Vegan Almond Chia Seed Sesame Cookies for the Holidays

Here's a vegan recipe for whole grain and nut cookies you can serve for the holidays. It uses fresh fruit, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, oat bran, oat meal, and (optional) wheat germ.

What's healthy about this cookie recipe is that it's vegan and is made entirely of nuts, seeds, fruit, and fruit juice or nondairy milk substitutes such as almond milk, soy milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk or hemp milk. You can make a nut milk by liiquefying or emulsifying a handful of your favorite nuts, such as almonds, with water in your blender.

You can soak the almonds overnight in a jar of water in your refrigerator and blend with water to make your own almond milk. Then strain the liquid through a boiled, clean cheesecloth and use the emulsion as liquid mixed with fruit juice to make your cookie.

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup oat meal

1/2 cup oat bran

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates or other dried fruit of your choice such as raisins or nectarines

1/2 cup sesame seeds

2 tablespoons of chia seeds

2 tablespoons of flax seeds

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 cup soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, or hemp milk or any nondairy liquid milk substitute

1or 2 tablespoons lecithin granules

1 banana

If liquid is too thin, add more oat bran and oat meal to thicken. Begin by putting two scoops (about 2 tablespoons) of organic chia seeds in a blender. Then add two tablespoons of whole golden flax seeds and 1 to 2 tablespoons of lecithin granules. On top of that add a cup of raw almonds. Then add liquid, such as a cup of pomegranate juice and a half cup of soy, rice, almond, or hemp milk. Blend the ingredients and liquid until you get a puree. Now add one peeled banana and liquefy the emulsion again in your blender until it looks like a paste.

Pour the puree of nuts, one banana, chopped dried fruit (such as dates, nectarines, or raisins), and seeds liquefied with your favorite liquid such as fruit juice, soy milk, or water into a large bowl or sauce pan. Add 1/2 cup of sesame seeds and stir. Now add a cup of oal meal, a cup of oat bran, and (optional) a half cup of wheat germ. Mix and stir until all ingredients are blended and the batter begins to thicken somewhat. Finally, add a cup of chopped, pitted dates or any dried fruit of your choice such as raisins or nectarines. This further sweetens the cookie.

To thicken the batter, add a little more oat bran and/or oat meal. Chill for about an hour in the refrigerator. Then form into flat, round cookies and place on two oiled cookie sheets. You can coat the cookie sheets with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees F until the underside of the cookies are light brown. Cool, put in a covered glass bowl or cookie jar and serve. Makes at least a dozen or more small cookies.

I write 3 daily nutrition, health, and women's issues columns. They are the Sacramento Nutrition Examiner, Sacramento Healthy Trends Examiner, and the Sacramento Women's Issues Examiner.