Black Bean Posole (crockpot recipe)

8 cups water
1 poblano chile, seeds removed and cut into large chunks
7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeds removed from peppers
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and drained
2 15oz cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tsp salt

1)  Place poblano and chipotle peppers in a food processor. Pulse until well chopped.
2)  Combine all ingredients, except hominy, into a slow cooker. Cook on H for 3 hours, or L for 6 hours.
3)  Stir in hominy and return to cook (L) for another 30 minutes.
4)  Serve hot. If you'd like, it can be garnished with vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, or avocado.

Review: I've meant to make this for the past two weeks, but kept forgetting to buy key ingredients! Eventually I was close, but I only had one poblano chile when the recipe called for three. I had a can of chipotle peppers, however, and thought it would make for a wonderful, smoky posole. It was definitely smoky, but it was also pretty spicy. Leave out the chipotle if you don't like reallllly hot food. haha Otherwise, it was tasty and a great variation from my typical posole.

Adapted from:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/slow-cooker-black-bean-posole

Chocolate Coffee Cookies

1 cup gluten free flour
3 Tbs coffee flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 Tbs espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup melted vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350F.
2) In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Whisk to blend.
3) In a small bowl, add all the wet ingredients. Whisk to blend.
4) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5) Use a very small cookie scoop to drop cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
6) Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are done.

Review: I bought coffee flour and picked out some recipes, but then never made them! We planned a party for a colleague's departure tomorrow and I thought it'd be a great time to try out my coffee flour. I chose a tasty coconut cookie recipe, but then found my coconut was old. Oops. However, I had no back-up recipe prepared. So, I devised a plan to focus more on the coffee by adding espresso powder and adding chocolate chips. It made for a tasty cookie that was well received! My only complaint was how big and floppy these were. There were easily the size of my palm, despite using a small cookie scoop. I assumed it was because of the melted butter, so I refrigerated the dough until it was solid after the first batch baked. However, that made no difference in size or texture, despite the dough being quite firm. I'm at a loss on how to fix these.

Adapted from:
https://www.fearlessdining.com/gluten-free-coffee-flour-coconut-cookies/

Harissa Lentil Tacos

1 Tbs avocado oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 lb dried red lentils
29oz can tomato puree
6.7oz jar harissa
32oz vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
gluten free tortillas (4-6)
1 avocado, diced
vegan cream cheese 

1)  In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, harissa, and vegetable broth.
2)  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and let cook. Stir occasionally until the lentils have absorbed much of the liquid, about 45 minutes.
3)  Serve in a tortilla, with avocado and cream cheese topping each serving.

Review:  For the record, I cheat on avocados these days with individual serving cups. It's such an easy way to guarantee having a ripe avocado on hand! I've had a jar of harissa from Trader Joe's for several months now. I feel like I found a ton of recipes in Idaho that needed harissa, but then couldn't find said recipes. So, I found this one online and it helped use up a few other random items from the cupboard. I'm not sure how this was ever supposed to make tacos, however, as it was SO SOUPY. I may recommend using diced fresh tomatoes as garnish, versus a can of tomatoes while cooking. On the other hand, this was perfectly tasty without the taco shell and made a ton of leftovers for freezing!!

Adapted from:
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/moroccan-potato-lentil-tacos-with-harissa/

Falafel Scones with Harissa Yogurt Sauce

1 cup falafel mix (from Trader Joe's)
1 cup gluten free flour
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs and 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup coconut milk (from a can, not from the milk aisle)
4oz cashewgurt
1/2 cup coconut milk (from the same can)
2 Tbs harissa sauce

1)  Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a scone pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
2)  In a large bowl, combine the falafel mix, flour, xanthan gum, sugar and baking powder. Using an electric mixer on the lowest setting, add the butter and blend until crumbly with pea-sized chunks of butter.
3)  In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and 1 cup of coconut milk. Make a well in the dry mixture and add egg mixture. Again using the lowest setting on an electric mixer, combine until well-blended.
4)  Bake 17 to 20 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and place on a wire cooling rack for five minutes.
5)  Combine cashewgurt, 1/2 cup coconut milk and harissa sauce. Use sauce for drizzling or dipping when served.

Review:  I bought falafel mix awhile back, but then never made it as the instructions indicated it was a multi-hour process (soak for an hour, bake for an hour, etc.). Then, Trader Joe's published this recipe and it seemed like a great idea. I just lacked an occasion until today. I have a coworker leaving tomorrow and we tend to use our early morning meeting for celebrations. Time for savory scones (my favorite), I figured. So, I made these tonight and decided to have a few for dinner. I worried that my coworkers wouldn't like them, so I didn't want to take all of them. Unfortunately, I loved these so much that I ate nearly half of them, along with all of the sauce. Oops. These have a great falafel flavor, but not in an overwhelming way. They're also oddly fluffy for a scone made with falafel! The sauce added a bit of creaminess and additional flavor, but was largely bland. I'm not sure how I'd fix that, other than adding salt. I will definitely be making these again, especially since I still have so much falafel mix left (maybe 4-5 batches of scones?).

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/appetizers-sides/falafel-scones-with-harissa-yogurt

Spicy Tuna Rice Casserole

13oz can vegan tuna, drained
12oz shelled edamame
0.35oz roasted seaweed, sesame flavor
1 cup rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
4oz plain cashewgurt
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 tsp sriracha sauce
1 large avocado
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

1)  In a large pot, bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil. Add the vegan tuna, edamame, roasted seaweed, rice, and soy sauce. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer 25 to 30 minutes - until liquid has all been absorbed.
2)  In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, cashewgurt, and sriracha to make a creamy sauce. Refrigerate until the rice mixture has completed cooking.
3)  Mix creamy sauce into completed rice mixture, stirring until well blended and heated throughout.
4)  Serve topped with avocado and sesame seeds.

Review:  Over the years, I've tried many mock meats. However, there are very few seafood options. I found a can of tuna and thought I'd love to make a tuna noodle casserole. I failed to realize (until researching recipes) how difficult that would be to make in a gluten-free, non-dairy manner. I found this recipe instead and fell in love with it. I'm not sure how tuna like this really is (it's been more than twenty years since I've had tuna!), but it's a great, earthy yet tangy recipe. I really liked it, despite my version being soupier than I had planned. The creamy sauce really finishes it out.

Adapted from:
https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/spicy-tuna-rice-casserole/

Roasted Bell Pepper & Olive Tapenade

16oz jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
9.5oz jar pitted kalamata olives, drained
1/2 cup parsley
1/8 cup olive oil
3 Tbs red wine vinegar

1)  Place all ingredients in food processor.
2)  Pulse until well blended, but still chunky.
3)  Refrigerate at least four hours, to allow the flavors to meld.
4)  Serve with pita chips, crackers, or sliced vegetables.

Review:  This was another lesson in 'read the whole recipe before proceeding.' I was at the grocery store and had two red bell peppers in my cart. As I picked out olives, I saw roasted red bell peppers in a jar. I quickly panicked and reviewed the recipe, as I've made this mistake before. Yup, the recipe wanted me to roast my bell peppers. I've done that before and it is a hot, slimy mess. It doesn't really taste any different than the jarred stuff, but IS SO MUCH WORK. Just buy the jar, trust me. This came together in just a few minutes, which is always great. It was very flavorful and tangy, but the parsley was a little too much.

Adapted from:
https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/red-bell-pepper-and-olive-tapenade

Sesame & Cardamom Cookies

1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup gluten free flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1)  Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2)  In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, both sugars, and lemon zest until fluffy.
3)  Add egg, vanilla, flour, xanthan gum, cardamom, baking soda and salt. Beat to combine.
4)  Fold in sesame seeds.
5)  Using a small cookie scoop, place 1 Tbs sized balls of dough (leave space between cookies!!) onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 13 minutes.

Review:  This recipe originally called for orange zest, but I like to buy the powdered stuff and only had lemon zest. It worked just as well and lots of sesame cookie recipes use lemon zest instead. What I wasn't expecting was how much these spread out! The first cookie sheet was unpresentable, as it came out as one huge cookie. I quickly ate the evidence, with Mike helping a little bit. The thin, almost lacy appearance made these look even fancier. The cardamom is not as strong as you'd think, and was well balanced with the savory sesame seeds. These were fancy, without being too much so.

Adapted from:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/sesame-cookies-with-cardamom-orange-zest

Apple Cider Sangria

2 Cortland apples, diced

1 bottle red wine

2 cups apple cider

1/2 cup apple brandy

1/4 cup orange juice

1)  Toss all ingredients into a large pitcher.

2)  Refrigerate at least four hours, to allow flavors to meld.

3)  Serve in tall glasses, ensuring apples are in each glass.

Review:  I poured over a link I recently found with fall sangria recipes. I initially wanted to make a white sangria with apples and pears, but still had fresh cider left over from last week. The one other recipe that used apple cider wasn't exactly something I wanted to make, so I tinkered with it a little bit. While it initially called for brandy, I wasn't about to buy yet another liquor that I'd only use once. Fortunately, I had some locally made apple brandy from a previous recipe. I managed to use the last bit of that bottle, and now my goal is to find a way to use up a bottle of applejack! Unfortunately, this was too strong on the red wine and too light on the apple. Maybe this would be better with a lighter red wine? I used a cabernet sauvignon ($3.49, Three Wishes at Whole Foods).

Adapted from:

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/10/22/honeycrisp-apple-sangria/

Caramel Apple Sangria

1 750ml bottle of pinot grigio

1 cup caramel flavored vodka

3 cups fresh apple cider

2 medium apples, chopped

1)  Stir the wine, vodka, and cider in a large pitcher.

2)  Add the chopped apples to the pitcher, or to individual glasses.

3)  Serve sangria over ice. 

Review:  I stumbled upon a great article about fall sangrias. Of course, I had to explore a few of the recipes. To enhance this particular recipe, I visited my favorite orchard to buy their fresh pressed cider and a couple of apples. One of my favorite parts of Fall is visiting there and having fancy apple flavored drinks!

Adapted from:

https://www.thewholesomedish.com/caramel-apple-sangria/

Sunflower Seed Spread Cookies

1 cup sunflower seed spread
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tbs baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

1)  Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2)  In a medium-sized bowl, combine all ingredients. Using a small cookie scoop, drop balls of dough on the baking sheets, evenly spaced. They can be smashed with a fork, a la peanut butter cookies, if desired.
3)  Bake for 11 minutes, but leave cookies on the baking sheet for an additional five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Review: These were SO GOOD. They had the very familiar sunflower seed flavor, but they almost tasted like they were roasted. They were a little crumbly, but I did not smash them with a fork. That might improve their stability.

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/desserts/sunflower-seed-spread-cookies

Butternut Squash Hummus

1 15oz can butternut squash
1 Tbs tahini
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle
2 Tbs lime juice
1/8 cup avocado oil
veggie chips

1)  In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients.
2)  Heat until warm and fragrant.
3)  Serve with veggie chips.

Review:  Last year, I bought a can of butternut squash at Trader Joe's. I thought it would be handy and would definitely get used. That was not the case. It actually took quite a bit of work to find something to use it in confidently. This seemed to be a great opportunity, as I again am hosting a game night and needed a fresh appetizer. It's been super fun trying out new recipes. This was surprisingly tasty. I say surprisingly as I couldn't imagine butternut squash and tahini, but it worked out to be a great fall dip. Savory, but a little sweet and the spices could easily be switched to more 'pumpkin spice' flavors.

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/appetizers-sides/butternut-squash-hummus

Pink Bean Dip

1 15.5oz can small white beans, rinsed and drained
3 love beets, drained
4 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

1)  Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.
2)  Refrigerate for at least four hours.
3)  Serve with quinoa chips, veggie chips, or raw vegetables for dipping.

Review:  I've had this recipe bookmarked for a long time. I wasn't sure what occasion would be the best fit for this recipe. Hosting some friends for a game night with just appetizers? Perfect. This was definitely a good fit. It made plenty of dip, which was savory yet sweet. It's filling, healthy (ish) and light enough to nosh on for awhile. It was a little watery, as I didn't drain the beets. Lesson learned, along with maybe adding oil as needed?

Adapted from:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/pink-bean-dip/14144/?utm_term=.c839d3d846b1

Lavender Earl Grey Cookies

1 cup vegan butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbs Earl Grey tea (from 8 bags)
1 Tbs lavender
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups gluten free flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

1)  Beat butter, sugar, tea, lavender, lemon zest and vanilla on medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes.
2)  Beat in flour, xanthan gum, salt and baking powder.
3)  Shape into two logs and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm.
4)  Slice 1/4 inch thick and bake at 350F for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden.

Review:  Mike immediately asked, "why do you always make weird cookies?" Because I have a refined palette! Well, and because food is fun. These were a dry, shortbread type of cookie. The tea was not as crunchy as I would have thought, but i don't like the speckled appearance. I really recommend crushing the tea and lavender (coffee grinder? mortar & pestle?) for more even distribution. Overall, it was just a hint of flavor but still exotic.

Adapted from:
September 2018 issue of Real Simple

Lentil Pasta with Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 pkg yellow lentil & brown rice spaghetti
2 carrots, peeled and cut into medium chunks
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs sesame oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste

1)  Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
2)  In a food processor, add the carrots and bell peppers. Pulse until grated.
3)  Add all remaining ingredients (except the pasta!) and pulse until a smooth sauce texture is achieved.
4)  Toss sauce with pasta. Serve warm or cold.

Review:  I love finding new products at Trader Joe's. However, it often means I have food in my cabinets that I have no plans for, and no clue how to use it. Their yellow lentil and brown rice spaghetti was one of those purchases. I must not have been the only person in this predicament, because shortly after my purchase, Trader Joe's posted a recipe using their Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. Ugh, that product has wheat in it! So, I turned to google to find a wheat free peanut vinaigrette recipe and couldn't decide between the two listed below. My version is basically a combo of the two, along with adding the vegetables from Trader Joe's recipe. I couldn't envision spaghetti with carrot and bell pepper chunks. Adding them thickened the sauce and made it so much more flavorful. This was incredibly delicious and super easy to make!!

Adapted from:
https://www.traderjoes.com/recipes/appetizers-sides/cool--spicy-noodle-salad
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/thai-crunch-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html
https://healthynibblesandbits.com/rainbow-salad-peanut-vinaigrette/

Lemony Broccolini with Pecans

2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and chopped
olive oil spray
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs honey
salt and pepper to taste

1)  Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Spread the broccolini evenly and spray the tops with more olive oil spray. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.
2)  In a large bowl, toss the broccolini, pecans, lemon juice, honey and salt/pepper. Serve warm.

Review:  This recipe has been sitting on my counter for several weeks, as I kept forgetting to buy broccolini! I didn't like the idea of using an actual lemon and using the food processor to make a sauce. I think my instincts were good, as this was way easier and quite tasty. The lemon is barely noticeable and I think it's there more to cut the bitterness of the broccolini and balance the sweetness of the honey. It works. This was pretty tasty and I ate a ridiculous amount of it.

Adapted from:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/crunchy-broccolini-with-lemon-pecans

Maple Brown Derby Popsicles

2 1/2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice
1/2 cup bourbon barrel aged maple syrup
1 oz bourbon

1)  Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2)  Pour into popsicle molds.
3)  Freeze overnight.

Review:  I love making boozy popsicles in the summer. Or, using my ice cream machine to make frozen drinks! This recipe was shared by the NH Maple Producers Association on Facebook and I knew I had to make it! I've bought the bourbon barrel aged maple syrup at Trader Joe's and loooooooove it. It's such a popular trend right now that one of my coworkers tried to make her own, using maple syrup gathered from her own backyard! She kindly gave me a bottle to try and it was super tasty. I figured it was the best syrup to use for these popsicles. Oddly, the maple isn't a strong flavor, but it does seem to balance the bitterness of bourbon and grapefruit. Sadly, I used 2 oz of bourbon to ensure good flavor but it made for a less solid popsicle. I wore most of this one, as it began falling apart as I ate it. Stick with just 1 oz so it will freeze better!

Adapted from:
http://www.hungrygirlporvida.com/blog/2013/03/22/maple-brown-derby-cocktail-pops/

Chickpea Coconut Pesto Salad

Salad:

2 Tbs olive oil
3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tsp ground cumin

Pesto:

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 small jalapeño
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1)  In a saute pan, heat the olive oil and cumin, roasting the cumin until fragrant. Add the chickpeas. Sauté for two minutes, until the chickpeas are heated throughout.
2)  Meanwhile, add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor and pulse until fully combined.
3)  Toss chickpeas with pesto. Allow the salad to marinate for fifteen to twenty minutes. Salad can be served warm, cold or at room temperature.

Review:  I love, and miss, pesto. It's hard to find a suitable substitute for cheese. I've largely depended on substituting nuts, but it's not the same. When I found this recipe that used coconut instead, I was so intrigued. It seemed like a small side dish recipe, but very flavorful. I doubled the recipe and found I didn't need to do so as this dish is incredibly filling. It's also a really great flavor. It's savory, without being sweet (due to the coconut) or spicy (due to the jalapeño). It's also chewy due to the coconut, so it has a more rewarding mouth feel than one would expect. I'm very happy with this dish.

Adapted from:
http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201806/?pg=71&pm=2&u1=friend

Fettuccine with Asparagus, Leeks & Mint

1 9oz pkg gluten free egg fettuccine
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large leek, white and light green parts chopped
1/2 cup mint, chopped
1/2 cup vegan Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1)  Whisk lemon juice, 1 Tbs olive oil, mint, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Set aside.
2)  Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the asparagus for the last two minutes of cooking. Drain and keep warm.
3)  Heat 1 Tbs of olive oil in a large saute pan. Cook leeks, stirring occasionally, until tender - about 4 minutes. Add mint mixture, pasta and asparagus, tossing to combine.
4)  Serve topped with Parmesan.

Review: This recipe was such a mess to make, all due to my own errors. I couldn't find good asparagus at the grocery store and my husband convinced me to use a frozen SteamFresh bag of asparagus. That cooked for 4 minutes, the pasta cooked for 4 minutes and the leeks needed to cook for 4 minutes. I thought this was going to be EASY. Nope. The asparagus was SPEARS, and I didn't notice. They also steamed up to be a mushy mess. The pasta did not cook in 4 minutes. I used a wimpy burner on my stove and the water completely stopped boiling after I added the pasta. It took about ten minutes to cook, and it clumped terribly. So, by the time I tossed everything together, I already hated the dish. Except it was tasty. So freaking tasty. Despite the mint, it had an overwhelmingly savory, buttery taste (the egg noodles?). The cayenne really helped hone the savoriness and pulled it all together. I ate half of what I made for dinner and wanted to go back for more!

Adapted from:
https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/fettuccine-with-asparagus-leeks-mint

Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 Tbs coconut oil
3 Tbs maple syrup (the real stuff!!)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups blanched almond meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1)  Preheat oven to 375F.
2)  In a large bowl, combine coconut oil and maple syrup with an electric mixer on medium speed.
3)  Add the egg and vanilla extract, mix on low speed, just until combined.
4)  Add the almond flour, baking soda and salt, mixing on low speed until combined.
5)  Stir in chocolate chips.
6)  Using a small sized cookie scoop, drop dough onto parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes.

Review:  This day's post may seem like a bake-a-thon. It kind of was. My employer is having a bake sale tomorrow. I never get to bake, because baking makes way more goods than the two of us can eat. So, I got the joy of baking to my heart's content, sampling the recipes and then getting rid of the excess. It was a great day!!! This was the least favorite of the cookies I made today. I had way too much almond meal. It was the epitome of a health food cookie, as it had a strong almond flavor and texture. It was gritty instead of cookie like. It also didn't flatten out, so they were lumps that took FOREVER to bake. Ugh. Maybe they'd be better if I flattened them before baking?

Adapted from:
https://www.kitchentreaty.com/soft-baked-almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Lemon Sugar Cookies

1 cup vegan butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 1/4 cups gluten free flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of one large lemon
juice of one large lemon
extra sugar for rolling cookie dough

1)  In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed.
2)  Mix in egg on low speed, just until incorporated.
3)  Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice, on medium speed until well-blended.
4)  Refrigerate dough for at least 20 minutes.
5)  Preheat oven to 350F. Roll dough into small sized balls, then roll in sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden.

Review:  Once upon a time, I had a micrograter for zest. Seems as though I threw it out at some point and I turned to the finest side of my grater for zest. Neither has been successful in giving me the desired zest. I give up. In the meantime, these cookies are simply divine. They have a warm lemon taste, with just the right amount of sugar. They took seemingly forever to bake (and the recipe made a lot of cookies!). This recipe will definitely make the rotation of favorites.

Adapted from:
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/lemon-sugar-cookies/

Rose Water Almond Cookies

3/4 cup cup-for-cup gluten free flour
1/4 cup blanched almond meal
6 Tbs vegan butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs rose water
1 egg, room temperature
extra powdered sugar for sifting on top of finished cookies

1)  Sift together the flour and almond meal in a small-sized bowl. Set aside.
2)  In a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract, rose water, salt and sugar together with an electric mixer, on medium speed, until well blended.
3)  Add the egg and beat for 15 seconds, on low speed.
4)  On low speed, add the flour mixture slowly. Mix until just incorporated.
5)  Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 20 minutes.
6)  Preheat oven to 350F. Roll the dough into small balls and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until light brown on the edges.
7)  Place cookies on wire cooling rack and sift powdered sugar on top of each cookie.

Review:  These are so very delicate, including the rose taste!! The rose is just a hint of an aftertaste, in the back of the mouth. I love the flavor of rose and was disappointed. I will definitely make these again, but double (maybe triple?) the amount of rose water. Until then, this will hopefully be enough to appease whoever buys them at the bake sale.

Adapted from:
http://www.bakingobsession.com/2009/05/11/rose-water-almond-tea-cookies/

Cauliflower Fried Rice (Original Recipe)

1 Tbs coconut oil
5 cubes frozen minced garlic
2 cubes frozen minced ginger
1 10 package frozen, sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 yellow potato, diced
1 12oz bag frozen riced cauliflower medley
1 7oz package sriracha tofu, diced
4 Tbs almond butter
6 Tbs soy sauce
sriracha sauce to taste

1)  In a deep skillet, heat the coconut oil, garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms and potato over medium-high heat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until most of the water has evaporated. As this is cooking, heat the riced cauliflower medley according to package directions and set aside.
2)  Once the water has evaporated from the skillet, and the potatoes are tender, add all remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine and heat until temperature is even throughout the dish.
3)  Serve warm.

Review:  I tend to make the same version of fried rice over and over again. Unfortunately, this tended to make rice heavy dinners, with little vegetable variety. Mike's been buying these riced veggie bags and I thought it might make for an interesting version of fried rice. It worked amazingly well! I really enjoyed the flavor combination and it seemed to make it a little more savory. The omission of rice greatly reduced the calorie load, which allowed me to use more almond butter to increase the amount of protein (and flavor!). This was quick, easy and incredibly flavorful. I'll be making this quite a bit!!

Rice with Roasted Garlic, Lentils & Mushrooms

1 bulb garlic
1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbs olive oil, plus 1 tsp (separate)
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry lentils (green or red)
1 cup brown rice

1)  Preheat oven to 350F. Slice top off garlic bulb to expose cloves, and discard top. Place bulb on small square of foil and pour 1 tsp olive oil over it. Fold up corners of foil to seal. Roast garlic in oven 40 to 50 minutes, until soft when gently squeezed.
2)  Meanwhile, bring rice and 2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Once water is all absorbed, transfer to a large bowl.
3)  Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss sliced mushrooms with 2 Tbs olive oil and 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar, in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Spread on baking sheet in single layer. Roast mushrooms 20 to 30 minutes in oven with garlic, or until tender and browned, stirring halfway through. Add to large bowl.
4)  Meanwhile, bring lentils and 2 1/2 cups of water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer (20 to 25 minutes for green lentils, or 10 to 15 minutes for red lentils). Drain and add to large bowl.
5)  Cool garlic until easy to handle. Squeeze out roasted garlic into a small bowl and discard skins. Mash garlic with fork until smooth. Fold mashed garlic into lentils/rice/mushrooms mixture.
6)  Add additional balsamic vinegar to taste and serve warm.

Review: I made this after work, not realizing how labor intensive it was going to be. I had four different pots/pans cooking at the same time, with varying needs. That's more than I wanted to manage and the length of time it took was longer than I wanted to wait to eat. I was further disappointed by the flavor. I love all these ingredients, so this should have been amazing. Instead, it was fairly dull. The roasted garlic was barely noticeable and it tasted mostly of lentils, rice & balsamic vinegar. If I make it again, I'd roast a few bulbs of garlic to really make the flavor noticeable.

Adapted from:
Vegetarian Times, February 2016 issue