The Best Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies in the Universe

If you've been here for a hot second, you probably know that I love cookies. And cookie dough. And Oreos. But guys. All of that pales in comparison to my love for oatmeal raisin cookies.

I love oatmeal raisin cookies.

No, like really. I LOOOOOVE oatmeal raisin cookies. It's even in my bio.

One of my great moments of shame as a child was when my mother baked oatmeal raisin cookies for a meeting she had and I kept sneaking into the kitchen and stealing one and then another one and then another one and then I filled my teeny art kit suitcase with cookies and hid behind a chair and ate them all.

But you know what? I don't even think I regret it. Because oatmeal raisin cookies are the best.

Recipe Roundup: What I've Cooked in Quarantine

In case you hadn't noticed, there's a raging pandemic happening outside. Which means I'm inside. Making snacks.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I spent about a week and a half panicking, like a normal person. Now I'm making snacks.

Here's a roundup of what I've made so far, in case you need inspiration for your own isolation menu.

Lauren Toyota's Zucchini Cream Sauce

I never in a million years would have pureed a zucchini and called it food. Never ever. But damn this is delicious. When I did my big pre-isolation shop, I grabbed four zucchinis so I could make a double batch of this sauce and freeze it. Worked like a charm. I froze it without kala namak, cheese, or meaty bits; I add those to each dish individually when I assemble the meal. Highly recommend.

Upsides to the Apocalypse

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it.

This coronavirus thing sucks.

Up until yesterday, I'd been trucking along just fine. I went to work on a modified schedule. I ate lunches with my dog. I hung out with my friends. Everything was going great, aside from the looming anxiety that the whole world was on the brink of disaster.

Then my jobs went on lockdown and I realized that I am, for all intents and purposes, laid off. So now I'm home, and I'm staring at the walls, and it turns out I'm bored.

So here are my initial musings and self-comforting thoughts to try to get through the COVID-19 apocalypse.

1. My pants won't get dirty.

New Things and Seitan Sandwiches

I've been on a bit of a kick for trying new things lately. I say "bit of" because I am very firmly rooted in my comfort zone and I don't want any of you to try to poke me out of it. (Edible bribes are much more effective than poking anyway.) But I have been slowly, tentatively, introducing new things into my comfort zone.

First, I started watching a new TV show: Madam Secretary. Holy cow, is it good. It has a lot of West Wing vibes, which I appreciate, but it definitely has its own flavor.

Then, when I realized I was binge-watching to an extreme degree, I decided to do something productive while I watched TV (to negate the shame). I started knitting. I've been knitting off and on for at least 15 years...probably more. So it isn't the knitting itself that's new, it's the project. I have officially begun my first sweater. I am equal parts terrified and excited.

Which is why I needed snacks.

You can't be terrified and excited and not have snacks.

So I made my first loaf of seitan.

And then I made sandwiches.

Spinach and Chickpea Stuffed Shells

After I went vegan, I tried to make stuffed shells with a tofu ricotta because one of the YouTube vegans swore up and down that it was the most amazing stuff ever and you couldn't even tell the difference between tofu and ricotta.

She was wrong.

It was terrible.

So I've been skeptical about trying anyone else's ricotta substitutes, let alone a recipe like stuffed shells that highlights said ricotta substitutes, but then I stumbled across a 6-year-old recipe from some dude named Andrew Olson and I figured it was worth the risk: https://www.oneingredientchef.com/chicotta-stuffed-shells/.

This recipe makes the filling out of chickpeas, cashews, and spinach--all things I'm willing to eat on their own (tofu, not so much). So this afternoon I took the leap and made the shells.

People. They were incredible.

Oh my god.

Look at 'em:

Look at 'em some more:

They're yummy, they're filling, they're healthy, and they're not a total pain in the ass to make. In fact, you could probably do all the prep in advance, freeze a tray of these, and just stick them in the oven when you're ready to eat.

My only complaint is that the filling seems a bit gritty, but I think that's my blender's fault more than anything else. Next time I might blend the filling in shifts to see if that helps, but even if it doesn't, I will still make this on the regular because DAMN is it delicious.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie is My Superpower

Dear citizens of the Internet:

I am writing to you at this time, fully interrupting your holiday merriment and whatnot, to inform you that I am--100% confirmed--a vegan goddess. Yes, you read that right. My vegan awesomeness has officially transcended this dimension and become supernatural, otherworldy, and downright magical.

I have made a vegan pumpkin pie. And it. was. BOMB.

I swear. I didn't know this was possible. If I had known this was possible, I would have made one a long time ago. I would have...I dunno...attempted world domination or something, because in a universe where I can make a vegan pumpkin pie that is EXACTLY as phenomenal as traditional pumpkin pie, anything is within my reach. I am an unstoppable diva, and I defy you to prove anything different.

(Please don't prove anything different. I deserve this high.)

Look at this pie in all its poorly-photographed majesty:

I know. It's a little ugly, but just think of it as one of those evolutionary self-protection things. The pie thinks if it looks cracked and lopsided, no one will want to eat it.

Well the joke's on that pie, because it is completely irresistible and delicious.

I am mind boggled.

Or, I would be, if I weren't a goddess.

If you would like to replicate this luxurious, heavenly, perfect pie at home, you can find the recipe from Lisa, aka The Viet Vegan: https://thevietvegan.com/vegan-pumpkin-pie/. I followed the suggestion in the comments to whip the aquafaba with sugar before folding it into the pumpkin mix, and I think it really helped the texture. But even without that, I would drink this batter with a straw. It's that amazing.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled holiday festivities. I'll be over here with my pie.

What I Ate This Week

Hello, blogosphere. Nice to see you again.

Aside from that superfast, super low quality post from yesterday, I have not had time for blogging lately. Lots and lots of stuff has been happening. I got a new job (it's boring). I got a new place to live (it's beautiful). I got new roomies (I love them). And I completely forgot how to feed myself, because sometimes my brain is stupid like that.

Luckily, I have lots of people who care about me, and they have kept me from keeling over while my brain has been on the fritz.

Most notably, one of my friends took me to The Little Grill Collective in Harrisonburg, VA on Sunday and we shared a whole pile of delicious vegan food.

It looked prettier before we ate it, I promise.

Our meal included buckwheat pancakes, some kind of fried potato hash thing with mushroom gravy, a chunky tofu scramble (made from local tofu, no less), a soy sausage patty, and veggie chili. Everything was great; I would definitely go back again.

For me, the best part was actually getting to share food with someone. I love it when people eat vegan food with me, but this was the first time I'd ever sat down in a restaurant and been able to split dishes with someone. It was fun to taste different things and talk about them and pick favorites together.

I've also eaten things at home, a fair number of which I have managed to screw up in one way or another.

For example, I made zucchini carbonara from Hot for Food, because it's delicious and I love it.

Except I undercooked my pasta and didn't bother to measure half the ingredients, so it turned out a little less than ideal. It's still one of my favorite recipes, but...definitely follow the recipe.

In honor of the first day of fall, I ate all kinds of autumnal things the first half of the week. I veganized my pumpkin muffins and they were outstanding. I drank sparkling cider and munched on apples. I even attempted a pumpkin pie smoothie, but here's the thing about pumpkin pie smoothies: when you make them, you should definitely not accidentally add half the ingredients for a pumpkin pie smoothie and half the ingredients for a Chunky Monkey smoothie and then blend it all up like nothing's wrong and try to drink it. It won't be good. Take my word for it.

I also made curry, partly because I wanted curry and partly because I bought naan and let it expire and then had to scramble to find a way to feed a bunch of people a bunch of naan before it went moldy. If you want to try it for yourself (expired naan or no), I have the recipe posted here.

Aside from that, I've just been surviving on hummus. Like all the rest of the vegans.

Hope you're doing well, blogosphere. Catch you next time.