Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookies

Okay. I admit it. Sometimes my will power is a bit weak. I’m working on it.

It’s funny because I wake up with a green smoothie every morning, I eat a salad nearly every day, and I don’t really drink anything other than water and herbal teas. But then I get around bread or cookies, and my discipline evaporates. Do you have this issue? It can’t just be me – leave a comment below and let me know what your food delights are so I feel like I’m in good company, eh?

Are bread and cookies terrible things that should be avoided at all costs? No, of course not. But is it really in my best interest to eat as much of them as I have over the last month? Well…

When it warms up a little, which won’t be long as I’m in New Orleans, I’ll go on a cleanse. I’ll move to raw food and green smoothies for a week or so, with maybe some quinoa or congee thrown in if it’s too cold, and then progress as my body allows. Until then I’ll try to make healthy choices within my cravings.

For instance, rather than getting an Italian loaf I can bring home a fresh baked five grain loaf of bread, still warm from the bakery.

And when I want cookies, I make my own so I know they have the best possible ingredients they can. Even though I love cookies, my body still has a pretty low tolerance for sugar, so I can eat more cookies with less repercussion if I make them not so sweet.

The following concoction is a big hit with my family. If you’re on a New Year’s vigilance, it may be a good idea to stop reading now, or put this in a folder for later.

Healthy Vegan Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Be warned, you may not be able to stop eating these. At least they’re pretty healthy as far as cookies go.

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat or gluten free flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
• 1 1/2 cups of Organic Rolled Oats
• ½ cup ground flax
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 2-3 Tbsp Cinnamon (depending on how much you like it)

Wet ingredients

• 1/3  cup brown sugar
• 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 Tablespoon Molasses
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder plus 2 Tbsp water – or substitute 1 egg if you’re not vegan
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Extra Yum Factor

• 1/2 cup raisins (I add a bit more than this. you can also trade the raisins for dark chocolate – I get the darkest I can find as a bar at the store and cut it into little pieces.)
• 1/2 cup walnuts (I go heavy on this too, adding a bit more – cut them up first for easier handling. Can also use pecans.)

Preparation:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a big bowl.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mash bananas and mix all the wet ingredients together.
3. Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts (or chocolate or pecans if that’s what you’re using) and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn’t binding together very well, you may wish to add more banana.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
5. Grease a baking sheet with coconut oil (I just use my fingers to spread it)
6. Use a tablespoon and fork to shape cookies and place them onto your baking sheet.
7. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie turns golden. You can also freeze them. Enjoy!

This recipe is modified from LCheliak’s post on Whole Grain Gormet.

• What are your favorite foods that you try to approach with moderation? Leave a comment and share!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This just in: A great recipe from another yoga instructor in Kamloops, Lynn Roberts from Innergy.

In large bowl, mix together:

1 cup unsalted butter (I just melt the butter)

1 cup agave nectar OR 1/2 cup maple syrup

Add and beat to the above:

3 egg whites OR 2 whole eggs

1. 5 Tbsp. vanilla extract

In separate bowl, combine:

1.5 rolled oats (the slow cook kind)

1 cup flour (a gluten free or regular if you can eat gluten)

1 cup wheat germ (omit for gluten free)

1/3 cup flax

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sea salt

Add the above dry mixture to the wet mixture and combine.

To that, add:

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup dark chocolate cups

Mix well and drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies.