Healthy-ish Almond Butter Cookies

I did some baking experimentation to create a snack for our group meditation this weekend- started with a basic peanut butter cookie recipe then played around to create a healthier, almond butter version. The result was soft, cake-like cookies that everyone enjoyed. My only change for next time would be to substitute almond extract for the vanilla to impart a stronger almond flavor. Happy baking!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter- softened but still cool
6 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup (grade B is best but A will work as well)
1 cup almond butter
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 cup dried cranberries (optional, but I liked the texture and flavor these added)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease cookie sheets.
Sift together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
Cream butter and apple sauce until well combined. Add sugar and maple syrup to butter/apple sauce. Beat in almond butter then add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla or almond extract. Stir in flour mixture then dried cranberries. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minute or until edges are lightly browned and cookies are fluffy. Enjoy! (Makes approx. 3 dozen)

Manic Monday

The last few days have a been a bit of a jumble. Little One is (I think) starting to teethe, or at least going through an especially tumultuous growth spurt. She continues to be a delight during the day (albeit a very drool-y, finger-gnawing one!) but during the night she thrashes around, escapes her swaddling (or baby straight-jacket as we've taken to calling it) and cries or whimpers at least every hour. For the most part she sleeps right through all of this activity, but I, unfortunately, cannot say the same. All this is to say that my brain is not cooperating with coming up with a cohesive post for this evening, so I thought I'd go with a little list of things I'm thinking about in my sleep-deprived state...

I borrowed this image from the recipe's site- my batch did not last long enough to take a picture

Cupcakes: I made a batch of these coconut heath bar bits of divinity yesterday for our group meditation. They were quite possibly the most delicious things I've ever made (if I do say so myself). I recommend trying them out next time you have a sweet craving (I topped them with this super easy chocolate buttercream just to really go overboard).

I loved Jan Brett's books when I was a child- does that excuse stealing this image?

Town vs. Country: I've been feeling torn recently between the vibrant activity and diverse possibility of city life (where we're at now) and the slowed down pace and connection to the natural world of more rural environs (where I'm from). I'm constantly weighing the benefits and drawbacks of both for our family and what I want Little One to be exposed to. No decisions are being made just yet, but the questions are definitely brewing...

Women in the Veda: This has been a longstanding area of interest for me (really the role of women in all spiritual and religious traditions), but my upcoming retreat has me fully enmeshed in research of this particular vein. My Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy by the brilliant Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles A. Moore arrived recently and has occupied every spare moment I have to sit down with a book. I'm discovering an interesting mix of (seemingly conflicting at times) ideals and ideologies that have got my mind spinning (though a bit slower than usual!).

Art-making with children: Before dedicating myself to teaching meditation I worked in an arts enrichment program teaching visual art, drama, and yoga to elementary school students. I loved it and look forward to creating art with Little One and her friends as soon as possible. I've been especially inspired since discovering The Artful Parent (I think I've read nearly every post while nursing recently! Such a beautiful process-oriented approach and projects for even the very young have me so excited to introduce Little One to the world of creating that I so love (and starting a toddler art group!).

Of course, for me this also brings up the many (many many many) projects I have begun personally... Rather than feeling frustration or regret though (as has been the norm at times) I'm actually feeling inspiration more than anything. I know I can't take on or finish everything, but that that little spark of creative energy is still there in this somewhat exhausted state is quite reassuring. That spark is what I'll be relying on to get me to the next post here!

Late Summer Gazpacho

We haven't had too many truly hot days this summer here in Venice thanks to the beautiful Pacific breeze, but today is just warm enough that I don't want to spend too much (or any) time around the stove. My solution for a delicious, fresh, simple late-summer dinner- gazpacho! I make no claims of authenticity here, but I do guarantee a yummy, wonderfully improvisable dish that, though it does need a couple hours to chill, is easily thrown together in just a few minutes. I'll tell you how I do it and you can have fun playing with your own creation. I don't really measure anything with this recipe, but taste often to adjust the seasonings and level of spiciness- if you're serving a group of people, I'd err on the side of less spice then serve with hot sauce or diced habanero peppers for everyone to add on their own. Also, this recipe serves about 8 portions for a light dinner, but even if you're cooking for a smaller group it's great to have leftovers for the next day's lunch- I think the soup tastes even better on the second day actually, the extra time chilling really brings out the flavors.

For base (all spices are to taste):
5-6 tomatoes chopped roughly*
2 (14oz) cans tomato juice*
2-3 cloves roughly chopped garlic
1 roughly chopped red onion
chopped chives
cumin seed
fresh basil
cayenne pepper
thyme
salt
pepper 
about 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
 *if you don't have enough fresh tomatoes and/or cans of tomato juice you can also use approximately 3 cans of no salt added diced tomatoes (I've done this in a pinch and the result is still delicious).

Puree all ingredients in blender. Taste then adjust spices according to your taste. Once you've got a base you're happy with add any or all of the following (or anything else that sounds delicious to you):

3-4 diced tomatoes with seeds removed
2 peeled, chopped cucumbers with seeds removed
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped green pepper
2 stalks celery chopped with leaves removed

Chill for at least 2 hours then serve in chilled bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or avocado (or both) with some nice, crusty bread on the side.

Simple Oatmeal Raspberry Bars

I wanted to bake something easy and yummy to take to the awesome Moms' Group I attend most Fridays and this simple recipe was perfect- it used ingredients that I always have on hand and was fast enough that I could throw it together in the short amount of time between when I woke and when Little One did. I originally found the recipe here but have adapted it over time-- for my version you'll need:

I need to work on my food photography skills.

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour (feel free to use all one type of flour; I've discovered that I like the slightly heartier taste that using half whole wheat flour provides)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup rolled oats (I used steel cut oats today as it was all I had and the result was a bit too crunchy for my taste- though everyone else enjoyed them)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup applesauce (unsweetened is best, though if sweetened is all you have you could reduce the brown sugar by 1/4 cup)

1- 1 1/2 cups seedless raspberry jam to taste (any kind of jam or preserves will work here, but if you are using raspberry look for seedless-- I wanted to use an organic kind I had on hand and it tasted great, but the seeds gave it a bit of an annoying texture)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional, but why wouldn't you?) *

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x12 baking pan. In a large bowl mix together the sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and oats. Cut in the butter and applesauce until there are no large chunks (the mix will be quite crumbly). Press 4 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the baking pan. Spread jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top of the jam then add the chocolate chips if you like. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust is lightly brown at the edges. Wait until completely cool to cut and serve or else risk a crumbly, gooey (but still delicious) mess.

*I realize all my commentary makes this look less than simple, but I promise, this is as easy as baking gets-- well, besides Mark Bittman's sublime, addictive no-knead bread recipe-  but I'll let you discover that on your own.

Super Easy Berry Ice Cream

I came out of a much-needed meditation this evening with an intense craving for ice cream (for those of you who know me, this is not unusual). Fortunately for Father's Day Little One and I gave my husband an ice cream maker (he loves ice cream even more than I do so this was not a completely selfish gift). Usually I go for slightly more complicated and time-consuming custard based recipes, but today I needed my frozen sweetness now. I improvised the recipe and worked with what I had on hand, but the result was pretty delicious so I thought I'd share...


For about 1 1/2 quarts you'll need:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups frozen berries (whatever you fancy will work; I used Trader Joes Organic mix of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. You could use fresh berries instead but they must be chilled- if they're at room temperature you'll want to puree them then refrigerate for an hour or two before blending with the other ingredients or else the ice cream will be very liquid-y)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt

In blender combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into ice cream maker following manufacturer's instructions. Because I used frozen berries the mix was pretty close to ice cream consistency before I even put it into the ice cream maker so if you don't have one you could probably just put the mix in the freezer for an hour or two and then enjoy, though it will get a bit hard. If you do use a machine you probably won't have to churn the mix as long as you normally would since it is partially frozen to begin with. Enjoy!