Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I had three bananas to use up. Because Daniel and I have been making more of an effort to eat healthier, I didn't want to make sugary banana bread/muffins. So, I found something similar to this recipe on allrecipes.com, and this is what I came up with. You can really add just about anything to these cookies, bruised apples, chocolate chips, nuts, the sky's the limit!

Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies

3 bananas, mashed
2 c. oats
1/3 c. craisins (I would have added more, but that's all I had)
1/2 c. raisins
1/3 c. applesauce (the original recipe used oil)
1 tsp. cinnamon, maybe more
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients, let sit for 15 mins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto a greased baking sheet. Flatten. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 13-15 mins. Or until slightly brown.

Alton Brown's Homemade Soft Pretzels

Some of you know I was on a sugar fast for about two weeks recently. Daniel and I traditionally have dessert on date night, but since I couldn't eat sugar, we decided to make pretzels. These hit the spot!  Salt is good, but we also tried garlic seasoning, and cajun seasoning. Those ones were also good. I think I liked the cajun the best.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water


Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope. Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Salt and Vinegar Chips

I got this recipe from Elly Says Opa. These were great! I think they could have used a little more vinegar though.

Serves 4
Marth Stewart

1 lb. potatoes, cut into 1/4″ slices
2 cups white vinegar (or enough to cover potatoes)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and pepper

Make sure vinegar covers potatoes in a medium saucepan, and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until just fork tender, about 5 minutes. Let potatoes cool in the vinegar for 30 minutes. Drain well.

Preheat the broiler. Toss the potatoes with oil, salt and pepper. and place in one layer on a broiler-safe pan. Broil until crispy and browned on top, just a few minutes, rotating the pan if necessary. Sprinkle with additional coarse salt before serving.

Grandma's Caramel Popcorn

This recipe is from Daniel's Grandma, Theora. I saw it on Juli's blog, and had to try it. Plus, I was looking for a yummy snack for a party. It is almost as good as I remember it (I don't know if anyone can make it like she does). Thank you Juli!



Grandma's Carmel Popcorn
8 quarts popped popcorn (about 1 cup unpopped corn)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

Pop popcorn. Sift through and discard any unpopped kernels. Bring brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add soda and vanilla. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir. Bake in oven 1 hour at 250. (My grandma told me that she uses the biggest disposable foil pans that she can find to bake the popcorn in. I found some big ones at the dollar store that worked well.) Take out of oven every 15 min and stir. Separate as soon as you can and store in a large Tupperware.