I’ll warn you right up front: you will not be able to stop eating these cookies.  They are so dangerously good that I am going to ban them from my repertoire – for a few months at least.

This week I entered them in a chocolate chip cookie bake-off that was held at my office, and they placed second.  Not bad considering they were up against recipes containing up to two sticks of butter. No one had any clue that they were vegan – and that’s my test for any vegan baked good.

But these cookies come with a mystery attached. The first time I made them, the cookies came out very flat, as you can see in the photo – and the flatness really pleased Francine, my #1 taster. However, when I tried to replicate the recipe later, the cookies weren’t nearly as flat. Figuring out why became an obsession, but after seven batches varying the sugar, oil, baking powder and other factors, I am giving up.  (I think I gained several pounds in the “testing” process!) I’m down to two possible explanations that I may test at a later date, after many hundreds of gym workouts:

– The thin ones were made with Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour, while the slightly thicker ones were made with Arrowhead Mills brand, which could be coarser.

– The thin ones were baked on an insulated baking sheet vs. a regular one.

But in the end, it doesn’t much matter  – they are great both ways. Feel free to experiment with this recipe on  your own – if you’re not a vegan, you can use an egg instead of the flax/water mixture, you can try regular chocolate chips, etc.  And do let me know if you solve my cookie mystery!

Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies

1 tablespoon ground flax seed (flax meal)
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup organic canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted creamy peanut butter – see note
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup rolled oats (optional variation: grind in a food processor)
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 ounces of 70% dark chocolate, cut into small chunks (you’ll have 1/2 cup)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flax and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute, until a thick, egg-like consistency is achieved. (30 seconds in the microwave will also do the trick.)

Vigorously whisk together the flax mixture, oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl.   Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then fold in the chocolate.

Drop by tablespoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until flat and starting to turn golden on the edges.

NOTE: You need a very creamy peanut butter for this, not a coarsely ground type. Most importantly, make sure the ingredient list is just peanuts and nothing else.

As much as I shop at farmer’s markets, I guess I’m not cut out to be a strict locavore. I just couldn’t wait until New York State’s corn season, so I bought some from Georgia. And I don’t regret it, because with those trucked-in ears I made two lovely corn salads this weekend.

Today I’ll share a delicate corn and fava bean salad that tastes like the moment spring melts into summer. The fresh mint came from my back yard – it doesn’t get any more local than that.

Shelling and peeling the favas takes a little time … but their buttery flavor is totally worth the effort. This salad would be equally good with fresh peas instead of corn, so you might want to give that a whirl, too.

Corn and Fava Bean Salad with Mint

1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans
Kernels from 1 medium ear of corn (3/4 – 1 cup)
3 scallions, white and light green parts sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Shell the beans – you will have about a scant cup.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the beans, cook for 2-2 minutes and drain. Rinse with cold water. Slip the beans out of their skin. This is easy if you tear a bit off the end and then squeeze lightly.

Bring a smaller pan of water to a boil. Add the corn kernels and blanch for 1 minute (or a bit less if you have corn with very tender, small kernels.)

Place the beans and corn in a bowl with the scallions and mint. Pour on the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a bit of pepper. You can add extra lemon or mint to taste, but be judicious – you want to mostly taste the essence of the beans and corn. Stir to combine, and serve at room temperature.

Serves 2-3

Spaghetti with meat sauce was always the ultimate comfort food for me. It’s hard to think of anything quite as satisfying. But alas, I can’t eat meat anymore, so what to do? Come up with a killer vegan bolognese sauce, of course!

This one is particularly chewy and meat-like, because it has not just one, but three “meaty” ingredients: tempeh, mushrooms and lentils. Could this be the vegan holy trinity?

Vegan Bolognese Sauce

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 8-ounce package tempeh, crumbled
8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup dried red lentils [UPDATE 10/10/11: Spanish pardina lentils are by far the best type to use]
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or up to 1 teaspoon, to taste

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add the garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and crushed red pepper, and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat up a bit, add the mushrooms and tempeh and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat back to medium, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more. A

dd the herbs, tomatoes, parsley and wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes. Add the lentils and cook until they just tender. This usually takes 20 minutes, but I’ve had some lentils take a lot longer. So keep tasting it along the way to determine when it’s done. If the sauce gets too dry, add a bit of water. Add salt at the end of the cooking time. Serve on whole wheat spaghetti or use in lasagna.

Serves 8

I’ll say it and say it proudly: I’m not a huge fan of tofu.  I just don’t love the taste or the texture. However, the other day a recipe for grilled tofu kebabs with peanut sauce caught my eye.  I made it my own with quite a few adjustments, and much to my surprise, I have new summer favorite for the grill. The smoky peanut flavor won me over. Even Tim, my peanut sauce-hating husband, said “YUM.”  (And trust me, he’s not the type to utter that word.) I also found a Super Firm tofu made by Woodstock Farms. Seek out a similar product if you can – the uber-firm texture did make a big difference here, and tofu from the smaller local producers is definitely better than the big supermarket brands. Uh oh, am I becoming a tofu person?

Tofu Vegetable Kebabs with Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup smooth, unsalted peanut butter
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari, or soy sauce (use gluten-free tamari if you are gluten-sensitive)
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine, available in most supermarkets)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 ounces extra firm tofu, cubed
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small zucchini, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 medium onion, quartered and cut into chunks
8 ounces mushrooms, quartered (or halved if small)

Soak 10 bamboo skewers in water for 20-30 minutes.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and stir until the peanut butter is mixed in. Place the cubed tofu in the sauce and marinate for 20 minutes.

Remove the tofu from the sauce, then thread the tofu and vegetables onto the skewers.

Start a fire in your grill. When the coals are nice and hot, grill the skewers for 7-10 minutes, turning several times and brushing liberally with the peanut sauce. Drizzle any additional sauce over the skewers just before serving.

Serves 4

Why buy supermarket hummus when you can make homemade hummus in a few minutes with little more than a can of beans, some tahini, olive oil, lemon and garlic?

Today I revved up the flavor with roasted red peppers and kalamata olives – and because I used jarred peppers, it still took me only about 5 minutes. The roasted peppers give it a faint smokiness, and you can boost that flavor with a bit of Spanish smoked paprika.

Red Pepper and Olive Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 roasted red bell pepper (jarred is fine, but fresh roasted is even better)
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 pitted kalamata olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional
Pinch of smoked paprika, optional

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. To serve, drizzle the top with olive oil and additional chopped kalamatas, if desired.

Serves 4-6 as a snack

I grew up in a town that was overwhelmingly Italian-American.  Every Sunday we’d go to the local red sauce joint and I would often get lasagna.  It was oozing with mozzarella and ricotta, and was layered with a thick meat sauce.  Yum. (Once again, it’s no wonder I wound up with heart disease.)  In recent years, I’ve been searching for a way to get my lasagna fix without clogging my arteries any further. I usually make it with fat-free cheese, and it comes out surprisingly well.

But in Italy, traditional lasagna is not made with cheese, but with a béchamel sauce – a white sauce made from butter, flour and milk, flavored with nutmeg. So when I saw a recipe for a vegan béchamel sauce over on Chocolate & Zucchini, I saw the perfect opportunity to create a cheeseless lasagna. [UPDATE: after some more research, I found that classic “lasagna al forno” does often contain parmagiano reggiano in addition to bechamel, but not ricotta or mozzarella.]

The result was creamy and rich tasting, although totally different than the lasagna of my youth. Admittedly, this recipe uses 9 tablespoons of oil, which is a lot – but it makes a big pan, and it’s way more heart-healthy than eating all that cheese.  For the vegetables, I used mushrooms and Swiss chard. You could try something different, but I recommend sticking with some kind of greens, as they contrast the cream sauce nicely.

The lasagna was even better reheated the next day – the tomato sauce and the béchamel melded together into creamy pink deliciousness.  Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients and instructions. This isn’t difficult, and you can make the marinara sauce and sautéed vegetables a day in advance if you’d like.  Trust me, it’s all worth the effort.

Vegan Lasagna with Béchamel Sauce

For the marinara sauce (or use 4 1/2 c. of your favorite marinara sauce)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes in puree (undrained), chopped or squeezed with your hands
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

For the vegetables:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (I used a mixture of cremini, oyster and shiitake), sliced
1 large bunch of green Swiss chard, center stems removed and leaves well chopped

For béchamel sauce:

5 tablespoons organic canola oil
8 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups unsweetened almond milk (make sure it’s unsweetened)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Black pepper to taste

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles (or 16 if you’re using the smaller variety, such as Bionaturae brand)

To make the marinara sauce, heat the 2 T. oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add all the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the basil and remove from heat.

To prepare the vegetables, heat 2 T. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove to a bowl.  Add the Swiss chard to the pan and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. (You can add a little additional oil to the pan if it seems dry after removing the mushrooms.)  Combine the mushrooms and chard and set aside.

Prepare the béchamel sauce soon before assembling the lasagna. First, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. You don’t want it to turn a color.  Remove the pan from the heat and add a cup of the almond milk.  Use a whisk to make it smooth, then return the pan to the burner and add the rest of the almond milk gradually, whisking with each addition. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, whisking constantly, until thick and velvety. Remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions and drain. Place 1/2 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9″ pan. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles, and top with 1 cup of béchamel sauce, 1 cup of marinara and a third of the vegetable mixture. Repeat with a second and third layer of noodles, sauces and vegetables. Finish with a final layer of noodles, and top with a cup of marinara and carefully spread about 3/4 cup of béchamel over the top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.