And so we say goodbye...

Hello faithful reader(s)?

You may wonder where I've been the past month. Hmmm...school, work, running, cooking, sleeping, not cleaning my room, and enjoying some play time here and there. I have also been on quite a health rollercoaster.

A few months ago I began having some health problems- 6 doctors later, no one knew why such odd things were happening to me, like my losing my hair. A 6th doctor finally listened and helped me figure out the issue. We decided that being vegan was exacerbating my health issue and a few weeks ago, I ate meat for the first time in almost a year.
I want to say that I appreciate every person who accepted my choice to go vegan by supporting me, eating what I cooked and not rolling your eyes every time you knew I was on the guest list for dinner. I also want to make it clear that being vegan does not mean you will lose your hair. I did my best and I think I was a damn good vegan, but my body was telling me to knock it off (I need to work on my listening skills.)
If you're vegan, I hope you'll support my decision to not be. And if you aren't vegan, you can celebrate the fact that you can feed me chicken. I will still be cooking lots of vegan food (I just enjoyed my new fav "Afternoon Smoothie" which is vegan!) I just created a new blog, so come join me here.

I went vegan to challenge myself (which I did) and to be even healthier than I became in the past 3 years. I told myself if that goal ever failed that I should return to a non-vegan lifestyle. Don't worry, my new blog promises to have healthy recipes, a few treats and some new surprises.

Happy reading (and eating!)
Ali

Funfetti

I do not know one person who doesn't love Funfetti cake.
Only problem, I refuse to show my love for someone on his or her bday with a boxed cake full of C-R-A-P. So, I made it fron scratch. Totally easy, by the way. Here's what you do- make a white cake and add some oblong sprinkles into the batter. You MUST use the oblong ones- little circle sprinkles won't work. Here's why- the sprinkles need to expand and kind of bleed through the cake- you know what I'm saying.

Enjoy the pics and get baking.

"After a day in Napa" Salad and Creamy Southwestern dressing

Sometimes there is nothing like a good salad.
That's just what I made here. After a day in Napa, with my mom, a couple weeks ago, we decided we were in the mood for a light dinner (Not to mention nothing could top the amazing Venezuelan food we had earlier).
The salad has a Latin/Southwestern feel and you could serve it with crushed tortilla chips, or the delicious Corn Maize cakes we brought back from Napa (those delicious taco/sandwich looking things are from that place.) I decided to make a similar Southwestern style dressing to go with the greens. It's tangy and creamy- a perfect dressing.

"After a day in Napa" Salad and Creamy Southwestern dressing

Serves dinner for 4

Salad:

8 oz. spring mix greens
1/2 cup thawed frozen corn
1/2 diced red pepper
1/4 diced red onion
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package pre baked tofu, chopped in bite sized pieces
1 diced tomato

Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl. Not too tough, right?

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
1/2-1 lime (depending on size), squeezed
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey, depending on how vegan you are)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine all ingredients. Add more sweetener or hot sauce, depending on your palette. Drizzle over salad and serve with chips, tortillas, margaritas, etc., etc.

MUFFINS!

For girls weekend (!) in SF, a couple weeks ago, I brought some spontaneous muffins. I had no idea they would turn into disappearing muffins. Aka, people liked them and I should have made more.
Well, I did and Kristi should receive them in the mail soon.
You can add whatever you want to these muffins, but keep them simple and keep them sane. What I mean to say is that if you are going to use chocolate chips instead of cranberries, use milk and water, not squeezed oranges and add a little vanilla. I suppose you can use o.j., but you know what I'm saying.

Easy Peasy Orange Cranberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons natural sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
2 squeezed oranges and about 1/2 cup non dairy milk or water (this should all equal 1 cup)
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pan, or use paper liners.
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Beat applesauce and sugar together. Add flax and water and beat. Add juice, milk and/or water and grated zest.
Add flour mixture and stir just until mixed. Fold in cranberries.
Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

"Beet"er than red velvet cake

I'm not one to care about the rules and must do's for holidays, but I do find them a great time to send special treats and notes of appreciation to people I love. Ironically, baking is not my favorite thing in the world- it's too precise and in a world where everything must be done a certain way, I really enjoy the freedom of cooking. Nevertheless, it's more difficult to mail stuffed mushrooms or quiche, so baking it is.
For Valentine's Day, I decided to try my hand at red velvet cupcakes. Some things you should know 1. I had no idea what was in a red velvet cupcake. 2. I love cream cheese frosting. 3. The only time I've had red velvet is at this place in Portland, with my dear loves, Maddie and Jena. Ever since then, I was hooked.
This recipe is made with beets. Now don't get all weirded out on me. We, or I, use fruit and veggie replacements for baking all the time. Shall we recall the times I've used applesauce or zucchini? I just learned that there are two containers of food coloring in red velvet cake- sick. The beets do a great job as a replacement, but as with every recipe I read, the red color is strong in the batter and weak in the final product. You can add red food coloring to enhance, but I was trying to stay chemical free and it was 11:30 at night, so I didn't care.
I topped them off with cream cheese frosting from here, but it really turned into more of a glaze, I don't know if that's right or I screwed up. I also made a traditional white frosting for my dear ones who hate cream cheese frosting- they do exist, believe it or not!
One recommendation- the chocolate is pretty strong and when I tasted the straight cupcake and I was a little disheartened at the slightly bitter taste, but when you lather on some frosting, you'll be happy the cake is not super sweet.

Beety Red Velvet Cupcakes- adapted from Coconut and Lime


Ingredients:
3/4 cup beet puree (chop 1 bunch of beets into chunks and place in a large pot of boiling water. When soft, place in blender with enough of the water to make a puree- should be the consistency of like a butternut squash soup)
1/2 cup natural sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon plain soy or coconut milk yogurt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground flax mixed with 6 tablespoons water


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line 12 wells in a cupcake pan. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. Mix together the applesauce, yogurt, beet puree, vinegar, milk and flax. Slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Fill 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

HFCS

I hate to climb up on my soapbox, but it needed dusting, so I thought, "what the heck?"
Have you seen the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercials? They are supported by the Corn Refiners Association (shocking!) and consist of two idiots- one half idiot who asks the major idiot why he is eating something with HFCS who says, ""what's wrong with HFCS? It's made from corn and is the same as sugar." Then the half idiot is like, "omg, you're so smart. Run away with me so we can eat HFCS together forever."
Gag me.

I am not saying I don't have HFCS occasionally- we all get our Oreo cravings, but I don't promote it either. So many companies figure out ways to make foods with HFCS- why can't they all?
So what's he dealio anyway?: First of all, studies find that HFCS contains mercury. Um, awesome. Who doesn't want to eat mercury? I know I do. The sugar industry created HFCS in the 1960's because sugar prices were high and they needed a way to bring more supply to consumers- enter HFCS. It is true that the product is calorically the same as sugar. But, let's remember that 1 chicken breast and mashed potatoes with broccoli has the same amount of calories as a snickers bar (I think you know which one keeps you fuller without a sugar crash.) Since HFCS is relatively new, researchers aren't sure how bad it is, but they are making some links between heart disease, cholesterol and even diabetes and obesity.

Here's the deal- we're all going to take in a little HFCS now and again, but I encourage you to read labels and know what you're eating. Think about it- would you ask the store clerk, "what aisle can I find HFCS? I need it to bake a cake." No, you wouldn't. So why would you buy foods that contain it?

Be smart people, and watch these commercials- they really drive me crazy.
Soapbox is back in the closet now.

Here are the links. Oh, and expect some red velvet vday cupcakes and some muffins in the next couple of days...the ingredients will surprise you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVsgXPt564Q

Sticky Buns

What's your favorite breakfast food?
I was always a big fan of waffles as a kid- the store bought ones, or the ones my dad would make on Saturday mornings, or better still, the amazing waffles ar UP- any of my fellow alum can attest to this. The ridiculous line and waiting in your sweats and unshowered hair was worth it. I'm pretty sure I would be non-vegan for one of those- did I say that outloud?
The other thing I loved were those stupid cinnamon rolls in a tube- especially with orange icing.

Barefoot Contessa made cinnamon rolls with PUFF PASTRY the other day- can you say genius? So, I made them last weekend when my uncle was here for a visit. They are so flaky and light and the pecan/sugar/cranberry mix is great. I followed her recipe almost exactly, but here are the modifications:
SPRAY the muffin tins. Seriously, please do it.
Cut the butter (use Earth Balance, of course) amount in half- no need to have a coronary before 10 am.
For the filling: I used dried cranberries instead of raisins and also added some orange zest and juice to the mixture for a nice flavor combo.

Serve this up with tofu eggs and or veggie patties to have a nice sweet and salty combo. These buns will disappear- try them!!

The recipe for the best buns you'll ever have (sticky buns, people. Where is your head?)

Make time

This post is all about making time to cook yourself a good meal.
I went to yoga after work (what a workout!- don't let anyone tell you otherwise.) I didn't get home until almost 8. I know how tempting it is to stop at the store for a frozen pizza, or hop through the Taco bell drive thru for a bean burrito and cheesy gordita crunch (I may have eaten one or two of those in my day) However, with about 15 minutes worth of effort and 10 minutes of mental planning, I had a much healthier dinner for myself and was plopped in front of the TV by 8:30.
This stuffed mushroom is Mediterranean inspired, served over a bed of sautéed rainbow chard and spinach. Tonight was my first experience with rainbow chard and I loved it.
This mushroom comes together quickly because all the ingredients are precooked in the skillet and meld in the oven. Make time to cook for yourself- your body will thank you.

Mediterranean Stuffed Mushroom with sautéed greens
serves 2

2 large portobello mushrooms (destemed, and gills scooped off with a spoon)
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 scallions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 small jar of artichoke hearts
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, in oil, drained
6-8 olives, chopped: your choice
2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese
salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary- and any other seasonings you like!
olive oil
2 tablespoons whole wheat breadcrumbs- I prefer panko

Sautéed greens
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch spinach
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400.
For the mushrooms- drizzle each side with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, set in a small casserole dish.
Drizzle olive oil in a skillet. Saute pepper, garlic and onion until tender. Turn off heat. Add cream cheese, artichokes, olives and sun dried tomatoes. Season with herbs and salt and pepper- this is all eye balled.

Place mixture in mushroom. Top each with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, until mushroom is tender and all stuffing is combined.

While the mushrooms cook, place 1 tablespoon water in preused skillet. Add greens. After about 2 minutes, add garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until greens are soft, but not mush.

Put greens on plate and top with mushroom.

In love with Barefoot.

No not bare feet... bare foot. Those of you who know me really well know that I cannot stand feet- period. Sick. Ugh. Yuck. In fact, in my last week's yoga class the teacher made us high five feet with the person next to us, while we were in this crazy position, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack and die.

As much as I hate bare feet, I absolutely love bare foot...Barefoot Contessa that is. Her recipes are classy and simple, her house in The Hamptons is gorgeous and her little gray-haired husband is adorable. They are quite squeal worthy when in an episode together. I've been quire obsessed with reruns of her show, as of late, and wanted to attempt her lemon yogurt cake, since my uncle is coming to dinner tonight. Lemon does not scream winter (and my picky sister likes it in nothing except lemonade) so I decided winter mandarin oranges made a better choice. I modified almost every single ingredient in the recipe, but the foundation is there and the result was incredibly tasty. The cake is baked in a loaf pan, cooled slightly, drizzled with a juice and topped with a glaze. That sounds excessive, but I cut the sugar down and those last two steps keep the cake moist, so do it!! I made some mini muffins, for taste testers last night; try those too.

Orange Yogurt Cake with Glaze (adapted from BFC Lemon Yogurt Cake)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean or whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vanilla coconut milk YOGURT (you could use soy or rice milk too)
3/4 cup, plus 1/4 cup natural sugar
3 tablespoons of flax, 9 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons grated mandarin orange zest (about 3)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (you can use all applesauce, no oil, if you want, but I was worried about a chewy cake.)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice

For the glaze:
1/2 cup natural confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed mandarin orange juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan. (MAKE SURE TO LINE AND COAT THE PAN- or you will scrub that pan all night and I will be forced to say I told you so!)

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar, the flax and water, zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the applesauce and oil into the batter, making sure it's all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup juice and remaining sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, prick lots of holes with a toothpick and pour the orange-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and juice and pour over the cake. Add more juice, or water if it's too thick.
Serve with fresh berries and/or coconut milk ice cream.

Delicious pita, not peta.

Whenever I tell people I'm vegan I imagine their heads swimming with ideas about me throwing paint on fur coats and standing at the corner of a McDonalds with huge posters of massacred pigs, wearing, of course, a PETA shirt, or sticker, etc. I promise, I find PETA just as annoying as you do. I appreciate their cause, but when you do things like scold the president for killing a fly, you further alienate yourself from a country that does not understand you, just saying.
In any case, I love the other pita: with hummus, eggplant spread, plain, as sandwich bread, baked as a chip...you get the idea.
I recently discovered a blog, peobably my new fav (noveleats.com) and felt inspired by their pita bread recipe.
I copied the recipe line for line, except two things: I used active yeast and I added garlic salt instead of regular salt. The pita is light in flavor (that's a sweet way of saying bland), as it should be, but to up the flavor, I think next time I'll add a teaspoon of garlic powder, in addition to the regular salt. I also want to try this with cinnamon and bake them into cinnamon sugar chips.
Now, my pitas do not look as pretty as the ones on the noveleats website, but who cares what they look like when you're stuffing it in your mouth 5 minutes before class starts?

Get the recipe here.
If you're using active yeast, follow these directions.

Thumbprint Cookies

I love these cookies. I have no idea why. I even used to eat the ones in the vending machine, at UP, probably with a Diet Pepsi. Classic meal, good grief.

Anyway, most important thing- get a good jam. No one likes crap jam.

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon flax with 2 tablespoons water
1 cup WW pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Jelly- your choice...make it good!

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix brown sugar, shortening, applesauce, vanilla and flax with water in medium bowl. Stir in flour and salt until dough holds together.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb deeply in center of each.
4. Bake about 10 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Fill thumbprints with jelly. (Adapted from my really old Betty Crocker cookbook)

Sugar Cookies- Day 6!

Of all the traditional Christmas cookies, this is the one I most remember. My granny makes excellent sugar cookies and her frosting is better than anyone’s. She claims it is nothing special and that she simply follows a recipe, but there is just something really tasty about it. Maybe it’s just because Granny made them.
In any case, I knew I had to include them in the 12 days...what’s Christmas without a plate of stars and bells, frosted in red and green?
Of course, Jena and Maddie immediately jumped on these cookies when I asked for their favs. These girls love anything sweet: doesn’t matter if it’s cookie dough, rice krispie treats or frosting- on top of cookie, cupcake, or in the can. We may or may not have once eaten our combined weights in cupcakes and frosting.
This dough was a little sticky, and frustrated me easily. So, I only made two Christmas trees and said “screw it” and rolled the rest into sugar cookie balls. It’s easy to get lazy when you’re making 12 cookies in 2 weeks...what was I thinking?

I totally just copied the recipe from Happy Herbivore (I love that site!) Only change: I used 1 tablespoon flax with 3 tablespoons of water instead of the ener-g-"egg"

Italian Wedding Cookies

Italian Wedding Cookies
or Mexican Wedding cookies. I have never seen either at a wedding, but I would totally eat them at one..maybe a wedding cookie cake...hmmm.
Mom suggested these a few days ago and since we are always on the same page, I already planned on making them.

Here they are!

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour flour
3/4 cup finely ground almonds or almond meal
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup Earth Balance
2 1/2 T agave syrup
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, ground almonds, confectioners' sugar and salt and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream together the margarine with the agave until fluffy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, beating until just incorporated. Add the dry ingredients in several additions, beating until combined. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. (I totally cheated on that part.)
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment. Roll about 1 T. of the dough at a time into balls, placing each on the prepared baking sheets as you work. Bake until the edges just begin to brown, about 12-14 minutes. (Don't let them brown all over, as they will dry out very quickly!) Transfer the cookies to wire cooling racks to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Roll cookies in confectioners' sugar to coat and return to the wire cooling racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not sure that Chocolate Chip Cookies are very holiday-esque, but at least four people mentioned them. Then, when I asked my dad about his favorite cookie, he said this one. (I was beyond not surprised) My dad is a typical, sports watching, All-American guy and this is an All-American cookie. I was hesitant to add it to my twelve cookies, but when he told me he heard that chocolate chip cookies are the number one holiday cookie, I caved.
Since there are thousands of recipes, I knew I could modify and “healthify” this cookie no problem: so I did...somewhat.
I also added some warm spices to try to make it a little more Christmasy. If you are not vegan, you could add some colored mnms to these, but I don’t think I’m supposed to promote that on a vegan blog- keep your mouth shut.

Adapted from vegweb.com
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp.salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
vegan chocolate or carob chips - put in as many as you like
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoon vanilla you can use a combo of regular and bourbon vanilla, like I did()
1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add chips. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In a medium size bowl mix vegan sugar applesauce and oil. Mix it well. Add the vanilla and then add the water. Mix it well. Add the wet to the well in the dry. Mix it well but be careful not to overwork it. Add more chips if you need to. Spoon onto cookie sheets- you may need to spray them.

Bake 10 minutes, or until golden and soft.

Pecan Sandies

Yesterday I asked Claire, “What’s your favorite holiday cookie?” In typical Claire fashion, she was unsure of the name, but went on to energetically descripe a pecan cookie dipped in powdered sugar. I am unsure if she actually means Italian Wedding Cookies (I will make those later in the week), but Pecan Sandies have powdered sugar too, so that’s what I made.
I don’t think I have ever made these before, but they came out great. I had to add more flour after the batter was complete- they seemed a little too wet. I think it’s because of the water to flax ration, which was added instead of eggs.
The crushed pecans and almond meal give this cookie an excellent texture. And the insane amount of sugar will have you smiling, and running to the gym.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
1 cup earth balance
1 cup canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons flax with 6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
I cup almond meal (I found this at Trader Joes...just use another cup of flour if you're pulling your hair out searching)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped (very fine- almost crushed) pecans
1/2 cup raw sugar for decoration
Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, canola oil, 1 cup raw sugar and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flax and water, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the pecans. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in remaining white sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven

Snickerdoodles

I am posting day 2 and 3 tonight, due to my lack of post last night...I was too bust baking.

I know I say this with a lot of foods, but I used to hate snickerdoodles. What’s so special about a buttery cookie dipped in cinnamon and sugar? Um, hello...what’s NOT special about a buttery cookie dipped in cinnamon and sugar. I do not know what my problem was.
When I decided to make 12 Christmas cookies, I ran out of ideas fast. So, I enlisted the help of my lovely, and hungry, friends and family to pass along the names of their favorite holiday cookie. A few people ended up mentioning this one, but it was Nicole, who mentioned them first. Unfortunately, Nicole is in San Francisso, but hopefully these keep long enough for her to have some, or I may just have to make another batch for her.
They were easy enough to want to make again. There is nothing unique about this recipe, except for the Bourbon Vanilla I added! And unlike many other things I try to make, these are not healthy...okay the wheat flour is good, but that’s about it.
It’s Christmas time- who wants a healthy cookie?

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
1/2 cup earth balance, softened
1/2 cup vegetable, non hydrogenated shortening
1 1/3 cups raw sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax w/ 6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons raw sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the flax and vanillas. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies...er, desserts.

Peppermint Black bean brownies:
For the next twelve days, I will post a Christmas cookie recipe.
Although, tonight's recipe is not a cookie. It's a brownie. A brownie made with black beans. Stop making a face. I know black beans should be saved for an enchilada accoutrement, or perhaps a soup...I was skeptical too. But, my faithful reader(s)?, these brownies do not taste like black beans.
However, I will admit I am not completely satisfied with my results. I "stole" the recipe from Happy Herbivore...my only amendment was the peppermint extract addition. (I added 1/2 tsp.) My brownies were not as thick as hers, even though I did them in the same size dish. I will try to make these again by adding some chocolate chips and maybe 1/4 cup more chocolate powder. try the recipe though- they look fab and look like they taste even better on the HH blog.
Come back tomorrow for another recipe. I am still toying with the next 11 recipes, so if you have suggestions, leave them here, or on my fb page and I will try to deliver.

(No recipe, click the HH link!)

Mushroom and sun-dried tomato risotto

I love risotto and I don't know why.
It's just rice and rice is boring. But risotto is not...it's magical. Not really, but if you're a Gilmore Girls fan, you will know the episode I am referring to. If not, ask me and I will tell you, so you don't think I am crazy.

The problem with risotto is that it can be time consuming, boring if it's always cooked the same way and totally fattening (which is probably why it's good.) I've slimmed it down and dressed it up. Here's the result:

Mushroom and sun-dried tomato risotto
4 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons water
1 package crimini mushrooms
1/2 yellow onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup soy milk or soy cream
1 jar sun dried tomatoes- rinsed and drained (get rid of the excess oil!)

Directions
Add 1 tablespoon water to skillet, and stir in the onion. Cook until slightly soft. Add 1 more tablespoon of water and add rice, cook about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is soft.
In a separate skillet, add last of water and cook mushrooms until hot. Slice sun dried tomatoes. Add mushrooms, tomatoes and spices to risotto. Add milk, stir and keep warm. Risotto should be creamy and hot.

A+ Oatmeal raisin cookies

I love school. I love cooking. (I sound like I'm about ready to launch into "I like lamp", from Anchorman.) In any case, when I really, really love a class, I usually show my appreciation for a teacher by cooking something.
Monday night was the last meeting for my favorite grad school class this semester. I have a feeling it may end up being my favorite class in my grad school endeavors, but that has yet to be seen.
A few weeks ago, my professor mentioned that oatmeal raisin cookies are her favorite. I wanted to make her a little treat to show her how much I appreciate her class. It is rare to find a class/teacher as amazing as this one. I think you will agree that when a teacher (or anyone) is truly fabulous, he/she deserves to hear it. Those of you in EDC 171, who read the blog (shout out!) will agree, I hope.
Here is the recipe for these amazing cookies (I promise I am not giving them to her hoping she will give me an A.) Regardless, these cookies are an A+ recipe. I can't believe I didn't use any fat, oil, butter, etc. And the only sugar comes from fruits and maple syrup. You may not believe it until you try it, but please do. These cookies are soft and sweet and, if you're counting, have about 50-60 calories per serving.
I made a batch with raisins and one with chocolate chips (the cal count goes up if you're indulging in chocolate! But who cares?)
P.S. Check back tomorrow for some delish risotto.

Dry:
1 cup oats
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Wet:
2 tablespoons ground flax (I know it's a dry ingredient, but keep it with the wet!)
6 tablespoons water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 mashed banana
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup raisins and/or 1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine wet ingredients (not raisins). Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet to dry ingredients. Mix until combined, do not over mix. Add raisins and/or other mix ins.

Spoon onto cookie sheet with spoon or cookie dough dropper (buy one of these!!!) Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Until soft, but firm in the middle. Makes between 24-30 cookies.
Give to a teacher, or eat them all yourself.

"Nacho" every day nacho

Please pardon the pathetic joke in the title. I could not resist. (This is what happens when you spend all day with 2nd graders that make you want to pull you hair out and then you find euphoria when your 3 hour class is cancelled.)

This recipe is pretty simple. Make it. It's one of the most omni friendly recipes I have. It's also super simple to modify. And it can please picky sisters. My sis came home, saw this on the table and said "Oh my gosh, yesss!! Nachos" (insert big eyes, gasp and happy teenager.)

Ingredients:
1 bag healthish tortilla chips (look for something with wheat, beans, flax, veggies, etc.)
1 package chickenless chicken
5 oz. vegan nacho cheese
4 oz. vegan monterey jack cheese
1 can black beans
1 package spanish rice
2 tbsp. healthy oil
2 tbsp. wheat flour
1/3-1/2 soy milk
salsa
guacamole

Method:
Cook rice to package's specifications. Set aside.

Shred nacho cheese. In a pot at medium low, mix healthy oil and wheat flour until it makes a roux. Add milk and stir to avoid clumps. When hot, add cheese until mixed well. Set aside. Keep adding milk, or water or broth (any liquid) to keep from thickening.

Preheat oven to 400.
Place chips in one layer on baking sheet or casserole dish. Make sure the baking sheet has a lip, or your nachos will tumble to the floor! Add a layer of cheese sauce. Add some beans, rice and chicken. Top with desired amount of shredded jack cheese. Repeat steps, starting with nachos, until all ingredients are gone... make sure the goods are evenly spread over the chips.

Place in oven for 10-15 minutes. Chips should be crispy, cheese should melt. Serve with guacamole and salsa.