Personal time.

So, I was going to go grocery shopping tonight during my personal time to stock up on veggies and other neat ingredients I've been reading a lot about. But then it rained, iced, and snowed. I attempted to get in the car, but both doors were iced shut. No luck. So I decided to finish reading my book The Kind Life, order some new books off of Barnes and Nobel's website, and make vegan chocolate chip cookies!

I loved The Kind Life. I wish I lived where I could get the fresh produce that she has so readily available in California (and I wish I could afford it all the time!), but I am happy about the fact that because of my Japanese heritage, I recognize a lot of the ingredients she uses, or at least have had something similar before. :) I'm really interested in vegan cooking, eating, and living now because of this book. That's why I went online to order some more books! I had a groupon for Barnes and Nobel, so I got a good deal on the books (just under 19 bucks for 3 books and shipping!), and I'm really excited about them! One is China Study, which I'd heard about for years, but was never very interested in checking out. I also got The Happy Herbivore, which is a vegan cookbook that even non-vegetarians were giving 5 stars for! And then I got The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics which sounds similar to The Kind Diet with recipes and explanations, but focuses purely on macrobiotics. I'm so excited for new reading material! Until they come I'll continue reading Wicked when I can and probably crack open my other Michael Pollan book, The Omnivore's Dilemma.

And finally, I made cookies! They're miniature vegan chocolate chip cookies. I adapted it from this recipe, using what I had in my kitchen and changing it to my tastes. :) My recipe is below!



Miniature Vegan (and gluten free!) Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup almond flour (I used a coffee grinder to grind up raw almonds until they were powdery; there may be some clumps.)
1/2 cup oat flour (Coffee grinder again!)
2 Tbsp unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil (I heated in a small bowl, I heated it slightly over the oven vent while it preheated so the oil would melt a bit.)
2 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine almond flour (or ground almonds), baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together heated coconut oil, agave nectar, and vanilla. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir until blended. You may have to smear the wet and dry ingredients to fully incorporate, but it will be enough liquid to mix. Trust me! Stir in chocolate chips, but they may not all stick into the dough. The dough may seem a bit crumbly. Drop dough by teaspoons (very small) onto baking sheet, 2 inches apart. They will only grow slightly. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until golden. Be sure not to burn the bottoms of them! Let cool 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Or else, I just let them cool on the baking sheet.

Click here for nutrition facts!

I suggest you put away all of these cookies after they are done cooling, and stay out of the kitchen while they cool! They are bite-sized and SO DELICIOUS that you can't help but eat one after another after another. I think I've already had 4... Enjoy though!