more pumpkin oatmeal cookies

I think I made 6 batches of these cookies in the two weeks over the holidays. Everyone loved them. They look different from the very first batch I made, because I didn't grind the oats into a fine powder in my coffee grinder. Instead I just chopped them up in a food processor.. and they turned out much better.

pumpkin oatmeal cookies

I made Ali and Tom's (Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen's) pumpkin oatmeal cookies for a dinner party I had. Pretty sure I ate way more than my fair share.. They were amazingly soft, and spiced so deliciously :)

I followed their recipe exactly.. And I'm feeling lazy tonight, so I'll quote:

"Use canned pumpkin, baked pie pumpkins or other winter squash. You may need to add extra flour if your baked pumpkin is very moist. I used coconut oil in all four batches I made but I imagine that unsalted butter would work too ~ of course they wouldn't be vegan then! Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temp before mixing. Your coconut oil will be soft enough for this if your house is in the mid 60's (Fahrenheit). Do not melt your coconut oil or use another liquid oil."

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

1 cup softened virgin coconut oil (or unsalted butter)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups coconut sugar, maple sugar, or brown sugar

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups oat flour

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl beat together, using an electric mixer, the coconut oil, pumpkin, sugar, flax seeds, and vanilla extract. Add the remaining ingredients and beat together again.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While your oven is preheating let your cookie dough rest on the counter for 20 minutes. The oat flour will absorb some of the liquid during this time which helps the cookies hold their shape.

Drop by the spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Remove cookies and place them onto a wire rack to cool. Cookies are best after they have cooled."
Source: www.NourishingMeals.com

it feels like fall buckwheat cookies

Perfectly sweet and soft.. and healthy.. and vegan, and gluten free and sugar free.. these cookies are easy to make and rock.
They just do.
This recipe was inspired by the Spunky Coconut's chocolate chip cookies.

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp ground flax meal
1/2 tsp xanthum gum
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 pinch stevia
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup carob chips (or chocolate chips)
1/3 cup raisins

Oven! 350.
Mix all the wet ingredients with an electric mixer (I just used an immersion blender.)
Then add the wet ingredients into the premixed bowl of dry ingredients and whip!
Lastly, mix in the carob chips and the raisins.

Use wet fingers to roll the dough and flatten into a cookie shape on parchment covered baking sheets. I kept a little bowl of water on the counter and had to wet my hands after making each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

I'm not sure how many cookies this really makes.. because I ate so much of the cookie dough. It was so good!!

unholy doughnuts

These vegan, gluten free, and healthy (size and ingredient-wise) little doughnut bites are a combination of the Whole Life Nutrition's ginger cookies with Elana's Pantry's chocolate frosting. They really taste like little doughnuts! (not as fluffy as the regular bars as I recall, but more dense - like the old fashion ones)

The cookie/doughnut base. Oven! 350.

15 medjool dates, pitted (soaked for 15 minutes in boiling water)
1/4 cup date soaking water
6 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup (or honey.. I used maple syrup this time)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
few pinches of salt

Place the dates into a bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Soak for 15 minutes.
Drain (and save the water) and place soaked dates into a food processor and add the coconut oil, soaking water, syrup, and vanilla. Process until smooth.

Mix the dry ingredients in a different bowl and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to the food processor and process until just combined.

Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper (optional). It helps to have a small bowl of water to wet your hands with as you make the balls, because the batter is quite sticky! Then use your hands or a bottom of a cup to flatten each cookie.

Bake for 11-14 mintues. (Whole Life Nutrition said it makes 16 cookies, but I made small cookies, and I got 30 out of it.)


Ready for the frosting!? This is what really makes it a doughnut and not just a cookie.

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used enjoy life's chocolate chips)
1/2 cup grape seed oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

In a small saucepan, over very low heat, melt chocolate and oil. Then stir in the honey vanilla and salt. Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken. Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy. Now.. frost things!

Enjoy! (and refrigerate) If you're like me - this will be your first doughnut in a long long time.

sesame halvah (candies)

"Halvah (also known as halwa, halva, halava, helva, etc.) is a broad term used to describe desserts made with a base of flour or nut butter, such as sesame tahini, and sometimes including vegetables (such as carrots) or nuts. It is eaten in India, Central and West Asia, North Africa, the Balkans, and of course, in Israel and in Jewish delis throughout the United States. Each culture has its own halvah, united only by name--which derives from the Arabic word for "sweet"--and the fact that each is a sweetened candy or dessert, often an ancient and beloved recipe."
-Elisheva Margulies

Here's an easy recipe. And by easy, I mean really easy. You might already have everything you need.

1 cup sesame seeds (I used some black sesame seeds too)
1/2 cup tahini
2 tbsp honey (raw)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (or just another 1/2 tsp of vanilla)

Mix all the ingredients except the seeds, then mix the seeds in.
Squish the sticky mix into a small container lined with wax paper. You can make the candies as thick or thin as you like. I recommend somewhere between 1/2 to 1 inch. So - I used a small 6" x 6" tupperware, and the candies were about 1/2" thick.
Chill, then cut, and serve and enjoy :)

restaurant review - blossom

I was treated to Blossom, another organic vegan restaurant in Manhattan, by my cousin Eric. Kosher for him and allergen friendly for me, the place was perfect. And we got to sit outside, which I think is important.. no need to waste good weather. This place gets 5 stars from me :)

We started out with all different colored beautiful fruit and vegetable juices.. I looked on their website, but they aren't listed there.. shucks. I should have taken a photo of the menu after all! I remember I had a "pink lady," Paul had something red, Benjamin something orange, and Eric something green.

The second photo was my Red Quinoa Salad:
with red quinoa, navy beans, julienne peppers, watercress, toasted seeds, mango guacamole, and lemon vinaigrette. Simple and delicious.

For dessert (my favorite meal of the day) I had a little scoop of green tea "ice cream" made from cashews, with a dehydrated gf cinnamon oatmeal raisin cookie. yum!!!!

cleveland cousins & calico balls

I wrote about this dessert before, but here it is again.. I've made it a lot since the last time I posted the trinity truffle recipe. Here's a photo of one about 1.5" in diameter, along with my two cousins enjoying them. I put them in the freezer instead of the fridge, because we wanted them to be ready to eat faster - but then they got too hard, and we had no patience to let them soften up a little before we started into them.

So! Here's the recipe again.. but a little different.. as usual.

1 cup honey (or agave)
1 cup cocoa powder
1.5 cup almond butter
1/4 cup shredded coconut
extra coconut in a bowl for covering the outside

Mix! You'll need to call upon those muscles for this. Then roll into the size that suits your taste, and roll in extra shredded coconut. I put each one in a paper muffin wrapper, then put them on a plate in the fridge. (if you're in a rush, put them in the freezer - but then leave a few minutes before serving them so they're not too hard!)

passover in los angeles

The farmer's market in my hometown in southern California can't be compared to the farmer's market of my current address in Missouri.. beautiful artichokes, 6 different kinds of oranges at one stand and strawberries as big as my hand.. in March. Ah.. at least there's no traffic in Missouri. 1 point...

Here are the vegan macaroons I made for both Seders my family hosted.. they couldn't compete with all the other sugar-y, egg and gluten-full desserts people brought to share.. So I ate most of them :) I was ok with that. Especially when I dipped them in dark chocolate :)

You need:
bananas, dates, and shredded coconut.. you can also add cocoa powder and vanilla extract..
Taste as you go.. don't worry about adding too much coconut.. you can't :)

Blend all ingredients then put into a cake decorating bag, with a large star tip. Then squeeze and twist for the perfect macaroon shape :) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes to so they are dry to the touch and let them sit out to cool all the way through.
Dip in dark chocolate for an extra treat.

Happy Passover! May you all be reclining and enjoying the company of your family..

special occasion soaked oatmeal cookies

If you read this blog.. and want to make cookies.. forget all the others - and just make these. They're too good. Seriously. I kind of want to quit school and go into the cookie making business right now. The original recipe came from Cheeseslave, but it included the usual.. eggs, sugar, flour, butter.. I could tell it was a special recipe though - because of the soaked oatmeal, and all the work that went into just preparing the ingredients.. so I decided to give it a try.

Ingredients: (makes 36 cookies.. I know this is a lot of cookies.. but the recipe is a bit of a hassle.. so I recommend making the whole amount, then freezing some of them)

3 cups rolled oats
3 cups filtered water
7 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup coconut oil softened
1/2 cup honey (or agave)
1/4 cup ground flax seed, combined with 3/4 cup warm water; and left to sit for a few minutes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground star anise (optional)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
1 cup raisins

1. In a large glass or enamelware (not metal) bowl or pitcher, add 3 cups oatmeal, 3 cups heated (not boiling) filtered water, 1/2 cup brown rice flour and 7 tablespoons of lemon juice. Mix thoroughly.

2. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel and let sit overnight on the counter or in a cupboard. Let sit for 8-24 hours. (Twelve hours is fine — but I try to soak mine for 24 hours to reduce the phytic acid as much as possible.) (if you check out Cheeseslave's recipe - it explains why phytic acid is bad news)

3. Because I didn't use wheat flour, not all of the water was soaked in, I strained some of the excess water out through a fine strainer.

4. Spread oatmeal on parchment paper and place on tray in dehydrator set at highest setting until completely dried (anywhere from 6-12 hours depending on the heat setting). You can also do this in the oven at the lowest setting.

(photo by Cheeseslave)

5. When the oatmeal is dry, you will be able to break it off in large pieces. Put the pieces of dried oatmeal into your food processor and pulse until it is coarsely ground (like oatmeal flakes). Do not grind it fine, like a powder. (I, Anna, didn't use the food processor, because it's sitting in my sink from making the cashew lemon dill sauce earlier tonight, so I just broke it up with my hands - and it turned out just fine)

6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

7. Prepare flax seed and warm water mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes to become gel-like. Add the vanilla extract to this.

8. In another bowl, beat coconut oil and honey until combined. It helps to very slightly melt the coconut oil.. unless it's already warm in your kitchen. Then add the flax/vanilla mixture.

9. Combine brown rice flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix it up!

10. Stir in oatmeal, coconut, and raisins. Mix well.

11. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet.

12. Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

13. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Careful with the transfer! The brown rice flour makes for a delicate cookie.. and the coconut oil needs to harden back up!

I know it tastes so good, just as cookie dough - but try to have the will power to wait until they at least come out of the oven! It's so not worth getting full off cookie dough - when the cookie tastes even better.. although it will be hard to believe.

gluten free, vegan, chocolate chunk cookies!

Guess I wasn't done making things from scratch tonight.. It's almost time to go out salsa dancing, and I'm blogging about cookies! For all you gluten free, egg free, dairy free, sugar free people.. I hope you love these :) They are so yummy and easy.. and you probably already have everything you need.

Oven! 350.

1 cup almond flour (from scratch or store bought - I just put almonds into a coffee grinder)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
3 tbsp grape seed oil (or coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey (or agave, or something else..)
1 oz of chocolate of your choice, chopped into small chunks

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in the other, then combine.
Make 1/2" to 1" balls on a parchment covered baking sheet, then squish them down a little bit.
Bake for 8 minutes.
Let them cool. I like to do the dishes when they are baking and cooling.. then I'm not too tempted to just try one and probably burn myself.

Enjoy!

ÄNABAR II (jocalat version)

I just took this photo 3 minutes ago, and there are 3 left on the plate :( I went onto the LÄRABAR website and decided to create my own version of the German Chocolate Cake Jôcolat Bar. I've actually never had one.. but I thought it couldn't be so far off because they gave me the list of ingredients :) So here's my version:

4 big dates
1/3 cup walnuts
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (dagoba has organic 100% baking chocolate)
1 tbsp cocoa powder (I just got some serious stuff from Penzey's.. a super fun spice shop)

Blend in a food processor, or whatever you use. Blend some more.. until all the ingredients are sticking. Then mold onto some parchment paper into a 1/4"-1/2" slab.
For some reason I baked mine for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.. then realized that I put coconut oil in there.. duh. So I took it out and popped it in the freezer.. until I couldn't stand it any longer. They stayed together the colder they were.. but I have to say taking a taste when it was all melty was pretty awesome.

Serves: depends.. on your self control.

cashew butter cookies (gluten free & vegan)

I'm going over to my neighbor's home (Luke and Natalie's) for dinner tonight - and all I have to prepare is dessert! It's so lovely.. if felt like I had all this time to just relax and make dessert.. but now of course, I'm blogging and with only 30 minutes before I have to leave - I haven't even showered. Yes. It's dinner time and I still haven't showered.

This recipe was inspired by Cupcake Punk's cookies.. I didn't have to go buy any ingredients for these.. I just happened to have everything already.. so - don't be afraid to substitute ingredients for things you already have!

Oven! 350.
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (a short tsp)
1 tbsp apple sauce
5 BIG dates, pitted (or a couple more if they're a normal size)
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup cashew butter
3 tbsp nut milk (I used hemp)
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
nuts for garnish (I used walnuts)

1. In a big bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a food processor, blend the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
3. Then add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and mix again.
4. On a non-stick baking sheet, or on parchment paper place 1 1/2 inch balls of dough.
5. In the middle of each one, push in the (insert favorite nut here), and bake for 12-15 minutes depending on the oven.
6. Remove and LET COOL.. otherwise they'll fall apart. Basically, you're waiting for the coconut oil to harden back up.. because there is no gluten in these cookies.. they're pretty fragile until they've cooled for a little bit. I'm not talking hours - but if you can wait 20-30 minutes you'll be much happier.

Makes about 15 cookies.

Oh! And I forgot to mention.. these cookies taste freaking awesome.

ÄNABAR

I recently had my first LÄRABAR. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to eat one.. they are a great healthy treat, even for me, in the granola bar section of any grocery store. Not even too too expensive. Anyway, after reading the super short list of ingredients on each flavor of LÄRABAR I thought I should make my own.

All you need for this is a food processor or blender and:
5 dates
3 handfuls of almonds
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 handful of raisins
1 ripe banana
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie blend
1/4 tsp almond extract

Blend until it sticks into one fully blended ball. oh yeah.. Oven! 200. (or 118 if you want it raw)
Put a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet, so the bottom doesn't cook too fast.
Spread the mixture over the parchment. I used a wet spatula to get an even 1/2" thick slab.
Bake for about 30 minutes, then cool and cut into squares.
These are great for a healthy little dessert, or for a boost-of-energy snack.

You can go to the LÄRABAR website and try to recreate their different bars.. or mix and match and make a new flavor of your own! Other ingredients they use a lot, that you can experiment with are:
walnuts
cashews
cinnamon
peanuts
orange peel/juice concentrate
coconut oil
cherries
cocoa powder
chili
lemon or lime juice concentrate
apples
pistachios
ginger

"crookies".. my new mistake/invention

Sorry for abandoning you for the last couple weeks.. I've been on winter vacation, and you'd think I'd be posting more - but I've been travelling and pretty much just remaking and enjoying recipes I've already posted.

Anyway, I thought it would be better to call this cookie and cracker combo "crookies" rather than "crackies." But if you prefer the later, please call them by whatever you wish. :)

"Crookies" are basically semi-sweet cookies.. so they can be used like crackers. I used less sweetener than the recipe said - and now it is a multifunctional treat! I just ate half of the batch by spreading either honey, jam, or sliced bananas on top.. I guess you can turn any cookie into a "crookie" this way.

This particular "crookie" was inspired by a recipe from Can Eat!'s sesame and ginger cookies.
Follow that recipe if cookies are what you want. Or follow this one for your very first "crookie."

Oven! 350.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups hazelnut meal (or almond flour)
1/4 cup honey (add more if desired)
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
4 tbsp water

Mix the nut meal, ginger, and baking powder, then add the honey and tahini, and lastly add the water. Scoop out onto a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of your oven. I just realized that my oven is really small.. so it probably takes less time for me.

Makes 12-14 "crookies"
Serve with any jam, honey, fruit topping, or dip them in tea.. or for you who can handle dairy.. I'm sure a fruit mixed into creamed cheese would be delightful.

butternut pecan baby cakes

This recipe evolved from a pancake recipe from the Spunky Coconut's blog, and now it's a cake batter-like cookie for the fall.

Oven! 350.

Mix (or puree) the wet ingredients:
1 banana - mashed
1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp warm water
1/2 cup butternut squash - puree
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp coconut oil - melted

Then add the dry ones:
3 tbsp buckwheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup pecans - chopped

Scoop out onto a cookie sheet, and place a full pecan on top of each one..
Bake for 15 minutes!
Then let them cool.. and they're even better and more cookie like once they've been in the fridge for a while.

apple almond butter bites

It's fall :) So here's an apple treat. I love that no honey is needed.. the apple is enough. I admit in advance.. these are a little messy.. They aren't as solid as a conventional cookie.. but hunters and gatherers didn't eat cookies. So. I'm ok with the messiness.

1 smallish apple (sliced super small.. or grated - come to think of it - grated would work way better.. next time!)
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix! I found it easier to use my bare hands.. then mush it down into a loaf pan and pop it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Cut it up into any size or shape you'd like :)

I realize this is just a tasty mix of good ingredients.. and it doesn't really matter what you do with it. You can put it on top of a crust and bake it.. you can eat it with a spoon out of the bowl - like charoset.. or like the way I eat almond butter.. which is the same. with a spoon. But the frozen bites are a little classier. Or.. you can mix all the ingredients together minus the apple and serve it as a dip or a spread, with the apple.

late night lavender uncooked cookies

I actually wanted to skip salsa dancing tonight. . maybe it was the lighting storm and the pouring rain, but I really think it was because I wanted to make up a new recipe. I was even all dressed up already. . . There might be something wrong with me.

Mix:
3/4 cup oats
2 tbsp raw honey
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
raisins! as many as you'd like.
a small amount of vegan carob chips (optional)

Then form into cookie shapes on some parchment paper, and pop them in the fridge to cool. (if there's enough batter left at this point!) This makes about 10 cookies. I'm a small cookie maker. . it makes me think I'll eat less. ha.

Oh yeah - before I put them in the fridge, I topped them with a little lavender, and it really makes them unique. Besides the fact that they're gluten free, soy free, egg free, dairy free, and sugar free . . .and freaking delicious cookies!