Vegan Taza Chocolate Chipped Cookies

I apparently am determined to become a better baker. I say I will not bake again but I feel the urge come over me and there I am..mixing chocolate and sugar. Sigh. My execution is still lacking, but the recipes are getting better.   Amazing how I barely think about dinner and I can toss together something very enjoyable. These cookies on the other hand totally stressed me out.  Luckily is all worked out in the end.  At least in my opinion! 

How can you really go wrong when you take a disc of Taza salted almond chocolate and chip it into a cookie? You really can't.....well at least no more than 2 times.  It took the 3rd try to get these right.  The problem was that I was trying to make them vegan, low calorie and low fat all at once.  I had to take it a step at a time.  First, vegan.  I am working one a lower calorie version.  As you can probably tell, they are not the healthiest..but they sure were good!

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup Earth Balance spread (I use the soy free)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package of Taza Salted Almond Chocolate (chopped)

Instead of 2 eggs I used this "formula" to replace them
1 egg= 2 tbsp of water, 1 tsp canola oil and 2 tsp of baking powder. I did this in a separate bowl and added to the mixture later.

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

First, you have to "chip" the chocolate.  I just used a small knives and cut away.  Nothing has to be exact here..

COMBINE flour and baking soda in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add egg replacement..beating well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.   Because of the missing eggs, the batter may be a little dry.  I simply added water a tablespoon at a time (2 did the trick).

You do not have too cook them for too long because there is no egg. If the oven is hot enough I would go with 6-7 minutes...

Be happy and healthy!

~L

Bacon Mushrooms

The first snow storm of the season and it did not disappoint!  Home from work and really should have had some crazy cooking time, but instead I sat around watching Alice and Wonderland and the Jerk.  I really have no regrets about the movie selections...

When I did finally peel myself off the couch I vetoed eating another round of leftovers and instead went with the "almost local: shiitake mushrooms (from PA) that have been sitting in the fridge and in need of some cooking.  A quick google search for a new recipe and that is how you find bacon mushrooms.  No, there is no real bacon here.  Apparently, when you toss shiitake with 1/4 cup of olive oil and sea salt, then bake them for ~40 minutes they taste like bacon.  I had to try it. How could I not??  You have to really cook them until they are dry and crispy, as shown.

The verdict: there is a hint of bacon flavor, but not really.  They were crispy and salty.  This is really what is reminiscent of the bacon, not so much the taste.  They were really good regardless of not delivering on the bacon flavor.  I tossed them with black beans and onions.  A side  of local steamed broccoli (RI) and some quinoa rounded out the dish.

The best part was that it was not too heavy of a dish.  After all the holiday eating,  I am happy to start detoxing asap!

Stay happy and healthy,
L

Did you know you can beans locally?

Well you can!  I have been purchasing Baer's Best Beans, a local company from So. Hamilton MA.  Of course, I am buying them at the local mecca...Sherman's market.   They have a great variety.  For the recipe below I used their mung beans and light red kidney.  I have also bought their black beans.   I stopped buying canned beans years ago due to the high sodium content and the processing that has to happen to get them in the can.  Maybe I am imagining things, but since I took the last of any canned item out of my diet, I  feel much healthier.

Yes, I know that a can is easier when you do not think a head.  What I do is take a mix of dried beans and put them in a container to soak in the refrigerator.  Then they are there when I need them.  It also encourages me to eat more beans as they will go bad after a bit...I pay too much for good food to let it go to waste.

In my constant attempt to include more of the said beans into me meals, the other night I decided to add them to a a simple soup I have been making for the last few weeks.  It has perfected what was already a pretty nice soup.  I first had it in Italy.  One of those classic Italian dishes that contains a few simple ingredients.  It was  cabbage and potatoes with a touch of garlic and olive oil.  Simple and yummy, but missing a protein component.  This was because there was a second course that would contain a meat item.  There is no second course here in my normal life (or meat for that matter!)..so I had to add the protein in the form of beans to the actual soup...I do love that all in one meal.

I used a mixture of mung, kidney, chick peas and lentils.  I boiled them in a small pot to separate from the soup to start.  I chopped 1 small head cabbage and tossed it into a large stock pot.  Potatoes (which can still be found from local farms!) where peels and cubes and added to the cabbage.  I then filled the pot with water to cover the cabbage  (~8 cups).  
Bring to a boil and cook until potato is tender (~20 minutes).

You want to strain the cabbage and potato but reserve water.  I save all the liquid in a large bowl, as shown here.

I then add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 chopped garlic clove to the pot.  Saute for a few minutes and then add back the cabbage and potato as well as the beans.  Mix all together and let cook for a couple of minutes.  I stir this a lot to mix in the garlic and oil.   Add salt and pepper.

Slowly ladle the liquid back into the pot.  Add all or most or as little as you want.  I end up using almost all of it.

End result is a healthy, complete and wonderfully delicious meal.

Note the change from the boring white bowl that I normally use...this new colorful bowl is hand crafted by a local maker Crissy Ann Ceramics and purchased at the Somerville Snow Mall.  I should have been Christmas shopping but I could not resist this fun little dish.  I now eat all my bowl related meals out of it.  You can visit her blog at http://chrissyannceramics.blogspot.com/.  She also has products on Etsy...

Hope you enjoy this soup and maybe are inspired to buy a similar bowl.

Now I must think about Friday's meal.  Hard to believe that I was put in charge of vegetables for Christmas Eve dinner!

Stay happy and healthy!
~L

...and I am back

I am still here and still living local.  Unfortunately, life sometimes side tracks my postings.  In this last bit of time off it was the loss of a loved one that put the post on hiatus.  If you have been reading my post, you know that I traveled to Italy at the end of the Summer to visit with my wonderful Nonna Ilda, whose health was failing.  She was able to keep the fight going while we were there, but sadly her health declined quickly and passed away two weeks ago.  It is never easy to lose a loved one, but to be so far away makes it all the more difficult.  

She was amazing, funny, sweet and my #1 chef...this meal is dedicated to her.

So tonight's dinner is something that nonna probably never would have made..but I like to think she would have enjoyed it..

As you can imagine, finding local farm fresh vegetables in the Northeast this time of year is a tough assignment, but not an impossible one.  Sherman's Market in Somerville has tons of local root vegetables and dried beans.  Whole Foods has a good selection as well, so hope it not lost.

Today I purchased golden beets from Whole Foods and combined them with a carrot I bought at Sherman's the other day.  Now greens can be tougher so I had to shop outside the local region to buy some kale.  Buy local as much as possible, but don't reduce your consumption of good, nutrient dense foods in the process!  Kale is a wonderfully tasty green loaded with Vitamins K, A, and C.  It is also a great source of fiber, iron and calcium.  I bought a large bunch, so expect it to show up later in the week in soup form.

Now I have written about Dave's Fresh Pasta and Lilly's Pasta in the past.  I have another great, local pasta/pastry place for you to visit.  This is where my parents shop..so you know it has to be authentic Italian.  It is called Il Pastificio in Everett MA.  Their pasta is homemade, fresh and delicious.  They have yummy desserts too..that they wrap in wrapping paper in the style of old Italy...love it.   They have wide variety of pastas..unfortunately they do not have website, so you will have to just go there and check them out.  I used the wild mushroom ravioli tonight.  I do not think that mushroom ravs should be topped with tomato sauce, which is why I went with veggies instead...

Colorful and delish

I sauteed a bit of local onion in a nonstick large pan on medium heat until translucent.  Remove the skin from the carrots and beets.  Slice carrots and cube beets..add to pan.  Cook until tender, but still have a bit.  Nothing can kill a meal like overcooked vegetables.  Add the kale and cook down.  Have water boiling and add ravioli (or any pasta you have).  If it is fresh it will only take a few minutes to cook once the water come back to a boil.   I wanted to keep the meal simple, so did not add a bunch of seasonings.  Instead, I drained the ravioli and added to the pan with the veggies.  I added some sea salt, cracked pepper and a 1/2 tbsp of  Black Truffle Oil (which is olive oil with black truffle..very good!).  I mixed it all together on a low heat for a minute or so.  Oil is a wonderful, flavorful healthy fat..but if you add too much or over heat it...it loses all the health benefits.  What you end up with a healthy, filling plate of local food...I think nonna would have approved.  

Be healthy and happy

~L