Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Tried and true, hands down, this is Gavin's favorite cookie at the castle house. And what's even better is that Gavin, almost 9-years-old now, with only a bit of guided practice, is able to make them himself.  These healthy snacks come together quickly and with only a handful of ingredients, I almost always have everything in the pantry.  The only ingredient that you might want to give a little forethought to are the bananas.  You will need RIPE ones!  This is key and is the only sweetener in the cookie dough.

There have been times when I craved these treats for my breakfast and I will make up a half batch and eat them all with a cup of hot tea.  Yummers!

Easy peasy, let's get cookin'!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl add and mix together:

2 ripe bananas (mash real good)

*1 1/2 cups rolled oats

*1/2 cup quick oats

**1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter 

1 tsp. vanilla

Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet.  Dip your thumb into water and begin making a small depression into the top of each cookie (water helps prevent cookie dough from sticking to your skin).

Bake cookies in the oven for 12 minutes.  Remove tray from oven and let cookies cool for a few minutes.  Squeeze or drop scant amount of jelly onto each cookie.  

*You can use all rolled oats or all quick oats.  I like the texture of using some of both.  And you can play with the amount of oats since the consistency of the cookies will have a lot to do with the size of your bananas.  Larger bananas?  More oats.  Smaller bananas, less oats.  Or just one banana and cut back on the oats and peanut butter and just make a smaller batch of cookies.  This recipe is very forgiving and does not require exact measurements.  

**You can use almond butter in place of peanut butter.

Eat up!  Yummers!

Kale Chips

Figured it was time to add this to the Food Blog.  I haven't made these chips for a while and when I tried remembering the oven temperature and how long to bake them, I drew a blank.  After confirming time and temperature with Candy, the person who first shared this recipe with me, I proceeded to make not just one batch of kale chips, but two.  

There are dozens of different ways to season these babies.  It's all up to you and what your taste buds prefer.  I'm a no-oil gal and use a bit of Bragg's Aminos in a spray bottle to spritz the kale leaves so that my dry seasoning combo will stick. 

Basic Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash your kale well.  Remove hard stems/rib and tear kale into 3-4 inch pieces.  Kale will shrink a lot so leave in llarger pieces.  If Kale is super wet, you can put in a salad spinner and then blot with a towel.  Leaves will crisp faster if dry.

Place your kale in a bowl.  Here's where you will season and massage the leaves a bit.  I spray with Bragg's aminos (next time I'm going to use coconut aminos (lower in sodium).  Some people use a bit of olive oil or non-stick spray. Sprinkle on your favorite spices. I use garlic powder, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Gently massage spices into kale leaves.

Place kale leaves in a single layer on parchment-lined cookie sheet (I use a Silpat-type silicone baking mat) and pop into the oven.  

Set timer for 10 minutes.  Remove kale from the oven and flip the leaves over.  Set timer for additional 3 minutes.  Do not walk away from the kitchen as these delicate leaves will burn very quickly.  If this is your first time making these, you might even want to test your oven and set the timer for 7 minutes to start and then flip the leaves and bake an additional 3 minutes and then in additional minute increments until nice and crispy.  You may need to remove a few of the chips that have crisped up already before putting the rest back in the oven.  Everyone's oven is a little different. 

Notice how much the leaves have shrunk?

These healthy morsels are ready to eat! And eat them I do. I can consume an entire bunch of kale all by myself!

Eggless Egg Salad

Egg salad as a topping on sliced baby potatoes with a sprinkle of paprika

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.  What's the point of egg salad without eggs?  Well, those of us who strive to eat a plant-based diet are always looking for substitute recipes for some of our favorite foods. Who'd have ever thought that chickpeas (garbanzo beans, same thing) would be the perfect replacement for hard boiled eggs in texture and color? Not only does this recipe satisfy my hankering for egg salad, it's incredibly versatile and can be used in many different ways. And the best part?  Needing only four ingredients, I can whip up a batch of this eggless egg salad in less time than it will take me to write this blog. (If I start with dry chickpeas, that will take longer--soaking the night before and then 35 minutes to in my pressure cooker).  If you buy organic or low sodium canned chickpeas, it's as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4! Here you go!

Credit first! I saw a variation of this recipe in a Forks Over Knives email.  I wanted to try using fewer ingredients without forfeiting flavor and think I hit on the perfect combo. Whip up a batch and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:
1 can organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans), *drained. (Approx. 1 3/4 cups of beans)
1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon black salt (this salt has a sulfur taste and is what gives your dish the taste of eggs. You can find in specialty stores or order online. Typically saltier tasting than regular table salt. More is not better.)

3-4 green onions, finely chopped, using as much of the dark green as possible

*I love saving the bean water (aquafaba) for use in soups, sauces, and making oil-less oil (yup, fodder for another bad joke but a great recipe for another time)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mash beans leaving a few beans whole.  Add mustard and salt and continue to mash and stir until well-blended.  Do a quick taste check. Usually, the 1/2 tsp. of salt is very salty to my taste buds.  If your egg salad is dry, add a little more mustard.  Finally, add and mix in the green onions.  Ta-Da! Your egg salad is now ready to eat!

Egg salad Romaine roll up with sliced tomatoes and favorite pickle relish

And my favorite way to enjoy this taste treat...

Egg salad with baby spinach in pan-fried corn tortillas

Dipped in salsa

Banana & Chocolate Bites

I've written about these delectable taste treats before.  Just never managed to get them posted where I can find and share the recipe easily.  Time to do it.

In trying to curb my habit of eating a dark chocolate bar daily, I've found that having these morsels on hand in the freezer help me skip the processed chocolate in exchange for a healthier version. 

Super simple, all you need is some ripe bananas (with nice brown spots on the peel but still firm and able to hold their shape when cut), a couple heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, a dribble of vanilla extract, and a tablespoon or two of peanut butter (almond butter could work, too).

Cut two bananas into 1/4" slices.  Arrange on parchment paper or foil in a pan that will fit into your freezer. On top of each banana slice drop a tiny amount of peanut butter.

In a separate bowl, mash a 3rd ripe banana (the riper the better) until it's almost liquefied.  Add your two teaspoons of cocoa powder and splash of vanilla and mix until combined.  If your chocolate sauce is too thick, add a couple drops of water. But carefully, you want it thick enough that it won't be runny.

Start 'dolloping' a little of the chocolate sauce on top of each banana/peanut butter slice.

I topped these bites with a sprinkle of toasted buckwheat groats.  You can use toasted coconut or unsweetened cacao nibs.  But without a topping is just as tasty.

Pop your pan into the freezer and wait several hours (or longer).  When you have a craving for a little sweet nibble, your bites are ready for you to indulge in.

For more ways to use bananas, click here: http://krylivinggreen.blogspot.com/2015/09/orange-you-glad-i-wrote-about-bananas.html

Quick Mixed Vegetable Soup

It doesn't get any quicker than this!

Darn! Can't find the original post. And I wanted to give credit where credit is due. But here's the soup recipe:

3 cups frozen mixed veggies (two cups makes this one big bowl) in microwave with a little water for 4-5 minutes.

In a blender, add 1 cup of veggie broth and steamed veggies. Add couple teaspoons of nutritional yeast and a few drops of Cholulu hot sauce. Blend until pureed. Reheat until piping hot.

Serve and top with salsa (and I had some tofu cream). DELICIOUS! And takes only a few minutes to prepare from start to finish.

YUMMERS!

Fakin' Bacon

Long overdue, this recipe is for everyone who never met a piece of bacon they didn't like. Guiltless, meatless bacon.  My favorite kind.  To ward off any confusion, let's just refer to these delectable taste treats as coconut bacon from this point forward.  Or, #crackcoconutbacon, thank you Molly of www.cleanfooddirtygirl.com. WARNING: Once made, you won't be able to stop nibbling.  I made my first recipe, ate most of it in a couple of days and then made it again.  And again.  I had to put myself on the 'coconut bacon wagon.'    Everything tastes better with bacon, right?  This recipe is perfectly crispy with just the right amount of sweet and smoke.

Super simple to make, let's get started.  Here's what you'll need:  Begin by preheating oven to 350 degrees.

3 cups coconut flakes

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I used Tamari, reduced sodium)

2 Tablespoons liquid smoke

1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Measure coconut flakes into medium bowl. Whisk together soy sauce, liquid smoke, and maple syrup in a small bowl and then pour over coconut and gently massage until most of the liquid is absorbed into coconut.

Spread coconut on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 6 minutes.  Remove pan from oven, flip bacon as best you can (a little like herding cats) and bake for additional 6-7 minutes.  Do not TURN your back on these while the pan is in the oven. They will get over crisp if you cook any longer than the recommended time.  Remove from oven and your coconut bacon bits are ready to use in any number of ways.  

Store in an airtight container.  I dare you to have some left by the end of the week.  

Check out some of the ways I like my #crackcoconutbacon!

Could be my favorite way to use these bacon bits....with peanut butter on Honey Crisp apple slices. 

Sprinkled on Pumpkin oatmeal.

No-brainer salad topping!

BLT with avocado sandwich (pictured here with Molly's Paprika Garlic Burger Sauce)

Just the right finishing touch on this Brussels Sprouts and Rice dish.

Banana 'Nice Cream'

If you spend any amount of time on the internet looking for recipe ideas, you've probably come across more than one way to make this yummy taste treat using frozen bananas.  Push come to shove, I'd probably put this in my top 10 new favorite foods. For breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, it's healthy enough to eat at any time of day.  And I do.

Here's the long and short of it. Buy a whole bunch of bananas and make sure they ripen before you cut them for freezing.  The more brown spots on your banana peels, the sweeter the fruit.  After you've done this, the hard part is over.  

Check out the recipe and variations below:

Banana ‘Nice Cream’

Serves: 2

Do Ahead Tip: 

3 ripe bananas, broken into chunks and frozen

Directions: Put frozen bananas in a blender or food processor and turn the machine on to blend them. At first they will want to spin around and stay icy, but keep at it, stopping the machine and using spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the sides and push toward the bottom. Then, walk away and do something else for 10-20 minutes – Email, vacuum, wash some dishes, do some yoga poses). At some point, your bananas will suddenly go creamy and custardy, like soft-serve ice cream. Serve immediately and enjoy.  Freeze any leftovers. I usually eat 1/2 for breakfast and leave the other half for a nighttime dessert.

**Variations and Optional additions: Add other frozen fruit and ingredients to custom tailor your nice cream. You might try the follow combinations:

Bananas + 1 cup frozen strawberries, raspberries or frozen cherries

Bananas + 1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries or frozen mangoes

Bananas + 1 Tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter

Bananas + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Bananas + 1 cup frozen peaches + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bananas + 1 teaspoon maple extract + 1 Tablespoon maple syrup + 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

Maple Walnut Nice Cream

**I recommend you try the simple One-Ingredient nice cream first.  Then throw a party for your taste buds by adding some of your personal favorites. 

Notes:  The beauty of this recipe is the flexibility and realizing how simple it is to make.  Remember.  The riper the bananas the sweeter the nice cream.