Ginger Cookies

I have been on this dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free, meat-free diet now for about six weeks. The question I keep getting is "are you starving?" Surprisingly no, it hasn't been as hard as I thought. Of course, I have a pretty big reason to do it. Trust me, when you wake up one morning to find blood in your infant's diaper, you'll resolve to do whatever it takes to make your little one feel better. And as an added bonus, I feel really great too!

Are there foods I really miss? In a word: toast. Yep, you read that right. I am a big fan of toast. There is nothing better in this world than a thick slice of whole grain bread (La Brea Bakery's is the best!), toasted ever so lightly, and slathered with salted butter. Oh sure, I can still eat wheat (for now), but take the butter (remember, no dairy) out of the scenario and all you have left is hard bread.

Besides my mid-day buttered toast daydreams, I really don't feel deprived at all. Especially now that I have discovered how to replace the dairy and egg in certain baked goods. This is a recipe I have had for years. I got it from my sister-in-law and it has always been one of Mr.'s favorites. Now, with a little tweaking, we can eat them again!

Ginger Cookies
*dairy-free, soy-free, egg-free - but don't let that throw you off! They are delicious!

2 1/4 c. flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. molasses
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water

In a small bowl combine flaxseed with water and set aside (it will sort-of 'gel' together and look gelatinous like a beaten egg). Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt) and set aside. Mix together the oil, molasses, sugar and flaxseed mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Form 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Makes 48 cookies (depending on how big you make them).

Note: If you aren't trying to avoid egg, or don't have any flaxseed you can substitute the flaxseed/water mixture with one egg.

Enjoy!