Vegan Raisin Cookies

What defines a foodie?
Can you call yourself a foodie when you lay in bed thinking about what sort of ingredients would taste good together or how you can improve a recent recipe or better yet.... thinking about how to get your mill to work!

I seriously was so perplexed last night after my mill just would not grind up the whole wheat! 

I had HIGH hopes of experimenting with different grains, but I don't want to put my coffee grinder under more abuse, so I was determined this morning to figure out how to get my mill to do what I wanted. 

First thing in the morning, I went online, found a youtube clip that showed the ins and out of my mill, and then went to work  immediately on the thing. I realized that I wasn't turning the 'knob' far enough to the 'fine' setting, so the mill stone (whatever its called) wasn't tight enough to press the wheat into flour.

Turning the "knob" was quite some work. My forearms got a little sore in the process of turning and readjusting. 

And then it happened! I finally found the right setting and the grains started turning into flour! 

It didn't turn as 'fine' as I was hoping it would, but I knew it would work if I just shifted my flour before using it. I was so excited that I had to try some brown rice. Yes, I now have brown rice flour! 

I was so happy with myself that I promptly emailed Motozo to tell him the wonderful news. I know he doesn't really give a damn about mills or even about muffins for that matter (he still hasn't tried the muffins I made last night! HUMP!). But being the kind husband that he is, he humored me and said "good babe!" :)

Enthusiastic husband or not, I was thrilled! 

Of course, I had to use the flour when it was fresh, so I used a tried and tested Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, taken from EveryDayDish

I don't have chocolate chips other then cacao nibs, but I really want to save those for raw desserts, so I substituted with raisins instead. 

Don't they look yummy! So easy to whip up and only 11mins of baking time! The problem was they turned out too salty. I'm still learning this whole measuring thing. I wasn't looking at my measuring spoons properly and I put way too much salt in. So far my sweets seem to be either too sweet or too salty. One of these days I'll find the right balance. Until then, I have a big tupperware of muffins and cookies that should last me for a good while! YAY!     

Shoes and cookies.

As a runner who considers herself pretty savvy for running do's and don'ts, I certainly fall short in the department of keeping my running shoes fairly fresh.

Most runners own 2-3 pairs which they rotate on a regular basis so it prevents one from getting worn out too soon. Very logical and highly recommendable!

And yet, I've always only own 1 pair, (minus the many worn out pairs I don't have the heart to throw out) that I use until I see signs that its in need of a replacement.

Depending on your weight,height, and smoothness of your gait, an average life of most running shoes is 583-804 kilometers. According to those numbers, I should be replacing my shoes AT LEAST 2Xs a year. If one year I'm training for a marathon then I should expect to go through 3 pairs. 

But shame on me, I've never done this. I've always worn the same pair for at least a year before getting a new one.

That time of year rolled around again.....oh, 3 months ago. So 2 days ago I finally forced myself to the sports store. You'd think I'd be excited to go shopping, but no, not really. The problem is the shoe I want is usually not in my size. After MUCH trial and error I know the exact shoe I want and for the pass 3 years I've always stuck with the same one. They've never failed me so theres really no point in changing brands. I'm an Asics lover!

Just as I expected, the shop was out of my size. The shop clerk tried persuading me to buy Nike or NewBalance.....nope, can't do it! So he shyly said they have the Asics in my size BUT it's the men's model.

Tried them on, loved them, bought them. The main reason I was so thrilled with them was the color. I am a such a girl.

I've worn pink for years now,but only because there wasn't any other color available . Why can't they make blue or green female shoes eh? Take a look at the blue beauties!

As you can see, I put my running shoes to good use! A little sick of me, but that dirty shoe makes me proud! It shows its been through a lot!



I got a little carried away and did a little Him & Her shoe :)

The comfort of the shoes - fabulous! The difference from the old shoes is seriously shocking! Now I'm actually contemplating getting another pair of shoe so I can rotate and retain the cushion and spring I feel a little longer. The shoes made me feel like I was flying! The 2 runs I've done in them have got to be the most enjoyable runs I've had in a long time. WOOHOO!

Food time! I was inspired yesterday to use my newly purchased vanilla agave. I wasn't in the mood to follow a recipe so I made some raw cookies with my own imagination and the limits of what I have in my cupboards.

What I used:

• Raw hemp protein power
• Ground black sesame seeds (white probably would have made the cookies look more appealing)
• Ground flaxseed
• Unsweetened shredded coconuts
• Lacuma powder
• Vanilla flavored agave

Threw everything together.

Mixed and soon learned that a little bit of agave goes a LONG way! I put too much agave in (sob sob, precious agave wasted!) as they turned out too wet and I had to add in more coconut shreds. I put them in the freezer for 30mins to hardened a little so I can mold them into cookie shapes. They still were a little sticky, but I managed and licked my fingers happily and transfered them back into the freezer.

I know they don't look very appealing. The green from the hemp protein and black from the sesame makes for some hamburger looking cookies ha.  

         

Before and after the freezer                                                       

                                                                                                    

The taste - OH SO DELICIOUS! Maybe a little too sweet, but they still made me very happy.

The nutrition value is not too bad as well. Protein, omega 3 and calcium rich! :)

It'll be fun to play around with by using less agave and maybe add some nuts next time.

And umm....maybe work on the presentation as well haha. Brown/green cookies...don't they look yummy?