Schmooper Bowl

It has warmed up considerably -- almost seventy degrees! ... but I still want hibernation food >.> especially spicy chocolate.

Crinkle Cookies

dried Valencia orange peel + cinnamon + cayenne
cinnamon + confectioners sugar
confectioners sugar

3/4 c coconut (or other light/unflavored) oil
1-3/4 c turbinado sugar
1 c cocoa powder (the darker the tastier!)
1-1/3 c unbleached all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs Ener-G
3/4 c warm water
2 tsp vanilla extract
powdery stuffs for coating (not included in nutrition)
Obviously, I used the coatings listed below the picture, but I also thought about using ground ginger, masala chai spices, cocoa powder, homemade mint cocoa mix, powdered instant coffee, and curry powder... but I didn't want to clean 20,000 tiny bowls. I think they would all be delicious! The powdered sugar makes the cookies a little too sweet for my tastes, so I will skip it as a coating and not mix it with the cinnamon in the future. The orange+cinnamon+cayenne are to. die. for. If you're into that sort of thing ;)

I'm convinced chili+chocolate was discovered just for me.

In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, beat together oil and sugar; add cocoa and beat again. In a separate bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Measure Ener-G into blender carafe; slowly pour warm water over Ener-G; blend until foamy. Pour Ener-G mix and vanilla into cocoa mixture, beating to fully incorporate.

Begin beating flour into the cocoa mix a little at a time. About half-way through the dough will probably become too stiff for the hand mixer and the remaining will have to be mixed by hand.

Cover dough in plastic wrap and chill (at least) 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and lightly grease a cookie sheet. With a large, non-serrated knife, cut dough in half, re-wrap one half and stick back in the fridge. With the remaining half, cut into 32nds (divide dough in half three times -- 2 pieces to 4 pieces to 8 pieces -- then cut each of the 8 pieces into quarters) and roll each piece into a small ball.

Roll each ball into coating(s) of choice and place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until tops are cracked and edges are firm to slight touch. Allow to cool on sheet a minute or so, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with second half of dough.

Servings: 32 | Serving Size: 2 cookies | Calories: 122.1 | Total Fat: 5.5 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 90.7 mg | Potassium: 41.2 mg | Total Carbs: 16.3 g | Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g | Sugars: 10.6 g | Protein: 1.5 g | Vit. A: 0.0% | Vit. C: 0.0% | Calcium: 2.4% | Iron: 3.1%
Full nutrition can be found here.

K. Time to take advantage of Big Game Day and hit the stores \m/

C is for Cookie

These went so fast I had to make growly noises to get a picture of (and eat :p) the last three.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

queue coffee!

3/4 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c coconut oil (or other light/unflavored)
1-1/2 tsp Ener-G egg substitute + 2 tbs water
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs vanilla extract

1/3 c turbinado + 2-3 tbs ground cinnamon to coat

If you don't have Ener-G on hand, I'm sure any egg replacement (to the equivalent of 1 egg) will do.

Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, stirring well. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet mix to the dry and stir until fully incorporated.

Using rounded teaspoons, form dough into ~3/4" balls; roll balls in cinnamon/sugar mixture; place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Bake 7 - 9 minutes, or until juuust firming up on edges. Cool on sheet 5 minutes, transfer to wire racks.

Servings: 12 | Serving Size: 2 cookies | Calories: 194.3 | Total Fat: 9.3 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 150.1 mg | Potassium: 13.8 mg | Total Carbs: 23.5 g | Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g | Sugars: 14.7 g | Protein: 1.8 g | Vit. A: | 0.1% | Vit. C: 0.8% | Calcium: 3.1% | Iron: 5.2%
Full nutrition can be found here.

Mmm, cookie.

Sweets for the Sweet

Our son turns twenty today. Twenty! I can't believe it :\ Rather than allow the thought to fully sink in and rattle about my brain, I am going to share his birthday treat and get back to the garage... which I have fully destroyed, again, in order to get to the spot where I will set up the new shelving, then put it all back.

By the numbers, this isn't as eeevil as the Pot de Crème, but, shoo, it is wicked sweet and definitely not kosher by the Mister's and my dietary habits. I can only pray the kids will plow through it before I have a middle-of-the-night lapse in senses.

Death by Reese's

1 box yellow cake mix
1-16 oz jar (doesn't have to be exact, 15-18 oz will do) natural creamy peanut butter, divided as 1 c and [rest]
1-1/2 tsp Ener-G + 2 tbs water (or 1 egg)
1/3 c water
~27 mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, unwrapped
16 oz Reese's Pieces (or peanut butter M&Ms)
12 oz bag semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven according to box directions and prepare a 9" x 9" baking pan by spraying bottom lightly.

Whisk together water (1/3 c + 2 tbs) and Ener-G (or beat egg and 1/3 c water together) in medium mixing bowl; add in dry cake mix and 1 c peanut butter; stir or beat with mixer until thoroughly combined. Spread evenly into prepared pan, smoothing with moistened fingers (water or cooking spray) to an even consistency.

Stud [cake] with peanut butter cups in a staggered pattern and pop into the oven for 30-35 minutes or until done (cake will pull away from pan and edges will brown slightly). Transfer from oven to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Once cake is cooled, combine the rest of the peanut butter and bag of chocolate chips in a double broiler set-up over medium heat; stir until chips have melted and everything is well mixed. Pour chocolate mixture over cake, spreading to edges. Top with Reese's Pieces and chill, uncovered, in the refrigerator until chocolate is set.

Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temperature before serving. May be stored at room temperature.

Makes 40 1"x2" bars with a 1"x1" square remaining.

Calories: 242.4 | Total Fat: 12.9 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 167.9 mg | Total Carbs: 21.0 g | Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g | Sugars: 13.9 g | Protein: 3.8 g | Vit. A: 0.0% | Vit. C: 0.0% | Calcium: 0.8% | Iron: 2.5%
Full* nutrition can be found here.
*Since a lot of the ingredients are packaged, a good portion of the nitty-gritties of nutrition information is missing.

It's a shame the home improvement centers don't lease help-for-the-day. I could totally use an assistant with greater upper body strength than mine! C'est la vie and back to the grind. ... or grunt, as the case is ;)

Still Hungry

Today is my Mister's forty-first birthday :) Considering the Gluttony Fest that precedes his day, we typically do leftovers and a yay birthday dessert... he should have something special, non?

Just after his birthday three years ago, he joined me in vegetarianism and also began trying to avoid eggs -- tough to do when you are grabbing snacks in convenience stores -- because of his spiritual beliefs. Since I had only been doing egg white omelets when trying to cut some fat and had conducted a fair few experiments in egg replacement, giving up eggs wasn't much of an ordeal. Dairy, however, unf.

He hasn't any spiritual qualms with dairy, directly, but I'm sure if he were to be exposed to the industry, he may feel different. I, on the other hand, lean more toward the health-nut end of vegetarianism.

in my mind the scale goes as such:

buddhist_________________animal hugger_________________health nut

we meet at animal hugging :)

Through volumes of reading, I have concluded that, while dairy is tasty, the commercial industry is awful, dairy doesn't do the body good, then, through exposure and the failed attempts over the past year to kick it, it is quite addicting. ... and super hard when everyone else in the house is having tasty cheeses.

So(!), when the final approach began for this new year (after we both mega failed over Christmas, indulging in my mother-in-law's deliiicious Christmas Cookie Extravaganza, containing both eggs and butter), I struck a deal with the Mister:

no eggs. no dairy.
Essentially, we're going dietary vegan. Ok, it wasn't much of a deal, more of a proclamation, but he agreed. Fingers crossed we can both stick to reading labels, at least long enough that we work out replacements for the things to which we are accustomed. Fortunately, avoiding dairy will be fairly easy, as I have sufficient practice in making my own tofu ricotta / tofu feta / crock-style (spreadable) "cheeses" and veggie shreds melt well enough for our stromboli needs, IF my laziness doesn't push me to cave into ordering pizza.

Recipe du (naissance) jour: bittersweet pot de crème, chilled (no need for baking if you don't use eggs)

Pot de Crème

1-14 oz can (full fat) coconut milk
5 oz bittersweet chips (read the ingredients if avoiding dairy, we use SunSpire 65%)
2 tbs turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

Put everything except coconut milk in your blender/processor canister (please hold on pureeing). In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk to a simmer; pour milk into blender (over other ingredients) and puree until smooth. Divide mixture between 4 small ramekins or teacups. Chill at least 5 hours.

(this one is a baddy!)
Servings: 4 | Calories: 451.6 | Total Fat: 36.5 g | Cholesterol: 0.0 mg | Sodium: 54.8 mg | Potassium: 243.3 mg | Total Carbs: 30.7 g | Dietary Fiber: 5.2 g | Sugars: 19.7 g | Protein: 4.8 g | Vit. A: 0.0% | Vit. C: 1.9% | Calcium: 2% | Iron: 25.5%
Full nutrition can be found here.

Tonight will ring the end of indulgence and the resumption of trying my best to take care of us, so we are going out with a *BANG*. Mmm!

Buenas noches, hasta luego :) Mañana, it's back to the pillow makery for me!