Yes, a tall claim, but I'm not afraid to make it. There are a million cookie recipes out there, and about a thousand of them are vegan, so what sets this one apart? Because it is the best, that's why!

Now I didn't come up with this recipe. I made some small modifications to the original Homestyle Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe created by Dreena Burton, a Canadian vegan supermom who has an adorable accent, two very lucky little girls, and three awesome vegan cookbooks. This recipe comes from my favorite book of hers, Vive Le Vegan.

I'm going to post my modified recipe, but you can see the original recipe here. Even better, you can watch Dreena making them on YouTube. I love that she doesn't sift the flour.

For a while now I have had this desire to go to a restaurant and, upon being asked if I would like anything to drink, respond with, "Gimme a coffee, and make it irish" in a gruff voice. I'm not sure where this came from, but it has come up sporadically in my mind over the last couple of months.

This silly scenario will never actually occur for a few different reasons. One, I am very polite and would never order like that. Two, my voice is anything but gruff. Three, I cannot tolerate coffee after 11am unless I want to be up all night. And lastly, irish coffee will likely always have dairy in it.

I did actually visit Herbivore in Berkeley not too long ago and noticed Irish coffee on the menu. However, it was 11:00 at night and so the first three rules came into play.

Recently I bought a bottle of Bailey's Irish Creme and made my own Irish coffee at home. However, the suspicious lack of ingredients on the bottle and the artifical sweetness of the liquid ensured that I didn't want to buy it again any time soon.

Sonora, California is a lovely little town known for having lots of shops and good restaurants. However, a vegetarian or vegan may not see it that way. At first glance, the town seems to have mostly red meat and authentic Mexican, neither of which is appetizing to a veg*n. Yet with a little bravery and persistence, I have discovered that you can in fact find vegetarian food in the restaurants of Sonora. Here are some of the places I have found.

*Note: almost every place has bread and/or iceberg lettuce salad available, so I am only listing those categories of food if they are unique in some way.  Also, I am going by what is on the menu only.  For any strict vegans out there, you should ask your server to make sure there aren’t any hidden ingredients in an otherwise appetizing dish.

When I first moved to northern California I became aware of the organic produce movement. The natural food store and the co-op had lots of organic fruits and veggies, as well as lots of organic processed food. I rarely bought any, as I was on a budget of $25/week and had to shop at the regular supermarket. However, once in a while I splurged in the organic section. I felt like I was doing something good for me and the environment.

Years later, after researching and studying in the fields of nutrition, chemistry, agriculture and pesticides, I still buy organic produce. No longer a starving student, I can afford to pay a little more for my groceries. I also am a big supporter of the organic farming movement, and at our farmer's market I always go to the organic farmer's booth first to see what goodies he has. However, I also buy a great deal of conventionally farmed produce as well. This is a conscious shift I have made as my awareness on this issue has broadened.

I love to bake, but for about half the year it just isn't practical to turn on the oven because it is so hot.  Luckily, the seasons have changed and it is now time to get out those oven mitts and muffin pans.

Over the years, I have tried to balance my love of baking with my nutritional knowledge.  I know that homemade is better than those box mixes with all the preservatives.  I know that white flour is bad for you, saturated fat is second only to hydrogenated fat in terms of the damage to your heart, and sugar should be avoided as much as possible.  Well, there goes the brownies and pumpkin cranberry muffins I was going to bake-- or does it?

With a few easy substitutions, a sinful dessert becomes... well, a less sinful treat that still tastes excellent, which is the point of baking a treat in the first place after all.

The only place in town that I enjoy eating at has but one thing on the menu, besides a salad, that I am willing to eat-- pizza. However, when it is hot out and I don't feel like turning on the oven, that pizza is irresistible.

I thought at first it was the artichokes and the sundried tomato pesto that was reeling me in. However, I can honestly admit now that my favorite part was dipping the crust in the "dipping sauce" that they gave us at the start of the meal. I tried to make it at home, but oil and vinegar alone didn't cut it. A quick google search turned up a few ideas, and this recipe was born. Now that it is cold and I look forward to using the oven, I will have lots of chances to adorn my homemade pizza with my homemade dipping sauce. Yum!

Ingredients

extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
crushed red pepper
dried basil*
2 cloves garlic, crushed
water

Delicious and cruelty-free!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cu whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
1 cu Earth Balance, Soy Garden or other non-hydrogenated margerine, softened
1/2 cu sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)
1/2 cu brown sugar (I like dark right now)
1/4 cu warm water mixed with 1 T Egg Replacer
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cu vegan chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

Beat together the Earth Balance and sugar in a large mixing bowl. While mixing, add in the egg replacer/water mixture and the vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry mix to the wet mix in the large bowl. I usually have a bit of flour that hasn't mixed in completely, but that is just fine.

I haven't planned the entire menu out yet, mainly because this year we are having lots of company to share in the recipe selection fun. I will most likely be making something similar to these pull apart rolls again, as they were a big hit last year. I think my mom will make her famous roasted root vegetables again, and I imagine there will be garlic mashed potatoes present. The stuffing/dressing is my favorite part of the meal, and this year I am looking forward to one with chanterelle mushrooms in it which sounds scrumptious. We will also have corn and peas, which is a tradition from my childhood. For greens, I think a salad with vinaigrette from Vive Le Vegan. I am also not ashamed to admit that I will be serving the jellied cranberry sauce in the can. I absolutely love it, and the fresh stuff is no substitute for it. My mom also picked up some of the Martinelli's sparkling cider which we always have at the holidays.

I tried this recipe from Kitchenaid on Thanksgiving last year. I know you are supposed to use the tried-and-true gems on holidays, but I always find great new recipes I want to try. So far I have been lucky. Anyways, here it is. Enjoy!

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup (250 ml) warm water (You should be able to keep your finger in it for at least 10 sec)
1/2 cup (125 ml) non-hydrogenated margarine, melted
3 to 3.5 cups (750-875 ml) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (25 ml) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 ml) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) thyme
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) oregano
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) dill*

Preparations:

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup (50 ml) margerine, 2 cups (500 ml) flour, sugar, salt, and herbs. Mix well until blended.

    On Saturday we ventured higher into the mountains and the forests of Twain Harte to peruse the market there. It was sort of a clash between Trader Joe's, Henry's Market, and a regular grocery store. Which is just fine with me, as those three stores were our primary staples for food for the last three years. We made some good finds there, which made the trip worthwhile.

    The best part was finding Good Karma's Organic Carrot Cake Rice Cream. It is literally the best ice cream we have ever had, including all the kinds that hail straight from a cow's teat. It tasted exactly like frozen carrot cake, only with creamy consistency of cookie dough ice cream. We are in heaven, and must use all self control not to eat it all in one sitting. We only bought one container (damn fools we are) so I am sure we will be making the trip up there again soon for some more!