Page 38 December 2014 DUI CLASSES ONLINE! 3200 N Hayden Rd ~ Suite 170 - Just South of Osborn Rd 480.429.9044 WOW! ONLINE DUI SERVICES! SCOTTSDALETREATMENT.COM ARIZONA’S FIRST ONLINE DUI SERVICES HOME • OFFICE • TRAVEL ANYWHERE YOU CAN “LOG ON!” ONLINE SERVICES: MVD • SR-22 ALCOHOL SCREENINGS, EDUCATION & TREATMENT ARIZONA’S FIRST ONLINE DUI SERVICES Compare our rates. CALL US LAST! Veggie Beat Master the art of the vegan cookies in time for holidays s maple b By Amanda Savage Sweets are as synonymous with the holidays as snow, presents and family. Baking has never been my strong suit, even before I was concerned about alternative ingredients. It seems so easy, just mix everything together and throw it in the oven, right? Baking becomes especially difficult when you take eggs, milk and animal byproduct out of the mix. While most holiday cookies are vegetarian, very few are naturally vegan. It’s also interesting to consider that substituting fatty ingredients like butter, and traditional sugar for sugar substitutes (while I’m wary of these) can greatly decrease the amount of calories in holiday cookies, helping you fight that battle of the holiday bulge with which we all seem to struggle. For a long time I’ve tried to master the vegan cookie. They exist, and good ones at that. It definitely took some experimenting to get it right. I’ve tried all the different egg substitutes you’ll find on the Internet – from applesauce, to bananas and flax – none seemed to quite meet the challenge. The flavor may have been there, but the consistency always seemed to turn out either too brittle and dry or too soupy. Some vegan and food blogs offer complete reconstructions of classic baking recipes. However, I’ve found that it’s easiest to follow classic cookie recipes, and simply swap out a few of the animal-based ingredients for vegan ones. Original Earth Balance can be substituted for butter, soy or almond milk for regular milk; the challenge comes with eggs and buttermilk. I’ve heard good things about egg replacers like Ener-G, but I’ve personally never tried them; although, I have had success with silken tofu. It may sound strange, but the fl avorless soy-based food goes unnoticed in the finished baked product. It’s important to completely blend the tofu when you mix it in with the other wet ingredients to avoid unsightly tofu chunks, so an electric beater or blender is necessary. Tofu is sold as a large block. I cut this into quarters, and use one quarter of the block as a substitute for one egg. One of the best parts about fresh cookies is the soft, doughy inside that’s usually achieved with creamy ingredients like buttermilk. I’ve found that a mixture of three-fourths unsweetened coconut- based yogurt and one-fourth parts almond milk substitutes the texture and flavor of buttermilk well. The sugar cookie recipe I use from Food Network called for 4 teaspoons of buttermilk, so I substituted 1 teaspoon of almond milk with 3 teaspoons of unsweetened coconut-based yogurt. Viola, chewiness achieved! For chocolate chip cookies, substitute dark chocolate chips found at Whole Foods for Nestle. While most homemade frosting recipes can use the substitutions listed above, you can also purchase accidentally vegan icing. Duncan Hines Classic Vanilla and Chocolate frostings are vegan, as are many other grocery store frostings. (Most ingredients include sugar and water, but watch out for gelatin and traces of dairy.) If homemade isn’t quite your thing, check out Peta’s I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan list. Peta’s list includes “normal” foods found in grocery stores that happen to be vegan, and there is a whole section on baking products. There are also local spots like Nami, Braggs Factory Diner and Urban Cookies that offer vegan baked goods. By substituting ingredients like eggs and milk with vegan friendly products, cookies can be eaten by all. arcadianews.com

Page 39 December 2014 By P ys By P slow cooker maple brown sugar ham ingredients • 7-8 lb. spiral-cut ham (bone-in or boneless) • 1 cup brown sugar • 1/2 cup maple syrup • 2 cups pineapple juice Servings: 15-18 Time: 4-5 hours By getcrocked.com preparation • Place ham inside crock, with flat side down. • Rub the brown sugar all over ham, getting all sides. • Next, whisk pineapple juice and maple syrup together in medium bowl; pour over the entire ham. • Cover and crock on LOW for 4-5 hours. • About 1 hour before serving, begin to baste the ham with the liquid every 15 minutes. Let ham rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. NOTE: Nutrition and serving size based on bone-in-style ham. Happy Crocking! 4829 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018 602) 952-7046 | www.jtsarcadia.com