Author: brianna

I forgot why I originally made a vegan version of these cookies, probably just test it out. These are a replica to the egg version ones. However, the use of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) while necessary to create the same texture, slightly mutes the delicate and vernal flavor of the cookies. There only one small change between the vegan and vegetarian versions which, is nice.

Vegan Lemon, lavender, cardamom cookies (LLC)

2c flour

1c + 1/3 c sugar

6 tablespoons of aquafaba

1/2-3/4 c of coconut oil (melted, start with a 1/2c)

Zest from 3-4 lemons (personally would a little heavier on the lemon zest)

2 tbsp Cardamom powder

2 tbsp Lavender buds (these are supposed to be food-grade lavender buds//available via curio)

Sprinkle of baking powder (about 1 tsp)

Left to right: dough pre + post aquafaba

1. Mix flour, sugar, zest, cardamom, lavender buds, and baking powder together.
2. Ensure everything is homogenously mix and the lavender, cardamom, and zest are well distributed.
3. Slowly add aquafaba and melted coconut oil, in quarter cup increments, to the flour mixture and mix together. The dough should be smooth and stick together as a large singular ball.
4. Refrigerate the dough for around 1hr. You want the dough to be soft and pliable but not too hard otherwise you’ll have to let it thaw because the coconut oil will it too hard.
5. These are drop-ish cookies. I just pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into balls and place them on a well-oiled baking sheet.
6. Bake for 5-8min on 350 (I err on the side of 5/6 minutes and let them finish cooking on the baking sheet)
7. Remove from oven and let cool on a baking sheet. Enjoy with lemonade!

It’s a little ironic that I’m posting this recipe today of all days because it’s my first day of furlough from my museum job and I first had today’s recipe at said job. I visited this museum throughout college and never knew there was a cafeteria. The cafeteria is by far the cheapest place to eat and on select Fridays they serve crispy sweet chili tofu. I never had this before working here, but I fell in love with it. It’s my absolutely favorite way to eat tofu, which I’m trying to incorporate into my diet. The tofu is sold by weight at the museum for $8 a pound, which is ridiculous considering you can buy like 4 pounds of tofu, sweet chili sauce, and cornstarch for the same price. This recipe is also incredibly forgiving and it’s hard to mess up.

Crispy sweet chili tofu

1 pound block of extra firm tofu

~2 tbsp + plus some Cornstarch

1 tbsp Oil (again, I like avocado any neutral oil like olive or sunflower will work)

Sweet chili sauce (be sure it’s not sweetened with corn syrup)

Parchment paper

Paper towels or clean tea towels

A heavy pot + baking sheet, cooling rack or ceramic dish ( I’ve used all of three of these at differnt times, and they all produce wonderful results)

1. Drain liquid from the tofu.
2. Cut tofu into 1-in cubes and place between multiple sheets of paper towels or a clean tea towel (I rec the tea towel as it cuts down on unnecessary waste). Place a heavy pot on the tofu and wait about 30min.
3. While pressing tofu, preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
4. After 30min, transfer tofu to a bowl and gently toss in oil. Then coat in cornstarch making sure that the tofu is covered in cornstarch.
5. Place tofu on a baking sheet or cooling rack, make sure none of the pieces touch. Place in the oven for 20-30min, flipping the pieces halfway through their baking time. If you opt for the cooling rack method, you don’t need to flip them
6. Wash and dry the bowl used to coat the tofu, you will need this later.
7. Pour about 4 tablespoons of sweet chili sauce (I really like the one from Trader Joes, but whichever one you choose, make sure it doesn’t have corn syrup in it because it won’t have flavor) into the bowl.
8. After about 20/30min remove the tofu and transfer it to the bowl with sweet chili sauce and toss it. Ensure that the tofu is well coated/drenched! Add more sauce to the bowl if necessary. So you could stop here and just eat the tofu as is, but the next 5 minutes really transfer them.
9. Move your oven rack to the second-highest position and set your oven’s broiler to high. If you have a gas broiler please be careful as there will be a direct flame on top of your food.
10. Transfer tofu back to a baking sheet, and wait for the broiler to heat up. Once on, place tofu back in the oven and bake for an additional ~3 minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE OVEN, as food can burn very quickly. Please stay with your food and keep an eye on it. I light to utilize my oven’s light during this time to monitor it. I also check on the tofu about once a minute, just a quick little open to ensure nothing is burning and the sugars are caramelizing. Also, be cautious if you used parchment paper for this because it increases your risk of fire. NGL I have slightly burned doing this before.
11. After ~3 the sugars should be caramelized, remove the tofu from the oven and let it cool for a bit like 5 minutes and serve! I really like eating this with rice, kale, and roasted carrots but honestly, I’ve also only eaten this as a whole meal.

I said I would start recipe week yesterday but I got into a long discussion with the roomie. The same roomie that introduced me to this recipe, scrambled chickpeas. This is my favorite way to start the day during the week. I actually didn’t create this recipe, which is different from nearly all of the recipes I post. I create nearly every recipe on here from scratch. This one is only modified. I was originally skeptical of it when I first tried it, because I’ve never been super big on turmeric, and I’m realizing that turmeric I had probably was expired. Old turmeric is no longer my problem because I solely use turmeric from Diaspora Spice Co. I love this recipe for a few reasons over the past couple of years I haven’t be able to eat eggs they just make so nauseous plus this is pretty quick to batch make.

Scrambled chickpeas

1-30oz can of chickpeas

1 small to medium sized red onion

3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)

1-2 tbsp turmeric

1 lemon or some lemon juice to taste

Salt + Pepper to taste

1 tbsp dried tarragon

Water

1 tbsp Oil (I opt for avocado oil)

1. Drain + wash chickpeas. I always save the liquid for tasty treats later as the drained liquid, colloquially called aquafaba, is works extremely well as an egg substitute.
2. Leave chickpeas to drain. While draining, heat oil on low to medium heat.
3. Chop the onion into slivers and sauté in oil with tarragon until soft and semi translucent. About 5 -7 minutes
4. Add the chickpeas the onions and heat. Mash with measuring cup or mason jar, this step is optional but and you can mash it as much or as little as you want. I normally do it half and half
5. Season with salt, I really like using this smoked applewood salt, pepper, and turmeric. Then stir well.
6. Add ¼ cup of water and a splash of lemon juice. You want to keep the peas moist.
7. As water evaporates, make a hole in the middle of the pan and add the minced garlic. Sauté garlic until fragrant. Remove heat and stir garlic and chickpeas together.