Banana Coconut "Samoas" Cookies

This is one of those recipes where SO easy meets SO delicious!  I honestly don't know how these cookies are THIS tasty because they require so little effort! HA! My mother sent me this recipe she saw on social media and I thought, "I'll give these a try and I'm sure they are going to be very mediocre." As you already know, they turned out to be incredible. They are naturally gluten free and naturally vegan (as long as you use vegan chocolate chips). 

I have made these three times in a week - and each time I have shared them with friends. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, smashed very smooth

2 cups of unsweetened coconut shreds (with coconut as the ONLY ingredient)

1 - 2 Tbl of pure maple syrup 

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use Hu or Enjoy Life bc they are vegan, but you can use any kind of chocolate you like)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix smashed banana, maple syrup and coconut in a bowl. Once fully combined, place tablespoon sized scoops onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use your hands (you can lightly wet them to prevent sticking) to shape each cookie into a disk. Use a straw or chopstick to make a little hole in the middle of each disk. Make sure to not break the disk. 

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let fully cool. Once the cookies are cooled, release them from their place on the parchment (to prevent sticking once the chocolate has cooled). Using a microwave safe glass bowl, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds. Remove and stir. Heat again for another 30 seconds. This always works perfectly for me - the chocolate is nice and smooth after this point. If yours still isn't fully melted you can try again for 10 seconds and stir. 

Drizzle the chocolate over each Samoas cookie. Let the chocolate cool and harden. I find it works best if I transfer the sheet pan to the fridge. After the chocolate is set - enjoy! 

The BEST Creamy Mushroom Soup

Oh my! This mushroom soup is absolutely delicious! I stand by this statement - it is every bit as good as any mushroom soup I have ever had served to me in a restaurant - just wow! Oh and! It's vegan. Don't be afraid of this word....it just means there is no dairy in it! How did I get it so creamy? A high powered blender and some cashews! Now I did use some very gorgeous and fresh oysters mushrooms that I got from my mushroom guy at the farmer's market yesterday ....yes, I have a mushroom guy! His mushrooms have kinda ruined me from most of the store bought mushrooms. They are just so fresh and flavorful! If you have the chance to get some local wood oysters mushrooms for this recipe then please do so - it is worth it! I didn't take a photo of the ones I used in this - but I do have a photo from a past mushroom haul (see below) - they are so pretty that sometimes I don't want to cut them! Also, I have bought packs of wild mushroom mixes at Whole Foods before and they are pretty good too. I would use any of these or a mix - oyster, cremini and shiitake, if you can find them. 

I served this with a big green salad and fresh sourdough bread that I also bought at the farmer's market. 

Enjoy! 

*This recipe makes enough for two dinner-sized bowls of soup or 4 smaller cups of soup. 

Ingredients:

I large yellow onion, peeled and diced 

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbl olive oil

16 oz high quality mushrooms, I prefer wood oysters, but a mix of oysters, cremini and shiitake will do, stems removed and roughly chopped

1 Tbl aged sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar + 1/4 cup water or broth

4 cups of broth (I use Better than Bouillon vegetable base)

10 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/2 cup cashews, raw and unsalted 

1 Tbl white miso paste 

1/2 tsp dijon mustard 

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

As always, I water sauté my onions. Put about 1/4 cup of water into a large soup pan over low heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 12 minutes to get the onion soft. If the water dries out as it's cooking add a little more, a tablespoon at a time. Add chopped garlic to the onion and a little more water, if needed, and saute another 3 -5 minutes, make sure the garlic doesn't burn. Scoop out the onion and garlic mixture and put it in a little dish while you sauté the mushrooms. Make sure all the water in the pot has cooked off. Add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to the soup pot and add the roughly chopped mushrooms. Give a little stir and add a pinch of salt. Let them cook for about 5 or 6 minutes undisturbed. Give them a good stir. Let them cook another minute or so.  

At this point the mushrooms will start to stick a little to the pan. Pour in the vinegar and 1/4 cup of water to deglaze the pan, loosening up all the brown bits. Stir well and add back in the onion and garlic mixture. Add the broth to the pan and about 10 sprigs of fresh thyme. Please don't omit the fresh thyme - it brings so much flavor to this soup! Let it come to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every now and then.  

Okay so while your soup is simmering, grab your high power blender, I have a Vitamix. If your blender isn't super strong then you can soak the cashews in really hot water for an hour or two to soften them. Place 1/2 cup of cashews, 1 Tbl white miso paste and 1/2 tsp of dijon in the blender. Add half of your soup to the blender- but NOT the thyme sprigs- leave them in or discard the stems (the little leaves will have fallen off into the soup). The soup is going to be very hot, so make sure your blender's hole at the top is open a bit (covered with a clean kitchen towel) to let the steam escape while it blends. After it is nice and creamy, add that back to the rest of the soup. If you feel like the soup is too thick, feel free to add another cup or so to the pot. I did! And now you can carefully taste it and see if it needs a little more salt and pepper. 

Serve with fresh crusty bread and a beautiful side salad. Enjoy!  

I did not use lion's mane or chestnut in my soup (the mushrooms on the left)....just the oysters on the right. But I wanted to share this picture of how beautiful mushrooms from the farmer's market are! And how lovely they can make this soup! 

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Chocolate and cherry has always been a favorite combo of mine and these cookies did not disappoint. The addition of the espresso powder really deepens the richness of the chocolate flavor - so if you have some, try it! If not, they will still taste great. 

I made my cookies with all vegan ingredients. I have not made them the other way, but I am assuming they will also turn out great. I listed both vegan and regular ingredients for you. You're welcome. Enjoy! 

• 1 cup butter OR vegan butter (for vegan butter I like Country Crock with Avocado Oil or Earth Balance)
• 1 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 2 eggs OR 2 flax "eggs" (2 Tbl ground flax + 5 Tbl water, wait 10 min to firm up)
• 1/4 cup milk OR plant milk (I used oat milk, but almond, rice or soy would be fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp espresso powder (optional, but this gives a really rich flavor to the cookies)
• 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or you can use GF flour, if you like. I prefer King Arthur GF flour)
• 1 cup dried cherries (not craisins)
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (for vegan I like Enjoy Life or Trader Joe's makes a great vegan chocolate chip)

Preheat oven to 350F 

*If you are making flax "eggs" make them now so they have time to set. In a small bowl combine 2 Tbl ground flaxseed with 5 Tbl water. Let that sit for about 10 minutes to firm. 

In a large mixing bowl combine softened butter (or vegan butter) and sugar. Add eggs (or flax "eggs") and mix. Next add the milk (or plant milk) and vanilla extract. If using espresso powder, add now. Carefully add the unsweetened cocoa powder - stir slowly to incorporate - it can get messy! Add baking soda, salt and flour. Mix well. Finally fold in the dried cherries and chocolate chips. 

If you have time chill the dough in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes. Trust me on this. Chilling the dough enhances the flavor, creates a better texture and keeps the cookies from spreading too much. 

When ready, scoop cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 9 - 11 minutes. I usually bake my cookies on the lower end of the suggested time. Also check around 8 minutes  - everyone's oven is different and cookies continue to firm up on the hot baking sheet even after they have been out of the oven.

Enjoy!