Simple Vegan Sugar Cookies

I love productive weekends. I love being able to make a big ol' to-do list on Friday and cross everything off by Sunday afternoon. This was one of those weekends. Granted, there was also a lot of downtime in my weekend -- the older I get, the more I appreciate a weekend of staying in. So yesterday involved a lot of napping, reading, and movie/TV watching. Jakers and Mabel LOVED IT. So then today, I kicked it into high gear and got up early, did a long run (15 weeks until the Chicago Marathon!!), and ran errands all morning.

Baking was *not* on my list this weekend, but Lord knows a girl needs something sweet to snack on. One of my go-to cookie recipes is this super simple sugar cookie recipe that I came across a few years ago. It's one of those recipes that requires totally basic ingredients that I always have on hand. And - bonus - they are SO TASTY! I found it on Mercy for Animals' website - they're an incredible nonprofit that promotes a vegan lifestyle.

I'm going to get back to crossing off my to-do list...and eating a few of these cookies while they're still warm!

Simple Vegan Sugar Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• Egg replacer equivalent of 1 egg
• Cinnamon and sugar, to coat

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate small bowl (make sure they're blended well). Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Using your hands form the dough into a big ball. (If it sticks together well, then it's the right consistency. If not, add a bit of water and mix it well.) Form the dough into cookie-sized balls and roll them into the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each ball a little bit. Bake at 375°F degrees for about 7 minutes. Makes about 18 cookies.

Kale: Just as Delicious in Boston

Okay, once again - long time, no blog. But I've been busy getting familiar with my fabulous new city. Well, I guess I'm no longer "new" to Boston, but I'm still seeing and doing new things all the time.

Some of the latest highlights:

• I've taken some trips to upstate NY (Albany) to visit college roomies
• I've taken a drive to New Jersey to see *another* college roomie (Boston is conveniently located!)
• I had a friend from MN visit and we did LOTS of fun touristy things - including, but not limited to: whale watching, walking the Freedom Trail, touring the Sam Adams brewery
• I have finally finished furnishing/decorating my apartment. Could not be happier!

 I am still loving my job, which of course is important, and feel 100% validated in making the move from DC to advance my career.

But what I most want to share is what I did today. I attended a cooking class that was hosted by the Boston Vegetarian Society! The chef was this talented woman named Shayna Ashton, whose family used to own a vegan restaurant in Boston called Country Life. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was great! My friend Jaime and I went together and both really got a lot out of it and met some fun people. Our (all vegan) menu was:

• Onion Dill Dip w/ celery sticks
• Faux Caesar Salad w/ faux parmesean & homemade croutons
• Seaside Potato Chowder
• Hawaiian BBQ w/ homemade seitan
• Tofu Cheesecake w/ Raspeberry Coulis
• Strawberry Lemonade Fizz

I mean, it was INSANELY good. Best ceasar salad I've ever had, the seitan was better store-bought stuff, and you would not believe the texture of that cheesecake. No one would ever know that was vegan! I wish I had taken pictures -- but that just means I'll need to make this at home some time to take some pics for the blog.

In preperation for this evening's event, I ate a really small lunch. But it was a new recipe a coworker shared with me -- and it involves KALE!! :) Definitely something you should try (yes, the name is awkward, but go with it). It results in this delicious kale - without having to cook it down - and a creamy avocado dressing.

Massaged Avocado & Kale

• 1 bunch of kale
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• 1 avocado
• cherry tomatoes

Wash the kale, and cut out the spines, tearing/cutting into bite-sized pieces and put into a large bowl. Drizzle with EVOO and sprinkle with ~1/2 tsp sea salt. Using your hands (this gets messy!), massage the oil & salt into the kale for a good 5+ minutes, until the kale is tender. Peel/slice the avocado and massage that into the kale in the same way. Slice two handfuls of cherry tomatoes and toss into the kale. Salt to taste.