(Vegan) Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm always on the lookout for new chocolate chip cookie recipes, and this vegan one was delicious! I have to admit I used regular butter and regular chocolate chip cookies, but you can easily find the vegan versions of both.

Man-Size Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is from Party Vegan by Robin Robertson

Ingredients:3/4 cup Earth Balance, softened (aka butter)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the Earth Balance and both sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix until smooth.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.
4. Drop the dough by the heaping tablespoonful (or more) about 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly browned around the edges, 15 to 16 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. When completely cool, store in an airtight container.

The Red House

We recently attended a birthday dinner for two of our friends at an awesome restaurant in Renton: The Red House. This restaurant lets you select your own bottle of beer (from a very large selection) and then they chill it right there on the spot.

The service was great (seriously, our waiter was amazing), and the food was very good as well. I took a couple pictures of the food, but the lighting wasn't great and I was using an iPhone so the quality is pretty poor. One of the pictures is of the Pacific Salmon (it was super tasty, and perfectly cooked):
The husband had the Steak Frites, and he really enjoyed it:One of our friends had the tenderloin and it certainly looked tasty:
We also ordered a bunch of desserts, and I had a taste of the Tiramisu, Apple Pie, and the melting cake:Great company, great service and great food - what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, great beer too. :)

I'll never get tired of burritos

I love Mexican food, and I enjoy making it in the traditional style. However, I love finding twists on tradition, and the addition of sweet potatoes in the recipe certainly makes for an interesting meal! I loved this recipe, and I highly encourage you to make it!

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

Ingredients:

1-1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups canned kidney beans, drained

2/3 cup water

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1/2 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

6 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed

1/4 pound shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash (I left them whole for more texture). Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.

• Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas.

• Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes and serve.
  

Pasta on the fly

I'm trying to force myself to rely on my own knowledge and "gut feeling" for recipes. I frequently use other people's recipes, and this year I'm going to try and create some of my own. Here is one attempt (although I did draw inspiration from the Lemony Tuna Pasta recipe): I didn't include any measurements in this recipe as I really just eyeballed everything and put in the amount that sounded good to me. You really can't go wrong with this recipe, and you can substitute any ingredients that you like.

Feta, Veggie and Tuna Pasta

Ingredients:Peas
Broccoli
Olives
Feta cheese
Red and yellow peppers
Tuna
Lemon Juice
Capers
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Pepper
Pasta (any shape)

Directions:
Cook the pasta, adding the peppers, peas and broccoli for the last few minutes of cooking. Drain and return to pan.In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over the pasta and toss to combine.

Tastes like my childhood

My grandparents lived "in the sticks" so when we'd go visit them it was a real adventure! Their house was a great place for a young child, as they lived on acres of forested property, raised bison, and had an awesome "crick" running through their backyard. I spent countless hours playing in the water, collecting flowers, and just running wild. One of the things that my grandma always had waiting for me when I visited were Molasses cookies. She knew I loved them, and to this day the flavor and scent of a Molasses cookie will take me back to my childhood, when a cookie could just make your entire day seem so much better.

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup light molasses

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
1) Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Stir in egg and molasses and mix well. Fold in dry ingredients and stir. 2) Cover and chill until firm (1 - 2 hours).
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place parchment paper on cookie sheets.
4) Roll dough into small balls, then roll in sugar and place on cookie sheets.5) Bake 9 - 10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheet one minute until set.
Notes: I used butter instead of shortening, blackstrap molasses instead of light, halved the salt, added an extra egg white, and slightly reduced the cloves.

Chili Corn Pone Pie

A coworker turned me on to Cheap Healthy Good (CHG), a blog that provides recipes that are healthy and tasty, all while being relatively inexpensive to make. The blog provides nutrition and cost stats for every recipe, and is just really fun to read.

Mary Ostyn's Chili Corn Pone Pie, with adjustments made by CHG

Ingredients:
Filling:1 pound ground turkey breast
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can kidney or small pink beans, drained
½ cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce (about 12 ounces of your favorite brand)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt (I omitted)

Topping:¾ cup cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt (omitted)
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, beaten
¾ cup 1% milk (I used almond milk)
1-1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup 2% shredded cheddar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350F.

2) Preheat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook until no longer pink, breaking it into small pieces with the side of a spoon. Remove turkey from skillet, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and onion to skillet. Cook onion until it begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining filling ingredients; stir well to combine. Simmer until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.3) In a medium-sized bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add beaten egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture; mix well to form a soft dough.

4) Spread meat mixture over the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Drop tablespoons of the corn bread mixture all over the top of the pie, distributing it as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cheese across the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until cheese is flecked with brown and filling starts to bubble out the sides.

Notes: I omitted the extra salt because it's in chili powder already. You can add extra if you want, for taste. This looks great on a plate combined with a green veggie. Enjoy!

Rosemary and Pepper Chicken

I'm constantly on the lookout for new crockpot recipes, and this one looked really good to me. It tasted amazing, was fast to put together, and is an all-around winner! This made a substantial amount, and we both easily had enough for generous lunch leftovers the next day. Serve over pasta and vegetables.

Slow Cooker Rosemary and Red Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

8 ounces turkey Italian sausages, casings removed

8 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

salt to taste (omitted)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

• In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Crumble sausages over onion mixture. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange in a single layer over sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour in vermouth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through when pierced.

• Transfer chicken to a warm, deep platter, and cover to keep warm.

• In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat to High, and cover. Cook, stirring 2 to3 times, until sauce is thickened (about 10 more minutes). Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: I completely forgot to take the chicken out and thicken the broth. I don't think this step is really all that necessary - the broth was great as-is.

Pi(e) Day!

Happy Pi Day! In celebration, I baked a pie! Hooray! That's one food goal to cross off the list. :)

Last year I made an apple pie, so this year I decided to tackle a berry pie - I chose blueberry. I bought frozen berries since fresh blueberries are outrageously expensive right now. The pie turned out really well, I was very pleased with myself! I made a lattice crust and everything!

I had a little doggie helper while I was in the kitchen the whole time - he really wanted me to share the pie with him. :PBlueberry Pie

Ingredients for crust:

1 cup unsalted butter, frozen

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/3 cup ice water (I ended up doubling this)

Ingredients for pie filling:

3/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cups blueberries

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

• Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Grate frozen butter into the mixture . Use the paddle beater to cut the butter and flour together.

• With the mixer on low speed, pour in the cold water. When the dough starts to clump, and before it turns into a ball, stop stirring.

• Lightly knead dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk, and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling.

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

• Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries.

• Line pie dish with one pie crust.

• Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges.

• Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Notes:
I increased the corn starch to 5 tablespoons and it was still very runny. I also added 1 tbsp lemon juice to give the pie just a little more flavor. I paired the pie with some homemade creme fraiche (also from the goal list). That's two goals down!! The creme fraiche was delicious and so very easy to make (one cup heavy whipping cream and 1 teaspoon buttermilk, let stand on your counter for 24 hours until thick).
Enjoy!

Strong like Popeye

This was a very fast recipe, with a focus on spinach. I liked it, but didn't love it. I might try it again, but I would probably use less spinach (honestly I probably put in more than 2 cups, which was my fault). I did enjoy the feta cheese, and I really liked the brand that I used this time - no more Athenos brand for me!

Spinach and Feta Pasta

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups chopped tomatoes (I used diced and crushed canned tomatoes)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted this)

2 cups spinach leaves, packed

salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch red pepper flakes

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.

• Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Note: The feta is pretty salty, so just be aware of this when you're adding extra salt.

A lighter cookie option

I've been trying to eat healthier for awhile now, and I thought I'd try making a "healthy" cookie. I had oats and honey in the house, so I went on a search for a fun, easy recipe. I ended up finding this great recipe from Whole Grain Gourmet.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon (or more if you want)
  
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg (optional)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup oil * (you can also use some applesauce to replace some of the oil if you wish)*
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses
• 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

• In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.

• In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Hint: when measuring out the honey, spray the measuring cup with oil or baking spray--your honey won't stick).

• Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts (if using) and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn't binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.

• Cool the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.

• Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).

• Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (line the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.

• Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie.

Notes: I actually liked these cookies a lot. With the addition of chocolate chips they aren't quite as healthy, but in my opinion they wouldn't be the same without them! I ended up adding an additional egg white to the mix, and they turned out perfectly!

Vegetarian Lasagna

This is another recipe that I have been using for years. I can't remember when I first discovered it, but I'm pretty sure I've been making it for at least 4 years - it's a tried-and-true favorite. I love spinach and artichoke dip, so I knew I'd love the flavor combination in a lasagna!

You can make this recipe a day ahead and just pop it in the fridge. Take it out an hour before you want to bake it and allow to warm to room temperature, then cook as directed.

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna

Ingredients:

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped

spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry

1 (28 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 (4 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

• Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium-high. Saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes, or until onion is tender-crisp. Stir in broth and rosemary; bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach; reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce.

• Spread 1/4 of the artichoke mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish; top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with artichoke mixture and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top.

• Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.