Raw Coconut Macaroons

recipe [HERE]: I used Michigan raw honey instead of agave nectar and you can just roll them into balls and eat as is if you are dehydrator-less. Or bake for 10-20 minutes at 350F.

love.

Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl

From Natalia Rose

With a piece of raw cinnamon toast.

2 c carrot juice
1 cup raw sweet potato (about 1/2 of medium one), peeled and cubed
4-6 dates, pitted (depends on how sweet you like it)
1/2 avocado
Pumpkin pie spice or a dash of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

Blend ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender until smooth.

This is not an all local recipe but all ingredients can be bought trash free. For Ann Arbor residents:
-All produce can be purchased packaging free.
-Spices can be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op.

-Dates can be bought in bulk at Whole Foods

Bleeding Hearts

Could also be named Love Bites but considering how I have very recently became a single lady, I'm going with the slightly more distasteful name...

Whether you have an oh so significant other or you are planning on cuddling up to your roommate or Fido tonight, these bite-sized bits of love will provide anyone with a healthy dosage of endorphins. Hello world!

Bleeding Hearts

Raw vegan, gluten free, and willing to resolve all your of sorrows.

Ingredients:
1 c walnuts
1 c dates, soaked until soft
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
add-ins of your choice (cinnamon, cacao nibs, chili powder, mint extract...)
Raspberry Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:
Food process all ingredients together.
Roll out "dough" between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
Cookie cut to your hearts desire!
If you don't have cookie cutters, use a cup or a knife and a little creativity ;)
Frost with Raspberry Frosting.

Raspberry Frosting
Because it's delicious and blood should be red.

Ingredients:
frozen raspberries
optional: sweetener of choice (stevia, maple syrup, honey, dates...)

Directions:
Puree raspberries in food processor or blender.
Add in sweetener if you want (I did not think this was necessary but others may think that berries are a bit bitter).
Frost the hearts or eat straight up (both ways are awesome).

And for everyone's viewing pleasure...

Raspberry Fudge Ice Cream

This takes less than 5 minutes to make and only 4 ingredients!!! I have made it 3 times so far and plan on making it again... tonight.

RECIPE HERE!

It's from Chocolate Covered Katie and is really really amazing. It's so rich that it's almost unbelievable that it's healthy!

• Cacao powder is friggin' PACKED with antioxidants. Packed as in it has the most antioxidants compared to all other foods, teas, etc. Also it has lots of soluble fiber, magnesium, chromium, iron, and has more vitamin C than any other common nut or seed.
• Raspberries have phytonutrients for antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticarcinogenic protection. The are an excellent source of manganese, dietary fiber and vitamin C, as well as a good source of riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, potassium and copper.
• Coconut butter is thought to be anti-aging and although they contain mostly saturated fats, they are unlike the saturated fats in meats because they are short to medium chain fatty acids which are more water soluble than longer chain fatty acids and thus require less energy for the body to absorb and utilize. Coconut butter actually helps to lower cholesterol.

Oh, bring us a {Chia Pudding} and a cup of good cheer!

Chia seeds are fascinating. When soaked in water (or non-dairy milk) they turn into a gelatinous blob right before your eyes. Yup, they're able to absorb 9x it's weight in water! Therefore prolonged hydration. Plus it's chalk full of nutrients and the richest vegetable source of essential omega-3 fatty acid.

Apparently the Aztecs used to treat these puppies like gold, which says a bit on their value. It's said that they would eat one teaspoon of chia seeds (and nothing more) before a 24-hour journey to maintain endurance.

(Read 10 more benefits here!)

And let's not forget about this... (Cue 90's flashback)



Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1/4 c chia seeds (can be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op)
3/4 c water
flavorings of your choice

Directions:
Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes.
Watch closely while the transformation happens right before your eyes!
Mix in flavors of your liking (I did a sweetener, cocoa powder, and raspberries)

*The seeds stay a little crunchy so if this bothers you, dump the pudding in your blender to smooth it out.


Now time for my picture taking bonanza!

Plain Chia seeds

Gettin' gelled up in water...

Look how gelatinous it gets!

Trifle Time!

I layered chia pudding, raspberries (frozen from the summer), and dessert socca to make a lovely whole food, healthy trifle (which is usually made with cake and whipped cream, psshhhh)

Love and veggies, Sam

Black Bean Brownies

Wait what? Black beans? In brownies?? Yup. I throwin it out there. This is actually a fairly well-known way to make vegan brownies! The black beans make the brownies dense and moist (and at least makes you think that they're not horrible for you...)

My gaggle of taste-testers gave the brownies rave reviews, even a "These are the best brownies ever!" (Ms. Hadas Corey, January 29, 2011) So take THAT eggs, we don't need you! Milk? You are nothing to me!

Black Bean Brownies

Recipe is for a 8x8 pan. All of these ingredients can be bought in bulk!

Ingredients:

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking powder

3/4 c sugar sucanat (AKA dried pure cane juice)
1/2 c + 2 T cocoa powder

2 t espresso powder ground coffee 

1 can 1 scant cup cooked black beans
1/2 c + 6 T water

additional 1/2 c water

1 t vanilla

3/4 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and grease 8x8 pan with oil.

Puree beans and water in food processor.

Mix dry ingredients together and add them to beans.

Puree with additional water and vanilla.

Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips and pour into pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until you can pierce center with a fork and it comes out clean.

A message for my roommates...

California Christmas: Chopped

I am not sure if anyone else watches Chopped but it's a show on the Food Network where people have to make an appetizer, main course, and dessert using specific ingredients. The challenge is that the ingredients are not always "normal". I have to use candy canes in my appetizer? Or bacon in my dessert?

Needless to say, watching it is a guilty pleasure of mine. And my aunt and uncle are fans of the show as well. As entertainment on a blustery evening in Northern California, we created a chopped challenge of our own!

The Rules:

My aunt and I had to make appetizers using cucumbers, my foraged chanterelles, and persimmons; a entree using salmon, asparagus, and (I can't remember what else); a dessert using pomegranates, quinoa, and chocolate.

Appetizer: Cucumber Disks with a Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Spread, Wild Chanterelle Crostinis, Spicy Lime Tortilla Chips with Persimmon Chips and an Orange-Persimmon

Roasted Red Pepper-Walnut Spread

Also known as muhammara (I LOVE this word). Recipe from the NY Times.

Ingredients:
3/4 c walnuts, toasted and chopped

3 red bell peppers, roasted
3/4 c fresh bread crumbs*

1 jalapeño or other small hot chili pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T pomegranate molasses
1 T lemon juice
1 t ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 T olive oil.

Directions:

Put all ingredients (except oil) in food processor and pulse until smooth.

Slowly pour in olive oil into running food processor.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Eat with anything and everything: cucumbers, pita bread, your hands...

Entree: Asparagus and Red Onion Salad, Miso-glazed Wild Alaskan Salmon, Sweet Potato Latkes with Cranberry Relish, garnished with mixed salad greens.

Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled

1 green onion, finely chopped

1/4 c whole wheat flour

1 T ground flax seeds, whisked into 3 T water

salt, pepper, smoked paprika

oil

Directions:

Grate the sweet potatoes (my aunt had a fancy grater feature on her food processor which made this process VERY easy)

Mix together all the ingredients, except the oil.

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

Take a handful of sweet potato mixture and form a patty.

Fry in oil until dark brown, about 5 minutes.

Flip to fry the other side.

Allow to cool on a rag (to wick away excess oil)

Serve with cranberry chutney!

Dessert: Spicy Chocolate-Dipped Date-Walnut Truffles, Pomegranate Quinoa Patties

My first pomegranate! Too pretty.

Cookie Craft!

I love crafts. I love cookies. I love necklaces. I love this idea.

Does anyone want to join me??

Sugar Cookie Necklace

From The Kitchn

I am the cookie monster.

Thanks to a Food Bloggers Winter Recipe Exchange, I made a new friend! Her name is Brandi and she writes pizelles. Brandi has asked me to send her a cookie recipe for her to feature on her blog this upcoming week in preparation for the holidays!

1. I find it pretty funny that there is such a prominent food blogger community.
2. I have been slaving away in the oven for the last few days, running on sugar!

My strategy is as follows: attempt a broad range of cookie recipes and then pick my favorite and perfect it.

So get ready for some awesome cookie recipes (and some epic fails...):

Note: Most of these ingredients can be bought in bulk. I will be highlighting the items that I bought in bulk (at the People's Food Co-op and Whole Foods) with a

(B).

Red Quinoa Ginger Snaps
I already posted this recipe here.

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

Chocolate Chip Cherry Walnut Cookies
Listening to pandora.com station: "Sleigh Ride"

Ingredients:
1 c + 3 T spelt flour

(B)

1 t baking powder

(B)

1/4 t baking soda

(B)

1/4 c sucanat (or just plain sugar if you choose)

(B)

1/4 t sea salt

(B)

1/4 c dark chocolate chips

(B)

1/4 c walnuts, chopped

(B)

1/3 c local maple syrup*

(B)

1 t vanilla extract

(B)

3/4 t almond extract water (I don't have almond extract)
1/4 c canola oil almond oil

(B)

1/4 c dried Michigan cherries, sliced in half

(B)

*During this recipe was the first time that the maple syrup I have is supposed to be refrigerated. Not only have I not been refrigerating it, I have also been keeping it above my oven. There's a high possibility that it has fermented and I am getting buzzed while eating waffles...

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Combine dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, vanilla and water.
Mix in oil and cherries.
Add wet mixture to dry and stir until just combined, do not over mix.
Spoon dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a bit.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then transfer to wire cooling rack.

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

Chocolate-Dipped Almond Butter Cookies
Adapted from Namely Marly recipe. And listening to Carol of the Bells by Harlowgirl.

Ingredients:
Cookie
1/2 c homemade almond butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 c oil

(B)

1/2 c sucanat

(B)

2 T applesauce
1/4 t vanilla

(B)

3/4 c flour (I used spelt)

(B)

1/4 t baking powder

(B)

1/4 t baking soda

(B)

1/4 t salt

(B)

1/4 c almonds, chopped (or other nut)

(B)

Chocolate Coating
1 c dark chocolate chips

(B)

1/4 c sugar

(B)

2 T coconut oil (optional but makes the world smell wonderful, and I happen to have it in my pantry...)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F
Mix together almond butter, oil, and sugar.
Mix in applesauce and vanilla.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and soda, and salt.
Add in chopped almonds, reserving a few tablespoons for decoration.
Add flour mixture to almond butter mixture, stirring well.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for a half hour.
Make balls about the size of a golf ball and roll in sugar.
Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Flatten balls with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Action shot! Photo credit: M Ziggity

Heat chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat.
When chocolate begins to melt, add in sugar and oil.
Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, using a spoon to help spread the chocolate evenly.
Place cookie on a cold cookie sheet or plate lined with parchment paper.
Sprinkle reserved chopped almonds on dipped cookie.
Place tray in refrigerator to set.

Or if you live in Michigan and it happens to be around 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside, place them on your patio like I did!

Michigan winters = the coldest (the worst)

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

Macaroons

Ingredients:
1/4 c sucanat (or regular sugar)

(B)

2 T almond milk
1 T ground flax seeds
1/2 T brown rice syrup (or maple syrup

(B)

3/4 t vanilla extract

(B)

1/4 t salt

(B)

3/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut

(B)

3 T whole wheat flour

(B)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Combine first 6 ingredients.
Add in coconut and flour.
Form into golf ball sized... balls and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for about 12 minutes, until golden on top.

Option: Dip cooled macaroons in melted chocolate. I was planning on doing this but they got eaten before I could even get around to it ;)

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

Cosmic Cookies (Oat-Seed-Coconut-Chocolate Chip-Cherry Cookies)
Very hearty and very delicious. Nutritious enough for breakfast! At least that's what I'm telling myself...

Ingredients:
1 1/8 c oats (I used old-fashioned)

(B)

1 c spelt flour

(B)

1 c sunflower seeds

(B)

1/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened 

(B)

2 T flax seeds (I used ground flax)

1/2 c sugar (I used Sucanat) 

(B)

1/2 T cinnamon 

(B)

1 t salt

(B)

3/4 c dark chocolate chips

(B)

1/2 c of dried Michigan cherries

(B)

2 T water

2 T local maple syrup

(B)

6 T oil

(B)

1/2 c almond milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Combine all the dry ingredients (everything from oats to raisins).

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (everything from water to almond milk).

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well to combine. Do not over mix.

Spoon dough onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Gently flatten the cookies.

Bake for 24 minutes, until lightly browned.

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

And the winner is (drum roll please)...
Chai Wafers

This recipe is THE WINNER in my opinion. The end result is a caramelized, chewy cookie that is almost to the candy status. Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

⅔ c almonds, blanched and sliced

(B)

2 T canola oil almond oil

(B)

¾ cups brown sugar sucanat

(B)

3 T sugar 2 T molasses

1 whole egg, beaten 1 T ground flax seeds, 3 T water

4 T whole wheat flour

(B)

¼ t salt

(B)

1 t almond extract vanilla extract

(B)

⅓ cups pecans walnuts

(B)

1 t ground ginger

(B)

1 t cinnamon

(B)

½ t ground cloves

(B)

½ t allspice 

(B)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the almonds into a coarse powder.

Mix the oil and sugar together and add to food processor.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is blended together.

Spoon 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Space the cookies 3 inches apart because THEY WILL SPREAD!

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are browned and the centers are barely tacky.

Immediately transfer the parchment paper to a cooling rack.

Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then remove the paper to cool the cookies directly on the rack.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la La-la

THE FAILURES. Bah hum bug:

Mutant Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Wing It Vegan recipe. I really had high hopes for this guy, considering the amount of chocolate good-ness it contains. But no luck, it was a total flop. I used brown rice syrup instead of normal sugar. 1. It made it taste bad, and 2. it screwed up the consistency of the dough (waaayyy too water-y).

burnt.

Pear Thumbprints
I am not quite sure why this one didn't work for me, I followed the recipe exactly! I feel like thumbprint cookies are typically shortbread-like, therefore butter-y and dense. But this one was puffy and didn't hold the thumb-print shape. So much of a disappointment/lack of interest that I didn't even photograph it...

Note: Most of these ingredients can be bought in bulk. I have highlighted the items that I bought in bulk (at the People's Food Co-op) with a (B).