Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies...That`s A Mouthful.

These cookies are fast, simple and super yummy. I would bet you have all the ingredients on hand already.

1/3 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil (olive, canola..anything)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup soy or cow's milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled or old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your cookie sheet with cooking spray or a VERY thin smear of oil.
Whisk together the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and stir with a spoon to combine.
Drop batter by large teaspoon fulls onto the baking sheet. Press dough down with your fingers. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes. They are done by 11 minutes for sure. Even if they don't look like it.
Remove sheet from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Resist the urge to touch them! After 10 minutes is up use a spatula to gently lift the cookies from the sheet to a cooling rack or a flattened paper bag to cool. You can eat one gooey and warm now if you'd like, but they won't firm up until they cool down. Share ;)

Corn Salsa

I LOVE corn salsa.

3 ears of corn

1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup minced red onion

1 lime juiced

2 tbsp olive oil

a big handful of chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Place the corn in boiling water for 4 minutes. Pull out and let cool for a few minutes.
Chop the red onion, juice the lime and add black beans and olive oil to a bowl. Toss in cilantro. Cut kernels of corn off the cob and place in bowl. Stir until coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Grab your favorite tortilla chips and scoop baby.

My Favorite Chili

I am posting this in hopes that this speeds up the beginning of fall :) This is a thick chili.

Chili Sin Carne

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 cloves of garlic diced small
14oz of crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 package frozen corn
6oz veggie burger crumbles (optional)

- Saute bell pepper 2 minutes. Add Onion. Cook 3 minutes. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute.
- Stir in 1 cup water and remaining ingredients except for corn . Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer 20 minutes stirring occassionally. Fold in corn and 1/2 cup water and simmer 10 minutes more.

All done! Bake up some cornbread to go along with this if you have it. Or maybe some tortillas chips. This serves about 3 adults, 4 if you are serving other sides.

Easy Vegan Muffins

1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup oil or applesauce
optional add ins : 1 mashed banana, chopped nuts, blueberries, raisins, 2 TBSP flax meal, whatever else you can dream up
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
By hand, combine flours, sugar, salt and baking powder in a big mixing bowl.
Now add water and oil (or applesauce). Mix together. This only takes a minute.
Pour into greased or lined muffin tin, just until each cup is a little more than half full.
Bake 18 minutes. This yields 10 medium muffins or 6 big ones.
*the flour mixture can be replaced with all white flour, or half wheat and half white. Use whatever you have.

Black Bean Quesadillas

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (canned) diced and seeded
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 cup frozen corn
cilantro (optional)
cheese of your choice
flour tortillas

Directions:
Place the frozen corn in a bowl of hot water. This will thaw out the corn as you work. Put the beans, chilis and brown sugar in a food processor. If you don't have access to one mash it all in a bowl. It still tastes awesome even though it will be chunky. Puree until smooth. Heat a nonstick pan or griddle on med-high.If making quesadillas spread the mix on one tortilla. Sprinkle half of the drained corn on top. Top that with cilantro and cheese if using. Adding diced onion if you have it is also really good. Top with another tortilla and heat until browned and slightly crisp.