Hey guys! How’s it hanging?
Man, it is NASTY outside! Around 4, it started snowing again, but the snow isn’t bad—it’s the wind!!! It is howling and howling…I felt like I was being hit by a MAC truck on my way to my last class. I seriously felt like if I just stood there, it might knock me over. Crazy!
In between classes, I got hungry (as predicted) and snacked on a delicious Odwalla chocolate peanut bar. Yum!
Obviously after all that cold weather and wind, we wanted something really warm for dinner. Of course, we also needed something fast and easy, because neither of us ever feels like cooking on Thursday nights when we get home from teaching. 
Enter frozen goods.
Remember our Indian food dinner party, way back at the beginning of December? Well, tonight we reached wayyyyyy back into the freezer and pulled out some leftovers from that fun night!
Mmmmm…this curried chickpea dish was just as good the second time around! Gotta love freezers on nights like tonight. You can see the original recipe here.
As a side dish with the chickpeas, we had sauteed kale with golden raisins. There’s something about the combination of the slightly bitter greens with the sweet, chewy raisins that works so well. For our kale, I heated a tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan, added the kale plus a shake of garlic salt, a handful of golden raisins, and a drizzle of agave. After about five minutes of cooking the kale, I added some vegetable stock (maybe 1/4 cup?) and cooked it down for another five.
As I cooked, I sipped on this wheat beer:
And before too long, we were sitting down to this:
The bird wanted some too:
For dessert, I made…well, I’m not sure what to really call this. But it was really good!!!
Working with (what else?) Averie’s basic method, I got to work creating a single-serving chocolate cookie dough ball.
Well, a single serving…for someone who loves dessert!
Here’s the recipe:
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Dough for One
Ingredients
1/3 cup dry oats
1 tbsp. raw hazelnuts (about 7 nuts)
1 tbsp. vegan chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
2-3 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. agave nectar
1/4 tsp. stevia (optional)
Directions:
In the Vitamix, combine oats and nuts; pulse until a fine powder has formed. In a small microwave-safe dish, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave until they are melting, about 45 seconds (be careful not to burn the chocolate chips!). Combine chocolate chips, cocoa powder, water, agave nectar and stevia (if using) in the blender and pulse until smooth.
Because it’s such a small amount, you’ll need to frequently scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula until it is all blended smooth. You can also add more or less water, depending on how “wet” you want the dough to be.
At the end, I was left with this lump of deliciousness:
I probably should have refrigerated it for half an hour or so to give it more time to solidify. But…would you have been able to wait?
Me neither. I ate every ooey, gooey bite!
This kind of reminded me of a healthier version of those “no bake” chocolate cookies that show up at most holidays and potlucks.
Healthier, but, it should be noted, not low-cal. Here are the stats from spark recipes:
Nutrition Facts
Calories
242.0
Total Fat
10.0 g
Saturated Fat
2.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
2.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat
5.7 g
Cholesterol
0.0 mg
Sodium
2.0 mg
Potassium
387.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate
52.6 g
Dietary Fiber
8.5 g
Sugars
12.0 g
Protein
6.0 g
So yeah—not low-cal at all! But, it has lots of fiber, healthy fats, and protein! Plus, that one serving was BIG! It could easily serve two people. Or one person with a preternatural ability to eat chocolate.
Well, tomorrow is Friday, and officially…the beginning of the end of my Vegan challenge! This weekend is the last weekend of my challenge—I can’t believe it’s over already! I’ll be working on my recap post for Sunday…plus, stay tuned to hear about my February challenge!! It’s going to be a doozey!
Alright, kids. We’re about to play a mad game of Scrabble and call it a night. Things just get wackier and wackier over here.
Hope you had a great Thursday! G’night!
Madeline - Greens and Jeans said,
January 29, 2010 @ 1:35 am
I’m really curious to hear what you thought about your vegan experience!
Karla said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:14 am
Wow! Everything looks delicious! Freezing left overs is a great idea! I’ve been making just enough for me so I haven’t had too many left overs lately.
Evan Thomas said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:17 am
I love the freezer; mine’s filled with desserts
What are you going to eat first that’s not vegan?!
actorsdiet said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:17 am
dessert looks good! i need to use up my cocoa powder i bought….
Heather (Heather's Dish) said,
January 29, 2010 @ 2:32 am
LOVE the no-bake cookie….holy yum!
daintyvegan said,
January 29, 2010 @ 3:04 am
Yuuuuuuuuuuuum! To dinner AND dessert. =P
So since you’re almost done the vegan challenge, I assume you’ll be doing some sort of recap? About what you thought and all? I can’t wait to hear what you thought about it!
Ameena said,
January 29, 2010 @ 3:42 am
I love the no bake cookie idea. Looks so good. And thank God for my freezer or I would never have anything to eat!
Bonnie said,
January 29, 2010 @ 3:45 am
My mother made a version of your cookie. It wasn’t vegan but I think it may have been pretty much the same recipe. She called them “Preacher” cookies. They were good, fast and usually the ingredients were in the cupboard. I don’t ever remember her serving them to a preacher! My sisters and I loved them!
Anna said,
January 29, 2010 @ 1:58 pm
“Preacher cookies”…love it
Gelareh said,
January 29, 2010 @ 4:07 am
I love it when you can just pull out leftovers, heat it up and enjoy it… on my daily menu I schedule nights that we would eat easy make dinners or leftovers…
Your no bake cookie looks good.
By the way… I have moved and I wanted to let you know so you can update your blog roll and google reader… Check out my new blog at http://www.nutritiousfoodie.com
Kristie said,
January 29, 2010 @ 4:36 am
Girl, I made the REAL DEAL no-bake cookies tonight for a group meeting. Let’s just say the vegan version is just as delicious and addicting
Christine said,
January 29, 2010 @ 4:51 am
Wow, that dessert looks like a hot mess of goodness!
Gabriela said,
January 29, 2010 @ 5:14 am
Love Indian food…what a great idea to freeze it! And that cookie dough sounds incredible. I love decadent desserts that are actually decent for you!
kbwood said,
January 29, 2010 @ 6:15 am
hey those cookies still sound healthy to me!!
One Healthy Apple said,
January 29, 2010 @ 7:01 am
I love no bake cookies, actually- just the dough! I am curious to hear about your challenge!
Happy Friday!
Karin said,
January 29, 2010 @ 10:17 am
I wouldn’t know what to do without my freezer! Your leftovers look amazing as well!
Mmmm no bake cookies. Looking good!
Erin said,
January 29, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
Mmm curried chickpeas. Yum oh yum!
ginamastrog said,
January 29, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
I’m moving in, I just decided. Your food always looks too ridiculously good! It is freezing here too, I am starting to resent the cold temps!
The Candid RD said,
January 29, 2010 @ 1:18 pm
mmm, I love those Odwalla bars, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE no bake cookies! I went through a huge no bake cookie phase in 2009, I just kept making new batches every week, it was insane.
Glad you had a nice evening, and I hope you kicked some Scrabble butt!
Have a great weekend.
Ginger said,
January 29, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
Yum! That dinner looks great! I looked up that cookbook on Amazon, and the authors are the Lee Brothers, and they have several. They are not vegetarian or vegan, but have lots of vegetarian recipes. I should get it today and we can try some when you come. I can’t wait for you to get here!!!
louisianagrown said,
January 29, 2010 @ 3:05 pm
I think that weather would make me cry. But congratulations on a whole month of being vegan. You made it look easy!
Kelly said,
January 29, 2010 @ 3:06 pm
Love the freezer!! I typically make double portions of everything so we can freeze half of it for later! Leftovers are the best!
Your dessert looked awesome…but I definitely would NOT be sharing. All of that would go in my tummy!
Sorry hubs!
lpskins said,
January 29, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
I’m so proud of you for sticking to it. Really incredible. Something about kale doesn;t sit right with my but with some agave and raisins that might change. Enjoy the day!
Heather said,
January 29, 2010 @ 5:44 pm
I think I really need a vitamix so I can try some of these awesome recipes with ground nuts….my food processor barely chops them up
Katie O. @ Fit to Wed said,
January 29, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
Seriously, what is up with this weather?! It is so windy and cold out. I can’t wait to read your thoughts on the vegan for a month challenge!
Gena said,
January 29, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
That cookie sounds totally killer!