Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

Peanut Butter Honey Cookies

1 1/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 C. smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 C. honey
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Whisk to incorporate the coconut oil completely.
4. Add the peanut butter mixture to the flour mixture, stirring just until all the flour is absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop a heaping tablespoon scoop of dough onto cookie sheets, spacing evenly. Pat cookies down with your hand or in a fork pattern.
6. Makes about 18 cookies. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, and let cool for two minutes while still on cookie sheets. Transfer cookies to cooling rack and let cool.

Maple Walnut Cookies

Maple Walnut Cookies


1 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons rolled oats
1 cup + 6 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup of walnuts (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
3/4 cup of maple syrup (you can use a full cup if you want them sweeter)
6 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350° . Mix the dry ingredients together.  Mix the wet ingredients together.  Combine the went and dry and mix together.  Fold in the walnuts, place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or parchment paper using a cookie scooper or a well rounded table spoon.  Place a walnut on the top of each cookie and press down.  Bake for 14 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet after 7 minutes.


*Recipe adapted from Ocean Beach People's Cookbook

Mushroom Lemon Pasta

Mushroom Lemon Pasta


12 oz. brown rice pasta
Sea Salt to season the pasta water

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 cups sliced mushrooms, cremini or button

3-5 cloves of minced garlic (depends on how much you like garlic)

1 teaspoon of pink himalayan  or sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 lemon

Boil the pasta according to the package directions.

Put olive oil in a pan, add mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cook until soft, add cooked pasta, squeeze lemon on top of pasta, add more olive oil to your preference, mix and top with parmesan cheese.

*You can also add things, like chicken breast chunks, broccoli, red bell peppers, etc. Just saute any of these additions with the mushroom mixture.

Agave Zucchini Bread

Agave Zucchini Bread

2 ½ cups of ww pastry flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

½ tsp. sea salt

3 Tbsp.  oil

1/2 cup agave

2 cup shredded zucchini

4 oz. unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

3 Tbsp. yogurt

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup of chopped walnuts

Mix all the dry ingredients (except nuts) in one bowl, mix wet ingredients in another bowl.   Combine the dry ingredients into the wet, once mixed, add shredded zucchini and walnuts and mix lightly.   Pour in to a 9” x 5” x 3” loaf pan, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Banana Pancakes

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Makes 12 pancakes

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon  Agave syrup

2 tablespoon Maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup milk (I used Almond)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3-4  ripe bananas, mashed

2 tablespoons coconut oil

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Measure out the milk and add the vanilla extract to it. Whisk together the dry ingredients and add in milk and vanilla, stirring to combine. The mixture will still be dry. Add in mashed bananas and mix. Add in melted butter and stir until batter is somewhat smooth.

Heat a skillet or grilled on medium heat. Using a 1/3 cup measure, spoon batter into rounds and cook until bubbles form on top – about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for a minute or two more. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve hot with butter and syrup

Note: if you don’t have/can’t find whole wheat pastry flour, use 1 cup of regular whole wheat and 1 cup of all purpose. Or 2 cups of all purpose.

Re-usable Sandwich Bags

http://www.re-pacbags.com

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients

Bars:

·         3 eggs

·         ½  cup granulated sugar

·         ½ cup oil, (I used ¼ coconut and ¼ cup olive oil)

·         4 oz. of unsweetened applesauce

·         15-ounce can pumpkin

·         2 ¼  cups of flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon salt

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·          

Icing:

·         8-ounce package  cream cheese, softened (you can use low fat or tofutti)

·         2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter  is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing:  Mix  the cream cheese in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

Easy Strawberry Shortcake
• 1 cup of AP flour (I use WW Pastry flour)
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (salted is fine, just cut down on the salt)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• ½ cup of whole milk
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

Strawberries and Cream
• 2 pints organic strawberries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar (I have a vitamix blender so I use granulated)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla (I don’t add this to my cream, I feel it’s optional)

Directions
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan lightly with flour.
Whisk the flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly whisk in the butter, egg, milk, and almond or vanilla, just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan, flip upright, and cool completely on the rack.
For the strawberries and cream: Hull and slice the strawberries (or if really big quarters), and toss with the granulated sugar. Set aside. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To assemble the cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom layer cut side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Drizzle the juices from the sliced berries over the cut sides of both halves. Put a layer of cream then strawberries, then a little more cream on the bottom half. Top with the other piece of cake, cut side down. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake and top the cake with the remainder of the berries
Know-How: Cutting a cake into layers is easy as saw-spin-separate: Begin to saw the cake in half horizontally. Just before you reach the middle of the cake, give it a quarter turn. Continue to saw almost to the center, then give it another quarter turn and saw again until you reach your original point of entry. Saw completely through the cake's center and separate the layers.

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Flour
2-3 cups Mushroom Stock
¼ cup of Red Wine (I’ve used white), a shot of crème sherry or tawny port adds a nice flavor
2 nice size Portabella Mushrooms cut into chunks
¼ lb. Cremini Mushrooms cut into chunks
½ of a medium Onion diced
5 cloves of Garlic minced
5 Carrots sliced
4 stalks of Celery sliced
½ cup of frozen Peas
2 teaspoons sage
2 teaspoons thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
Potatoes (regular mashed potato recipe)
Sprinkle of Sweet Paprika

Put Olive Oil, Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic in a dutch oven and sautee for 5 minutes or so. On the side, mix the Mushroom Stock and Flour. Once the mushroom mixture has sauteed, deglaze the pan with the wine, then add your Mushroom stock mixture, Carrots, Celery and Peas and Seasonings. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until it thickens up. Once mixture is thickened, pour into a 13”x9” baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes, then sprinkle some sweet paprika on top of potatoe mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour, until the potatoes get toastie on top.

Chocolate Cake

1 Cup Pastry Flour
1 Cup Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Canola Oil
2/3 Cup of Fat Replacement *(Lighter Bake)
3/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup of Reduced Fat Buttermilk
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup of Boiling Water
optional: 1 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, that's correct, 300. Grease a 9"x13" pan. Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl, mix at medium to medium high speed until all ingredients are blended and smooth. Pour mix into baking pan, and bake for 1 hour. Test with a toothpick, once the toothpick comes out clean it's done.

*Lighter Bake is a product made up of pureed prunes and apples.

Frosting

8 oz. Cream Cheese
3 Cups of Powdered Sugar
4 Tablespoons of Milk
2/3 Cup of Cocoa
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth, and your ready to frost the cake.

Hummus

1 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Tbsp. of tahini
2 cloves of crushed garlic (not huge cloves, if you love garlic add more)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Drain chickpeas, set aside liquid from the can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of reserved liquid. Blend until smooth and mixed.

Place in a serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus and add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. You can fancy it up with sprinkled parsley, paprika or a kalamata olive in the center.

Serve with warm pita bread, cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 of a baseball size onion chopped
2 cups of yukon gold potatoes
2 cups of chopped carrots
2 cups of chopped celery
2 cloves of garlic (more if you love garlic)
1 qt. chicken stock
4-5 Tbsp. of cornstarch
1 cup of milk or half and half
1 cup of peas
1 cup of chopped mushrooms (I use crimini)
1 box of puff pastry, (3 sheets)

In a stock pot add the olive oil and chicken, then saute until the chicken cooks, add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Mix through, then add the chicken stock. Heat over medium heat, once the stock comes to a soft boil, in a separate measuring cup mix the cornstarch into the milk until dissolved, once dissolved, slowly add it to the stock mixture stirring while pouring, this will thicken up the stock so that it is not runny in your pot pie. Turn the heat down and cook until carrots and potatoes are soft (not mushy). While that is cooking prepare a baking dish (I use a 9" x 13" pan), with some oil so that the puff pastry doesn't stick. Unfold the puff pasty and line the pan (bottom and sides), you may have to cut the pastry to fill in the sides. Save 1 sheet of puff pastry for the top. Once the stew mixture is done add the peas and mushrooms, ladle it into the pan, the last sheet of puff pastry will go on the top of the stew mixture, if it is too small to cover use a rolling pin to thin it out enough to cover the whole pie. Bake at 350-400 degrees until the crust gets golden (about 30-45 min.)

I got this recipe from Epicurious when I was searching for a light and fresh tasting lemon cheesecake. I was totally amazed at the taste, it was awesome. I did half non-fat and half lowfat cream cheese as suggested, and it was wonderful. I made the cheesecake for a ladies luncheon, and it was a big hit.

light-as-air lemon cheesecake

Low-fat versions of traditional cheesecake ingredients make this delicious dessert an elegant (and easy) end to a special meal. You can make this even lighter by using all nonfat cream cheese in the recipe, but I find the consistency better when using half nonfat and half lowfat cream cheese.

1.5 Cups Almond Biscotti Crumbs
(to make crumbs, crush biscotti with a rolling pin between two pieces of waxed or parchment paper)

1 cup plus one tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup butter (at room temperature)

1 (8 oz.) packages of nonfat cream cheese (at room temperature)

1 (8 oz.) package of reduced fat cream cheese (at room temperature)
2 cups (16 oz.) nonfat sour cream

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons cake flour (or regular flour)


DIRECTIONS

1. In food processor, process crumbs (to make crumbs,, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture firmly over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in a 350˚ oven until lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

2. In clean food processor, combine 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar, both packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of the sour cream, eggs, egg whites, lemon peel, lemon juice and flour. Process until smooth.

3. Pour cream cheese filling into crust. Return to oven and bake until filling jiggles only slightly in center when pan is gently shaken. (35-45 minutes) Cool in pan or on rack for 30 minutes. After you take the cake out of the oven, stir together remaining 1 cup sour cream and remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, cover and refrigerate. Spread cooled cheesecake with sour cream topping. Cover and refrigerate until cold (at least four hours). To serve, remove springform pan rim. Garnish with fresh raspberries or strawberries, if desired.

I am always looking for healthy ingredients to bake with and these cookies fit the bill and pass the kid test for taste. I of course did not make them Itsy Bitsy, I made them a little over an inch in diameter, and I got about 48 cookies. I used a teaspoon and dropped them on the parchment paper, then flattened them before baking. I also used dark chocolate chips that I put in the food processor to chop into smaller pieces. I didn't have a dark chocolate bar on hand. The thing I really love about these cookies is that they are crispy, but yet a little chewy.

Recipe from http://www.101cookbooks.com/

Itsy Bitsy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I use whole wheat pastry flour here, but you can substitute unbleached all-purpose flour if you like, or if that is all you have on hand. You might also add-in some finely chopped crystallized ginger, chopped raisins or currants, or wheat germ. You could try barley flakes or spelt flakes in place of the rolled oats. There are lots of different ways to take this cookie.

5 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate bar (Scharffen Berger 62%)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, very, very finely chopped (by hand)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
scant 1 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
scant 1 tablespoon organic unsulphured molasses (blackstrap)
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup large-grain sugar (for ex: turbinado)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, racks in top and bottom third. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8-inch pieces, more like shavings really. Try to avoid big lumps and chunks, which make flattening out the cookie dough later more difficult.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, walnuts, and shaved chocolate. Set aside.

Using a mixer (or by hand) beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugar and mix until it is also light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the molasses, then the egg, mixing until both are well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mix and stir by hand until the ingredients barely come together into a uniform dough.

I like these cookies tiny, barely bite-sized, so I scoop out the dough in exact, level teaspoons. I then tear those pieces of dough in two before rolling each 1/2 teaspoon of dough into a ball shape. Place two inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball into a thin, round patty with two fingers and then sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of large-grain sugar. Bake for 7 minutes or until cookies are golden and fragrant. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 12 dozen tiny, bite-sized cookies.

Why I wish everyone could eat organic.

I wish everyone had the knowledge of where our food comes from. Most people just have a singular belief, and that is, that organic is more expensive. Of course organic does cost more, I think we need to go deeper than "it's more expensive"; after all it's going into our bodies! The government warns us about smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs. Does the government tell us about the chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, genetically modified foods and grains people ingest every day? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_organisms

For me, I chose organic and locally grown. I am totally in agreement with the slow food movement started in San Francisco. A meal should be made with fresh organic ingredients, cooked with love and savored. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060911/waters

My plan for this blog is to share my favorite recipes, all of which  I make with organic ingredients.