Pumpkin Chia Cookies! (Gluten-free/Dairy-Free)

As per usual, I am always trying to maximize my baked goods full of complex grain/seeds, fruits and veggies for my 5-year-old who is a Particular Eater. This is typically easier this time of  year when pumpkin is more on the radar because she loves the complex flavors of pumpkin baked goods.  I have no idea why this works for her delicate palate, but I try just to be grateful. 

Well, now enter the 10-month-old who is a seriously complex eater already, but somehow is low on iron. Ok, so I do actually know that red meat could help, but I've got a thing about handling blood.  I'm much better with this arena.  I put this recipe together to incorporate pumpkin seeds which are a decent source of iron (14% RDA/ 1/4 cup) and then got all excited about using teff flour which is even higher in iron (20%/1/4 cup) and blackstrap molasses (15%/Tbs).  They are really high in protein and fiber for baked goods so the glycemic load is nicely reduced, making this the new Everyday Cookie for us!

These are quite moistureful- unlike many gluten-free baked goods.  Surely you could add some banana in somewhere and if you wish, increase the sugar.  I don't have much of a sweet tooth and the girls have never complained, so I keep it pretty low.  

Pumpkin Chia Cookies  (Makes about 3 dozen 1oz cookies)

• 3/4c almond flour (I use almond meal from TJs)
• 1/2c flour (*see note below)
• 1/4c ground pumpkin seeds**
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 1Tbls chia seeds mixed with 3Tbls hot water (or sub an egg)
• 1/3c coconut oil at room temp or butter
• 1/3c pumpkin (canned or freshly roasted)
• 1/4c brown sugar
• 1tsp vanilla 
• 1Tbls molasses (optional but extra yummy) 

*Flour note: I haven't used wheat flour here at all but presumably it works.  I typically use 1/4c teff flour and 2Tbls each garbanzo/brown rice flour

**I put pumpkin seeds in a standard mason jar and screw the blender bottom on to it and then grind them up for a few seconds, works great to make a flour-like texture.  You could use food processor, blender or serious chopping.
 

Directions (preheat oven to 350deg)
1. Mix chia and water together in small dish and let rest about 10 min

2. Meanwhile, sift together all dry ingredients in medium bowl- this  mixes them and will break down little chunks of nut flours and such that seem to form.

3. Mix together all wet ingredients along with chia/water mixture.  I actually just put them all in my narrow measuring cup and use my immersion blender to mix the heck out of them

4. Combine wet ingredients in with the dry, then scoop 1Tbls drops onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then flatten the cookies a little with your fingers or the back of a spoon.  Bake 12-13 minutes. 

Enjoy!

(avocado) Chocolate Pudding Pops! (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

It is HOT here in Seattle and these are a healthy fudgesicle  must.  I was a little unsure how well they would freeze but they were great!  I would also even make this recipe and just enjoy it as pudding or double it and chill it for a no-bake chocolate pudding pie.  I used the 4-oz cheapo pop makers from Safeway or something- you can use anything you have.  Even pour the mix into ice-cube trays and use tooth pics or Popsicle sticks if you don't have the molds.  

Avocado Pudding Pops (makes 4 3-4oz pops)

• 2T Cocoa (or Cacao) powder
• 2T Agave
• 1/2 soft avocado
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Directions
Put all ingredients into food processor or blender and puree until very smooth.  Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze.  


Happy Summer!

Healthy Delicious Brownies (Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Grain-Free/Refined Sugar-Free)

These brownies haven't lasted more than 24 hours in our house.  As you will see, they are quite appropriate for breakfast and snacks so they are never long for the world.  And in this house where my oldest kiddo won't eat protein, this is oh, so satisfying!  These are so fast to make and (I think this is a good thing) not too rich.  The recipe I adapted this from used just nuts and no garbs, but I think the texture benefits from the addition of the beans giving it a more moisturefull crumb.  They are a bit reminiscent of Chocolate Chip Blondies.  I Recommend getting enough ingredients to make two batches because they will go fast.

Killer Brownies

• 1cup raw walnuts or pecans (or try almonds and let me know!)
•  ⅓ cup cocoa powder 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt 
• 1cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup maple syrup 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• Optional (not optional)- 2-4 Tbls mini semi-sweet choc chips

Directions
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish.

Place the nuts into a food processor fitted with the “s” blade. Process until very finely ground, stopping just before they turn into nut butter. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and pulse again to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and process again until smooth. You will still have tiny bits of nuts visible- this is OK even if you are a nut-in-your-brownie type like me.

Pour batter into baking dish. Spread evenly into pan with a rubber spatula or spoon and sprinkle on and lightly swirls in the chips if using. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for about 20 minutes before slicing.

Adapted from The Nourishing Meals Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS,  CN

Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Nutritional Yeast (Gluten/Dairy free)

This is a new twist on an old favorite. It was over a year ago that I originally wrote about Roasted Garbanzo Beans and our consumption has not changed around here except for a slight hiccup during my first trimester when all-things-not-hot-and-sour-soup were off the list.  Since clearing that hurdle, we are all in again.  I rarely deviate from my favorite mix of Old Bay seasoning and Curry powder, but on a whim the other day, I used some Nutritional Yeast I had in the drawer and it was DYNAMITE! 

I keep hoping I will magically drum up the courage to make Nutritional Yeast 'cheese' sauce, but somehow I just keep forgetting.  I know it is all the rage in vegan cheese sub-in's but I am a little scared.  Mostly because its called nutritional yeast. I mean, really.  The name's a little rough.  Even so, its delicious on popcorn, so it must be delicious on garbs, right? 

Because of the shear volume of consumption of these around here, I always make these from dry beans, but you can use canned beans if you want, just try for a lesser sodium brand and start in step 2.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1lb dry garbanzo beans or 2 cans, drained and rinsed
• 2-4tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1/4cup Nutritional Yeast

Directions
1. Toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain. 

2. In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the S, P and NY.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately 25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

* You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

These super tasty muffins and packed with great sustaining protein and fats making them a perfect quick breakfast.  Also they ridiculously easy to make!  Even my peanut butter loathing daughter thinks they are delish.  However, after the first bite of the first batch, she and Mike bit into their muffs and immediately made haste to the kitchen to manually apply chocolate chips.  Clearly they were correct in their assessment and thus, this recipe strongly suggests the chip application.  Also, in the first batch I made, instead of 2 bananas, I used one banana and about 3/4c left-over cooked oatmeal from these muffins made last week.  I liked them that way, but most of you will enjoy more banana I suppose.  I also like to add a couple of tablespoons of ground flax for lots of reasons- great nutrition, fiber and such- but also flax and psyllium husk are great additions to gluten-free baked goods as they help with the binding that gluten otherwise provides as well as help bind in moisture.  Your option to add or not, they are fine either way.

Ingredients:

• 1c Peanut butter (Natural)
• 4 lg eggs
• 2 bananas (see note above)
• 1/4c maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 Tbsp coconut flour (really any flour should work)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• (optional) 2T ground flax seeds/psyllium husk 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Blend all ingredients except chips in food processor until smooth.  Mix in chips, then divide evenly between 12 muffin tins and cook for ~25 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! 

Honey Lemon Raspberry Jam (low-sugar)

I haven't made jam in several years, but am delighted to say I made a tasty batch tonight!  I remember the first time I made jam years ago being shocked that the recipes I looked at called for more sugar than berries!  Back then I found a Pectin product (Sure-Jel maybe?) that allowed for low-sugar recipes and it has worked well for me over the years.  Yesterday I went looking on the web for low-sugar raspberry jam recipes and found that Pomona's Universal Pectin is all the rage and pretty much seems to be the new gold standard of low-sugar/no-sugar jam recipes.  I was highly skeptical I would find it, but sure enough it was at the local QFC when I looked for it!  Tonight I made a small batch of jam from some berries picked from Auntie Bert's crop and was a little short on numbers, so I augmented with some organic strawberries I had in the fridge.  I think it came out dynamite and am just not sure if it will get more use on toast or vanilla ice cream.....

I am going to put up my recipe that I used for this batch tonight, but link to another website that I thought gave excellent instructions on how to make the jam and what you need to get prepared.

Some jamming MacGyver notes: I don't have a jam funnel, so I made one up of rolled up tin foil with a wide mouth to fit in the jam jar.  Worked great!  Furthermore, I don't have any actual canning pots so I fill my deepest pot of water and line the bottom with the tops of my box grater!  Any metal thing will to that keeps some space between the bottom of the pot and your jars so they don't get too hot.

Honey Lemon Raspberry Jam

• 4 cups mashed berries
• 1/2-3/4 cup honey (my berries were pretty tart to start, so I went with 3/4)
• 2-3 tsp fresh lemon juice\
• 2 tsp pectin powder
• 2 tsp calcium water
• A boiling pot of water or canner (see note above)

Directions
Please link to this page on the Foods For Long Life blog for great directions!

Chicken Marbella (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

I ate this dish about 7 years ago when it was made for a party for my mom and have truly been thinking about it ever since.  I can NOT believe I have waited this long, as it is unbelievably simple, easy and fast.  The ingredient list is totally bizarre but comes together in the most balanced way.  As a saltaholic, I felt it needed a bit of salt in the end, but that is me.  I will add some salt and pepper to the marinade next time I make it, or some extra olives or something, but otherwise it was dynamite.  It would easily lend itself to doubling or tripling to make ahead for a super easy party dish.  Also, if you like dark meat, you could use thighs here vs. breasts, but I think that is crazy. 

This truly would take any typical person 15 minutes to prepare ahead, but it took me 25 due to the extensive degiblification process I undertake with all chicken wherein I remove every tiny bit of fascia, tendon, fat, 'rib meat' and that nasty little artery that runs through every chicken breast.  Another bonus for those of my people who find preparing meat a deeply disturbing process is the fact that the preparation and actual consumption of this meal take place many, many hours apart. 

Recipe

• 4 chicken breasts, cut in half width-wise, about 2-1/2 pounds
• 1/2 cup prunes, halved
• 1/2 cup Spanish green olives, halved
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4-6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1Tblsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup capers, with some brine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup (scant) brown sugar

• Cooked rice for serving

Directions
1. Combine all but wine & sugar (and rice) and let sit to marinate at least 3 hours, but preferably 8-24 hours.

2. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350deg, then place chicken in a single layer in a glass baking dish, then spoon all of the rest of the marinade around in in the pan.

3. Sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on the top of each piece of chicken and pour the wine around the chicken in the pan and cook uncovered for 50-60 minutes (til chicken is cooked through), basting the chicken with the pan juices periodically.

4. Scoop chicken, prunes and olives over rice and make sure to cover with the pan sauce and capers. 

Adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook

Seabrook Sangria

We had the pleasure of spending Easter with The Cousins.  Actually, we spent it with most of  Mike's family, but to Mia, it is all about The Cousins.  It was a great weekend to be at the beach in the Great Northwest and this year we were in Seabrook, Washington.  This festive libation came out quite well to accompany an amazing meal made by my wonderful Sister-in-law and her husband (not sure if that makes him my brother-in-law? Doesn't seem quite right).  Anyway, I  had to prove to myself that it really was that good by making another vat of it last weekend in celebration of a good friend's birthday.  Indeed, it was dynamite, although the first batch was better by a tiny tad- I think the difference was that I used Newman's Virgin Lemonade in #1 and Trader Joe's Pomegranate Lemonade in #2.  To be fair, I added a bit of suggested cinnamon to the second batch, but I think that gave it some added dimension vs. not.  I'm thinking that the next time, I will skip the ground cinnamon and add a cinnamon stick or two into the pot while it is steeping together instead.  I'm pretty sure it was the lemonade that took a half-point off the second batch.

I also had a rare moment of brilliance and took a shallow dish (maybe a 2-3 cup Pyrex or so) and froze it full of lemonade to add in at the end when I set it out to serve- this way it would stay cold and sangrilicous without getting diluted.  And incidentally, this saves pretty well in a mason jar for up to 2 days in case you want to keep the party going when the guests are gone. 

Seabrook Sangria

• 2 bottles of full bodied red wine, fancy not needed (I like Big House Red)
• 1/2 cup sugar made into simple syrup (see below)
• 4-6oz. Triple Sec
• 6-8oz. Lemonade, plus more for freezing (see above)
• Juice of:
• 3 limes
• 2 lemons
• 1orange (2 might be nice)
• 1 bottle sparkling wine, chilled (not the sweet kind)
• (optional)  1/4tsp ground cinnamon or a couple of cinn sticks
• (optional) misc chopped fruit such as pineapple, strawberries and such

Directions
1.  to make simple syrup, pour your sugar into a jar, cup or other vessel and slowly add hot water into it and stir- just enough to dissolve the sugar - maybe 4 oz or so? 

2.  Mix all ingredients except sparkling wine together in large pitcher or such item and place in fridge for maybe 4-8 hours

3.  When ready to serve, taste and adjust with a bit lemonade, juice and such to your preference, then add in the bottle of sparkling wine and frozen lemonade, then serve over ice with a bendy straw.

Crispy Granola Bars (gluten-free/dairy-free)

This recipe came out of a recent need to have granola in the house.  As a recovering child of a hippie, granola wasn't actually a staple- it was considered junk food.  Right along with Grape Nuts and other shocking foods of the like.  Don't get me wrong- it isn't lost on me that I resent all of the organic whole foods and recycling that my mom thrust upon me decades before it was cool- yet I have wholly embraced it as a person and parent.  I just have to live with that.  Anyway, for some reason I have just been craving granola.  A good friend of mine, (Our CarolMerrill), gave me a recipe a year or so back and I finally got to making it.... then Cooks Illustrated put Granola in their recent issue and I felt it was a sign.  As with many things Cooks Illustrated, it sounds great but there are just too many steps to make it perfect- So basically this is a recipe inspired by CI and friends, then a recipe gone wrong in a very yummy way. 

Crispy Granola Bars

• 2c reg oats
• 1/4c coarse flour- oat flour or almond flour work great
• 1/2c crispy (brown) rice cereal(whole foods has a good 365 brand for pretty cheap)
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/4c nut butter of your delight (see note)
• 1/4c sweetie: I used 2T agave and 2T maple syrup
• semi-optional: 2-4T mini chocolate chips 
• optional: 1-2T flax meal, 1T chia seeds or what ever you love to add (nuts, seeds, dried fruit....).  

Nut butter note: my favorite has been to use Sunflower Butter or Almond Butter because of their mild flavor.  When I have made these with Peanut Butter, I have simply found them too Peanut Buttery if you know what I mean.  Mike loved them that way but he is funny like that.

Directions: (Preheat oven to 350deg)
1. Mix dry stuff in one bowl
2. Mix wet stuff together in a separate bowl (as with the Breakfast Cookies, I just build it in a wet ingredient measuring cup)
3. Mix together and smash the heck out of them into a parchment lined pan (really smash them) and cook ~10-12 minutes depending upon if you want a chew or crunch factor.
4.  Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

So these are basically granola bar drops or something.  They will pass as a cookie if they have to (say, if you are trying to get healthy food into your kids *ahem*) but they really are a nutritional snack (and therefore totally OK to eat if, say,  you have given up sweets and treats for Lent as some folks I know).  They are ridiculously easy to make,  totally packable and a great bite to keep you going in a pinch.  The 'recipe' below is absolutely just a suggested combination of ingredients. I would certainly encourage you to add nuts if you like, add dried cranberries, coconut, whatever. Clearly, the above batch was greatly helped by Mia this morning who felt strongly about having goldfish, O's and Honey Sunshine included.  I was just happy they didn't burn, but can't possibly imagine how unpleasantly soggy those fish will be tomorrow. 

I typically just literally pile everything into my 2c wet measuring cup, just adding stuff as I go- start with the applesauce, add peanut butter, then just dump it all in after that, adjusting the oats or whatever I choose to plop into them as I see fit to have the mix the consistency I like.  I am not one who likes much moisture in my foods, so I tend to put more oats and such in to keep them dry and cook them a long time.  If you prefer a more moistureful item, go a little scant on the oats and take them out a few minutes earlier.  I actually tend to keep them out on the counter uncovered to dry and stale out a bit.  I have issues.

Oatmeal Raisin Breakfast Cookies

• 1/2c unsweetened applesauce (our mix of applesauce, mashed banana &/or squash puree is good, too)
• 1/4c nut butter of your liking
• 1/4tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp vanilla
• 1/8tsp salt
• 1Tbls sugar, agave or maple syrup
• 3T raisins (I greatly prefer currants here)
• 3/4-1cup whole oats
• 2-3Tbls mini chocolate chips (optional, but really....)

Directions (preheat oven to 350deg)
As I said above, I just dump all of the ingredients into a 2c measuring pitcher and mix.  I would mix the nut butter and and applesauce first to get it well combined, then add the rest and adjust to your taste.  Then drop in 1oz/1Tbls blobs on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cook 18-20 minutes.  Let cool a few minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.

Adapted from this recipe at Chocolate Covered Katie.

Roasted Garbanzo beans (Chickpea poppers)

These have become somewhat of a problem around here.  Mike and I are going through them extremely quickly- like 1-2 cans a day - he says they taste like fried chicken.  I finally got around to making some from dry beans to have a little more say in the salt factor, cut costs and get away from the BPA in the cans with the rate we were consuming them!  At any rate, these are delicious, easy to make and very versatile.  Any kid except mine should love these.  They make a great packable snack full of great fiber and protein and are much more satisfying than other snacks I seem to stuff my face with until I feel some sense of fullness.  I have fallen love with making them using curry powder &/or Old Bay, but you can use any spice you think of that sounds tasty. 

If you are using canned garbanzo beans, keep an eye on the amount of sodium used in the brand you are choosing.  I have found they vary wildly and can quickly veer away from being quite as nutritious when you are eating 2g of sodium in a sitting.  Like baking with butter, I think it is best to use unsalted or lowest salted then add your spices as you like it. I will include a note about cooking your own from scratch below, but out of convenience, the recipe is written for canned.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed*
• ~1tsp-2tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1tsp optional spice (curry, Old Bay, smoky paprika, cumin....)

Directions
In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the spices you want.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

*If cooking from dry beans, simply toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain.  I found that when I did it this way vs. from canned beans, they cooked a little more quickly and were a little crunchy, more like corn nuts.  You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  YOU MUST TRY THESE TOSSED WITH THE TUSCAN KALE SALAD!!!

I don't want to sell this smoked salmon wonder salad short, but the Kale salad truly is over the moon.  I just lost my pictures with a computer crash.  boo.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

I know, the picture is clearly not a sugar cookie.  It is gingerbread and I will have a recipe for the tasty soft and delightful low sugar spelt gingerbread cookies soon, but really.... Is that maybe the best decorated cookie you have ever seen?  With the spur?  I don't even know how you eat that one.  Anyway, some friends and I got together for a cookie decorating party this weekend.  I was responsible for the Gingerbread variety and The Great Leslie Beck was responsible for the sugar cookies.  Since I am the one with special needs, I made a wheat-ful batch and a spelt batch, but I never expect others to bother.  TGLB, however, is always thinking of the peeps around her.  She made regular sugar cookies and these amazing Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies.  She adapted them from this recipe based on necessity and I will post the recipe as she made it below because they were amazing. I'm sure the original is amazing as well.

I feel like people always want to apologize for things being Gluten-Free.  Really, the only thing that I find typically needs and asterisk is bread.  Other than that, wheat is boring, boring, boring.  Gluten-free grains have way more complexity and flavor.  These cookies are the most delicious sugar cookies I have ever tasted.  Light, delicate and tons of flavor to stand up to delicious butter-cream frosting.

Note:  Leslie used a GF all-purpose mix by Avec Baking that was incredible.  If you are in Seattle, you can find it at PCC.  If you are not in Seattle, please think of this local company for an order. This flour was excellently balanced and xanthan-free.  If you are using your favorite GF mix in this recipe, please make sure it isn't just rice flour and tapioca starch or the flavor of your cookie will be very neutral.  If need be, replace at least 1/2 or 1cup of the flour you are using with either sorghum flour or amaranth flour to boost the personality.  I happen to also love garbanzo flour, but I know that is scandalous.  If you are making your own mix, please use 1.5 cups flours and 1 cup starches, like potato and tapioca.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies

• 2 & 1/2 cups Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour mix (please see note above)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch fresh nutmeg

Directions

1. Place all the flours in a medium-sized bowl and whisk them together (if not using pre-mixed). Sift them through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl. Add the baking powder, and salt, then whisk together and set aside.

2. Stir the butter (or let the beater attachment of the stand mixer do it for you). Add the sugar and cream them together until they are just combined. Add the two eggs and vanilla extract and beat for a couple of minutes more. Throw in the pinch of nutmeg and stir one last time.

3. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet, one cup at a time until well mixed.  It should be a thick batter, not entirely stick to the touch, but not as stiff as traditional rolled cookie dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 375 and take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Don’t let it reach complete pliability. The dough should still be rather stiff from the refrigeration.

5. Roll out the cookie dough between two pieces of parchment paper. This dough doesn’t go paper thin, so you’ll have cookie with a bite to them. Cut out with your favorite shapes.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on your oven and how crisp you like them. Let them cool for 10 minutes before eating them. Let cool completely before using your favorite butter-cream frosting for fancy decorations!

Makes about 15 to 20 cookies, depending on the shapes.

Green Chili Enchilada/Lasagne (Gluten Free, Dairy Adaptable, Vegetarian Adaptable)

This recipe was one of a few that I had thought would be on the blog way back in the beginning.  I think I have been putting it off for so long since its initial inception was made for me by someone who had a devious hand in changing the course of my life many years ago.  At the time, I never thought I had space for gratitude for her, but now as I look at where my life is, who is in it and how much I still love these darn enchiladas, well...... I am grateful for many things. 

This is a favorite recipe by our family and all but one person who I have served it to has absolutely loved it (that person actually had a fairly violent and hilarious projectile vomiting reaction that we still talk about to this day.  I just think he was a real sport for trying it).  It is probably one of the most versatile and easy recipes you could make in all possible aspects.  Below will you find what I hope will be merely a suggestion on how to make these, but feel confident subbing in different cheeses, different veggies and whatnot.  I would actually call it "Tofu Enchiladas" if I thought anyone who wasn't a vegetarian wouldn't panic at the title.  The tofu hides incredibly well in this, but it can be easily made as veg, beef, chicken, pork, whatever.  I have made it in enormous batches and frozen them for months to be used in the future and it holds up very well, just maybe add a bit of extra sauce if it seems dried out after it thaws in the fridge.  Like the Baked Ziti, It is another great option as a meal to bring for a family who needs meal help to just stash in the freezer.  Just make sure it is thawed in the fridge for 2 days prior to the anticipated meal, then place on the counter for 1-2 hours from the fridge or it will take forever to get hot.
Yesterday, I was just way to lazy to go through the process of stuffing and rolling tortillas for the actual enchilada presentation and made it into a layered, lasagna-style affair and I am doubting I will ever take the time to make the rolled fashion again (although the enchiladas look better on the plate).

Also, yesterday I was sharing it with a family that I didn't think would groove on a full-on tofu dinner, so I made it half silken tofu and half chicken and only about 1c spinach since it was all I had.  The silken tofu just comes across as ricotta or something.  If they read this post, I suspect that this will be the first they learn that it was full of tofu, it just hides that well with the rest of the flavors and textures.  I will say that it was the first time I used chicken in this and I loved it.  Below will be a vegetarian version  as it is typically intended and the meat added as option.

Enjoy!

Green Chili (Tofu) Enchiladas (makes one 9x13 pan and one 8x8 pan)  Preheat oven to 400deg

• 2 pkg soft or medium tofu (or my new favorite- silken tofu)
• 2c chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 can artichoke hearts (optional but strongly encouraged)
• 1/2-1c pecorino, feta or parmesean cheese (optional, but...)
• 18-22 corn tortillas
• ~3c jack or pepper jack cheese, shredded
• 2-19oz cans of green chili enchilada sauce, you may have a bit left over 
• **if you want to add chicken, about 3-4c shredded will be great.  Turns out one of those fancy roasted chickens from the store works perfectly.

Note: if you need a great non-cow cheese option, use pecorino and this Feta cheese.  For full non-dairy, use your favorite soy or rice cheese.

Directions, Enchilada Style
1. Either use oil or a small amount of the enchilada sauce to cover the entire bottom and sides of the pans.
2.  Chop up the artichoke hearts if using and mix them well in a medium bowl with the tofu, spinach and non-jack cheese and/or chicken if using the optional options.
3.  Either steam or microwave your tortillas for a few seconds, a few at a time, to make soft enough to roll without crumbling into a million frustratingly dry pieces.
4.  Scoop about 1/4-1/3 heaping cup into each tortilla, roll it up and set it in the pan, seams down.
5.  Top liberally with enchilada sauce, then top liberally with jack cheese and bake for about 30-40 minutes.  I typically start with foil loosely over the top, then finish uncovered to brown the cheese for about  the last 10-15 min.

Directions, Lasagna Style
1. Either use oil or a small amount of the enchilada sauce to cover the entire bottom and sides of the pans.
2. Chop up the artichoke hearts if using and mix them well in a medium bowl with the tofu, spinach and non-jack cheese if using the optional option.
3.  Cut the tortillas into quarters, then line the pans fairly well across the bottoms.
4. Place the entire tofu + veggie mixture on top of the tort layer, then make a second tort layer on top that doesn't need to be quite so tightly spaced if you don't want.
5.  Put maybe 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over the tort, then add the shredded chicken and a sprinkle of the shredded jack cheese to make it interesting.
6. Top with a final tort layer as you did the middle, then top that with the rest of the enchilada sauce and finally cover with cheese, then

La Victoria is best by a mile. 

1st layer

Tofu stuffing.  Tastes great!

Spinach Basil Pesto

So this was one of the original recipe ideas behind actually wanting to begin a family food blog over a year ago and only now am I getting to putting it in writing.  Not sure what took so long, but....

The back story to this comes from the lengthy pursuit to figure out just what in the world was wrong with our daughter's immune system.  After about a year and a half (now 3) of nearly continuous respiratory illnesses, coughs, allergies, sleepless nights and general tuberculosisness, we were tired of being offered antibiotics and various other things for her not-infections and found our way to an incredible Pediatric Naturopath (Dr. Molly Gray at West Seattle Natural Medicine).  Dr. Gray offered many great thoughts and ideas, but as any parent of a toddler knows, hearing that your toddler should "eat something green every day" can border on ridiculous.  She suggested making a spinach pesto.... so I did.  And I have never gone back. 

In my kitchen, I basically use pesto as salt anyway.  Really, what can't benefit from some fresh basil, garlic, oil, salt and pepper really?  Eggs? Salads? Sandwiches? Potatoes? Rice? Quinoa? Pasta?  Please. 

Initially it began as a priority in Mia's food, then after a few months we realized that there was no reason not to punch up the nutrients in all of our foods.   We use it in everything.  I typically make up a huge batch, then pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it all.  I just put a cube or two in a jar in the fridge when I use the last one and they thaw in an hour or so.  You could even pop out however many cubes you want a few minutes before you need them and you are set to go if they are going in a hot dish. 

As for Mia's health....after a year and half our family eats even healthier and more balanced than before but nothing helped her immune system significantly until we found the enormous mold reservoir crawling its way through all of our walls.  The good news, is she loves pesto.

Basil Spinach Pesto (makes 3-4 cups-a lot!)

• 4 cups basil leaves (top stems OK), rinsed and patted dry
• 1 big bag fresh spinach leaves (organic preferably)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup nuts (pine nuts are traditional but I like almonds, pecans or whatever)
• 1/4c finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan (optional) 
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Splash of something acidic- like vinaigrette dressing or lemon or whatever.  This gives a great zip to the pesto

Directions
Pulse/blend all ingredients together in blender or food processor until it is the consistency you are looking for. I prefer it to be fairly smooth, so I let it go for a several seconds after pulsing it several times.  This really will all fit in a standard food processor, but you can do it in batches and then mix them all together before using or freezing.

Optional next step to freeze in 1-2T amounts in ice cube tray for a few hours. You can either store them in the tray, or transfer them to a different container to keep frozen.

You can see I used cashews here.  I have never been accused of being traditional.

Summer Quinoa Salad

You could nearly make the case that this is a quinoa blog and I would have to agree.  Here comes another amazing recipe, this one from my amazing mom, Jeanne.  For nearly 3 years now, she has been "Grandma Jeannie", until a month or so ago when Mia quite accidentally called her "Greenie", and of course that is now what she is known by, despite nearly 4 decades of my knowing her otherwise.

Anyway, as any good only child daughter would, I initially ignored this recipe when she sent it to me, slightly annoyed that she would take yet another of my recipes and clearly improve it.  No matter- and good for anyone reading this- because she made it for dinner the other night and it was amazing!  Absolutely delicious and good for many helpings.  I then muscled Mike out for the leftovers the next day for lunch and it was at least as good, if not better. 

And now I put it here, along with a small and well earned slice of humble pie for myself.  Enjoy!

Greenie's Summer Quinoa Salad:  serves 4

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil (maybe a dash more?)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 4  tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup kalama olives, quartered
• 1/3 - 2/3 cup crumbled feta
• (optional) add in 1/4-1/2 cup of fresh or sun-dried tomatoes!

Directions:

1. Wash, rinse, and drain quinoa.  Place in a 2 quart pot, add water and salt, and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer with lid on until all water is absorbed (15 - 20 min).  Don't stir the grain while it is cooking.  Test for doneness by tilting the pan to one side, making sure all of the water has been absorbed.  Remove lid and let rest 5 to 10 min. (I spread it out in a shallow dish and turn it occasionally to let all the steam escape.)

2.  Meanwhile, dry toast the pine nuts in low heated skillet or 300 F oven until they begin to change color and give off aroma.

3. Combine olive oil, lemon juice and basil in a large bowl.  Add chives and olives.  I let these ingredients marry for 30 min or more, then add toasted pine nuts and quinoa and toss.  Lastly I add the feta and fold it in.   Serve at room temp.

No-Bake Oatmeal Cookie Balls (Gluten-free/Dairy-free)

These are tasty little numbers adapted from a recipe given to me by Mia's Naturopath, Dr. Molly Gray.  We love her and everyone else we have seen at their clinic.  Dr. Gray has been especially amazing in how she treats Mia like a full human and makes her visit there extremely positive and cooperative, vs. doing things to her whether Mia wants them or not.

So these were supposed to be a yummy treat that Mia would love to eat and just pack her with nutrients and such, but it turns out she wasn't into them.  Toddlers, right?  But me?  I absolutely loved them!  Being the food enthusiast/Physical Therapist that I am, I brought them to work and shared them with my colleague and about half of my patients and unanimously we all agreed that they were amazing!  To borrow from Cooks Magazine: "Tasters referred to them as 'delicious', 'abundently satisfying' and 'just right, such that you eat one and are completely sated'".  Really, try them for yourself if you have an extra 3 minutes to spare.  That is all it will take.  Bonus, these are the kind of thing that you could put just about anything into and in fact, I used the little bits of about 4 different types of nuts and trail mixes just to clean the cupboard. 

Oatmeal No-Bake Cookie Balls

• 1 cup whole oats (use certified gluten-free if needed)
• 1c mixed nuts (I used salted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans and pine nuts)
• 4 dates, pitted
• 1/2-1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2-3 Tbls pure maple syrup

Directions
1) in food processor or blender, blend up the oats and nuts until they are finely chopped; add dates and blend until they are also finely chopped.

2) add vanilla and 2T syrup and pulse a few times to combine.  This will still be very coarse in presentation (see photo below).  Add more syrup as you see fit.

3) scoop up small hand fulls and smash into balls.

Pulsed without vanilla or maple syrup

with the vanilla and maple

 

too beautiful not to add a picture of them!  Reminds me of working on a Kibbutz many moons ago....



scoop up a handful....

and smash it into a ball!


Enjoy!!

Sheep's Milk Feta Cheese

This is the most amazing thing in the world of feta cheese.  Even before learning that I was princess sensitive to cow's milk/dairy, you would find me eating sheep and goat cheese over cow any day.  Now that this has become more of a lifestyle for me, I can't possibly imagine living without this cheese. 

It is tangy and creamy and perfectly balanced.  Delicious on salads, pizzas, sandwiches, in quinoa dishes (such as the Quinoa Tamale, Mediterranean Quinoa, or just tossed in a bowl of it!), on pasta, with crisp apples & pears and....

I find it at Trader Joe's and buy at least 3 bricks every time. 

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Blondies (Gluten-free/Dairy-Free)

I was quite intrigued when I stumbled on this recipe the other day.  It looked tasty, but garbanzo beans?  Yes! I have been amazed at how delicious these are and how versatile.  The original recipe doesn't have oats in them and I found them to be a bit too Japanese-bean-cake-like for what I was going for, so I have added in oats along with a few other minor changes and like what they bring, although the day after I made the first batch, they were a much better texture.  The oats allow for immediate enjoyment, however.  And this is FAST!  I can have the batter made before the oven preheats.  Doesn't even cut into precious nap time barely at all.  Furthermore, this is the only way I can sneak peanut butter into the wee one and just about the only source of protein she eats anymore. 

 Chocolate Chip Blondies

• 1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (1 can, drained and rinsed)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• heaping 1/8 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar* (less if you like, even Mia thinks 1/3-1/2c is fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 or so Tbls ground flax (optional but great for nutrition and texture)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other oil or soft butter if not using nut butter)
• 1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips ( I use mini chips because they go further)
• handful of oats (maybe ~1/4cup?) 
• splash of milk (I use almond milk.  love it) Maybe 2-4 Tbls?  See below

*coconut sugar works well in these as does raw sugar and the like

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend all ingredients except chips and oats until very smooth- I have used both a blender and a food processor.  Add the (almond) milk a small splash at a time into the blender to ease the mixing and lesson the chance of busting your blender (or your host's blender as the case may be).  Mix in chips and oats, and scoop into a greased or parchment lined 8×8 pan. Bake for 33-35 minutes.  I find that in the batches that I add oats to, the cooking time is on the shorter end.  Without the oats, they stay quite a bit gooey-er and need the longer end.  They will be super gooey when they first come out, but will firm up, so don't be tempted to overcook them!

(Note for amended recipe with milk: I find this really helps reduce the excessive gooey-ness, yets keeps it modestly moistureful).

Why wouldn't you just mix the oats and chips in the pan?

And why not a double batch?

Adapted from this recipe by "Chocolate Covered Katie"

Mediterranean Quinoa (Gluten-free)

This is a quick, healthy and delicious dish.  It comes together in a pinch and most kitchens will have the ingredients on hand to pull it together easily any night, especially if you keep pesto around like I do. If you don't have it in your kitchen, use what you have and I bet it will be great.  It makes a great potluck dish and is easily doubled or tripled for big gatherings.  It is delicious cold the next day if it makes it that far.

This is the dish that made me fall in love with quinoa.  I am not one to mix sweet and savory typically, but this recipe is perfectly balanced in that way.  Furthermore, I am always wanting to reduce the added oils and such to recipes, but I wouldn't touch it here.  Somehow the olive oil, herbs, feta and currants are just perfectly matched.  The currants make the just right tiny sweetness.  I am just too lazy to chop herbs, so I always use whatever pesto I have on hand in the freezer or fridge.

Mediterranean Quinoa (total time 25-30 minutes)

• 1cup quinoa
• 13/4cups water
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/4cup pine nuts, toasted (or almonds, pecans, etc)
• 1/4cup olive oil
• 1/4cup lemon juice
• 3-4Tbls chopped fresh basil, Italian parsley &/or cilantro (I use about 2T cilantro pesto or parsley pesto and 2T basil/spinach pesto)
• 1/4cup currants (you can use chopped raisins if you like)
• 1/3cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions
In 2-quart pot, add water and salt and bring to a boil.  Add quinoa to pot and reduce heat to low, simmer 20 minutes.  Once cooked, turn off heat, take off lid and let rest 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, dry-toast pine nuts in skillet on the stove for a few minutes until golden brown.  In medium bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and herbs or pesto.  Add currants, pine nuts and feta cheese.  Add warm quinoa to bowl and toss gently.  Serve at room temperature.

Adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair

Giant Quinoa Tamale (Gluten-Free/Dairy Adaptable)

When I saw a recipe for Quinoa Tamales a few days ago, I just about lost my mind.  I seriously love tamales.  I am highly reactive to corn and have not had the pleasure of enjoying it for a while now, despite the fact that my neighbor actually makes tamales fresh each day for sale in her taco truck.  I am not sure how I ended up waiting three days to make it, but I do know that Mike and I barely spoke when we were eating it yesterday until we agreed at the end of the meal that I would make it again today.  Again we finished it and again it was delicious.

Like all things Fawnalicious, think of this as highly modifiable.  Really this is a recipe for using Quinoa as a base to put stuff into.  I put shredded chicken in ours, but you could put roasted vegetables or beans or carnitas, or ground/shredded beef...etc into it.  It is very easy and low maintenance to make.  It takes a while to make start-to-finish, but it is nearly all unattended.  

The original recipe (posted by the fabulous Mark Bittman) included what is no doubt an amazing recipe for tomatillo salsa.  I didn't have the motivation to make it, so I used  about 1cup of Trader Joe's salsa verde and mixed it with 2-3T cilantro and parsley pesto. 

Quinoa Tamales

• 2 Cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 5-6 cups water
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the loaf pan
• Salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1-2 cups cheese ( I like it cheesy)- In this house, Sheep’s milk Feta rules and it is no sloppy second.  You could also use crumbled queso fresco or grated Monterey Jack or whatever you like
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (optional- I skipped it)
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or some cilantro pesto- for garnish

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 400°F.  Meanwhile, put the quinoa in a large pot along with a big pinch of salt. Add the water 1 cup at a time, to cover by about 11⁄2 inches.  Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grains are very tender, 25 to 30 minutes- until the water is just barely absorbed, it should pretty mushy. If the grains get too dry, add just enough water to keep them submerged. When the grains are starchy and thick, remove from the heat. (You can cook the quinoa up to a day ahead and refrigerate; return to room temperature before proceeding.)

2.When you’re ready to make the tamale, generously grease two 9 × 5-inch loaf pans or one loaf pan and one 9x9-inch square with some oil. Mix the baking powder and a big pinch of salt into the quinoa with a fork (good to taste here and adjust salt). The consistency should be thick but spreadable; if it’s too stiff, add a few drops of water. Spread half of the quinoa mixture in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with the cheese and chili powder if using. Add the remaining quinoa, smooth it out evenly, and press down a bit to seal the loaf. Cover the pan tightly with foil. (At this point the quinoa loaf can be covered and refrigerated for up to several hours.)

3. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the top is golden brown, another 30 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the oven and let the tamale sit for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a platter (or just serve from the pan). Garnish with the /pesto and a little more cheese, cut the tamale big into slices, and serve, passing salsa at the table.

The first night, I actually made only a half- batch and used half feta and half cheddar.  Feta was the clear winner, so I didn't bother with anything else the next night.  I just layered chicken on top of this layer to stuff it a bit more.  yum!