my dream sandwich.  If I could eat it everyday, I probably would. It’s creamy, it’s meaty, it’s flavorful and the pretzel bun pretty much makes the cake. I found a majority of my ingredients at whole foods, but I’m pretty sure you could go to any specialty store and pick up the required items. My favorite mock deli meat is made from chickpeas, but I know from experience that there are many different varieties, so chose a flavor that calls out to you.  If you’re not sure where to start, Tofurkey and Lightlife are two brands that I usually purchase and love. So, if you’ve been hesitant to try out the meatless-Monday idea, this would be a great recipe to start off with! It comes together in under 30 minutes and will definitely keep you full for the night.

Let’s get to it!

AVOCADO CHICKPEA & ROASTED VEGGIE SANDWICH | Makes 2 full sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe avocado sliced thinly
• 2 Pretzel buns (mine were vegan and about 6″)
• 2 tbsp of olive tapenade
• 6 slices of “deli meat”
• 1 zucchini, sliced into thick wedges (think potato wedges)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 (F)
2. Toss sliced zucchini and red bell pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (I do 1/4 tsp of each, but it’s really personal preference!)
3. Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes until golden
4. Slice open your pretzel buns length-wise and place it on a baking tray so the inside of the bun is in direct contact with the pan.
5. Toast buns for 5 minutes (I usually just stick it into the oven with the veggies)
6. Once buns are toasted, spread each bun with 1 tbsp olive tapenade
7. Place 3 slices of “deli meat” onto each bun and top with avocado slices (I usually just give each person half an avocado)
8. Once your veggies are done roasting, top each sandwich off with roasted veggies
9. Devour and wish you had more!

Enjoy!

Vegan Dark Chocolate Orange and Pistachio Cookies

Yes, these cookies are vegan. No, I’m not joking. Promise (really!). I guess I should confess, I’ve been on a vegan kick lately.  Vegan savory dishes, vegan desserts, and for a hot second vegan purses (which turned out to be a scam -_- ) All else aside, these cookies are REALLY, REALLY good. I brought them to share with my friends at school and they were hooked onto the chocolate-y, nutty, orange-y flavor. In fact, none of them even noticed they were vegan until I casually mentioned that they didn’t have any eggs or butter.

I originally got the inspiration from my best friend, who happens to love the orange and pistachio combination.  She actually doesn’t like chocolate (I know, I was shocked too, but now I just make baked goods without chocolate in it for her, haha), but I LOVE chocolate, so I knew I had to incorporate dark chocolate as well.  This is just my personal opinion when it comes to chocolate, but I think that buying chocolate bars and chopping it up yourself just gives the best results. You get large melty pools of chocolate, but also tiny pieces that get all mixed into the dough and are like hidden gems when you bite into the cookie. So, it is really up to you whether or not you want to use chocolate chips, or buy a bar and chop it into pieces.  Just make sure that if you’re making these cookies for people who are strictly vegan to check your chocolate and make sure there is not dairy in it (believe it or not, some dark chocolate still have a lot of dairy in it!).

Don’t leave out the orange zest in this recipe.  I know that sometimes the combination of orange and chocolate can feel strange, but the zest doesn’t change the texture of the cookie at all and really helps brighten up the flavor of the cookie!  The best thing about this recipe is probably the fact that you SHOULD bake these cookies right away.  Yep, that’s right, no chilling ladies and gentlemen.  Normally chilling intensifies the flavor and I’m all for it, but in this case, it actually makes the pistachios soggy and not very nutty at all.  However, if you want to chill your cookies, or forget them in the fridge because you had to do laundry (this girl here), they will still taste really delicious 🙂

New York is finally starting to show signs of spring.  Today was the first sunny day in awhile and I’m BEYOND ecstatic.  It’s still too cold for dresses and sandals, but at least I didn’t have to wear a second jacket going outside. The flower beds outside of my apartment are starting to sprout tulips and the pop of color really just makes it feel that much more spring-y. My apartment itself doesn’t get much sunlight, so I’m headed out to soak in some vitamin D. Hopefully spring is just around the corner for everyone.  And in the mean time, if you’re craving something citrus-y, make these cookies!!!!!! They’re so good!!! PROMISE!

VEGAN ORANGE DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO COOKIES | Makes 1.5 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 3/4 cups of chopped vegan dark chocolate
• 3/4 cups of shelled chopped pistachios
• 1/3 granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tsp water
• 2 tsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Sea salt or kosher salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 (F) and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl, combine white sugar and orange zest.  Work together with hands until sugar takes on the fragrance on the orange zest.  Then add in dark brown sugar, vegetable oil, water, molasses and vanilla extract into the bowl and mix well. 
4. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined. 
5. Mix in pistachios and dark chocolate pieces until well incorporated.
6. Portion out golf-ball sized dough balls and place at least 2 inches apart from each other.
7. Sprinkle tops of cookies with sea salt or kosher salt
8. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to brown, and the center is just set.
9. Let cool before storing in an air-tight container.
10. Cookies will stay fresh for up to a week in an air-tight container.

Enjoy!

Vegan Lemon Orange Black Tea Cookies

 *Disclaimer: There are no “after” pictures on account of everyone eating them before I had a chance to take photos

What do you get when you give someone who doesn’t drink tea, tea bags?  They make cookies with them! Seriously, I’m not sure if it’s my Asian upbringing that prevented me from tossing these straight into the trash or the fact that I’m trying to live more sustainability, but either way, the end result was some pretty amazing cookies. These cookies are like having tea and cookies all in one bite.  Or like a drop of summer with the infused lemon-orange flavor. 

At first, I was a bit skeptical about trying to make tea infused cookies.  In my previous experience, they’re hard to do, even in regular cookies, much less vegan cookies.  Something always manages to go wrong, whether it’s the tea flavor being too strong, or too weak or too bitter after baking.  Luckily, by using lemon-orange tea, or any other sort of fruity lying tea you might have around, the citrus flavor is balanced perfectly with the black tea, so it doesn’t taste too bitter at all. 

I won’t lie, there’s a fair bit of time that goes into these cookies, mostly waiting around time, but still, time that you have to spend not having cookies in your stomach.  BUT, I can promise for being vegan, these are ENTIRELY worth it. The key to this recipe is giving your tea bag of choice enough time to steep in the water and oil, otherwise you’ll end up with tasteless cookies.  It took me about a million times to get the timing right, but lucky for you, it should only take one try 🙂

The vibrant color you see in the pictures are entirely natural. The lemony cream color is just from the black tea, while the more magenta colored ones are from being rolled in crushed freeze-dried raspberries before baking.  Again, the Asian part of me couldn’t bear to throw away too sour freeze-dried raspberries sitting in my pantry, and they turned out to be the perfect tartness needed for these cookies.

DO NOT OVER BAKE THESE COOKIES!!!!!! SO IMPORTANT, I can’t emphasize that enough.  Because there are vegan cookies, when you over bake them, instead of becoming golden brown with crunchy edges when you use butter, it ends up burning and hardening. If you’re unsure, err on the side of under baking.  I mean, their vegan, so technically no raw eggs = eat all the raw cookie dough you want!

As I’m writing this, I’ve got some beet (yes, beet) bread in the oven that I’m hoping will retain a nice, bright pretty color, so send me some good thoughts if you can spare them! I know it’s been awhile since I blogged my last post, but things have been busy around here! I’m finishing up my first year of grad school, which means doomsday (aka finals) is fast approaching.  Can you believe that they make people write 40 page papers? My hand is cramping up already as I think about it. After that I’ll be headed back to good ole’ MN for awhile before starting a environmental health summer internship.

What can I say? I’m excited for summer, the sunshine, and of course, more of these citrusy cookies! If you’e got a couple hours to spare, try this recipe out! Or add it to your meatless Monday dinner as dessert, I can promise no one will complain. 

VEGAN LEMON ORANGE BLACK TEA COOKIES | Makes 12-16 large cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup + 2 tsp neutral tasting oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 tsp hot water (basically as hot as you would normally make tea with)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tea bags of your choice (preferably a fruity tasting one)
• 1/4 cup crushed freeze-dried raspberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure out water and oil into their own bowl.  Add one tea bag to each bowl and let steep for 10 minutes. Take tea bags out of each liquid, making sure to squeeze tea bag thoroughly so you don’t mess up measurements.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
3. Combine steeped water and oil, vanilla and white sugar and whisk until smooth.
4. Add flour into sugar mixture and just combine until no flour is visible.
5. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour (this is crucial as the mixture will be too soft to handle otherwise!) and up to 24 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 325 (F). Portion out golf-ball sized cookies and roll half in the crushed freeze-dried raspberries.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until centers of cookies start to look set/firm.
8. Cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

The Best Vegan Brownies

 When I was young, my favorite part of grocery shopping would be right at the end, when my mom and I would scour the bakery aisle for boxes of brownie mix on sale for 99 cents (!!!!). My mom wasn’t a huge baker, but she knew that my older sister and I loved to make brownies with her.  We’d carefully cradle the small box of brownies in our arms and race home anxious to fill our stomachs with some ooey, gooey brownies fresh out of the oven. Oh man, that initial bite of warm brownie with a cold glass of milk? Probably one of my top ten favorite things to eat for the longest time. 
That was maybe ten, fifteen years ago? And now when I go home the baked goods get a little bit fancier than out of the box (mostly because my lovely mother will fund the ingredients for me to experiment a bit), but when I’m by myself and just have to bake, brownies are still my go to item. Now, I know there’s a lot of debate over what’s better, a cakey brownie or a fudgy brownie but personally, I think I’m a middle of the road not quite cakey, but not ridiculously fudgy with just the right amount of chewiness kind of brownie lover. 

I’ve been getting more and more into vegan baking since that’s what feels best for my stomach (and is also best for the planet! yay!), but never experimented with brownies before. Turns out, vegan brownies are hard to make. No eggs = no emulsifier = a rock hard chocolate flour layer with a giant puddle of oil over it (definitely not yummy). I’m not exactly a huge fan of the different types of vegan emulsifier out there since they all contain a myriad of ingredients that aren’t exactly the best for you.  But on the bajillionth time trying to create a success vegan brownie recipe, I stumbled across something in the back of my cabinet, lonely and forgotten: a can of chickpeas. Out came the chickpeas (later used for some delicious curry), and I decided to experiment with the water which is high in protein and I figured would have similar properties to egg. And it totally worked!!!!

These brownies are rich, a tiny bit cakey, a tiny bit fudgy and pretty much the perfect middle of the road brownie to satisfy both vegans and non-vegans.  I’ve added dark chocolate chips into this batter to keep it vegan, but you are more than welcome to substitute with semi-sweet, milk or even no chocolate. The first bite of it sent me into waves of nostalgia, and also a giant craving for some ice cream to top the brownies with.  They’re ridiculously easy to whip up and even easier to eat. I would recommend not doubling the recipe as the chickpea water generally doesn’t mimic an egg too well if you add in too much.  Seriously though, give them a try! They’re the perfect treat to bring or make if you know your guests have any dietary restrictions. They remind me of my childhood and I hope they also take you back to yours.

INGREDIENTS

• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 6 tbsp chickpea water (save those chickpeas!)
• 1⁄4 tsp baking powder
• 1⁄3 cup cocoa powder
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (vegan)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 (F)
2. Line an 8×8 brownie pan with parchment paper
3. In a large bowl combine vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla and chickpea water. Whisk together for 1-2 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, all-purpose flour and chocolate chips. Whisk dry ingredients together.
5. Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
6. Pour batter into an 8×8 brownie pan
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until middle looks set
8. Cool before cutting for optimal square pieces
9. Brownies will keep for up 5 days in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Chewy and Soft Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

I kid you not, these are hands-down, THE best vegan chocolate chip cookies you’re ever going to eat. Period. Slightly melty and soft in the center, chewy on the edges, and stuffed so full of chocolate pieces, they’re impossible not to love. I know, I know, hearing the word (or even reading the word) vegan, has probably sent you running to the nearest grocery store to frantically buy pounds of butter until no more will fit in your cart. And if you’re not as extreme as that, you’re probably skill a little skeptical about the word “vegan”.

To be completely honest, I definitely didn’t buy into vegan desserts for the longest time. I always imagined them to be tough, dry, tasteless and probably rock-hard. So I avoided them for the longest time, until I became, wait for it *drum roll* lactose intolerant. YUP, no joke, probably the saddest day of my life. But I guess it was coming, considering I’m Asian and 95% of all Asians are lactose intolerant.

I guess I moped about this for awhile, but then started to do some research on how to create a delicious cookie, without butter. Turns out, the recipe also ended up not needing eggs either, so voila! A vegan cookie, so delicious, that you don’t even miss the butter or eggs. Is it any healthier? I mean, just because something is vegan, doesn’t mean it’s automatically healthier, but this recipe doesn’t contain all the saturated fats that butter carries, and also does use dark chocolate, which is good for you! I’m not saying should eat the whole batch in one sitting, buuuuttt, it probably wouldn’t kill if you wanted to (I say this from experience, haha).

This is the easiest recipe ever, it does require molasses, which I realize probably isn’t a pantry staple, but this recipe is worth investing in a bottle of molasses.  Plus, that stuff is hardy, so it’ll keep for awhile, AND molasses happens to be a great substitute for honey or sugar if you’re ever out. You only need two bowls, you could probably get away with one (I won’t tell), and you don’t even need to cream anything.

Complete aside, but still important: as someone studying environmental health sciences and sustainability, this kind of stuff matters to me. I know that change is difficult, but it’s the new year, and isn’t that for resolutions? Give eating more sustainably a go (I’d suggest this recipe, haha), and you might be surprised with what you find 🙂

Anyway, I’m typing this as it’s blizzard-ing away, so if you’re stuck inside like me in this east coast snow storm, still on holiday break, or are just in the mood for some chocolate chip cookies that are a little healthier, give these one a try, I promise you won’t be disappointed!

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES | Makes 2 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (make sure their vegan)
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 1/2 tsp water
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Sea salt for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and dark chocolate chips together.
2. In a separate large bowl, mix brown and white sugars with molasses and knead with hands until well incorporated.
3. Then add in vegetable oil, water and vanilla into sugars – whisk together until smooth.
4. Then add flour into sugar mixture and just combine until no flour is visible.
5. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, the longer you chill the dough for, the deeper golden brown it’ll get, and the crispier the edges get!
6. Preheat the oven to 350 (F), portion out golf ball sized cookies and sprinkle each cookies with sea salt before baking.
7. Bake 10-11 minutes
8. Cookies will stay fresh in an air-tight for up to one week.

Enjoy!!! (and for me, a nice cold glass of soy milk!)

Pumpkin + Sweet Potato Gnocchi

As a child, I used to hate sweet potatoes, I thought it was this gooey oooey vegetable the color of radioactive material that only the craziest of villains would eat. Looking back, the reason why I probably hated eating sweet potatoes was most likely due to the fact that my mom’s method of boiling cubed sweet potatoes to death was quite frankly, not the most appetizing dinner meal to ever exist.

Once I moved out of the house for college, sweet potatoes immediately became one of my favorite things to eat. Chock full of vitamins and fiber, easy to prepare and cheap (read: college student budget), I was pretty much hooked on this root veggie. The first time I made gnocchi was a Wednesday night after I discovered with horror that the only things left in my kitchen were a bag of sweet potatoes, eggs, and flour (in my defense, I had just returned from a weekend visit out of town and hadn’t had the opportunity to grocery shop…). It turned out to be one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever made (probably because I was dying of hunger), but it’s been my go-to gnocchi recipe since then.

Three ingredients, 30 minutes and a pot of bowling water is all you need for these delicious, fluffy and satisfying little pockets of joy. This recipe is actually THE best because you can use sweet potato and pumpkin interchangeably (!!) and if you’re in a time crunch, you can use canned sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin and end up with the same delicious result!

PUMPKIN or SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup pumpkin or sweet potato puree (fresh or canned both work)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• A pinch of cayenne
• A pinch of pepper
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS

1. Place pumpkin or sweet potato puree in a large mixing bowl, add egg and mix until egg is incorporated and mixture is smooth.
2. Add in salt, garlic powder, cayenne and pepper, mix well.
3. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time into pumpkin/sweet potato mixture until a sticky dough has formed (at this point, you should be able to touch it and only have a little bit stick to your fingers).
4. Place dough onto a floured surface and dust top of dough with more flour until the entire outside of the dough is no longer sticky.
5. Divide dough out into portions and roll into long ropes about 1 inch in diameter taking care to keep exterior of dough always covered in flour.
6. Use either a knife of a bench scraper to cut dough into 1 inch pieces (if you would like traditional gnocchi, take a fork and gently press indentations into dough pieces).
7. Once pot of water is boiling, add in gnocchi pieces and cook until they float to the surface (about 5 minutes or so).
8. Remove gnocchi pieces once cooled and toss in some oil to prevent sticking.

* *At this point, you can either devour them (which is what I usually do), or take the time to crisp them on the pan which truly brings it to the next level of cooking. In the photos I’ve included, I’ve simply sauteed the gnocchi with garlic, mushrooms and spinach, or topped gnocchi with some roasted veggies and shrimp.

Enjoy!