I’m not sure if frugality and penny-pinching is genetic but for better or worse I’ve inherited my family’s Midwestern “waste not, want not” mantra. I get phone calls like “Hey Vanessa, I’m about to throw away some bubble wrap, a yard of astroturf, and a silver ice bucket with my initials on it… I just thought you might, you know, want to do something with it before it goes into trash.” You see, I hate wasting anything.

I buy a bunch of bananas, for instance, and if the sisters and I can’t eat them all before they start to go spotty I throw the brown ones in the freezer, skins and all, to be later incarnated as banana bread or my favorite smoothie: banana-peanutbutter-cocoa.

So when challenged by a recipe development class at the Institute of Culinary Education to create a variation on the classic chocolate-chip cookie, I thought it would be fine time to clear the freezer of bananas and put them to use in a cookie version of my favorite smoothie. Effervescent instructor Sarah Copeland, recipe tester for the Food Network, used her encyclopedic baking knowledge to help turn my smoothie concept into real (and vegan!) cookies. My classmates shared inspired ideas and comments, including Myra Kornfield’s vegan baking tip to use coconut oil in the cookies for richness. The weekend class somehow flew by even though my stomach was quite heavily bogged down with test cookies.

So here they are, the results of my smoothie-to-cookie experiment - Vegan Banana Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies, or Vanana Cookies for short. The bananas, peanut butter, and cocoa combine to create a rich brownie-like cookie with bursts of creamy banana and chunky peanut. Truly scrumptious, vegan, and a great way to reclaim a few overly ripe bananas.

Preparation = 20 minutes
Cooking = 10 minutes
Yield = 16 large cookies

Vegan Banana Peanut Butter Cocoa Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, preferably organic
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas*
1 1/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter, at room temperature
1⁄4 cup coconut oil (not virgin), at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 firm-ripe bananas, cut into large dice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, cream together the ripe bananas, peanut butter, coconut oil, light brown sugar and vanilla extract until all ingredients are completely incorporated, about 3 minutes.

Slowly add the chocolate mixture to the ripe banana mixture, stirring to combine. Mixture should be very thick. Fold in diced banana with a rubber spatula.

Drop on an ungreased cookie sheet in large, 3 tablespoon-sized scoops, spaced one inch apart.

Bake until the outside of the cookie lightens, starts to develop deep cracks, and the banana bits start to brown, about 8 - 11 minutes.

Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

*Can be frozen and rethawed

My sister/roommate, known here as the Sistaster, has a deadly snack-weapon she likes to use to lure me into ruining my dinner. It goes by the delightful-in-a-kindergarden-way name of Puppy Chow… because it looks a little like puppy food, I guess. It’s also known as “Muddy Buddies” (the chocolate looks like mud?) or “White Trash” (because it’s inexpensive? because you can use a trash bag to mix it? because of the white powder?)

Basically, it’s Chex Cereal coated with melted peanut butter and chocolate and covered, to prevent stickiness, with powdered sugar. Like I said, deadly.

Inspired by a post from fellow NYC blogger Lisa of Homesick Texan, I thought I could class-up the classic Puppy Chow with ancho chili, almond butter, and the piece de resistance - Fritos (!) As Lisa eyeopeningly pointed out: “when you eat Fritos, you can pretend they’re good for you, as the ingredients are just corn, oil and salt—nothing artificial about these babies, they’re practically a whole food.” I love this train of thought, but once you’ve got them coated in chocolate and spicy powdered sugar you won’t be able to fool yourself any more.

This sweet, salty and spicy combination is addicting for some (myself included) but others think it’s downright weird. If you like a snack with a little bit of an edge, please try it out and let me know what you think.

Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1 - 20

Spicy Choco-Frito Chow

(2) 10oz bags of original Fritos
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup almond butter
1.5 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp ancho chili powder

Melt the chocolate chips and almond butter together in a small saucepan over low heat. In a large bowl or 2 gallon ziplock bag pour the melted chocolate over the Fritos and toss to coat evenly.

Mix the confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, and ancho chili together in a separate bowl. Coat the chocolately Fritos in the sugar mix. Let dry, and serve in a really big bowl.

This pasta is the companion dish to Creamy Chickpea Soup. Both are simple and unpretentious dishes, elegant in the way that Italian dishes just can’t help but be.

A key ingredient of both recipes is garlic. In the Creamy Chickpea Soup the garlic gets mellowed and sweetened by long slow stewing. In this pasta dish the fried-crisp texture and zippy flavor of this golden garlic make more akin to a spice than an herb.

I’m addicted to the emerald color, jazzy shape and peppery taste of arugula. I’d say it’s the poor man’s watercress, but it’s so good it’s poor man’s nothin’. And you’re hooked on arugula like I’m hooked on arugula, it would behoove you quite a peppery bit to check out these recipes:

A beautiful Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese from Elise’s never-ended supply of perfect recipes.
Catherine and I are on the same page pairing pasta with arugula and cheese – check out her Strozzapreti with Arugula and Arina Goat Gouda.
Urban Vegan makes a full-flavored Rasta Pasta without the cheese. Fantastic!
And if VeganYumYum ever invited me over I’d eat a good baker’s dozen of these Spaghetti Squash, Shitake, Arugula and Pistachio Spring Rolls

Serves: 6
Time: 20 minutes

Arugula Pasta with Golden Garlic

4 small bunches of arugula, well-washed, de-stemmed, and chopped roughly
1 lb tubetti pasta (can use ditalini or macaroni in a pinch)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt, pepper

Prepare your arugula by washing it well, disregarding any stems and wilted leaves. Chop it roughly.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet or saucepan, heat up the butter and olive oil. Toss in the minced garlic and cook slowly, stirring continuously, for 5-10 minutes or until the garlic starts turning brown. Add the red pepper flakes and take the garlic off the heat when it’s almost golden (not later!) as it will continue to cook on it’s own for another minute or two.

When the pasta water starts to boil add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes. When the pasta has 1 minute left add the arugula to the boiling water and finsh cooking the rest of the 60 seconds.

Drain the pasta and arugula well and put in a large bowl. Pour over the garlic and oil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Serve with more red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese.

Here is the recipe for Vegan Biscuits and Gravy that I made for the Synesthete’s Brunch. It’s easy, it’s an indulgence…it’s homemade biscuits straight from the oven for Pete’s sake! Obviously this recipe is perfect for brunch but it would good for dinner too with a side of sautéed spinach to round out the meal. You could also eat any leftover biscuits for dessert - they’d be yum with sliced strawberries and honey.

Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

Vegan Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour + more for flouring your surface
3 tsp baking powder
scant ¾ tsp salt
6 Tbsp soy margarine, kept quite cold but not frozen
¾ cup soymilk
spray oil

Gameplan: Make the biscuits dough and get the biscuits set out on the baking sheet ready to go in the oven.  When veggie gravy is almost done you can pop the biscuits in.  They take about 10 minutes.

Remember – keep a light hand. If in doubt, add/do less.  Also, when you roll out the dough it should be ONE INCH THICK.  We’re not making sugar cookies here.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl: sift or mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

Drop the 6 tablespoons of margarine into the flour mix and start rubbing it together. When the margarine chunks are the size of large peas, stop.

Add the soymilk to the flour, work the mix into a ball and kneed 5 times against a floured surface.

To make your biscuits, roll your dough out (by hand or with a rolling pin) until 1 to 1.5 inches thick. Cut into 2.5″ squares.

Place the squares on an oiled baking sheet and cook for about 11 minutes, checking around 9 minutes for golden corners.

 

Vegan Gravy

1 14.5 oz tube of veggie sausage (I used Gimme Lean brand)
olive oil
1 jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp rubbed sage
¼ tsp fennel seed, optional
scant ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
1 - 2 cups soymilk
salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Add the veggie sausage, jalapeno, onions, and garlic to a skillet with a little olive oil heating in it. Cook the veggie sausage, breaking it up as you go along. Add the sage and fennel seed.

When the sausage is done and the onions are wilted, sprinkle the flour over the sausage and mix until incorporated so it’s no longer white.

Slowly add the soymilk, starting with about 1 cup. Depending on how you like your gravy you can add more soymilk, keeping in mind that the gravy will thicken while heating for few more minutes on the stove. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve:

Plate 2 biscuits on a plate and pour some gravy over the biscuits or on the side.  Add some hash brown, and perhaps some sliced tomatoes and you’re all set for brunch.

Ah, the history of a dish.

This Caribbean Curry was the first intentionally vegetarian recipe I ever created. I came up with it about 5 years ago to woo and impress my almost-boyfriend-at-the-time. He was a fairly strict vegan while I was still eating whatever I could afford and could be found within the confines of my fridge. Like so many works of art, this curry was inspired by love. Dante had his Beatrice, F. Scott had his Zelda, Garfield had his Lasagna, and I had my Vegan.

I can’t remember why exactly I decided on Caribbean Curry, a dish I had never eaten and wasn’t even certain existed. To this day I’m still not sure that a dish like this is even served in the Caribbean, but there should be. Honey-flavored sweet potatoes, hearty collards ribbons, chewy tofu and a sauce that evokes a spice island slathered in suntan lotion, I knew I was on to something with this vegan stuff and started cooking that way near exclusively.

And the Vegan? I’m happy to report that this Caribbean Curry is guaranteed to make the one you’re wooing stick around for at least 2 years. After that you’re on your own.

Serves: 6
Time: 45 minutes

Caribbean Curry

1 inch fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
peanut oil
2 bunches of collard greens, de-ribbed and cut into ribbons
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cans of coconut milk
2 Tbsp tomato paste
juice of 1 lime
2 1/2 tsp garam masala (curry powder could be substituted for a different flavor)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
16 oz extra-firm tofu, cubed

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