Before I talk about a talented vegan woman whom I admire – I want to talk about another talented vegan woman whom I admire: Jenny Mustard. Recently Jenny featured one of my recipes – Raw Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Hearts – in her Vegan Inspo series. If you’ve seen any of Jenny’s videos, you know that she and David create truly beautiful, ethereal pieces that make food look oh so incredible. She put her unique touch on my crazy recipe, made it look easy, and well, sensual! Please check it out and don’t deprive yourself – be sure to spend time exploring her other videos and her website. Jenny also has a new cookbook called New Vegan that looks out-of-this-world gorgeous. I’m hoping it will be made available in English soon. Thank you so much, Jenny! (Photos below of carrot cake courtesy of Jenny & David.)
Now, let’s talk about that other talented, gorgeous, awesome vegan woman known by many as the Jazzy Vegetarian: Laura Theodore! Laura’s brand-spankin’ new cookbook, vegan-ease has been out for only a couple of days now, but lucky me, I got a review copy a few weeks back. I’ve been cooking from it extensively and like Laura’s other books, Jazzy Vegetarian and Jazzy Vegetarian Classics, this one is chock-full of simple, easy-to-prepare, wholesome, and tasty vegan food from breakfast through desserts (her speciality, I think!). Laura’s goal w/ vegan-ease was to share recipes made from unprocessed and easy to locate ingredients. She succeeds marvelously!
To give you an idea of how recipes are organized, Laura created an Ease-Factor scale:
- 1 = quick, easy; up to 7 ingredients; less than 15 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” ingredients readily available at supermarkets.
- 2 = takes less than 30 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” has up to 10 ingredients; ingredients generally available at supermarkets or health food stores.
- 3 = takes more than 30 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” ingredients mostly available at supermarkets or health food stores.
When you are short on time and long on hunger, go for 1s or 2s. For weekends, when you have a bit more time, or for special occasions, explore the 3s. Speaking of special occasions, Laura devotes an entire chapter to “stress-free holiday recipes” like Pumpkin Spice Cheeze-Cake, Festive Breakfast Casserole, and Mushroom-Basil Gravy. This section will be getting heavy use by me during the upcoming season. There’s also a section of menus for all occasions – Sunday Brunch, Summer Soiree, Burger Deluxe, to name a few – as well as a chapter on “menu planning basics.” Laura’s cookbook is a must for any vegan cook’s shelf because it guarantees healthful, flavorful, whole food meals that can be made quickly and easily.
BTW, vegan-ease is just a little extra special for me because I contributed some photos to the book. I’m thrilled and honored that Laura asked me to be a part of such a beautiful product and I feel lucky to call her a friend.
I know that you’d love to get your hands on Laura’s book, so I’m giving one reader the chance to do just that! Laura will even sign the book. Oh, and the winner will also get some Pascha organic vegan chocolate bars – woohoo! So enter below (U.S. entrants only, please) – after you’ve printed out her recipe for 4-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – and best of luck to everyone! If you can’t wait, go here to order a copy of vegan-ease for yourself, a friend, or loved one.
My photos that appear in Laura’s book:
And now, for…cookies!
- 2 large, ripe bananas
- 1¼ cups rolled oats
- 1⁄3 cup raisins
- 1⁄3 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Put the bananas in a medium-sized bowl and mash with a potato masher or large fork until smooth. Add the oats, raisins and chocolate chips; stir to combine.
- Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, drop a heaping tablespoonful of the cookie batter onto the lined baking sheet, gently flattening it with a rubber spatula or clean fingertips. Continue in this manner with the remaining cookie dough.
- Bake for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and cookies are almost set. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, cookies will keep for about 3 days.
- Amount per serving, based on 1 cookie: 59 Calories; 2g Fat; 1g Saturated fat; 1g Protein; 1mg Sodium; 11g Total Carbohydrate; 4g Sugars; 2g Fiber
- Recipe from Laura Theodore's Vegan-Ease: An Easy Guide to Enjoying a Plant-Based Diet © Laura Theodore (Jazzy Vegetarian, LLC 2015), reprinted by permission.

ENTER THE VEGAN-EASE GIVEAWAY!
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You’d never guess that these were only 4 ingredients! The cookies look stunning!
I make these all of the time now because they’re so easy and good.
oh thank you so much for the kind words annie !
i’m so flattered 🙂
and thanks for lending us your gorgeous recipe of course, we’re so happy that you’re a part of our vegan inspo series.
// J
Whole grain pasta, or a quick coking grain like farro, plus beans and greens equals my favorite quick meal. Pre-washed greens, pre-cooked or canned beans and a nice jar of red sauce are my best short cuts to getting a meal of real food on the table fast. Change the sauce/seasonings and you have a completely different meal. Spicy peanut and tahini-lemon are a couple of other sauces that I can whip up while the pasta or grains are cooking. If I don’t have greens in the house I’ll steam or roast some frozen veg.
Great ideas, Terri – – I love when meals come in one big bowl!
My easy go to vegan meal is frozen broccoli & cauliflower, marinara sauce, pasta and beans. Add onion powder and top with nutritional yeast.
That’s about as easy as it gets! Thanks, Kathy!
My go to easy vegan meal is a hearty bowl of chili with veggies. One pot and done!
Ha! I made a big pot of chili for lunch today! I never get tired of it.
Wow, usually I feel like I can’t bake (to many mistakes to mention…), but these seem like I should dust off my mixing bowls and bake a batch! Thanks.
You can make these, Heidi! They are virtually mistake-proof!
I usually prepare dal and rice with a salad.
I love easy stuff like this!
Oops and forgot my easy meal….I love a baked potato with a vegan soup over it, sprinkled with nooch.
Pasta or tacos are my easy go-to meals. BTW, I love your photos!
One of my go-to meals is the teriyaki stir fry from Plant Powered Families. It is pretty fast, and lots of veggies!
My favorite quick meals are stir fry or spicy beans with rice or a bake sweet potato.
My go-to is rice and beans – never get tired of that combo!
My go-to meal is a rendition of something my mom made when I was young but it had meat in it. I use crumbles. its simple but I love the taste. 2 cans of Vegetarian beans, tomato soup, sauteed onions, mixed with spaghetti style noodles and “meat” crumbles. Easy and is even better as a leftover.
Ooh, that sounds yummy and so comforting!
Four ingredients, I got this now. Thanks Ann
Doesn’t get much easier than this, Cathy! You’ll love these!
My easiest go To vegan meal is chili, making sure to include some fire roasted tomtoes, over delicious rice.
My go to easy meal is a sweet potato with beans and salsa.
Yikes I’m in love with Jenny in one fell swoop
She’s pretty much the coolest!
Love your work on Laura’s book BTW.
My easy go-to meal would probably be beans in my pressure cooker, with some kale added in! These cookies look like they would hit my chocolate-craving spot! Thanks for the recipe!
A quick pantry meal: A can of black beans, a can of tomatoes with green chilies and a diced sweet potato. Cook until sweet potatoes are tender, serve over rice. Top with fresh cilantro, if you like.
Even easier, we love baked potatoes topped with canned vegetarian baked beans, Yum
Pasta with sauce
Just ordered the cookbook. Was vegan for over a year then got lazy and went back to meat, gained 10 pounds back. Trying to get back on the “horse” :), looking forward to trying these cookies!
Awesome, Stacey! You’ll really like Laura’s book. And best of luck getting back on that horse :-)!
They sound yummy. However, I do not like chocolate chip cookies or chocolate chips in general. Could I leave them out or maybe substitute some chopped nut instead? Thank you.
Pat, I make a version for my husband with just raisins in them. Just as delicious. You could add nuts or other dried fruit if you prefer.
Soup or salad are both easy. =)
Taco salad!
What a wonderful idea to design a cookbook that way, the cookies look great!
one of my favorite go to meals is brown rice with mixed veggies.
That cookie recipe is my kind of thing and I love the idea of Laura’s quick and easy ones in her book. Wonderful, glorious, delicious photos, as always.
I invented similar cookies 2 years ago & this version ais also really inviting & yummy! This book sounds really interesting & good for you that you shot the beautiful inviting captivating food photos! xxx