snack

Pear Clafoutis!

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pear clafoutis 3-30-19

This week, I had too many ripe pears and decided to make a clafoutis, which I don’t think I have made in over ten years. Clafoutis are flan-like cakes, originating from France, and traditionally made with cherries. You can substitute the pears for pitted cherries (2 cups) and use almond extract, instead of vanilla extract. The result will be delicious and you’ll have trouble resisting seconds. It’s a nice, light dessert or snack 🙂

Ingredients:

3 large eggs
½ cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 cup whole milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ripe pears, diced
powdered sugar (optional)

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter glass pie dish or 9” cake pan.
2. Beat sugar and eggs until light in color
3. Gradually add butter and mix until well-incorporated.
4. Add flour and salt; whisk until combined.
5. Slowly add milk, while mixing.
6. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Batter should appear smooth and shiny
7. Add pears to prepared baking dish and pour batter over the fruit.
8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until slightly browned and set.
9. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

 

Banana Bread Mini-Muffins!

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banana bread mini muffins 2-10-19

There was a lot of baking done this weekend and these mini muffins were a hit with baby and hubby. That’s a win in my book, especially because they are only sweetened with bananas 🙂 I also love that these are naturally gluten-free and require ingredients that we always have on hand. So simple and so good! Perfect for breakfast or a snack on the go.

Yield: about 24 mini-muffins

Ingredients:

1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 medium size bananas, mashed
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line muffin tin pan.
2. In electric mixer, beat together egg and butter until smooth.
3. Add bananas and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
4. In a separate bowl, combine oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
6. Spoon into prepared mini muffin tin pan, about ¾ of the way up.
7. Bake about 15-20 minutes

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bars!

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peanut butter banana oat bars

Another mom shared this yummy recipe with me and my one year old cannot get enough of these oat bars. I do not add honey, so they are purely sweetened with banana for her. They are great to take on the go and also freeze well. Since there are no preservatives, I recommend storing them in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 bananas)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper and grease with oil or butter.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together the peanut butter, honey (if using), vanilla, and egg until well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the bananas.
4. Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before removing from pan to cut into squares. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp!

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strawberry-rhubarb crisp

Rhubarb is now in season and I picked up a few stalks at the coop the other day. It kind of looks like celery but the stalks tend to be thicker and bright pink in color. Since it’s pretty tart, it’s usually baked as a sweet and most popularly paired with strawberries. This crisp is really the perfect balance of sweet and tart, with a 1:1 ratio of filling to topping. It makes for a quick and easy dessert! No need to mess with pie dough here. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Fruit filling:
8 ounces strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
8 ounces rhubarb, trimmed, roughly cut into ½ inch dice
½ cup raw (turbinado) sugar
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Topping:
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick), melted
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine strawberries, rhubarb, raw sugar, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, and sea salt. Transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish.
3. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until combined and slightly clumpy. Spread evenly over fruit.
4. Bake until juices are bubbling in the center and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp recipe

Lemon-Ricotta Muffins!

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lemon-ricotta muffins

With leftover fresh ricotta from my pasta recipe earlier this week, I decided to try baking these lemon-ricotta muffins. The turbinado sugar on top forms a nice crunch for contrast. The lemon zest and lemon juice make them perfectly lemony, while the ricotta keeps these muffins nice and moist. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ cup water
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons turbinado/raw sugar

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 12 muffin-cup liners in muffin cups.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl.
3. In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, water, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and egg.
4. Make a well in the flour mixture and add ricotta mixture, stirring just until moist.
5. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and sprinkle each with turbinado sugar.
6. Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Adapted from Cooking Light‘s Tuscan Lemon Muffins recipe

Savory Blue Corn Muffins!

Jennifer 1 Comment

blue corn muffins

One of the major benefits of living in New York City is the food and a restaurant I sorely miss is Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, which closed years ago due to a ridiculous rent hike. Somehow it came up in conversation with my parents not too long ago that we used to love going to Mesa Grill for brunch. Upon ordering, they would bring out the best bread basket, filled with a variety of delicious baked goods. There would always be a cinnamon sugar coffee cake, tiny chive biscuits, and blue corn muffins, served with a pepper jam. The blue corn muffins always stood out because of their unique appearance and taste; they were half yellow corn and half blue corn. This recipe is completely blue corn**, but in order to get that striking effect, you could simply do ¾ cup yellow corn and ¾ cup blue corn and halve the other ingredients to mix in two separate bowls. Then when baking, you simply fill the muffin cups with half of each. Either way, they’re delicious and perfect for your next brunch gathering. Enjoy!

Yield: 12 regular muffins

Ingredients:
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
1 1/2 cups blue cornmeal (can substitute yellow)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Procedure:

1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease or line muffin pan.

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Allow to cool.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, bell pepper, jalapeno, corn and cilantro (if using). Whisk in the cooled butter mixture.

4. In a separate bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Mix into the liquid mixture.

5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin slots and bake for 20 minutes or until set, turning the pan once for even baking. If making mini muffins, bake for 10 minutes or until set.

**Bob’s Red Mill has blue corn meal. This can usually be found at Whole Foods; otherwise a reasonable place to order online from is iHerb.com, which is where I bought mine.

Adapted from Bobby Flay’s Blue Corn Muffins recipe

 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread!

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double-chocolate-banana-bread

My husband really enjoys banana bread and since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, I decided to bake a double chocolate banana bread for him to bring to the office. This banana bread is basically a luscious chocolate cake that I would easily choose over a brownie and healthier! I’m not sure I can go back to regular banana bread now. This is really a treat!
Ingredients:

3 medium-to-large very ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder + more for dusting pan
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
Procedure:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F. Butter and dust a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cocoa powder.

2. Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sift baking soda, salt, cinnamon, flour and cocoa powder in a sifter or fine-mesh strainer and add to wet ingredients. Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

3. Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out batter-free. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: The banana bread will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature. Keep it wrapped in foil for freshness.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen‘s recipe

Chinese Almond Cookies!

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almond-cookies

Happy Chinese New Year! I wanted to make something special to share for the New Year and these are one of the traditional desserts. One of my friends in high school used to bake almond cookies for all different occasions. My Mom used to make a similar cookie during Christmas but she would top it with half a maraschino cherry. Brushing egg whites on the top before baking gives them a nice golden finish. Enjoy!

Yield: about 42 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup raw almonds
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon water

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
2. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Place almond in center of cookie.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg white and water. Brush over cookies.
4. Bake at 325° for 14-16 minutes or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Double Chocolate Crinkles!

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double-chocolate-crackles

I typically make these cookies around the holidays for friends and family, but I wanted to bake something special to bring into the office this week. These are pretty simple to make and don’t require any out of the ordinary ingredients, but the dough does need to chill before it is shaped to bake. This has been one of my favorite recipes and is perfect for anyone that loves chocolate 🙂
Ingredients:
2 cups (12oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup powdered sugar

Procedure:
1. Microwave 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a bowl, uncovered for 1 minute and stir. Microwave at additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Let cool to room temperature.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a small bowl. Stir. Beat sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in large bowl. Beat in melted chocolate. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Then mix in the remaining chocolate chips. Cover; refrigerate just until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll in the powdered sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still slightly soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes and move to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe is adapted from Nestle’s Firecracker Fudge Cookies.

Rice Pudding!

Jennifer 2 Comments

rice-pudding-10-11-16

Today, I was trying to think of what to do with my abundance of leftover rice, besides make fried rice. Somehow, I thought of rice pudding, which I’ve never made before. The recipe is really simple and produces a rich, creamy rice pudding! This was a touch sweet for me so next time I may try to cut back the sugar to ¼ of a cup instead of 1/3 of a cup. Nonetheless, it’s delicious!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups cooked white rice
2 cups milk, divided
1/3 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon

Procedure:
1. In a saucepan, combine rice, 1 ½ cups milk, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, about 15-20 minnutes. Stir in remaining ½ cup milk and beaten egg; cook for 2 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
3. Serve at preferred temperature (warm, room temperature, cold..). Sprinkle with cinnamon
4. Enjoy!

Granola!

Jennifer 5 Comments

granola

One of my friends made this for me a couple of years ago and shared the recipe. It’s been a while since I’ve made it because I would consume the batches way too quickly. This time around I’m trying to exercise some self-control which is not an easy feat. It’s such a simple recipe and can be adjusted to personal tastes as well as what mix-ins you have around the house. Sunflower seeds, diced dried apricots, and pistachios would work really well in this too. This morning, I made a parfait with blackberries and raspberries. For a snack or breakfast, I like to also have it in warm almond milk. It’s really soothing and satisfying 🙂

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups regular oats (not instant)
1/2 cup roasted coconut chips
1 cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup dried blueberries or cranberries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey or agave nectar (vegan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper or a silpat.
3. Combine oats, coconut chips, pumpkin seeds, blueberries or cranberries, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Combine honey or agave, coconut oil, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup.
5. Add oil mixture to oat mixture and combine well.
6. Spread on baking sheet in an uniform layer to allow for even baking.
7. Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway. Cool completely in pan, allowing the granola to crisp up and form clusters.
8. Store in airtight container.

Spicy Thai Carrot Ribbons!

Jennifer 1 Comment

spicy thai carrot ribbons

The creaminess of the peanut butter tames the heat of the crushed red pepper flakes in this yummy sauce for gently cooked carrot ribbons. No spiralizer needed! It could easily be bulked up into an entree with the addition of edamame or some crispy tofu over jasmine rice. Enjoy!

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¾ cup vegetable broth
2 tablespooons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 medium size carrots
thai basil
toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the sesame oil.
2. Add minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook just until fragrant, stirring constantly.
3. Add broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, and vinegar. Increase the heat to high and stir constantly until the peanut butter melts into the sauce.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. In the meantime, use a vegetable to first peel off the skin and discard. Then shave carrots into thin ribbons.
6. Add ribbons to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir to coat thoroughly in sauce.
7. Serve warm and garnish with thai basil and toasted sesame seeds.

*Follow me on Instagram for more delicious photos!*

 

 

 

Socca Flatbread!

Jennifer 2 Comments

socca flatbread

Socca originates from Provence, France and the neighboring region of Liguria, Italy. It is similar to a large pancake, but savory and naturally gluten-free. These can be topped with just about anything and are a great brunch idea. On this particular day, I was making them for breakfast, so I added an egg, ramps, arugula, and roasted tomatoes with a little balsamic drizzle. Be sure to add enough oil to the pan, so that the socca will get crispy. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups chickpea flour
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
Salt

1. Whisk together chickpea flour, olive oil, and 2 cups of water. Season with 2 big pinches of salt.
2. Heat an 8-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and when hot, add in about ¼ cup of the batter. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom is crispy and the top is almost set. Carefully flip the socca and cook for another minute.
3. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining batter.
4. Add desired toppings and serve.

Roasted Garlic-Harissa Yogurt Dip!

Jennifer 4 Comments

roasted garlic harissa yogurt dip

Harissa is a blend of hot chile peppers, garlic, olive oil and spices and commonly used as a flavor base for curries and stews, as well as a condiment in the Middle East. Use it to add some spice in place of your regular hot sauce. The heat of the harissa, creaminess of the yogurt, sweetness of the roasted garlic, and acidity of the lime juice perfectly balance each other. This is versatile and works well as a dip or sauce with crudite, roasted veggies, and chicken.

Ingredients:
1 bulb roasted garlic, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon harissa
2 cups plain full fat greek yogurt
juice from ½ lime
salt
mint leaves, garnish

Procedure:
1. In a food processor, add roasted garlic, harissa, and greek yogurt. Pulse until smooth.
2. Stir in lime juice and season with salt to taste.
3. Garnish with mint leaves
4. Enjoy!

Gochujang-Red Lentil Hummus!

Jennifer 2 Comments

red lentil hummus

This week, I’ll be traveling to LA to visit some friends, so snacks for the plane ride are on my mind this weekend. Often, the airports don’t have great healthy food options or they’re pricey, so I like to pack my own if I can. Along with dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and pistachios, I will be munching on crudite with this hummus. It was my first time making hummus with red lentils, which are great because they cook up so quickly and don’t require soaking. Although I used gochujang, a staple Korean fermented red chili paste, harissa or sriracha would also work very well. This would be a perfect, vegan option to have at the Super Bowl table too!
½ cup red lentils, rinsed and picked through for stones
1 teaspoon gochujang
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
juice of ½ a lemon
salt, to taste
chives, garnish

1.Place the lentils and and 1 cup of water into a small saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until all the water is absorbed, about 10-12 minutes. The lentils should be mushy and thick.
2. Pulse the garlic in the bowl of the food processor and then add all the other ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.
3. Enjoy!

Jicama Nori Rolls!

Jennifer 1 Comment

nori roll

Over the summer, my friend Lucy and I fell in love with this recipe that we learned through Matthew Kenney’s raw food program. Jicama is a starchy, root vegetable that is really crunchy, like water chestnuts and a good source of vitamin C. It’s refreshing and much lighter than rice in a normal handroll. This can be enjoyed as a sushi roll as well.

For Jicama Rice:
4 cups jicama, peeled, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey (non-vegan) or agave (vegan)

nori sheets
leafy greens
julienne carrot
julienne beet
sunflower sprouts

1. Put jicama in food processor and pulse until there are small pieces about
the size of rice. Using a nut milk bag or mesh strainer, strain out excess
water. Toss with remaining ingredients in a bowl.
Optional: Place sushi rice on non-stick sheets and dehydrate until slightly
sticky, about 2-3 hours.

2. Cut nori sheet in half. Place flat on dry cutting board with long side facing you, shiny side down.
3. Layer leafy greens in bottom left corner. This helps keep the moisture from the jicama from making the nori sheet soggy.
4. Then spoon about a tablespoon of the jicama rice on top of the greens, flattening it out.
5. Layer the julienned vegetables and sunflower sprouts on top..
6. From the bottom left corner, carefully fold at a 45 degree angle up to meet the top of the nori sheet, forming a point at the bottom of the roll. From here, just roll towards the right side and seal with water.
7. Enjoy immediately.

Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti!

Jennifer 3 Comments

cranberry-pistachio biscotti

Every year around the holidays, I break out this recipe, which is a favorite of family and friends. I first learned this recipe when I assisted with culinary classes in The New School Culinary Arts program, which were held at The Inn on 23rd St. Grand Marnier enhances the rich dough with an orange essence, which complements the almond extract. The pistachios and cranberries are not just festive, but are full of antioxidants, evident from their bright colors. Hope you’ll enjoy these and share with loved ones over the holidays!

4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
2 ounces Grand Marnier
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups shelled pistachios
1 cup dried cranberries

Procedure:
1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add Grand Marnier, salt, extracts, and eggs, one at a time. Beat until smooth.
3. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, folding it into the wet ingredients.
4. Fold in the pistachios and cranberries until combined. Cover bowl and chill in refrigerator for about 1 ½ hours.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Form the dough into 2 slightly flattened logs, about 2-3 inches wide. Use the parchment paper to help form the logs, since the dough will be pretty sticky.
6. Bake in the oven for about 30- 35 minutes, until they are golden. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment onto a wire rack to cool.
7. Once the logs are cool, slice them crosswise about ¾ inches thick. Bake again at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, flipping over once.
8. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Sprouted Buckwheat Granola!

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raw granola

Buckwheat is not related to wheat at all, which makes it gluten-free. It is actually a fruit seed and is believed to be easier to digest than grains. The purpose in soaking and sprouting the buckwheat is to neutralize enzyme inhibitors that prevent absorption of nutrients. If you don’t want to sprout and dehydrate buckwheat, you can always buy it already sprouted or even substitute in sprouted quinoa or millet. I really love this recipe because it uses date paste, a whole food, rather than a highly processed sweetener like white sugar or agave nectar. You can feel good about sharing this granola with loved ones.

Sprouted Buckwheat Granola

1 ½ cups sprouted, dehydrated buckwheat*
1 pear, diced and roughly chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup raisins or other dried fruit, soaked for 30 minutes and roughly chopped
¾ cup date paste**
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch ground clove
pinch salt

1. Mix all ingredients by hand in a large bowl, until well combined.
2. Spread onto a dehydrator sheet in ½ inch thick layer, allowing some space between granola pieces.
3. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 18-24 hours or until dry.
4. Enjoy!
*Sprouting Buckwheat:
1. Rinse buckwheat several times until water becomes clear
2. Soak in slightly warm water for 20 minutes, to begin sprouting process
3. Transfer to mesh strainer and rinse well again
4. Place strainer over a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel
5. Leave on counter to sprout (1-2 days), rinsing every 8-12 hours.
6. When the buckwheat is sprouted, it should have a tail no longer than the buckwheat groat itself.
7. Rince and spread out the sprouted buckwheat on a mesh dehydrator screen, being careful not to overcrowd the groats.
8. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F until completely dry.

**Date Paste: Process 5-8 soft dates with ¼ – ½ cups of water until a paste is formed.

Cumin-Spiced Beet Chips!

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beet chips

This was my first endeavor in making beet chips and I ate the whole batch, so if you plan on sharing, maybe make a double batch! The sweetness of the beets is enhanced by the coconut oil and balanced out with the savoriness of the cumin.Beets are high in folate, manganese, and also the chemical betaine, which is important for cell reproduction and liver function. These would be a great, healthy snack, especially if you’re traveling. I would choose a cone of these chips over fries at a restaurant any day. These are even more nutritious because the skin is left intact, preserving more of the nutrients. Forget those veggie straws and make your own snacks 🙂

INGREDIENTS
3 medium beets
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wash and dry beets (no need to peel). Using a mandoline, thinly slice the beets, about 1/16”.
3. In a large bowl, toss beet slices, oil, cumin and sea salt.
4. Spread beet slices onto baking sheets in a single layer.
5. Bake beet chips for 35-45 minutes until crunchy, flipping slices once halfway through baking time.
6. Allow chips to cool thoroughly and blot any excess oil with paper towels. Store in an airtight container.

Snickerdoodles!

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snickerdoodles

Since I will be going to a potluck tomorrow, I’m planning on bringing these snickerdoodles, which I’ve been making for years. They’ve been a favorite of my friends and aren’t incredibly unhealthy, considering the recipe yields close to 4 dozen cookies! My friend’s toddler is allergic to eggs, so I decided to use flax eggs this time. Organic cane sugar has some redeeming qualities in that it is less processed than white sugar and is also free of pesticides. With less processing, sugar retains more of the nutrients present in cane juice, including 17 amino acids, 11 minerals, and 6 vitamins, as well as antioxidants. But, of course, sugar is sugar and should be consumed sparingly. At least this will make you feel a little better about having a cookie or two 🙂 These cookies hold up nicely in an airtight container and also freeze well. Enjoy!

Yield: about 4 dozen

1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 ¾ cups natural cane sugar
2 eggs or 2 flax “eggs”**
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
natural cane sugar and cinnamon for rolling (about ½ cup sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet tray with a silpat or parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs or flax “eggs” until uniform.
3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
5. Using a 2-teaspoon ice cream scoop, form dough into balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
6. Place on prepared sheet tray and flatten slightly, leaving about 1 ½ inches between them, to allow room for spreading. They will puff up as they bake and then flatten out as they cool.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until barely golden. Remove from oven before they flatten out. Allow cookies to cool on sheet tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

**each flax egg requires 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water. Grind whole flax seeds in coffee grinder and stir in water in a bowl. Allow to set for 10 minutes before using.