Lower-Fat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This lower-fat cookie recipe replaces half of the oil with applesauce, but you would never guess it. They are hearty enough to eat for breakfast or a snack, with the applesauce and the rolled oats, but satisfying enough for dessert, with the chocolate chips. The perfect anytime cookie.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup oil (melted coconut or olive)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk coconut sugar, maple syrup, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.

Add wet to dry, along with chocolate chips, and mix until just-combined.

Scoop large scoops onto parchment-lined baking tray (you should have 6 even scoops). Gently flatten each cookie with a wet palm (so the dough doesn't stick to your hand).

Bake for 15 minutes. If cookies do not look done, let them bake another 1-3 minutes. Ovens very, so keep an eye on the cookies to make sure they don't burn.

Yield: 6 cookies

Muhammara (Turkish Roasted Red Pepper and Toasted Walnut Dip)

1 cups walnuts, toasted

1 (8-ounce) jar of roasted red peppers

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

After you've toasted your walnuts, puree all ingredients in a food processor. Enjoy with warm crunchy bread* or pita.

Yield: enough for two people (as an appetizer)**

**I use essentialbaking.com's "bake-at-home" baguettes. You can "bake" the bread at the same time you toast the nuts...a meal in less than 15 minutes! (Not the healthiest, but it'll get you through these darkening days before the clocks "fall back" in a week--I can't wait for that extra hour!).

**Although it's so good that two people might fight over the last few spoonfuls!

Pumpkin Spice...

MUFFINS! Bet you thought I was going to say latte.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (with chocolate chips!):

Adapted from: http://www.theppk.com/2009/11/the-best-pumpkin-muffins/

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup soy milk (or almond, etc.)
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (if you don't have this ingredient -- I'm often out of it -- sub with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup chocolate chips (you could increase this up to 1/2 cup probably, especially if you really like chocolate.)

Preheat oven to 400 and spray a 12-cup muffin pan lightly with oil.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, soy milk, coconut oil, blackstrap molasses, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Another trick is to gently press on the top of a muffin with your finger. If the muffin bounces back, they're done. If the muffin collapses, they're not done.

Let muffins cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield: 12 muffins

Chocolate PB Granola

Adapted from: Whole Grain Vegan Baking by Celine Steen

Chocolate Sesame Granola:

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup tahini (or peanut butter)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive or coconut.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
optional: 1/4 cup dried cherries

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 325.

Combine oats, flaxseed, seeds, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk peanut butter, sugar, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Add wet to dry. Stir until oats are coated.

Transfer mixture to baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let melt for a few minutes, then stir. Let cool and enjoy (or eat warm, yum!). Store in an airtight container.