Vegan Banana-Oatmeal Cookies

I really thought they were terrific! The batter takes about 5 minutes to prep, and not very long to bake. If you use parchment paper on your cookie sheet, the clean-up is a snap: one bowl, one spoon and whatever you used to mash the bananas (I use a potato masher). If your bananas are ripe but you’re not ready to bake, just stick them in the fridge until you are.

be supplemented with any variety of nuts. Personally, I’ve been adding about two tablespoons of whole flax seeds to the batter, for added fiber and omegas! (Silly as it may sound, it’s important to thoroughly chew whole flax seeds, otherwise they pass through your system undigested. I don’t endorse ground flax, as the volatile oils don’t stay fresh in that product. Just make sure to chew in order to release the flaxseed oil!)

I’d like to go through the ingredient list so you can understand how to keep a healthy recipe really healthy (although I’m sure many of my readers already know how to do that, we all have something we can learn)!

Bananas: Ranked at #35 on the Environmental Working Group’s ‘List of Fruits and Vegetables with Pesticide Residue Data,’ banana’s are not a highly sprayed fruit. If you are watching your dollars, they are a “safer” bet to buy conventionally-grown; save your money for something higher up on the list to purchase organic.

Applesauce: Since apples rank #1 on the EWG’s list for pesticides, those toxins find their way into any processed apple product (i.e. juice, gummies, etc.) This includes applesauce, so here’s where to spring for organic.

Oats: Oats sometimes present a dilemma for me. I like to buy organic grains, however if I’m not in a specialty food store I can’t always find organic old-fashionedoats. Steel-cut, yes, but they aren’t right for the recipe. Organic quick-cooking as well are available, but I won’t buy those because of the high sodium content in instant oats.
Since oats are not a genetically modified crop, I will sometimes buy conventional if I can’t find organic/old-fashioned. (For more on GMOs, see my GMO Blog) I never buy quick-cooking for any purpose; nor should you. (If you are buying oats simply to make oatmeal, the difference in cooking time is just a couple of minutes; a small price to pay for a big decrease in sodium!)Almond Milk: Readily available and oh-so-yummy, make sure to buy unsweetened or plain. The flavored varieties have 25 grams of sugar per serving, or more, as opposed to less than 1 gram of sugar in the plain!Raisins: Grapes score #3 on the EWG’s list, and that’s not good! They are considered a dirty fruit…and considering we eat them – as well as raisins – by the handful, it’s something to take note of. Organic raisins are available and should be your product of choice!