Triple Chocolate Cookies

So, It's my first post to this site, and I'm still a bit of a newbie to blogging. I was going to post a pie and crust recipe because the crust is easy and AMAZING, but then I thought of my audience, and decided that my first post would try to fit in with the healthier tone of the site. After this, though watch out... we'll be "eatin' the fat and drinkin' the sweet." to quote an old southern baptist we know.

So, a cookie recipe might not be a good start for healthy... but it's a bit healthier than normal. Note the canola oil and whole wheat pastry flour. Both supposedly add health, but neither take away from the taste.

When you mix these up, they look a bit like brownie batter instead of cookie dough. And, be careful not to overake them... just like brownies.

Oh, one more note. I don't like dark chocolate, so I substituted white choco chips for the dark chocolate.

Enjoy!

Sorry there's no picture, I ate them all before I was invited to post on the blog.

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/3 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (2 ounces)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate (2 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped pecans, optional
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mash together the butter and sugars with a fork until well combined. (If you're using a Kithcen-Aid mixer, don't use the cookie paddle. Instead use the wire attachment used for whipping cream.) Add the oil and egg and beat until creamy. Mix in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and the pecans and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Copyright, 2005, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved
Food Network.com

I'm hoping my name's going to be on the bottom of this... if not, I'm Ellie Smith.

Pizza Primavera

Pizza Primavera

Weight Watchers book "Pizza, Pizza." Copyright © 2003

Makes 6 servings

½ pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

2 plum tomatoes, cut into ¾ -inch chunks

1 zucchini, cut into ¾-inch chunks

1 yellow squash, cut into ¾-inch chunks

1 red onion, cut into ¾-inch chunks

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 (1-ounce) piece Parmesan cheese, shaved

prepared whole wheat pizza dough

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray a large baking pan with olive-oil nonstick spray.
• Combine the asparagus, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Place the vegetable in a single layer on the pan. Roast until tender and lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
• Arrange one rack on the bottom rung of the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 475°F.
• Sprinkle prepared pizza dough with the mozzarella cheese, then top with the roasted vegetables. Bake in the bottom rack of the oven until the crust is golden and the cheese melts, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour

Fridays around here are known as "Pizza Night." It's a tradition my husband's mom started a few years ago. Then, it was take-out from our favorite pizzeria. Now, it's just us three here in Alaska, I have taken to making our own dough and providing a wide array of toppings!
It's one of my favorite nights to cook, because we all make our own individual pizzas however we like. Pizza is a great accompaniment to a movie or board game!
My husband is a stickler for his favorite: pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and pineapple.
My daughter is a plain ol' pepperoni kind of girl.
Personally I like to make my pizzas sans meat, and LOVE lots of veggies!
Try this dough with the recipe titled "Pizza Primavera" that I have posted!
This pizza dough recipe pleases all of my family's selective tastes! It's a wonderful crispy on the outside-tender on the inside crust!
Hope you enjoy!

Bread Machine Pizza Dough with Whole Wheat Flour

The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathwell German

Makes 2-14-inch round pizzas

1 1/3 cups water

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole-wheat flour ( I love Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour.)

2 teaspoons yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine as directed by your manual.

This dough turns out crusty on the outside and soft on the inside.

Kung Pao Chicken

My husband always orders this dish when we eat Chinese. I was thrilled to find a "healthy" version in my newest edition of Oxygen magazine. This was incredibly yummy! I was sad there were only leftovers enough for my husband's lunch! :o( Next time I think I'll double it! I will take pictures the next time I make it!

Kung Pao Chicken
Makes 4 servings
Ready in 20 minutes

1 lb. chicken breast
1 tablespoon soybean or cooking oil
½ cup chopped green onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons crushed hot red pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger (I know fresh is best, but I only had dried on hand.)
½ tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons rice wine (I only had cooking sherry on hand, and it tasted fine.)
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (Shoyu)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ cup peanut, raw
4 cups cooked brown rice

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in wok or saucepan, add chicken and cook until no longer pink.
2. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion, garlic, pepper, and ginger to the pan and stir-fry 20 seconds.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the rice wine; stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil and add to the pan. Cook, stirring until sauce thickens.
5. Stir in chicken and peanuts and serve with the brown rice.

Leftovers For Lunch

I had the leftover Avocado Salad on top of warm basmati rice for lunch today. VERY NICE.

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I made lentil wraps for dinner. They were GREAT this time !! I used Mountain Barley Bread instead of lavash - heaps better. I also added homemade hummus before I toasted the wrap. I'll be posting the hummus recipe as soon as I take an acceptable photo of it !

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Can't wait for tomorrow's leftovers for lunch !

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Tuesday Night's Dinner

Cajun-Spiced Fish WIth Fresh Corn Salad

(from a Super Food Ideas Magazine)

I decided to do two different types of fish as I thought the cajun flavor would be a bit much for the kids. So ... the bits of fish on the left are done with a lemon/salt rub. The bits on the right are the cajun ones.

Serves 4.

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp cajun seasoning
• 4 boneless white fish fillets ( I used dory )
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 corn cobs, kernels removed
• 250g green beans, trimmed
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped ( I only used 1/2 an onion )
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions:

1. Make Salad - Half fill a saucepan with water. Bring to the boil over high heat. Add corn and beans. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until beans turn bright green. Drain. Refresh under cold wter. Pat dry with paper towel. ( I didn't do that - didn't seem necessary when I'm fixing to pour lemon juice on top of it !!) Combine corn, beans, onion, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and coriander in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Sprinkle seasoning over both sides of fish. Gently rub onto surface with fingertips.
3. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Spray with oil. Cook fish, in batches, ( I didn't do batches but rather used two frying pans as I was cooking two different flavors !) for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until just cooked through.
4. Serve on top of corn/bean salad.

This was nice. Rory really liked the corn/bean salad. The cajun fish was SPICY but I'm realizing now that I used WAY MORE than 2 tsp of the seasoning ! I just poured it on !!

I'm posting this recipe in here as well because I served them together tonight but I wouldn't serve these two recipes together again. This avocado one is nice but I think next time I will serve it whent we BBQ or do a roast. I think it would be nice with a piece of meat, some mashed potatoes and this ...

Individual Avocado and Asparagus Salads (from the COLES grocery store junk mail)

I can't decide which photo I like best so I'm posting them both !

Serves 6.

Prep Time : 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches aspagarus, blanched (I didn't blanch ... I cooked them with a bit of olive oil in the oven)
• 1 punnet grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted ( I didn't toast them )
• 1/4 cup sultanas (raisins)
• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves ( I just sprinkled a bit of the dried stuff )
• 3 avocados, halved, stones removed ( I only used 2 )
• coriander leaves, to garnish
• THE DRESSING :
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablesspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Combine asparagus, tomatoes, almonds, sultanas and basil.
2. Mix together all dressing ingredients and pour over asparagus mixture. Toss to combine. Place on top of avocado halves and garnish with coriander leaves to serve.
   
   

Monday Night's Dinner

Here's my photo of Jilly's Quinoa with Spinach and Mushrooms.

It was DELICIOUS !!!! If you haven't tried this yet, you need to ! YUMMMMMMMM !

Bonnie's Breakfast Smoothie

I started making this smoothie using the Magical Breakfast Blaster recipe that I saw on Oprah, way back when I had the time to watch TV !
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I have modified it quite a bit though so here is my recipe ... you can modify it to suit your tastes and nutritional requirements !

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Ingredients:

1 banana

a handful of frozen blueberries

soy milk ( maybe 1 cup ?)

a handful of ice

cinnamon ( to taste, I probably use a tsp or a little bit more)

vanilla ( again, to taste, I probably use 1/2 tsp ?)

pyllium husk ( I use a dinner spoon full)

flaxseed (linseed) meal (1 tbls)

a handful of fresh baby spinach leaves

sometimes I add about 1/4 cup of fruit juice for a different flavor but not usually

Throw it all in the blender together. It will look something like this !

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Blend. Pour into a glass and drink.
I love this ! For many reasons. Let me tell you them!

1. I can take it with me. Often, I make it, put it in a take away coffee mug with a lid and a straw and drink it on the way to dropping Jono at school. This keeps me from skipping breakfast ... something of which I have been a lifetime ( after my mom stopped making my breakfast ! ) offender.

2. It is nutritious ! Two serves of fruit. Blueberries are full of antioxidants ! Psyllium for fiber. Flaxseed for my Omega 3 and 6. Cinnamon is an anti-inflammatory. Spinach ...well, it's one of the foods you should eat heaps of and I get it every day at least once when I'm making these smoothies. Soy Milk for protein. And Banana ... I don't know what's good in a banana but I do know that I LOVE THE FLAVOR !!!! Potassium ... they have potassium, right ?

3. The kids love it. I often double the recipe so they can have a glass too !

4. It can be modified to suit tastes or nutritional requirements. Rory doesn't like the psyllium or flax in his. Says they are too earthy. The flax will thicken it so make sure if you are putting flaxseed meal in it that you drink it straight away. Don't let it sit for 30 minutes like Rory did !

Give it a try ... I'd love to know what you think. Of course, many of you are just coming into winter but here in Australia we've just passed the first day of SUMMER !! Smoothie season !!

What's Cookin' ?

The Menu At Our House This Week !

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1. Quinoa With Spinach and Mushrooms

Lemon Roasted Onions and Carrots

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2. Lentil Wraps with Homemade Hummus and Fresh Carrot Sticks
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3. Rice and Beans with Avocado Salsa

My Yummy Asparagus

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4. Pastina in Brodo

Roasted Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Salad

Garlic Rye Bread Crostinnis

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5. Cajun Spiced Fish with Fresh Corn Salad

Individual Avocado and Asparagus Salads

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6. Spinach and Pumpkin Dahl with Basmati Rice and Pappadams

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7. Quinoa with Red Peppers served on a Bed of Rocket ( Arugula )

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EIGHT of these dishes are ones I've never made before.

Will let you know how they come out and will post recipes that are FABULOUS !

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What's on the menu at your house this week ???

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Crock Pot Apple Cider

This has long been a tradition at the family holiday gatherings. It is so easy, I start it last thing before I go to bed and wake up to the most amazing perfume ever! It's healthy, too!

INGREDIENTS

-1 bottle apple cider, the bottle that's about 1/2 gallon
-1 bottle cranapple juice--same amount as the cider
-whole cloves (I fill my tea ball nearly half full of them and throw the ball in--keeps the cloves from getting in my cup (yuck!))
-2 cinnamon sticks
-a pinch or two of powdered ginger (add to taste, but remember it will get stronger since it will simmer overnight)

Throw everything into the crockpot, set to low and simmer overnight.

(If you need to make a second batch, good luck, because it isn't nearly as good heated together on the stove, or heated on high in the crock pot till it's hot. The flavors really need to blend for all those hours.)

P.S. All of the comments in parentheses are things I have discovered by doing wrong, ignore them to your taste buds' peril!

P.S. again.......as you get ready to enjoy this yummy drink, clink your mugs and give thanks to the Giver of All Good Gifts, and hug everyone nearby!

Soothing Your Borborygmi ...

Who knew that cinnamon is good for relieving diarrhea, cayenne pepper is good for indigestion, and fennel good for, ahem ... gas. Check out "14 Tummy Soothing Herbs" . You can thank my Mom for this tidbit of helpful information !!

PS - Don't know what Borborygmi is ? Check it out here ....

Have you tried ....

... the spinach and pumpkin dahl yet ? No ? You need to !!! If only to smell this .... I wish that I could include the smell with this photo of cummin seeds, turmeric, onion, garlic and ginger !!! BUT I CAN'T so you're going to have to cook it yourself !! I made it again the other night ... it really is YUMMY !

Apple-Dijon Chicken

For the low-carb crowd!

4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Salt and pepper

2 T butter

1 medium tart cooking apple (such as Granny Smith), thinly sliced

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 T Dijon-style mustard

1. Butterfly cut each chicken breast half by cutting horizontally from one long side of the breast almost to, but not through, the opposite long side of the breast. Lay the breast open. Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet cook chicken, half at a time, in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat until no longer pint (170 degrees F), turning to brown evenly, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm with aluminum foil.

3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet. Add apple, cooking and stirring 3 minutes or until tender. Add whipping cream and mustard to skillet. Cook and stir until heated through and thickened slightly. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve sauce and apples over chicken.

Note: My kids don't like the Dijon, so I remove their serving of apples and cream before adding the Dijon.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 342 cal., 16g total fat, 142 mg chol., 407 mg sodium, 6g carbo., 1g fiber, 40g protein

Janelle

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1 Medium bunch of raw broccoli

1/2 cup Mayo

1 Tlbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbls sugar

1/4 cup raisins or craisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts

1/4 cup bacon bits

Cut the raw broccoli off the stem into bite size pieces. Toss the first five ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Let chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve, then add the almonds and bacon bits. Note: the longer it chills in the refrigerator the better! We love this recipe, yummy!

Janelle

Dahl - Spinach and Pumpkin

I loved this !! So easy. I got it out of a free magazine that I picked up at the health food store but I ( as I do ) changed it a bit while I was cooking it !

• olive oil ( for sauteeing)
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 (or more !) cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh ginger - grated
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 400g pumpkin ( butternut squash in the states ?) - bite sized pieces
• 3/4 cup red lentils
• 250g ( box) frozen spinach
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 3 cups water
• pinch sea salt

1. Saute onion, garlic, ginger and spices in oil 5 minutes - stir constantly. Add pumpkin, lentis, spinach, coriander, salt and water. Cover and simmer 1 hour. I set my timer and came back to stir it every 10 minutes. ( was necessary ! )
2. Serve with rice and poppadams. ( how do you spell that !!?? )
   

Granola a la Shay and Bonnie

This recipe was originally given to me by Shay. I've made a few changes ...

In a big bowl, mix 1/3 cup cold pressed canola oil, 1/3 maple syrup, honey or both and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well.

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Add:
4 cups oats
1 cup nuts (I like whole cashews, slivered almonds and a few peanuts)
some seeds (I like sunflower, sesame and flaz)
½ cup shredded coconut
bit of psyllium husk or wheatgerm

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Mix real well. Should not be too dry. Will goop together but not like cookie dough.

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Spread onto baking sheet ( keep together … don’t spread too thin or it will burn )

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180C bake.

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Stir every 5 minutes. Watch closely, especially at the end or it will burn.
Should be crispy and toasted.

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Add dried fruit. (I like almonds and raisins)

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Optional … choc chips. (I never add these but Shay always does !!)

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Roast Potatoes with Feta

These are sooo easy and sooo yummy.

• potatoes ( how ever many you want ) washed. I don't peel them but you could if you wanted to make more work for yourself.
• olive oil
• thyme ( or lemon thyme )
• fetta cheese
  

1. Preheaat oven to 200C. Grease ( or use baking paper - that's my preference ) a large baking dish.
2. Slice potatoes - about 1cm thick. Put in baking dish. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with thyme. Toss to coat. Roast for 45 minutes or til tender. ( watch that they don't burn but usually they just go nice and crispy on top )
3. Add crumbled fetta cheese to top and serve.

Yesterday, for Sunday lunch, we had roast lamb ( just stuffed fresh rosemary and garlic under slits I made in the skin ) with these potatoes and those lemon carrots. Delicious !

Chicken and More ..

Macadamia Chicken
Broccoli with Garlic and Chilli
Lemon Roasted Onion and Carrots

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Macadamia Chicken.

I got this recipe from a lady named Megan who participated in one of those email recipe exchanges.

• 600g - 1kg chicken breast fillets - sliced.
• 1 cup crushed macadamia nuts
• 3 cups of fresh breadcrumbs (Just chuck bread into the food processor and process til it looks like breadcumbs ... I used whole grain bread)
• 250 g of shredded parmesan cheese (I just used the stuff I always keep in the fridge ...)
• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley
• 120 g melted butter ( I used olive oil instead of butter )

1. Grease baking dish (I used baking paper instead )
2. Place sliced chicken pieces evenly across bottom of dish.
3. Combine all other ingredients and spread evenly across all the chicken.
4. Bake in moderate oven (180C) for 30-45 min.
5. Cut into squares and serve with salad. (is really nice with cranberry sauce or mango puree)

I didn't serve with salad ... or the sauces.

I served with the following :

Lemon Roasted Onions and Carrots (from:The Great Vegetarian Cookbook)

• 2 large brown onions
• 2 medium lemons
• 5 small carrots
• 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic ( I, of course, used many more than 4 ! )
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Cut onions and lemons into eight wedges
2. Combine onion, lemon, carrot, garlic and rosemary in baking dish. Drizzle with oil, stir gently.
3. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven about 1 hour or until tender.
4. Increase overn temperature to hot, bake vegetables about 10 minutes or until browned. ( I skipped this last step as I didn't think it was necessary ... )

AND THIS :

Broccoli with garlic and chilli (from: Super Food Ideas magazine April 2007 edition)

• 800g broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ( uh, yeah ... more than that )
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1. Bring large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook brocolli 3 minutes or til bright green. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat iol in a large, deep fying pan or wok over low heat. Add garlic and chilli. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Increase heat to medium. Add broccoli. Toss until well coated.
3. Season with Salt and Pepper. Serve

Cuban Black Bean Soup

6 slices lean bacon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
large onion, chopped
green pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon thyme
5-6 cups beef bouillon or vegetable stock
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)
dash hot red pepper sauce
low-fat sour cream
chopped fresh thyme or parsley for garnish


In a 4-quart saucepan, heat the bacon until starting to crisp. Add the garlic, onion, and green pepper, stir-frying for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and thyme and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the stock, beans, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are as tender as you like them . (I simmer for only 10 minutes.) Remove from heat. (Optional step I leave out: carefully puree about 2 cups of the beans and vegetables in a blender or food processor. Return pureed mixture to the soup.) Stir in lime juice and red pepper sauce. Serve garnished with a spoonful of sour cream and a little chopped thyme or parsley. Goes well with crusty bread or rolls.

An Inspiration for us all...