Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars- the perfect study aid

Are you looking for that perfect snack that is both sweet, filling, but still pretty healthy? This is a great snack to bring to a study group or share with your non-vegan roommate since you cannot taste that it is vegan (it passed the test with my VERY picky friend). Enter my new and improved vegan peanut butter chocolate bars! I formally decided to become vegan last month and have had a lot of fun discovering the world of vegan cooking and baking. I adapted this recipe from http://www.familycorner.com/family/food/inthekitchen/chocolate_peanut_butter_bars.shtml

I made some changes to some of the ingredients such as, whole wheat flour instead of white and reducing the amount of sugar and chocolate it originally called for. I also substituted agave nectar (my new favorite item) for sugar, which gave the bars a very nice texture and taste.

1 cup peanut butter

6 tablespoons butter or margarine- I use Earth Balance butter- it tastes exactly the same and can be found at Trader Joe's in addition to most health stores.

1 cup agave nectar - the amount of agave you use is entirely up to you. I do not have a tremendous sweet tooth, and this amount was just right for my taste. I found mine at Trader Joe's.

The equivalent of 3 eggs in the form of an egg substitute such as ENER G egg replacer- can be found at Whole Foods.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegan chocolate chips- found at Whole Foods.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large mixer bowl, beat peanut butter and butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla, and beat until creamy. Blend in flour and salt. Spread into an ungreased baking pan (the original recipe says 13x9, but I use 9x9, which works fine). Bake 25-30 minutes, or until until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the the middle comes out clean.

Immediately after taking the pan out of the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, until covered. Let stand five minutes, until the chips are shiny and soft. After the time is up, spread the chips evenly and let cool.

Let me know how it goes! I found these extremely helpful when studying Aristotle or Plato; they are much better than ramen noodles or Sparknotes sometimes!

Kitchen essentials- What you really need.

If you are anything like me, the moment you find out you have your own kitchen at your disposal, visions of Williams-Sonoma and The Container Store flash through your head. You imagine yourself cooking wonderful meals with your new cast iron skillet or using that all-essential Kitchen Aid standing mixer. The truth is, you do not need an entire wedding registry worth of things to furnish your first kitchen.

The first thing I would suggest would be the timeless wooden spoon. It is the thing you will use to stir soups, sauces, etc, and a kitchen would not be complete without one. Next, the can opener. This is needed when you have to open a can of beans for homemade chili. Even if you plan on making most of your own food, a pizza cutter is still handy. Every collegiate chef at one point in their lives needs a good dose of thin crust pizza to get them through the night.

Two pots of different sizes are also good to have on hand. Getting two allows you to work on more than one dish or component at a time. By having two, you have your choice of which one you want to use depending on what you are making. Also, make sure you get lids with them, it will make your cooking go my much faster. I also highly recommend a non-stick skillet. I love to use mine when I make eggs, since it is a very easy clean up. The one I found happened to have a lid, which is very useful.

A good knife, such Santoku, is great when you are cutting large vegetables and pieces of meat. Mine is seven inches, and has a forged blade that helps it stay sharp. Make sure your knife has a comfortable handle. I also have a paring knife, which I use on other projects.

Measuring cups are needed, especially in baking to make sure your dish turns out perfect! A eight or nine inch baking pan is great for all those late night brownie urges. Since we are talking about baking, a cookie sheet, preferably one that does not have raised edges (this allows for even baking).

Containers, preferably glass are great for storing food and reheating it later. I also keep a stash of silicon heat-proof hot pads, which I prefer to the conventional. I also recommend getting a whisk, garlic press, cutting board, spatula, a mixing bowl, and a potato masher.

On the wish list (or things you might want to get but are not essential), I like having a Dutch over when I make certain soups and especially for one of my favorite dishes- goulash. I also like having an immersion blender. This product allows you to blend something without having to put the soup, sauce, etc in the blender. I absolutely love mine, but lived many years without it.

Lastly, please get yourself a dish drainer. Even if you plan to only do your dishes once a month, it is a good thing to have since most dorms don't have a dishwasher. On that note, also get a set of kitchen towels to dry your dishes and for general kitchen use.

I wanted to add that it does not have to cost a fortune to make your kitchen complete. There is a great discount store where I got almost everything I needed. Stores such as Target also carry great products that do not cost a lot.

I hope this has been helpful! I must now return to studying!

Happy studying and sauteing!

The First Course

My name is Meredith and I, like millions of young adults in the United States, am a college student. I am currently a Communications Studies major in Chicago and have decided to start this blog not because I have vast amounts of extra time on my hands (which I don't- believe me!), but because I want to tackle something that can not be solved by spending countless hours in the library. I want to bring healthy eating to the proverbial table (even though most of us eat dinner on our futon watching "30 Rock" or at our desks studying).

I believe with much certainty that it is possible to eat healthily in college, and inexpensively also. In this blog, I will be sharing recipes that I have found and rely on. I will also be giving tips that have helped me keep off the "Freshman 15." I look forward to updating a few times a week and sharing everything from restaurant reviews to the best macaroni and cheese.

To be clear, this is not a diet blog. I am here to show America's college students that there is more out there than dining hall food and ramen noodles. I hope you enjoy my writing and begin to see cooking as not a chore, but more of a delightful study break.

To studying and sauteing!

-Meredith