Healthy and Green Living

These vegan, fruit and nut cookies are full of texture, just slightly sweet but super delicious, and we’d expect nothing less from the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Tassajara is a legendary Buddhist monastery set deep in California’s Ventana Wilderness and is famous for its healthy gourmet vegetarian cuisine and their mixed dream cookies.

½ cup dried apricots
1 cup mixed nuts, roasted (any combination such as walnuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts)
½ cup soy margarine
¼ cup organic confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup agave syrup
1 cup unbleached flour
¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If the apricots seem very dry, soak in hot water and then drain, saving the liquid; chop into small bites.

2. In a food processor, chop the mixed nuts; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the margarine and then beat in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and agave syrup.

3. In another bowl, combine the flour and salt; fold into the margarine mixture.

4. Add the nuts and chopped apricots and mix well. If the dough seems stiff, add some of the liquid from the apricot soaking. Use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to drop dough balls onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the size of the balls. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 1½ dozen cookies.