I’ve made these cookies a few times and my parents are big fans, so I decided to make up a batch for them to take home after their visit for Emma’s birthday party. These cookies are the best– so much better than any other cookie I’ve ever made before– vegan or not. The best part is that the recipe only makes about 12 cookies, so you don’t have to worry about over indulging when you want a sweet treat to nibble on. They also freeze extremely well.

After being in a rut the last few weeks, my culinary creativity has finally come home. I’ve missed you, buddy.

Last night’s meal was semi-inspired by last week’s episode of Top Chef. One of the top recipes was a squash soup and I remember thinking how good that sounded, and how long it’s been since I’ve made it. So, here it is, my recipe for Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 medium apple, peeled and chopped

juice of 1/2 a lemon (maybe 1 TB or so)

1 TB honey * (see note below)

1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

pinch cayenne

1 small-ish butternut squash (maybe 2-3 pounds)

4 cups veg stock

In a large stock pot over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic and carrots in about a TB of olive oil. After about 5 minutes, add the apple and cook another 5 minutes. Add the honey, lemon juice, nutmeg and butternut squash and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the stock. When you add the stock, cover the pot and let the soup simmer for about an hour, or until all of the veggies are tender. When cooked, puree the soup using an immersion blender, food processor or blender. Once blended, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed. I garnished our soup bowls with a small handful of roasted pumpkin seeds. This was so good that I had to stop myself from licking the bowl clean. We will definitely be having this again soon!

* Note: I know that some vegans don’t consider honey to be vegan and I have no particular fondness for it. The reason I use it here is because I have some that I bought probably a year ago that I need to use up. Feel free to substitute any other natural sweetener– pure maple syrup would be a good option.

To go with our soup and to use up some phyllo dough and caramelized onions in my fridge, I decided to make some Caramelized Onion, Apple and Walnut Tartlets. To make these, I piled up 3 layers of phyllo dough (brushing each layer with olive oil to “glue” them together) and cut them into quarters lengthwise. At the top of each phyllo strip, I placed a small dollop of leftover cashew cheese, a bit of caramelized onions, some spicy apples, and some crushed roasted walnuts. Fold into triangles by folding the phyllo in the exact same way that a flag is folded. Seal the edge with a dab of olive oil, and brush the entire triangle with more olive oil. I sprinkled the tops with a cinnamon-sugar mixture and some more crushed walnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until the triangles are golden brown. These were outta sight! I was really trying to duplicate a gorgonzola, walnut, caramelized onion concoction and I think I came pretty close with these.

I can’t take sole credit for this recipe, but I also can’t remember the name of the book that I got it from. I did change the recipe slightly, so I feel OK posting it:

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernals

1 small red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 can of black beans

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

S&P

Preheat your broiler and add the corn, onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno to a baking tray. Drizzle the veggies with olive oil and broil for several minutes (flipping as necessary), until the veggies have begun to char. Add the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl and, when the veggies are done in the oven, add them to the bowl too. Give it a stir and taste for seasoning, adding more lime, salt or pepper, if necessary.

We had this last night wrapped in a corn tortilla. It was really good, although, I had to substitute a few tablespoons jarred salsa for the tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeno. This is so good, in fact, that we are planning to serve it at Emma’s birthday party with some chips for dipping! It’s totally a crowd pleaser and it can be prepared a day or so in advance.

I love reading Carrie’s blog and, when she posted about Dreena’s Easy Pleasin’ Oat Bars, I decided to give them a try. The first time I made them, I had thought that Emma would enjoy them, but I ended up eating most (all) of them. The bars were too crumbly for her to eat and they sort of just fell apart. So I made up a new batch this weekend and decided to bake them in mini-muffin tins instead just to see if that would appeal more to her. This recipe is really very basic- you can leave it as is, or you can add just about anything to it. I decided to make a cinnamon raisin version, so I added an additional 1/4 tsp of cinnamon (1/2 tsp total) and a bunch of raisins (I didn’t measure… just poured some in until it looked like enough). I greased up the muffin tin with a little cooking spray and Emma helped me fill them with the batter. Baking time was about 20 minutes, but you can tell they are done because the top gets golden brown and the sides of the muffin starts to pull away from the tin.

These were really, really good and, once again, Matt and I ended up eating all of them. Emma had a few bites of one (I thought she’d be really excited to taste it since she helped make them), but she just doesn’t seem to dig these. She eats like a bird anyway, so don’t trust her opinion of them.