Another One For the Cookie Jar

Clara and I made these today.

It's a little like a granola bar, a little like a cookie.

Perfect for taking along on the little bus ride excursion we're going on this afternoon. They'll be filling enough to get us through to dinner.

A little note: the batter is very chunky and will look weird for a cookie dough...just hang in there, when they bake they'll hold together fine.

Oatmeal Granola Bar Cookies

(Moosewood Cooking For Health Cookbook)

2 Tbsp butter, room temp

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1/3 C brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg

1/2 C spelt flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 C Rolled Oats (not instant or quick)

1/2 C chocolate chips

1/2 C golden raisins (craisins, dried blueberries, or apricots), chopped

1/2 C walnuts (pecans or cashews), chopped

In the bowl of an electric mixer or with a whisk, beat together butter, oil and sugar. Bean in vanilla and eggs. Sift in flour, soda and salt. Mix until well combined.

Stir in oats, chocolate chips, raisins and nuts.

Batter will be chunky.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or grease with oil. Drop batter by tablespoonful. You will probably need to use your fingers to clump the dough together. Press down lightly with a wet fork.

Bake at 350* for 10mins or until the edges are golden brown. Do not overbake.

Cool and eat with a glass of cold milk.

Prairie Wisdom

Enough is as good as a feast. - Ma Ingalls.

'70's Cookbooks Rule

A few years ago, I totally gave 70's/80's cookbooks the cold shoulder.

They aren't as flashy...they don't boast celeb chefs "As seen on the Food Network"...and they aren't usually peppered with gorgeous glossy photos.

What they do have - accessible, interesting, healthy and frugal recipes.

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1. Moosewood Cookbooks: I love Mollie Katzen and have made tons and tons of Moosewood recipes.
I love how Mollie hand wrote the recipes in this cookbook and drew great illustrations to go with.

2. Found this one today, The Art of Cooking for Two. The book guides small families on how to use really natural ingredients, spend less, eat better and waste less food.

A lot of the recipes are easily double-able for our family and some are even written for 4 servings so a 2 person family could freeze the leftovers.

Looking at this book to pick some goodies out with my Gramma tonight, she has recently begun the hard task of cooking for one.

Amazing cookbook. I want to make everything in it.

Some that I want to try:

• Zucchini Spaghetti
• Baked Broccoli Egg Supper
• Christmas Roast Chicken
• Curried Lamb Spare Ribs
• Whole Wheat Biscuits
• Baked Honey Custard
• Herb Salt
• Curry Mix
• Once-a-week Jam
• Fruit Chutney

3. Alice Waters is amazing at simple, basic cooking. I love the fresh combos of flavours and creative ways to eat from the garden.

Of course, a cookbook devoted to pizza, pasta and calzones is right up our alley.

• Spring Pasta: Pasta with peas, spinach and prosciutto. Asparagus and artichoke pasta.
• Summer Pasta: Pesto and New Potato. Pasta with Cherry tomato vinaigrette.
• Pizza: Shrimp, Green onion, Tomato. Hot Peppers, Coriander, and sausage.

Bring on the garden cooking.

Bean Curry

Monday is turning into Beanday.

Beans are good for Mondays because I can improvise with them from my pantry. And since we have significantly depleted our food stock by Monday, this is perfect.

Everyone loved this curry.

The recipe called for black eyed peas, I didn't have any so I used kidney but any bean would be fine. Also I used tined San Marzano tomatoes (in place of fresh), chopped them and added their juice to the broth. And a handful of peas made it a little prettier.

If you don't have Garam Masala, make your own. Otherwise, it's easy to find in the spice isle.

Clara and I topped ours with a little Major Gray Mango Chutney, Jim liked it plain.

Bean Curry

(Melskitchencafe.com)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1-3 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1 large tomato, chopped (or 1/2 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes chopped)

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

pinch cayenne, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

3/4 cup half and half (I used 5%)

1 cup vegetable stock or chicken broth or V8)

1 can black-eyed peas, lightly drained

1 C frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion; saute 5 mins or until translucent and slightly browned.

Stir in garlic and grated ginger root; stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add tomato; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in turmeric, cayenne, salt, paprika, and garam masala;

stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add half and half, stock, beans and peas.

Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro or parsley.

Serve over rice. Naan is nice to dip in. Chutneys or pickle as a topping or side.

Springtime Lime Pie

Here's a spring dessert for you. 10 minutes prep time, 18 mins bake time...chill (4 hours)and eat.

Lime Pie

(myrecipes.com)

22 graham wafers, crushed (yield 1 1/4C)

1/4C butter, melted

2- 14oz cans sweetened condensed milk

1 1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 C sour cream

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

zest of 1/2 a lime

Preheat oven to 325*.

Mix graham wafer crumbs and butter in a 10inch pie plate. Press crumb mixture into plate.

Bake for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, whisk together milk, lime juice and eggs in a large bowl.

Pour into baked pie shell. Bake 18-20 mins.

Chill for 4 hours.

Mix sour cream and sugar in a small bowl. Spread on top of pie. Sprinkle with lime zest.

Serve.

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

These are not your usual sugar-butter laden peanut butter cookies. They're reasonably healthy, easy to prepare and will surprise the skeptics.

I was a bit skeptical myself. Sugar-free, spelt cookies don't sound very promising.

If you don't know what spelt is and you have never baked with it before, go to the bulk food store, buy just what you need for these cookies and be pleasantly surprised at how normal it feels to use it.

Spelt actually gives these cookies wonderful flavour. The batter will look a little more gritty than regular flour but will taste perfect when they're baked.

I took these to share with a group of friend last night and everyone agreed, they're good!

...(despite being healthy)

One thing I will mention, Heather from 101cookbooks recommends you buy a well combined peanut butter and not a super oily one. I used PC Crunchy and it worked beautifully.

Heather's Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

(101cookbooks.com)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cup organic, chunky natural peanut butter

1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350* degrees. Place racks in the top third.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla.

Stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture

and stir until barely combined - still a bit dusty looking.

Let sit for five minutes, give one more quick stir, just a stroke or two.

Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Press down on each one gently with the back of a fork.

It's a loose batter, so if you're set on doing criss-crosses,

go ahead and chill the batter for an hour or so before this step.

Bake for 10, maybe 11 minutes - but don't over bake or they will be dry.

Let cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Revisiting the Everyday Bagel

Bagels used to be so mysterious to me. Their texture so unlike any other bread. Peter Reinhart's method of bagel making is easy and will totally de-mystify the bagel making process. Clara formed these for me...she's a great bagel maker.

I used white flour this time, but whole wheat flour worked beautifully last time.

You will have to start a day before you want to eat them, but the hands on time is very minimal. So worth the time! Give it a try.

Today we are enjoying Cinnamon Sugar, Everything, and Sesame Seed Bagels.