Double Peanut Butter Cookies

The celebration of friends continues! Following the Grand Lasagna Night on Wednesday, Zach and I were blessed to have Kathleen spend 3 more fabulous days with us, complete with endless, endless chatting and explosions of laughter,

along with a trip to the famous Big Pie in the Sky Pizzeria,

where a single slice of pizza really is lunch for two people,

as well as a jaunt into Atlanta for the best milkshakes at Flip Burger Boutique!

Seriously. Pumpkin Pie...

and Chocolate Mole milkshakes. Beyond words.

Then, on Saturday afternoon, I zoomed into downtown to pick up... Guess who? Fellow blogger Jamie, of No Animals Lots of Carbs!

Jamie and I have been friends for ages, but hadn't actually seen each other in three years! Such a treat to catch up in person at last! :-)

Of course, you can't keep two bloggers out of the kitchen for too long... ;-) On Jamie's first day here, we headed straight for the farmer's market, then back home to fix peanut stew!

After a glorious day hiking on Sunday, the three of us returned to downtown Atlanta for dinner, but this time we resisted ordering dessert, because, after all, there were cookies waiting at home... I still am in awe at the realization that I was able to share these cookies with two precious friends in one week... Such a gift of joy... and deliciousness!

Between the glorious gift of spending time with out-of-town friends, and the flavors of special-occasion, celebratory treats, how could we be any happier? :-)

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup light non-hydrogenated vegan marg or butter

1/4 cup applesauce

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 1/4 cup raw turbinado sugar

1 egg

1 T milk or soymilk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup dark (at least 60% cacao) chocolate chips

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

~ Stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt, and set the mixture aside.

~ Beat the vegan marg or butter, applesauce, and peanut butter together until fluffy.

~ Pour in the turbinado sugar and beat until well combined.

~ Add the egg, and mix well.

~ Add the milk or soymilk, and the vanilla, and mix well once more.

~ Pour in the flour mixture, and stir until well combined.

~ Using your hands, gently knead the peanut butter chips and dark chocolate chips into the cookie dough.

~ Continuing to use your hands, roll the dough into 1" diameter balls and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes - until the cookies are just set. Allow the cookies to cool on wire racks, or serve them warm, of course... :-)

Italian-Jewish-Vegetarian Fusion Lasagna

Two friends...

(Kathleen...)

(Me...)

One happy day with a giant pot of tomato sauce...

and some tofu "sausage..."

One gorgeous pan of luscious lasagna!

Kathleen and Astra's Italian-Jewish-Vegetarian Fusion Lasagna

1 lb. vegetarian "sausage" style soy crumbles

2 T olive oil
2 ½ lb of your favorite marinara sauce
2 lbs. part-skim ricotta cheese

8 oz reduced fat cream cheese
2 tsp sugar
2 eggs
a pinch of nutmeg
1 ½ lb part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 lb provolone, shredded
1 box “no boil” lasagna pasta

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
~ In a large skillet, brown the vegetarian "sausage style" crumbles in the olive oil. Stir in the marinara sauce, remove from the heat, and set aside.
~ Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and nutmeg, and beat until smooth and creamy.
~ Toss the shredded mozzarella and provolone together until mixed.
~ In a 15X9” baking pan, spread a layer of marinara sauce. Top with a layer of pasta. Spread a generous layer of the ricotta mixture on top, then top that with some shredded cheese. Continue layering in this fashion (marinara, pasta, ricotta, shredded cheese) until the pan is full, making sure to end with the shredded cheese layer (I can fit 3 complete layers in my pan, but it varies, of course).
~ Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top layer of cheese is melted, slightly set, and just barely beginning to brown on top. Remove from the oven, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy! (preferably with garlic bread or fresh-baked focaccia...)