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Cookie Friday: Delicious Vegan Lemon Bars

In honor of Healthbuzz’s July veganism focus and Tina’s Cookie Friday, I wanted to share a delicious recipe that I’m making for this weekend’s Fourth of July festivities.

Vegan Lemon Bars

Joy of Vegan Baking

Vegan Lemon Bars

Crust Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, at room temperature (such as Earth Balance)
  • 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup silken tofu (soft or firm)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Zest from 2 lemons
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons)
  • 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan with canola oil (or use a cooking spray) and sprinkle with just a light dusting of all-purpose flour
  3. To make the crust, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the flour, and beat until the dough just comes together
  4. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of your prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned
  5. Remove crust from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you make the filling
  6. To make the filling, blend the tofu in a food processor or blender until creamy, about 1 minute
  7. Add the granulated sugar to the tofu, and blend until nice and smooth
  8. Blend in the lemon zest, lemon juice, flour, and cornstarch
  9. Pour the filling over the baked shortbread crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the filling is set
  10. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool – if the filling isn’t completely set, it will set as it cools
  11. To serve, cut into squares or bars and dust with the sifted confectioners’ sugar

In case you missed them, here are a few other Cookie Friday recipes I’ve posted:

Whole Wheat Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oatmeal White Chocolate Coconut Chewy Cookies

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Weeknight Dinner Recipe for Success: Black Bean Burgers

Tonight I was a single lady again as Bo is away on business. This immediately made me crave a girls night filled with laughter, conversation, and a healthy dinner enjoyed in the comfort of a warm home.

Enter my lovely dinner date Rebecca. I was lucky enough to meet Rebecca, a local reader, at Jes’ Fly Wheel event on May 15th!

Blog Pictures 2010 231Our friendship started with a sweaty spin session one lovely Saturday morning.

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On National Running Day we realized that we’ll be great training partners for our October half marathon as we’re a similar pace and love chatting during runs!

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We did downward dogs with less than 10,000 other New Yorkers in Central Park.

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Tonight we enjoyed some quality girl time over a healthy dinner and great conversation.

This morning over BBM and gmail we decided that the main course would be Black Bean Burgers compliments of Emily, The Front Burner.

Our Menu:

Black Bean Burgers

Arnold Sandwich thins and burger fixings (lettuce, tomato, salsa, bbq sauce)

Salad (lettuce and salsa)

Sparking Water

Garlic Sweet Potato Fries

After a quick post work grocery trip, I started on the prep work. First task, get the sweet potato fries in the oven.

Garlicy Sweet Potato Fries

2 small sweet potatoes

salt and pepper

Olive Oil spray or Pam

garlic and onion powder to taste

I chopped the potatoes into small slices then placed in a large bowl. After coating them with spray, I sprinkled garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper on them to taste. Then I spread them on a non-stick cookie sheet and placed in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Place them in the broiler for 5 minutes at the end so they reach a crispy goldness!

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Veggie Bean Burgers

I followed Emily’s recipe to a tea except I substituted sunflower seeds for pumpkin as my grocery store didn’t have pumpkin seeds. In addition, I added a dash of BBQ sauce as my batter seemed very dry.

Ingredients: (makes 6 burgers)

  • 2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1/2 cup dry rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp bbq sauce
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

To Prepare:  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Next, add the oats and sunflower seeds to your food processor and grind until coarsely chopped (they will still be a little chunky). 

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Let it run for roughly 10 seconds.  Grate the carrots,

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and then add to your mixture in the food processor.  Add 3/4 of the beans, all spices, and the olive oil.  Once all of this is in the food processor, give it a whir and mix it all together.

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Spoon mixture into a mixing bowl and then fold in the rest of the whole, reserved beans.  Wet your hands and then form into 6 medium sized patties. 

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Place patties on a non-stick baking sheet or into a baking pan, and bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once in the middle.

Pair these delicious burgers with your sweet potato fries and a salad for the perfect week night dinner. The best part? You’ll have leftovers for the rest of the week and they pack/transport easily for lunches!

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Thanks Emily for a great recipe and Rebecca for the great company!

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Sunday in the Kitchen: Green Beans, Goat Cheese, and Tomato Salad

This was one busy but wonderful weekend! In case you missed it:

TGIF

Starting Saturday on the Perfect Foot

Summer Sunshine

Yesterday, after a great morning workout, Bo and I met at Whole Foods for our weekly shopping trip. We stocked up on healthy staples that haven’t been in our fridge or pantry in ages such as Almond Breeze, Green Tea, cherries, boneless skinless chicken breasts, tofu, protein powder, and more! In addition, we grabbed plenty of produce for the two side dishes we couldn’t wait to make.

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Before our cooking adventures, I made the most basic yet delicious lunch of a sandwich, pickles, and baked chips. Blog Pictures 2010 566We discovered the new Kettle Baked BBQ chips yesterday at Whole Foods and they are incredible! Whole Foods carries four of the six flavors. I saw BBQ, Aged White Cheddar, Salt & Pepper, and Lightly Salted. In addition they make Sea Salt and Vinegar and a 100 calorie pack!  The website describes the method as follows:

We take real potatoes. Slice them. Season them with fresh, all-natural ingredients. And then bake them to crunchy perfection.  End of story.  With 65 percent less fat than regular chips, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of fat, and only 120 calories per serving, it’s time to see what a baked chip is supposed to taste like.

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  Their flavor puts Lays Baked BBQ chips in a corner unfortunately. In addition, they are a thicker cut which provides an extra crip! After lunch some mischief was had as I decided I wanted to read outside without leaving our building. 🙂

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Blog Pictures 2010 572       Yes, I crawled out our 14 inch high window and sat outside reading for an hour! :)  It was definitely a fete but well worth the attempt and will most likely be repeated often!

   

After the adventures, Bo and I ended the weekend with some fresh and healthy summer recipes! We love relaxing evenings which allow us to cook together while experimenting with new recipes and altering favorites. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

While I perused the June issue of Southern Living I discovered this recipe and then quickly saw some easy ways to make it healthier. It originally called for more cheese and oil which just seemed excessive. We didn’t have the vinegar it originally used and therefore substituted with white wine which worked perfectly!

Green Bean, Goat Cheese, and Tomato Salad

Adapted from Southern Living June 2010 issue

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Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3  cup  sliced almonds
  • 2  pounds  haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
  • 3  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
  • 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
  • 3/4  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/2  teaspoon  pepper
  • 3 Tbsp  cup  olive oil
  • 1  pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2  shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3  (4-oz.) goat cheese log, crumbled

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake almonds in a single layer in a shallow pan 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.

3. Whisk together vinegar and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add olive oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until blended and smooth. Add cherry tomatoes, shallots, garlic, and green beans; toss to coat.Blog Pictures 2010 575

4. Top green bean mixture with crumbled goat cheese and toasted almonds.

Dinner is served! Greek inspired mahi-mahi (tomatoes, olives, garlic, and lobster broth), green bean salad, and Greek quinoa ala Kath Eats.

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