Yellow Ladybird

This is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. The buckwheat flour gives the cookies a nice earthy flavor and goes well with the chocolate, and they aren't too sweet. Plus, they're quick and easy to make and good for gatherings because they are gluten-free. 

1 1/8 cup light buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. Add butter and beat on high until combined. Add vanilla and beat briefly. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips

.Drop cookie dough onto parchment baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 375° F for 9-11 minutes.

I originally found the recipe here.

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe… we've been in a bit of a rut, a happy rut with things like avocado sandwiches and black bean tacos, but still a rut. So last week I tried something new. On a bit of a whim, I broke free from my standard greek salad recipe and combined it with a chick pea salad recipe. I never, ever have whims when cooking (baking, yes - but cooking, no) and I don't break free from following a recipe exactly (unless I am missing ingredients, in which case I just leave them out). I would say my cooking is usually only mediocre (which I don't get because I follow the recipes exactly), but this turned out really well. So well that it may work itself into the rut rotation.

Quinoa (uncooked)
Cucumber (sliced)
Cherry tomatoes (halved)
Avocado (little pieces)
Chick peas
Feta cheese
Italian dressing

Cook quinoa and let cool. Mix with other ingredients.

We have a lot of zucchini. We moved into this house in July and didn't have time to plan a garden, but we wanted to try to grow something. So when I came across a little packet of zucchini seeds, I went a bit overboard and planted all of them - half in the garden and half in the hoop house. I have no gardening sense and kind of assumed only a few would grow, if we were lucky. 

Well, they all grew. 

We've been freezing them (shredded, diced, and even whole), but now the freezer is full.  We've been making soups and stir fries and bread, but zucchini every night gets old quickly. 

So we've turned to the one thing we never, ever tire of here. Chocolate. This week was chocolate zucchini brownies. Next week will be double chocolate zucchini cake. The brownies are (were) delicious - and one batch takes care of two cups of shredded zucchini. 

Here is the recipe I used (adapted from TexanerinBaking):

• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, vanilla,  sugar, and apple sauce. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Combine dry and wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in zucchini and one cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into erased 8x8 pan and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

I discovered this week that giving a blueberry popsicle to a 17-month old is like giving a raw hide to a dog. Total entertainment. It also makes a good pre-breakfast treat for the kid who wakes up two hours earlier than the other kids.

Equal parts vanilla (or plain) yogurt, blueberries, and milk. A touch of honey, maybe a little more if you use plain yogurt. Throw in a few raspberries too. Blend and pour into popsicle mold. 

A few weeks ago I attended a pot luck dinner and the theme was British Food. When given a choice of what to contribute to a meal, I almost always opt for dessert. So I made lemon scones. They turned out quite well. I got the recipe from Taste of Home, but used the peel from a whole lemon, not just a teaspoon, and made mine thicker than 1/2 inch. Here is the recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup suger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
   1/2 cup cold butter
•  1/2 cup buttermilk
• Grated peel from entire lemon
• Sugar
•  
• Mix dry ingredients, cut in butter (I kneed it in until it is like coarse sand), add buttermilk and lemon peel.  Gently kneed six times, form into ball and place on greased baking sheet. Pat into circle about 1 inch thick. Cut wedges (but not all the way through) and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
  

Serve with tea and enjoy while learning R.

I made Eating Well's chocolate cream pie for a school fundraiser this weekend - it was (way too) easy, delicious and very chocolatey. I used a store-bought gluten free crust this time, but the original recipe calls for a chocolate wafer crust (which I've also made before and is quite good). The filling is pudding-like, so it works with no crust, too.

My favorite part is pile of chopped chocolate...​

(See Eating Well for crust recipe and tips for decorating)​

FILLING

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

PREPARATION

1. Combine sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large saucepan.
2. Whisk milk and eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk into the sugar mixture.
3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until bubbles begin to form around the edges.
4. Cook, stirring vigorously, for 2 minutes more. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl.
5. Whisk in chocolate until completely melted.
6. Pour the filling into (your preferred) crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a “skin” from forming. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.
7. Spoon or pipe (with a pastry bag) 10 dollops of whipped cream around the edge of the pie. Garnish with chocolate curls.

The Easter cookies didn't make it onto Pinterest, but they were good! Here's the recipe*:​

​1/2 cup softened butter
​1/2 cup honey
​1 egg
​1/2 teaspoon vanilla
​1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
​1/4 teaspoon salt
​1/4 teaspoon baking powder
​
​Beat together butter, honey, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, and baking powder, then add to butter mixture and mix well. Chill for at least one hour. Roll out dough and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
​
​Sprinkle with colored sugar before baking or decorate with frosting after baked and cooled.

​*From the Waldorf Kindergarten Snack Book

This is our traditional family birthday cake. I love it because it is chocolate (it's a law: birthday cakes must be chocolate), not too sweet (so I can justify giving it to kids and then finishing it off after bedtime), and easy to make (kids can help without driving me crazy). 

For this cake, we made a double batch and used three cake pans - a big one for the base, a medium one for the second tier, and a third one for the heart cut-outs to place on top ​for decoration. We put jam in the middle and whipped cream on top. 

1 1/2 cup flour
​1/3 cup cocoa powder
​1 teaspoon baking soda
​1/2 teaspoon salt
​1 1/2 cup water
​1/2 cup oil
​1/3 cup honey
​2 teaspoons vanilla
​1 tablespoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl add the ingredients one at a time, stirring after each. Pour into cake pan(s). Bake for 25-30 minutes.

​

​(See also Angela's chocolate recipe!)
​

​

This soup is perfect on a cold day, especially after hours of ice skating and snow shoeing. We've made it twice now and love it. It is great with bread, although today we didn't get around to baking (or buying) any... we did find time to make chocolate fudge brownies, though. Priorities.

Here is the soup recipe - taken directly from Eating Well.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 cups chopped cauliflower (about 1/2 medium)
• 1 3/4 cups lentils
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups chopped fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

PREPARATION

1. Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat; add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 45 to 55 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes.
3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

And here is the brownie.

A while back I decided I would make January bread-making month as a way to fight the post-holiday doldrums. But with all the snow, January has been full of outside activities and there has been no bread-making... until yesterday. I finally made the one recipe I really wanted to try: Chai Tea Bread. 

It was delicious.

Bread

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup prepared black tea, cooled
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour

Glaze*

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 3-6 tsp prepared black tea
• cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, tea, milk, vanilla and spices. Add baking powder, salt, and flour. Pour into greased bread pan. Bake for 50 minutes. Mix together glaze ingredients, drizzle over bread.

*I used half the glaze recipe and it was fine

Have I mentioned that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday? I love our family’s traditions - cooking and baking, a long walk, dinner with family and friends, a fire in the fireplace, and multiple desserts, including pumpkin pie, which my mom and I enjoy again for breakfast the next morning. I love that it is a national holiday, but not a religious holiday, that centers around family, food, reflection, and thankfulness. Also, no gifts. 

This year I’m in charge of the pecan pie. After pumpkin pie, pecan is my favorite, but I admit I don’t really like the super sugary, gooey variety. So I have modified the standard recipe that calls for corn syrup and sugar, and replaced them with a little maple syrup and dark chocolate (because everything is better with chocolate anyway). It keeps the pecan-ness of the pie, complimented by chocolate, so that those of us who can’t handle the high sugar load can enjoy it.

Recipe

1 cup pecans, toasted and ground until smooth

4 eggs

2/3 cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup (whole or halved) pecans

Dark chocolate chips (1/3 -1/2 cup)

Pie crust

Whisk eggs and maple syrup. Add melted butter, vanilla, and ground pecans. Sprinke chocolate chips on bottom of pie crust. Place (whole or halved) pecans on top of chips, covering botton of crust. Pour filling on top. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 and bake about 40 minutes more until filling is set.

This cookie is my proof that chocolate really does go with everything. I call them cookie scones because they are not super sweet and hold a nice thick shape. Plus, you can make them with whole wheat flour and dark chocolate chips and pretend they are healthy. Throw in a little extra pumpkin and you should be eating these! 

• 2 cups pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup agave (or 3/4 - 1 cup sugar)
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 - 2 cups chocolate chips

Blend pumpkin, eggs, oil and agave/sugar. In separate bowl, mix baking powder, flour, salt, and cinnamon. In a little dish, dissolve baking soda and milk. Combine all. Add vanilla and chocolate chips.  Drop cookies onto baking sheet. Bake at 370 for 10-12 minutes. (This is the doubled version because they disappear so quickly)

Even Alfred cat likes them.