Chocolate Chip Cookies and Quinoa & Vegetables

Last night was a family dinner with the grandparents and rents. They had chicken and pasta salads, so I brought my own rice and spicy lentils with vegetables. They were very good, though I wish it was spicier. This was the first meal with my grandparents so they were very curious to why I went vegan and what I COULD eat, since they pretty much figured i just ate beans and rice. My gran told me she thinks Ill be skinny as a rail since I cant eat any desserts. I kept trying to tell them I will be able to. My grandad just does not get it, so he kept asking how I could tell if something had egg/dairy in it. My gran kept yelling at him and saying itd be mean if he tricked me. But I was ready for the reactions, as this was what I got when I went vegetarian years before.

I had planned for my mom's gift for mother's day to cook for her. But because I worked Sunday and Monday. The night before I invited my grandparents to come as well. I hoped that by having them come over they could see that vegan food was yummy and not paper. They were going to be trouble to please. The simpler the better with them. My grandad was very unsure of what he'd expect. So my mom made pasta with meat sauce just in case they were going to throw up or something.


Earlier in the day I made chocolate chip cookies for dinner. I used Dreena Burton's Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Vive le Vegan!, p.131

The batter was a bit dry. I felt like it was necessary to put the dry mix into the wet, not the other way around. As the maple syrup and molasses was hard to coax out of the bowl. As you can see on the cookie sheet, they were very crumbly. I had to pack them together. But the batter tasted very similiar to normal cookie dough, so I was still excited of what the results would make.

When I took them out of the oven, they seemed as if they hadnt moved like cookies with egg do. But they were crisp and golden.


After the cookies cooled, they looked very very good. The chocolate morsels were melting still and gooey. I tried one and it was delicious. I could tell that there was a little too much flour. But they tasted so good. I enjoyed the ones I sneaked before dinner. The recipe only makes 9-10 large cookies, I got 12 out of the recipe, but I would probably double the recipe next time.


While I was cooking, I had this beautiful flowering dogwood to look at. The picture does not give it justice, but that is because of the screens. I love spring arond this place. My mom and I took a walk the night before and it was so beautiful and so fragrant everywhere. There was 5-6 large lily plants, fully blossomed, you could smell them a block away. Just great.











Then an hour before my mom was picking up my grandparents I started the main course. I was making Spring Green Quinoa found on Fatfree Vegan. I knew my mom would love it as she is a bit obsessed with quinoa and she loves her veggies. It was easy to make and quick. The longest time was waiting for the quinoa to cook and chopping all the vegetables. It was fresh and full of flavor. The sun-dried tomatoes were smoked making the flavor even greater. But everything was subtle, allowed all the flavors to come through and be just as powerful. My grandad had seconds. My mom loved it. I was so glad. And since it was so much, we still have a 3-4 servings left. Im going to have it for lunch tomorrow at work.


The cookies went just as well. My whole family loved them. Everybody had 2 cookies. My grandad couldnt tell that there wasnt any dairy or egg. Ill be making him another batch just for him, cause he ate every drop.

So I'm glad that my first day of vegan cooking went well.