I have to be honest, I have not done a lot of cooking this week. However, I do have a few things to report back to you, and a menu tonight that involves something completely New to me!
Apparently I’ve been (am still) on a vegetable kick! Those Thomas Sahara Pitas I mentioned? That became the star of a delicious veggie-themed lunch yesterday…..
What’s stuffed in that thing?
Purple Onion + Grape Tomatoes + Baby Spinach Leaves + Light Italian Dressing
In hindsight, a little grated Parmesan Cheese would’ve been delicious. Ah, well.
You also see baby carrots (+ Roasted red-pepper hummus) and a Braeburn apple – which might be my newest fruit obsession. They’re So Good.
Add a 6 oz fat-free Vanilla Yogurt (protein + dairy)? And that was my balanced packed-with-fresh produce meal. YUM.
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Wednesday night I joined a few friends at Science Club – they have great happy hour specials, and also happen to be a Vegan/Vegetarian themed restaurant. I had been here once before, and grabbed one of the Green Garden Rolls:
We also picked the Hummus Platter (roasted-red pepper what? Yes, I’ll take it!) that is joined by their Pita bread. Tasty!
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I may or may not have “tweeted” about this menu-browsing, and was sent a reply about Vegan Cookies! Um, come again? I need to hear more about this…
Yet another reply provided a recipe. Behold, Vegan Banana Everything Cookies! This will be an experiment for the weekend – anyone with me??
1 very ripe medium banana
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups quick-cooking (not instant) oatmeal or rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips (vegan, if desired).
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray two baking sheets with oil. In a mixing bowl, mash banana well. Add oil, sugar and vanilla, and mix with a strong fork. Add flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, and mix until just moistened.
2. Add oatmeal, walnuts and chocolate chips. Using your hands or a sturdy spoon, mix well, making sure oats are well moistened. (If dough is very slippery, add one or two extra tablespoons flour.)
3. Using clean, wet hands, re-wetting as needed, roll dough into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball, about 1 1/3 inches in diameter. Flatten slightly and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Yields: 2 dozen cookies
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On the Pre-Half-Marathon menu tonight?
Spaghetti Squash + Grilled Chicken.
This will be a first for me – I’ve never cooked SS and I’ve also never consumed it! Crazy, I Know. It was a “mission accomplished!” moment when I found one at Trader Joe’s for only $2.49. YES I’ll take that, thankyouverymuch!
I’ll report back next week!













