our weekend..

as ryno blogged, we had a very nice, semi-productive weekend... we were able to spend a total of $15 (with tip!) on lunch and dinner out! its nice to be thrifty bears while still enjoying ourselves and having yummy meals. we also did a bit of shopping and treated ourselves... NO we did not actually take pictures with the easter bunny, but we did take this candid photo of him! i bought a nice, new big frying pan and ryno treated himself to some new records. now.. lets just make the in-car record player!

now.. let me tell you, sometimes the world is a dangerous place... especially for bears, i mean really.. you just have to watch out sometimes!



for dinner we had some quick indian food because i was craving it like crazy... i modified my go-to "saag tofu" recipe a bit, reducing the oil a lot and upping the spices. i'm completely happy with it at this point, and it definitely satisfies any craving for the "real thing." i was also craving something sweet, but didn't want anything too scandalous, so i tried to healthify an already pretty healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe. the original recipe is all over the place online, but here it is with my modifications.

vegan chocolate chip cookies
(makes a dozen average sized cookies)

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (next time i'm going to try subbing whole wheat pastry)
1 t baking powder
1⁄2 t baking soda
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 t salt
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1⁄2 t blackstrap molasses
1 – 1 1⁄2 t pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup applesauce
1⁄3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350°.

1. in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.
2. in a seperate bowl, combine the maple syrup with molasses and vanilla extras and stir in the applesauce until well combined.
3. add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. fold in the chocolate chips, incorporating the wet with the dry, being careful not to overmix.
4. drop spoonfuls of dough on to a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. (i had to keep them in for 15 for them to get golden and cooked through. i checked them at 11 as recommended for the original version, and they were not cooked through)
5. let sit until they set up (no more than five minutes) and transfer to cooling rack. enjoy!