green chip cookies

We wanted to make something a little green, so we came up with pistachio cookies today. They're yummy--like a nutty sugar cookie.

2 sticks (1 c.) butter (or 1 cup vegetable oil or shortening)

1 cup sugar

1/2 t. baking soda

1 egg (or Ener-G egg replacer)

1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. flour (any grain should work)

1 c. crushed pistachios (or any nut or seed)

1/2 t. salt if nuts aren't salted

Mix. Bake at 375 for about 9 minutes.

We also made Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies and are hoping they'll turn nice and green by tomorrow. In trying to come up with other green foods, we came across http://www.cookingwithcolor.com/green_foods/ and these yummies: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/03/are-you-eating-something-green/. And for anyone wanting to make St. Patrick's Day about more than wearing green and pinching people, here's what we're celebrating http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick.

kefir

We love this stuff! I find it at Whole Foods. Kefir is like yogurt but thinner and full of more good bacterias.

http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/Coconut_Kefir_Vanilla.html

Strawberry Cake

Joshua loves strawberry cake, so for Valentine's Day we'll be making a delicious heart-shaped cake.

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups white ultragrain flour (or just unbleached white wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
• 1 3/4 cups fair-trade sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup coconut milk with 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 3/4 cup organic strawberries chopped
• Frosting for after the cake bakes
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup strawberry coconut milk keifer
• Mix the cake. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

raspberry chocolate chip cookies

The Valentine's cooking has begun. I love Valentine's Day! I took a favorite cookie recipe from my stepmom and altered it a bit.

original recipe

1 C. butter softened

1 C. powdered sugar

1/8 t. salt

2 t. maraschino cherry liquid

1/4 t almond extract

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 c. chopped maraschino cherries

sugar for rolling

48 milk chocolate stars

Heat oven to 325. Beat butter for 30 seconds on high. Add powdered sugar and salt. Beat. Add cherry liquid and almond extract. Add flour. Stir in cherries with a spoon. Roll into 1 in. balls. Put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with glass dipped in sugar. Bake for 14 minutes. Add chocolate.

My recipe

(of course i didn't actually measure, so these are my estimates)

1/2 c. non-hydrogenated shortening

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. non-dairy margarine

1 1/4 C. powdered sugar

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 c flour

1 C. raspberries (or cherries for purple cookies with cherry flavor)

1 C. 365 dark chocolate mini chunks or Giradelli semisweet chips

food-dye-free raspberry sugar sprinkles

Heat oven to 325.

Beat shortening, margarine, and oil.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat.

Mix in flour.

Mix in raspberries.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon onto baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until they just barely start to brown.

I suppose if you don't like the seeds, you could use raspberry seedless smashed fruit (like jelly). You could also shape the cookies into hearts, but I'm too lazy to spend that much time on something that's going into my mouth.

Curry Chicken

Mmmmm, i love indian food. Here's what we make at our house.

Start a pot of brown rice.

Cook chicken pieces.

Add curry powder (we like yellow curry). Put in maybe a few tablespoons, depending on how spicy/curried you want.

Add maybe about a cup of coconut milk.

Add chunks of potatoes, sliced carrots, chopped onion, red bell peppers, cauliflower, peas, and shredded unsweetened coconut. You can either boil the potatoes and carrots some before to soften them, or start them in first until their softened, and then add the rest.

Add raisins.

Dish up with the rice.

carrot soup

This is a re-creation of a soup I had at La Quinta Grill restaurant in California. I was so sad when that restaurant closed.

Wash about 12 organic carrots, and put them in a pot.

Cover them with organic chicken broth (maybe a few cups).

Add some diced fresh ginger or powdered dried ginger. Maybe a couple teaspoons.

Add half chopped onion, if you want.

Boil on medium high until the carrots are soft.

Wash butternut squash. Cut squash in half, and scoop out seeds.

Put face-down in dish with about a couple inches of water.

Microwave about 12 minutes, or until soft enough to scoop out.

Scoop squash into pan with carrots.

Scoop soup into blender, a little at a time so it doesn't splatter hot soup on you.

Pour into serving pan.

Eat it up. Great with homemade wheat bread and maybe some chicken and salad.

Coconut Banana Pancakes

I may need to make these every Saturday. We loved these!

I've only made these once, so i may need to tweak the recipe a little, but here's what i think we did.

1 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

Toast coconut in oven at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to brown.

1 c. vanilla coconut milk (could use soy, cow, rice, hemp, or other milk)
1 T. cider vinegar or lemon juice

mix together in bowl and set aside.

1 c. whole wheat flour (you could use a non-wheat flour in these)

1 c. white or ultragrain flour
2 tsp. milled flax seed
2 T. brown sugar (or honey or agave nectar)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

toasted coconut

mix together in separate bowl.

4 eggs (or Ener-G egg replacer or flax goo. omit flax in dry mix if using here.)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 T. vegetable oil

add to milk bowl and whisk.

Add liquid to dry, mix.

Add 2 sliced bananas. Stir.
Cook on griddle. Flip when bubbles pop, then cook a few more minutes.

Top with pure maple syrup, agave nectar, or coconut yogurt with honey on top.