Hemp & All that Jazz

I've been diggin' the rising hemp craze. Got me some hemp milk made by Living Harvest. Also picked up some of their protein powder to add to shakes and such. The protein & amino acid count is high in hemp and it has the perfect ratio of Omega 3's to 6, hard to find in foods, even in fish. But better yet, it tastes good. I think. The girls are fine with it for cereal, but they weren't digging me pimping it as a straight-up drink. I heated it and added a little agave and nutmeg, like a chai deal, to which they nodded and said, "Ok, we'll work with this." Better yet, I adapted a pancake recipe from Student's Go Vegan Cookbook and made Mami's Hemp Banana Pancakes. By the by, this book is simple, easy, sweet, filled with recipes on the cheap and highly recommended.

Mami's Hemp Banana Pancakes
1c. unbleached all-purp flour
2TBSP of hemp protein powder (this is expensive and I added for more protein, but you can sub flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1 1/3 c. hemp milk
1 TBSP canola oil (organic pref.)
1 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 banana, sliced
1/4 c. chopped nuts (optional)

In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In sep bowl, mix hemp milk, oil, syrup then pour this into flour mixture. Mix then fold in banana slices and nuts if you want. Add more hemp milk or flour depending if you like your batter thick or thin. In a lightly oiled skillet (I use Earth Balance instead), pour in batter (I use a 1/4c. measuring cup) on med-med/hi heat. Flip when batter bubbles. Cook until golden and delicious smelling. The girls ate 'em up!

I baked vegan chocolate chip cookies last night too. I'm on a cooking tear as of late mainly sparked by Maya's whispered wish of lightly transitioning to veganism. She told me that on the drive back from our trip and I flushed with pride. She is nervous though. She doesn't want flack from her BD, which she will get, nor from her Taekwondo coach, which she will get, and I understand that. I told her a transition is perfectly ok. Around Mami 100% is ok, around others do the best you can, I told her. She's sparked by the idea. The trip did more to her than I had thought. Yesterday was Future Career Day and she dressed as an animal rights activist. BIG LOVE in my heart. So, I've been motivated more than before to be a good cook. I only cook veggie for them anyway -- though sometimes cheese stuff for them because I was being lazy -- but now, I don't know, I feel like I need to shine in this moment. I want her diet balanced, the food delicious; with these two things she's armed for any anti-vegan argument.

So, the cookies - not exactly hi-nutrition items and they weren't necessarily creative, just a basic chocolate chip cookie adapted from a basic non-vegan recipe, but HOLY SHIT THEY WERE UNBELIEVABLE. If any of you ask me about my Raw Pilgrimage or my vow to lay off vegan sweets right now, I'll clobber you. Sigh. It's a day by day challenge. Fruits and veggies are still a big part of my regime, I'm just really enjoying cooking lately. And I'm polishing my skillz for Maya and the family, and her friends, and my friends and anyone else who wants to eat my food.

Basic Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies That Make You Say HOLY SHIT

2 1/4 c. unbleached all-purp flour (organic is always better - oh P.S., this is probably a tiny bit more flour than is needed. I splashed in soy milk later to wet things up a bit)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 c. (2 sticks) Earth Balance
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
Egg Replacer, enough for 2 eggs
1 c. vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips (the original recipe called for twice this, but I'm not a fan of over-chipped cookies so mess with this how you like)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, salt in a small bowl. Beat Earth Balance, granulated & brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add egg replacer mixture (mix together before this step) gradually and mix until well combined. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips. Spoon drop on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes until golden brown on edges. Let cool 2 minutes on sheet then place cookies on a wire rack (if you have) to cool the rest of the time. Try not to shove 4 or 5 immediately in your mouth -- OR, just go for it. This recipe makes about 2 dozen exactly especially if everyone dips into the cookie dough first like we do.

Uncle Eddies - what? What? If any of y'all want to send me a tin, I'll bake some for you too. Extreme vegan activism through mind-blowing baking. It's my new motto and I'm getting an apron printed.

And lastly, go check out Betsy's Travel Site. She and her rad husband Jim keep the photos of their adventures here. It's inspiring. Makes you want to live your life however you've ever dreamed of living it, no matter what that means.