The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies I've ever had

Warning: this recipe will not make you skinny, nor is it healthy. 

But, if you're going to eat cookies, then I advise you make them at home. Why you ask? Simply because this way you can control what's actually in them, and make some better choices. Hopefully these choices will allow you to make the cookies less processed and therefore, less bad for you. At least that's my mentality. I go about this process by buying real ingredients, no GMO franken foods here folks! I buy Non-GMO verified, organic cane sugar, 100% whole wheat flour, 100% organic unsalted butter, 100% organic cage free eggs, and so forth... I think you get the picture. FYI: when you bake with whole wheat flour foods don't rise as much and sometimes don't look so pretty... but they still taste fabulous, so what the heck, use whole wheat! This recipe is actually from Williams Sonoma, I changed very little. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour*

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped

*You may also use 100% whole wheat pastry flour. It's lighter and bakes more like a white all-purpose flour. (But it's kind of pricey!)

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.) In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

3.) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, then gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat until smooth.

4.) Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts.

5.) Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Space the about 1 1/2 inches apart from each other. Bake until light-golden brown (~10-12 minutes). Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Makes about 60 cookies.

Deliciousness.

Bon Appetit!

Brittany

  

Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes

I was actually given this recipe by the mother I work for. She makes it for her two little boys and they absolutely love it! The two year old even does a "lentil dance" every time he takes a bite, too cute! This recipe was originally published on Smittenkitchen.com. I've made a few slight changes, here's my version! Enjoy.

Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4-5 cups vegetable broth*
2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lb swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup raw almonds, finely chopped (for garnish)
1/4 cup scallions, chopped (optional garnish)

*For the vegetable broth: I use 3-4 tsp of Better than Bouillon and 4-5 cups water. I add the water to the pot first and allow it to warm slightly, then I add the Better than Bouillon.

1.) In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent (~5-7 minutes). Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder, and jalapeno. Cook, stirring frequently (~1 minute).

2.) Stir in 4 cups of broth, sweet potatoes, lentils, and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for ~35 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup broth, as needed.) Stir in swiss chard, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30-45 minutes total.

3.) Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds and scallions, if desired.

Image by: blueskylimit

Bon Appetit!
Brittany

Vegetable Pad Thai

This is such a great anytime recipe, it immediately went into our weekly dinner rotation. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Feel free to add the Naked Tofu, it's a great addition to this dish.

Vegetable Pad Thai

Ingredients:

8 oz dried, wide flat rice noodle (I use: Annie Chun's Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodles)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp soy sauce (I use: lite soy sauce)
1 tsp chile garlic sauce (I use: Huy Fong, Chile Garlic Sauce.... it's not the same as Siracha)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
2 large eggs
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped for garnish
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

1.) Soak noodles according to package. Depending on the brand, this could take anywhere from 10-45 minutes. The brand I use only takes 10 minutes. Drain noodles after soaking. Set Aside.

Annie Chun's, Pad Thai Brown Rice Noodle, is the brand I'll be using for this recipe.

2.) In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, lime, soy sauce, and chile garlic sauce.

3.) In a large skillet heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions, wait a few minutes, then add garlic and saute until contents are fragrant and soft. Add eggs, beat lightly in skillet before they set, continue scraping sides of skillet until eggs are almost set. Transfer to plate. Set aside.

Onions, garlic, green pepper, and eggs. Set to perfection!

4.) Add broccoli and carrots to skillet with a little water. Steam for about 5 minutes. Drain water, transfer broccoli and carrots to plate with the egg mixture. Set aside.

5.) Add noodles and soy sauce mixture to skillet; cook, tossing constantly until noodles are soft and coated with sauce (~2 minutes). Add egg mixture with veggies and toss to coat and warm.

Once the noodles are coated in sauce, add your egg/veggie mixture! Naked Tofu is a great addition here as well.

6.) Serve topped with cilantro and peanuts.

**Helpful hints
To shred the carrots, and chop the peanuts I use a rotary cheese grater. I find it so much easier than using a microplane or chopping by hand!

Yum. Delicious Vegetable Pad Thai!

Enjoy this great recipe.
Bon Appetit!

Brittany

Lentil Orzo Soup

So, this Lentil Orzo Stew is an adaptation from Giada De Laurentis' Lentil Soup, found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/lentil-soup-recipe/index.html. I made a few changes, mainly just the Orzo instead of elbow macaroni, I used vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and I added about two cups of baby spinach and baby kale. I love hiding leafy greens in soups and stews, it makes it so easy throughout the week to get your greens in! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Lentil Orzo Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1-15 oz can Italian spiced diced tomatoes
1 1/4 cups, dried lentils
11 cups vegetable broth (I use: Better than Bouillon)
4-6 fresh thyme sprigs (Or ~1 tbsp of dried thyme)
2-3 cups of baby spinach/baby kale (you can mix both, or use one on it's own)
2/3 cup, cooked Orzo
Shredded Parmesan for garnish (optional)

1.) Cook Orzo according to package instructions. Set aside.

2.) Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Then, add the garlic, and some salt and pepper. **(Don't go crazy with the salt, remember you are adding 11 cups of broth to this, and if needed you can season with more salt later).
Saute about 5-10 minutes, until veggies are tender.

3.) Add the diced tomatoes with their juices. Simmer until some of the juice evaporates and the tomato breaks down, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

4.) Add the lentils and mix to coat them. Add the broth and stir. Add thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer over low heat until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.

5.) Turn off heat, once lentils are tender. Stir in orzo.

6.) If desired, garnish with shredded Parmesan.

This recipe makes a large batch, so have your storage containers ready!

Enjoy and Bon appetit!
Brittany :)

Naked Tofu

This is hands down, the greatest pan-fried tofu recipe I've ever tried. You can just eat it, plain! It's that good. I am pleased to share it with you, and I know you'll love as much as I did! I didn't change a thing from the recipe I found... also, I am going to link you directly to the source I got it from. So here it is: How To Make Tofu Really Freaking Delicious, Tofu 101. I found Michael Natkin full of great tips and I plan to buy his cookbook, Herbivoracious. Enjoy.

Naked Tofu

Ingredients:

~2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, Peanut Oil, or any other neutral vegetable oil you may have
Sea Salt
*1 lb. Extra Firm Tofu

*Some important things to note when buying tofu:
  -Buy good tofu. When I say good I mean.. look for freshly made tofu, possibly from a tofu shop. Don't have a tofu shop? No worries, you can still get good tofu. Here's a few tips for finding good tofu: 1. Buy from a store that sells a lot of tofu. You'll know there inventory is fresh and hasn't been sitting on the shelf that way. 2. Buy the refrigerated, water-filled rectangular package tofu with the latest expiration date. 3. Avoid the shelf stable UHT boxes. 4. If you can or care to, buy a Non-GMO tofu. Become a consumer activist and help put an end to Monsanto's franken foods ;)

1.) Open the package, drain the water, and then cut your tofu into 3/8 inch fu' slabs (as Natkin calls them).

2.) Bring well salted water to a boil, place your cut tofu slabs into a large bowl, and then pour your salty boiled water over your tofu. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then, drain water.

Cover your tofu with well-salted, boiled water.

**At this point you may be tempted to marinade or press you tofu. Both seem pointless. We bought extra-firm tofu so we don't have to press it, so don't waste your time. Marinade... I marinade after, only right before serving, and honestly, this tofu is so good it doesn't even need a marinade.

3.) Now, we need to get the surface of the tofu dry. We do this rather oddly... place one dish towel flat on your counter, now lay the tofu in a single layer on this dish towel. Next, take one more dish towel (please be sure these towels are clean) and lay it over the tofu. Now, pat the tofu well, all over, try to soak up as much of that surface moisture as possible.

Single layer slabs of tofu on a dish towel. Kind of weird, right?

Pat that tofu dry by placing a towel on top of the tofu.

We're ready to pan-fry! Optimal frying pans for this are: a cast-iron skillet, wok, or flat bottom skillet. We will be using a high heat, so make sure your skillet can handle it!

4.) Heat the skillet over high-heat, once hot add about 2 tablespoons of your oil (I used olive oil). Pat the tofu dry one more time, then add to skillet in a single layer and don't overcrowd the pan. They need a little space to brown. Cook on one side until deeply golden brown, then flip. Toss the pan every few minutes to try and crisping the sides as well.

Yum... Looking good!

5.) Once both sides are done transfer to a plate, and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Voila! Delicious naked tofu!

Feel free to serve with a peanut sauce, or add to Vegetable Pad-Thai, or anywhere else your taste buds take you!

Bon Appetit!

Brittany

Hello again!

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since I last posted. I hope you're all doing well and enjoyed your winter. I've been crazy busy working on new recipes, a new job (yay!), and school. I've come up with a collection of great new recipes to share with you, as well as, some information I am continuously learning more about and I find very important for literally every persons well-being.

Information you need to know topic: GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms). I'm sure some of you have heard about them already. They are everywhere you go, and difficult to avoid. It's time to talk about what they are, and how they affect our health and well-being. Stay tuned for my post on GMO's, including research findings from the EFSA.

I believe the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle begins with figuring out your junk food weaknesses. My junk food weakness is my lack of ambition after working and going to school. Sometimes, I literally have no desire to do much of anything, let alone cook... and I like cooking! Since beginning my new job and school, I've been trying out new freezer recipes so we'd have healthy meals ready to go without all the fuss everyday. Some were a hit, some were a total miss, and some required some tweaking. But now I believe I have a great collection of recipes ready to share with you!

Check out what's cooking:

1. Lentil Orzo Soup
2. Vegetable Pad Thai
3. Crispy Tofu, naked
4. Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
5. The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies I've ever had
6. Spinach Rice Balls


I hope you enjoy!
Bon Appetit!
Brittany