Vegan Oatmeal Craisin Cookies & The Quickest Easiest Way to Steam Veggies EVER

 

Helloooooo POPsters!!!

How are you!!?? Guess what? I just pulled an all-nighter. Jeez. Why do I keep doing this!!??? I have a billion things to do and I feel like the only way I can get through them is to just power through. I am having a fairly good time working though so I feel okay.

For now.

I really hope I don’t break down and fall asleep randomly somewhere. Plus I have a whole bunch of Pilates Bootcamp vids to film next week in LA! Must take care of myself…but I also gotta get these oGorgeous bags and wallets up! I just finished the lookbook that goes out to the retailers who are interested in buying the bags! Me, Adobe Illustrator, and Carlie Rae Jepson were best friends for the past several hours. I love her new album Kiss!!! So good!!! You have to check it out on Spotify!

Now I will get the bags in the store so you can see. Then tomorrow I plan on taking a break.

Oh no. Wait. I just realized I have homework to do for the app. DARN IT! And then I have to design and create the artwork for the DVD cover and disc.

OK. Breathe.

Everything will be ok.

It will be ok.

Actually, I am very excited to do all of these things…just wish I had more me’s or more time!!!! But yeah, the DVD has been edited for the last time and I just approved it!!! I think you will love! I will release more funny DVD fast forwarded clips for your viewing pleasure on BlogilatesTV. I’m happy you enjoyed the last one!

Ok anyway, back on topic!!!!

So what’s the easiest way to steam your veggies? With a bowl, a plate, a teensy bit of water and the microwave.

Just fill the bottom with a lil water, throw your chopped veggies in, cover with a plate and microwave for about 3-5 min. Now I know what you’re thinking. “BUT CASSEY!!! THE MICROWAVE ISN’T HEALTHY!!! IT KILLS ALL OF THE NUTRIENTS!!!”

Alright, I’m not a microwave scientist but from what I’ve read and what I know about how a microwave works (it basically makes the molecules in the matter placed within the microwave move faster, therefore creating heat and cooking your food) – the way food actually loses nutritional value is by being exposed to heat for a longer period of time or by being diluted. So whether you are  boiling, steaming, baking, or frying the heat in each case would kill off some nutrients. According to this Harvard study, boiling strips away a bunch of nutrients so it is best to save the “juice” and make soup out of it to get the goods.

Of course there are TONS of debates on this topic and I can’t firmly say I know for a fact that the microwave does not cause some harm I am unaware of, but as far as I know and as far as I have read, it seems to be okay and saves me a ton of time. Obviously something that comes scarcely nowadays! What are your thoughts on the microwave? Please link me to articles and journals that I can read either supporting or opposing the issue! This is a very interesting topic to me.

Ah yes and now the cookies! Which were baked in the oven 🙂 Here’s the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

– 3/4 cup dry oats

– 1/4 tsp baking powder

– 1/8 tsp salt

– 2 TBSP Stevia

– 2 TBSP Craisins

– 1 TBSP Coconut oil

– 2 TBSP nondairy milk (I used organic vanilla soymilk)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all together with your hands, mold into balls, then press into cookies, and place in oven for about 15-20 min at 350F!

VERDICT?

Crispy on the outside, not too sweet, and tender and chewy on the inside. I loved it! 100%

NUTRITION FACTS (per cookie, makes 10 mini cookies):

Not bad! Give it a try. They really honestly are super good. I think I’m gonna go make some more.

Or wait. Maybe I should sleep.

Okay love you guys!!! Need to figure out what to do with myself…

<3 Cassey

PS – #1. last day to enter the TRAIN LIKE A BEAST LOOK LIKE A BEAUTY giveaway – announcing a winner tonight on Twitter. Instructions here. #2. I hear you. One Direction. Live While We’re Young.

 

50 thoughts on “Vegan Oatmeal Craisin Cookies & The Quickest Easiest Way to Steam Veggies EVER”

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  1. Lauren says:

    Hey popsters! Try this recipe in cinnamon raisin version!!

    Add 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
    And replace craisins with raisins!

  2. Meghan says:

    I just made this recipe last night when I was craving something sweet like a cookie but didn’t want to splurge!Oh.My.God.These are soooo good!I did modify the recipe a bit,I used all the same measurements except I used honey instead of stevia,regular milk,and raisins.If you want to make at least 5 larger sized cookies I recommend you at least double the recipe.When I used the same measurements I made about two and a half larger sized cookies which gives you an idea about how small the batter size is. and i added about two shakes of cinnamon and WOW let me tell you it was awesome!When I opened the oven it smelled great!!Next time use the same measurements I think i will only put in a table spoon of honey,I wasn’t crazy about the flavor.

  3. Ardelis says:

    Hi Cassey! I made this recipe TWICE today! mmmmm didn’t have baking powder 🙁 used 4 dates (dried) instead of stevia, and chopped up crystalized ginger (they were sugary unfortunately) instead of craisins, and used virgin olive oil instead of coconut oil. They came out so great!

    ps. to all the ladies that had trouble making them stick – I found that the more I mixed it, the better it stayed together!

    Thanks!
    xoxo

  4. Natasha says:

    Just made a version of these without stevia- used agave. They were amazing, check out theintolerantstudent.wordpress.com for the recipe 🙂

  5. I like the fact that they are also low calorie and they look great.

  6. Rebecca says:

    I ground up some almonds and replaced half the oats with it as well as added 1tsp of flax to make everything stick together…didn’t have dried fruit so I added vanilla extract, butter extract, and cinnamon with 2 Tbs of coffee creamer and only 1/4 tsp of stevia….yum!!! 🙂

  7. rachel says:

    I made these in my thermomix and was absolutely in healthy snack food heaven. I doubled the recipe, used coconut sugar and half a cup of shredded coconut too. this is such a fantastic quick recipe. i’m inspired to try other add ins and flavours and my kids lunchboxes will be forever thankful.

  8. Melissa Perez says:

    skipped the coconut oil, used coconut milk as the non-dairy milk, replaced the craisins with half a chopped up bannana. and the stavia with 2/3 of a cup of maple syrup (although I reccomend a little less because they did turn out a little too sweet) Other than that I loved the recipe!

  9. Caroline G says:

    I skipped the baking powder and salt, added a banana, and doubled the oatmeal and that alternative yielded 12 tiny cookies. I would love to know how Cassy got 10 out of only 3/4 cup of oats!

  10. jade says:

    for people looking for an alternative to the oil, apple sauce is an excellent one!

    1. Stacey says:

      Coconut Oil is actually really good for, it’s a great oil to have in your diet!!

  11. Eleni says:

    Using frozen raspberries instead of craisins make the cookies taste amazingly fresh 🙂 you dont need to defrost the berries, just put them in the bowl as the second ingredient, and as they melt, crush them up in to pieces with your stirring spoon. Though the cookies may need a bit longer to cook, the result is amazing 🙂

  12. Jordan says:

    Just put these into the oven, can’t wait for them to come out! (:
    The only thing I really had a problem with was I wasn’t able to form them into balls, and instead of 10 cookies I ended up with 5 and a half.

  13. Jordan says:

    Just barely put these in the oven (: Excited for them to come out! The only thing I had troubles with was when I was rolling them into a ball it was very hard to get them to stick together, and instead of making 10 I ended up making like 5 and a half. :/

  14. Annette says:

    Tried the cookies and they were very good! I will definetly bake them more often!

  15. Sarah says:

    I absolutely love these! They’re a perfect “clean” dessert if I’m craving something that’s a little sweet 🙂 they help prevent me from binging on yucky junk food that’s no good for me.

  16. Stacey says:

    Can I ask you how you calculated your calories? I got 38 cal/cookie – 225 for the oats, 120 for the coconut oil, about 33 for the Crasins and the rest was nominal – maybe another calorie/cookie. I just want to make sure as that is a pretty big difference if you eat 4 cookies.

    Thanks! They look great and I’m going to make them anyway!

    1. blogilates says:

      hmm i used spark recipes – what did you use?

  17. sammyt says:

    AHHHH. Cassey, you wouldn’t want to hear the words that come out of my mouth. Its usually right when you’ll say something like “ahh do you feel that” or “give me five more. I know”. You don’t know many of us but we have this love-hate-love relationship going on. Thanks! Its just what we need

  18. Amy says:

    I think with the microwaves its not the decreased nutrients, but rather that microwaves convert plant alkaloids into carcinogens. Here are some articles about it

    http://www.naturalnews.com/022015.html

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx

    http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html

  19. Aurora says:

    Made the cookies today! They are soooo good and so FILLING! Love

  20. d says:

    Hi Cassey,

    I really enjoy your workouts a lot. I have heard some things about microwaves that are just plain silly, but there are some unavoidable truths, such as the study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture that found that up to 97% of the antioxidants were destroyed from broccoli steamed in the microwave.

    The Hans Hertel story sounds a little far-fetched and I can’t tell where the truth lies, but there was a famous case in the 1990s of a woman who died from a simple blood transfusion because the blood was warmed using a microwave.

  21. MT Angel says:

    I was visiting a friend’s house when I was young, and her mom made soup from “scratch” in the microwave. Started with water, nuked the veggies, not sure where the broth was supposed to come from, but we ate mushy veggies in water for dinner. I’ve been very suspicious of microwaves ever since. Only for nuking leftovers. My rice cooker has a steamer basket so you can steam veggies while the rice cooks.

  22. Kelly says:

    Hi,

    About the microwave: I’m a physicist and the way it works is that the microwave takes the watermolecules in your food and vibrates them very rapidly causing the water to heat up. Which is basically exactly the same way which happens if you put an external heat source to it like the oven or something, but it’s just highly efficient, so there is nothing different to food cooked in the microwave or cooked in boiling water. I don’t have articles to back up my opinion, but in any case I’m never worried when I use the microwave 😀

    (will definitely try the cookies 🙂 )

    1. blogilates says:

      AWESOME. That’s what I thought!!! You don’t need articles. You’re a physicist 🙂

  23. Margaret Hoar says:

    Cassey,
    Please please please get some rest. As excited as we are for all of these things, we care about YOU more than when the next workout is coming out, or when we can get the DVD, or when the new bags come out. We love you and don’t want you to break down! Please take care and sleep.
    Love,
    Me– on behalf of ALL popsters

    1. blogilates says:

      Thanks Margaret. You’re so sweet to me.

  24. Calina says:

    thank you Cassey! i love the fact that you listen to us! after the banana pancakes video i i asked you for more nu flour, no sugar desert recipes and that is exactly what you give me 🙂 i love you for that and can’t wait for more !

  25. Caitlyn says:

    What can you use instead of coconut oil?? And do we have to add stevia/a sweetener??

    1. blogilates says:

      just taste test it and see how you like it! maybe a banana would make it sweet enough! try pb instead of coco oil?

  26. SteviaQ says:

    How much Stevia should I use if I’m using pure extract?

    1. blogilates says:

      hmm i am not sure…taste test it?

    2. Tea says:

      I found that 1/2 a teaspoon was still really strong, try a quarter?

  27. Oh man it sounds like you’re having a crazy time right now! I hope you get some rest and feel refreshed once again! I think you should make your own team now Cassey! Hehe 🙂

  28. Liz J says:

    The cookies did not work at all. There was no way to form them into balls. I don’t know what I did wrong but it just did not work.

    1. Hi! One question, did you use regular milk? Or almond milk? I’m thinking it MIGHT have to do with the kind of liquids you used? I haven’t tried it but it’s just my guess. 🙂

    2. blogilates says:

      did u melt the coconut oil first?

      1. Victoria says:

        What else can I use instead of coconut oil?

        1. blogilates says:

          maybe peanut butter?

      2. melissa clementine says:

        I used a teensy bit more than 2 tbsp of coconut oil (melted) because mine didn’t really want to form a ball either. I added a little protein powder too, worked really well. The ciconut oil gves such a yummy flavor! These are delish.

  29. Suzy says:

    Wow! You are one busy bee.

    Maybe you should only post one workout per week. I love your workout videos but it is really hard to keep up with all the workouts you post :-). And when Pilates Bootcamp comes back there will be two workouts per week for us to do anyway.

    Also, can’t you hire somebody to help you?

    1. blogilates says:

      yea i am thinking of just doing 1…with pilates bootcamp coming back for sure

  30. Julia says:

    Losing some nutritional value due to microwaving beats grabbing a burger because you don’t have time to steam your veggies.
    I love the cookie recipe. I need to try it.

  31. Katherine D. says:

    Loving the vegan recipes!

    1. Nicole says:

      Me toooooo!

  32. This sounds good, healthy and very quick to prepare!!!
     I just found your nice blog…wonderfull! Follow you via bloglovin.
    XO
    A

  33. Cory says:

    Oh they looks yummy! Can I use agave or honey instead of stevia? It gives me headaches :/