Vegan MoFo: 31 Reasons (Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie)

October is Vegan Month of Food or Vegan MoFo--who, for those not aware, October officially launches a month where a group of vegans from around the world post about vegan food, being vegan, why vegan is the way to go, why the universe needs more vegans--why, why, why. The list this year is being hosted by Kittee--Cake Maker to The Stars. She has a wonderful blog--check her out--and a big thank you to her for taking on this Goliath task!

I am vegan for a multitude of reasons--this month, I will list thirty-one of them.

Number one reason for being vegan: I really can no longer eat anything with a face or that came from anything with a face.

I was horrified when the news broke of the mistreatment of the cows in the facility in Texas (I believe that was where the news broke). I remember Katie Couric going to the story for the video of this atrocity--of the absolute barbaric manner of processing the very ill cows. It made me cringe, cry and have all sorts of bad nightmares. That did it for me. At the time, I was a vegetarian. When my husband came home that night, I shared with him the purging I had done that day--food stuffs that were no longer going to enter this house. He, being the gentle soul he is totally agreed and we moved on from there.

I am on a social food site, and sometimes I will get a friend request from some uber meat-eating clown who imagines my "friending" them back. (I always check a site, I never just click accept, plus, I am still very skeptical of these sorts of places, but given that it allows vegans to share our food philosophies, I dipped my toe in the great social food vat--hoping to at least inspire a few to try a vegan recipe and hopefully, consider being a vegan for a lifetime change). That "friending" is all real funny, but when you are that much of an "over-the-top" carnivore--knowingly "friending" a vegan, I only feel sorry for you, and really it reinforces why being a vegan makes the world a better place. (What do I mean by over-the-top carnivore--how about sausage links borders on your web pages! Honestly, now.)--I have several "friends" who do share meat recipes but also are very good, healthy, and inspiring chefs in their own right--so I follow several of them.

Anyway, I thought it would be fitting to begin Vegan MoFo with a recipe that started my vegan blog in the first place: The Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie! There are as many vegan chocolate chip cookies recipes out there as there are acorns in my yard right now. I hope to try all of them, and to create my own along the way. Okay, I have been in a bit of a slump--let's be honest, I am downright depressed, I am having a tough time getting through the very unexpected loss of my father--after searching for him forever! Attention fathers out there--get your name on a blog or post on My Space for crying out loud--just do it, let your kids find you! (Don't get me started, today is anger stage of grief). Anyway, I won't keep on that topic, but just so you know, this is still a tough time for me.

My comfort zone has always been my kitchen. I would take my kitchen with me when I leave the house--well, and my dogs, too, but at what cost--back surgery? Anyway, I am getting my vegan making self back on track because we still need to eat in this house. I still crave sweets, and a week of really easy and basic vegan cooking without much of an appetite (chili, tacos, chicken-fried tofu and potatoes)--is not helping me any, though it is filling a basic need: food.

Yesterday I baked these amazing, chewy, crisp, moist chocolate chip cookies from a new vegan cookbook I picked up (new to me, that is): The Complete Vegan Kitchen by Jannequin Bennett. I did modify this recipe just a bit. But the results were a perfect vegan chocolate chip cookie in my humble opinion--plus it was very quick to throw together.

Vegan Chewy Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

1 1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup Succanat sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons soy or rice milk

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup chocoloate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl, beat the buttery sticks, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy--about two minutes. Add two tablespoons of soy milk--mix well. In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients and sift well. Then, stir, not with hand mixer, blend all dry ingredients together with wet ingredients. *(I used my hands--James Beard said our hands are our most useful kitchen utensils and I agree.)--You will be able to feel the dough coming together. I just used my hands! Add the chocolate chips. Form into about 2 inch balls and place on the parchement paper. With the palm of your hand, flatten them just a bit. Bake for 8 minutes. The edges should begin to brown a bit. They may look moist on top--that is okay! Get them out of the oven! Set them aside to cool on the baking pan for about four minutes. Then, immediately remove them to a cooling rack. Grab a glass of soy milk and enjoy!