Super Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

This was my first year participating in the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, organized by Julie and Lindsay, this cookie swap had 622 bloggers participate and raised $13,778.40 for Cookies for Kids' Cancer.

I was given three bloggers to send 1 dozen cookies to each and decided to go with a spin on my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe that I have been tinkering with these past few weeks.

When I have these cookies in the house, without fail at 3:00 in the afternoon a craving hits for one or two of the cookies with a mug (or two) of coffee. Slightly salty with a whole lot of pecans and  just enough chocolate to bring everything together.These cookies are awesome.



Super Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 t vanilla
1 T ground flax
4.5 oz AP flour
1/2 cups oats - processed into flour
1/2 cup oats - whole
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped chocolate or mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*

In a medium bowl, cream the coconut oil and sugars. Stir in milk, vanilla and ground flax. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together flour, ground oats, baking soda and salt.
Stir half of the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients, stir until smooth.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the rest of the flour mixture, whole oats, nuts and chocolate until combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough onto pan, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a small glass, flatten cookies slightly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden brown.

victorian sponge cake with raspberries

A classic English tea time treat, best served the day it is made, with people you like.

Slightly adapted from The Primrose Bakery Book

For the cake //

210g self rising flour

225g white sugar

25g corn meal (original recipe calls for 25g cornstarch)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

225g unsalted butter, soft

zest of one orange

4 large eggs

3 tablespoons organic, cream on top yogurt (original recipe calls for semi-skimmed milk)

Filling //
3 tablespoons raspberry jam
Freshly whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350*

Butter 6 mini cake pans OR butter two round eight inch cake tins and line with parchment paper.

To make the cake, sift the flour, cornmeal (or corn starch), sugar and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor, pulse a few times until mixed. Add the remaining ingredients, processing until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.

Divide the batter between the two pans and bake for 18-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from pan and cool fully.

To assemble the cake, spread jam on the top of one cake and then dollop and spread whipped cream on top of jam. Place the second cake on top, dust with powdered sugar and decorate with fresh raspberries. 

If using mini cake pans, after the cake cools, slice in half and proceed as stated above. Cooking time may vary from time for larger cake. Check your cakes at 18 minutes to avoid over cooking.

iowa summer dinner // summer sweet corn fritters

Sweet corn season in Iowa is here, and hopefully here to stay for a long time.

You can tell when the sweet corn is ready at the Washington Farmers Market when the east side of the square is overflowing with people elbowing their way to one, or maybe two tables, piled high with picked-that-morning sweet corn.

Young high school kids in t-shirts with the sleeves cut off, grubby baseball caps or maybe old seed hats, and biceps bigger than my thigh (presumably from hours of de-tasseling corn fields, picking rocks, or walking the beans), try to keep up with the throng of people practically throwing money at them in order to get their plastic bag of 13 years of corn for five bucks - or maybe it was four. When the pile of the table in fewer than 2 ears thick, they hop into the pickup truck that is backed up as close as possible and begin piling on more, continuing to catch the dollars thrown their way.




Arguably, there is no better way to eat sweet corn than hot of the grill, slathered in butter with a generous sprinkle of salt. Once in a while though, it is nice to highlight Iowa's best ingredient in another way - and these sweet corn fritters do a marvelous job of doing just that.

Adapted from Nigel Slater's Classic Sweet Corn Fritters, this dinner came together in under 30 minutes and comprised of mostly ingredients from the garden and Washington County.

Iowa Summer Sweet Corn Fritters
with yogurt chive sauce, sauteed swiss chard and garden tomato salad

Yogurt Chive Sauce //
1/2 cup organic cream-on-top plain yogurt (local ingredient!)
1.5 tablespoons chives, chopped (garden ingredient!)
1 small garlic clove, minced (garden ingredient!)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Sauteed Swiss Chard //
1 tablespoon organic butter (local ingredient!)
1 pound swiss chard (garden ingredient!)
salt and pepper

Heat butter in a large pan. Clean chard, remove stems and chop into small pieces. Add stems into pan and sauté five minutes. Chop chard leaves into bite size pieces, add to pan and sauté five more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Sweet Corn Fritters //
3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed (about 2 cups) (local ingredient!)
1 whole egg (local ingredient!)
2 egg whites (local ingredient!)
1.5 tablespoons self rising flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper

Heat a griddle to 350*.
In a bowl, stir together sweet corn, one whole egg, flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff and then gently fold into sweet corn mixture. Grease griddle with butter (sweet corn loves butter, not oil!) Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out generous portions of the batter onto the griddle and cook until golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown on the other side.

Serve on top of swiss chard, add a dollop of yogurt chive sauce and serve along side a simple summer tomato salad (4 small tomatoes, quartered, tossed with a bit of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and a bit of parsley).

honey kissed sunflower butter

If you've never dipped a spoon into a jar of Trader Joe's Sunflower butter - you are not living life.

A sweet, drippy butter that is great on toast, in oatmeal, or right from the jar, a jar of sunflower seed butter is a great addition to your line up of peanut, almond and other nut butters.

After one very failed attempt to make a homemade version of sunflower seed butter over a year ago, I vowed I would never try again. But I found the courage to try it again a few weeks ago, and have made several batches since.

Although the process of making this butter takes a bit longer than almond or peanut butter, it is worth the time. Just remember to be patient.

Honey Kissed Sunflower Butter with a touch of Sea Salt
A nice change of pace from your typical morning spoonful of almond or peanut butter, this sunflower seed butter is sweet with just a hint of salty.



Slightly adapted from Peas and Thank You
Makes about 1.5 cups.

In the mix::

• 1.5 cups roasted sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

To prepare::

In the bowl of a food processor, process sunflower seeds for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients  and process until very smooth, taking breaks to scrape down the side of the bowl and allow motor to cool. This process can take between five and 10 minutes, depending on the power of your food processor. If you are a fancy pants and have a high powered blender, you are one lucky duck - and the process will probably go a bit quicker.

butternut squash soup & spaghetti bread

When Nic and I were in Chicago a few weekends ago, we stopped at Karyn's on Green for an early lunch before we made the trek back to Iowa.

As we stepped in to the restaurant, I immediately knew we were in for a treat, despite there only being three other parties dining at the time (it was about 11:00 on a Sunday morning, I thought for sure there would be a wait for brunch).

Nestled into Greektown, Karyn's on Green is a stylish vegan bar and restaurant that Nic and I will for sure be visiting again on our next trip to Chicago. With the tag line making vegan sexy, you should give it a try too.

As we sat at our table sipping coffee, I was torn between ordering breakfast or lunch. With the recommendation of our server, I decided to go with breakfast, meaning I wasn't going to be ordering the butternut squash soup that I had my eye on. And although the chilaquiles I ordered were amazing, the thought of that soup never escaped my mind.

Lo and behold, not a week later, I received my latest order from Barnes and Noble which included Thrive Foods, Brendan Brazier's latest book of 200 plant based recipes. In this book, Brazier mentions Karyn's on Green as one of his favorite restaurants to visit while in Chicago, and, to my delight, included the recipe for the butternut squash soup that I had been eyeing!

I was finally able to make the soup on Friday night, and served with a big wedge of "spaghetti bread," it was a dinner that lived up to every expectation.

Butternut Squash Soup
This butternut squash soup is good enough to warrant a trip to Chicago just to enjoy a bowl at Karyn's on Green, but simple enough to make at home. And although you won't be savoring each spoonful in the chic, stylish restaurant, you can still make vegan sexy and wow your family with this easy two-ingredient soup.



Slightly adapted from Thrive Foods, via Karyn's On Green

In the mix::

• 3.25 pounds butternut squash (2 medium squash)
• 1-15 ounce can coconut milk (full-fat)

To prepare::

Cut the cap and bottom off each squash. Cut in half lengthwise, and then half again. Roast in a 400* oven for 30 minutes-45 minutes, or until soft. Allow to cool.

When cooled, scoop the flesh out of the squash and spoon into a blender. Add coconut milk. Use a towel to cover the blender (instead of the lid) and blend until spoon.

Pour soup into a medium sauce pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and heat through.

Serve with a wedge of spaghetti bread.

Spaghetti Bread {herb parmesan bread}
This bread is a favorite with my family. The recipe is from and old, very worn, recipe book with tattered pages, and a creased spine that falls open to this recipe the moment you set it on the table. Most likely the only recipe that is used in the book, it very well might be the most treasured recipe in the entire house. The bread screams comfort, and is quickly whipped up whenever kids make the long trek (from Iowa, Texas or Sweden) to Mom's house.



Slightly adapted from our family cookbook, originally from that one cookbook in my Mom's bookshelf
Makes one round loaf.

In the mix::

• 2 cups warm water (105* - 115*)
• 4.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey (or sugar per original recipe)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or butter per original recipe)
• 1/4 cup + 3 T nutritional yeast (or 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese per original recipe)
• 1.5 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
• 4.25 cups flour
• freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sea salt

To prepare::

Pour water into a bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle with yeast. Allow to set a few minutes, or until yeast becomes frothy. 

Add honey, salt, olive oil, 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, oregano and three cups of the flour. Using the paddle attachment, mix on slow until blended, and then mix at medium speed for two minutes, or until smooth.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, switch to hook attachment, and gradually add in the remaining flour. The dough will be sticky.

Cover with saran wrap and a towel, and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until light and bubbly and more than double in bulk.

Preheat the oven to 375*. 

Lightly grease a 1.5 or 2 quart casserole.

Using a wooden spoon, stir down batter and beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Turn batter into casserole, brush with olive oil, sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, freshly ground black pepper, sea salt and oregano.

Bake 55 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn out onto a wire rack. Cool and cut into wedges.

creamy broccoli asparagus soup

Nothing is better on a cold winter day than piping hot bowl of soup to help warm you up.

Too bad we haven't had too many cold winter days that just scream make soup.

But I make it anyway.

And enjoy it just as much.

This soup came wasn't inspired by a cold, or even mild day at all.

A few asparagus stems were hiding out in the back of the fridge, almost forgotten.

The broccoli was a little limp.

And there was a half avocado sitting next to an open can of coconut milk from a previous meal starting at me every time I open the fridge.

If that doesn't scream appetizing, I don't know what does.

But it was.

Amazing in fact.

So deliciously amazing that we made it two days in a row.

And now the fridge is stocked with happy asparagus, broccoli & firm avocados and the pantry is stocked with coconut milk.

Creamy Broccoli Asparagus Soup

I've never had cream of broccoli soup from a can, or cream of asparagus (do they even make it? A quick Google search tells me yes), but I imagine this soup to be a far superior version, one that will have you throwing those cans out the window. 

Serves two.

In the mix::

• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 cup chopped asparagus
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 cup coconut milk (full fat)

To prepare::

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a medium pot, and add onion. Water saute until soft. Add chopped asparagus and broccoli and saute until they turn bright green and begin to soften (add more water as necessary to prevent browning - a tablespoon at a time is a good idea as you don't want much water to be left in the pan when the asparagus and broccoli are ready).

Remove veggies from heat and spoon into a blender. Add the avocado and coconut milk. Place a towel over the top of the blender, instead of the cover, (to allow steam to escape and prevent a huge mess!) and blend until smooth.

Return soup back to the pot and reheat, adding salt to taste.

Serve with a thick slice of bread, so you can make sure to clean every last bite from your bowl.

lemon raspberry cheesecake {nearly raw + nearly vegan}

Nic and I spent a bitterly cold weekend in Chicago that one weekend when the Midwest was experiencing bitterly cold weather.

It never fails, when we go to Chicago, it is cold.

Perhaps that is because we always go in February, but still. In a winter when we have been relishing the warmer temps, it had to be cold {and windy} when we made the trek to the windy city.

Despite the frigid temps (and a stolen iPhone) we had a great time paying far too much for parking and cabs, catching a Broadway show (American Idiot) at the Oriental Theater, visiting the Museum of Science and Industry and indulging in some fantastic vegan food.

Oh yeah - a weekend in Chicago to celebrate Nic's 28th birthday, and we ate vegan 100% of the time.

He was pleased.

Seriously.

Since weekend trips {and vacations, of course} are all about eating with just enough culture mixed in, you can bet that I spent most of our time looking up places to grab our next meal, or coffee + a snack. And our first destination on Saturday morning was the Chicago French Market where we made a b-line to RAW.

As we were browsing the selection of possible morning snacks, we were treated to a few samples. A raw brownie (good, but not earth shattering), a raw nacho cheese cracker (amazing!), and a small taste of the raw lemon square (to die for).

I asked the owner if she would share the recipe, which she didn't, but did give me a run down of what was in it - giving me a good road map on how to create this at home.

And that is where the inspiration for this dessert comes it. Nic and I left that morning, vowing to stop again on our way out of town to pick up a full sized version of the lemon square for the road. And although our plans changed just a bit (making a stop at a Chicago Police Department instead of the French Market on our way out of town) the taste of this dessert never left my mind.



Nearly Raw Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake
This seriously might be one of the best desserts I have ever made. I used to make cheesecakes for every single family function, and since becoming vegan, these have been {noticeably} absent, much to my family's displeasure. This dessert will fill that void and surpass all expectations. Some may not even realize they are eating a cheesecake sans the cheese. Lemony, tangy, and stunningly beautiful, this dessert is sure to please.


In the mix::

Crust  

• 1 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 10 dates
• 1/2 t vanilla
• pinch salt

Lemon Cheesecake Layer  

• 1 cup cashews (soaked 8 hour or overnight)
• zest of 1.5-2 lemons
• juice of 2 lemons (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream
• 1/4 cup honey (could use other liquid sweetener for a 100% vegan dessert)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 t salt

Raspberry Topping* 

• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 2 T honey
• 1-2 t cornstarch

To Prepare::

Crust

Place the nuts, dates, vanilla and salt in a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms and holds its shape when squeezed into a ball. Press into an 8" x 8" pan and place in the fridge.

Lemon Cheesecake Layer

Give the cashews a good rinse (after soaking) and place into a blender with lemon zest, juice, coconut cream (the cream that forms on top of a can of full-fat coconut milk when refrigerated), honey, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Take some time at this step using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender to make sure you end up with an ultra creamy consistency.

I used the zest of 1.5 lemons for my first trial, but would increase it the next time I make it. The zest is key!

Pour batter onto the chilled crust using a spatula to smooth it out. Cover with saran wrap and place in the freezer while you prepare the topping.

Raspberry Topping - Cooked Version

This is the method I used, but I will suggest a raw version below.

In a small saucepan, heat the raspberries and honey over medium heat. As they thaw and begin to break apart, add cornstarch and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool in the fridge.

Raspberry Topping - Raw Version

This is the method I was hoping to use, but was out of chia seeds.

Allow raspberries to thaw in a bowl. Stir in honey and break the raspberries apart with a fork. Stir in two tablespoons of chia seeds and set aside, allowing to gel for at least 15 minutes. Although I haven't tried this variation yet, I am confident it will work. You could also use ground chia seeds.

When the lemon cheesecake layer is firm, carefully spread the raspberries on top. Cover and allow to chill in freezer (for a firmer cheesecake) or fridge (for an ultra creamy cheesecake).

We brought this to a dinner party on Friday night and got rave reviews. It hadn't been in the freezer for too long before we had to leave, so the consistency of the lemon layer was very creamy.

We brought the left overs to a dinner party on Sunday night and got rave reviews. It had been in the freezer since Friday, and even after letting it set on the counter while we ate dinner, it was still a bit frozen when we dug our forks in. Still amazing, but the creamier it is when you serve it, the better.

Our friend, who loves cheesecake, admitted that if I hadn't told her it was made from cashews, she would not have even asked. She said this as she was sharing the last creamy square with her two year old son. I asked why she was wasting it on him and not sharing with me. I was only kidding, sort of. Instead I reached for the pan and picked at the leftover crumbs. You simply cannot waste such a good thing.



Make this dessert and fool all of the cheesecake lovers in your life.

Make this dessert and hide it in the back of your freezer, pulling a piece out to indulge in when no one else is around.

Delicious Variation - make a cheesecake parfait. Grab a pretty glass and layer with the a sprinkle of the nutty crust, lemon cheesecake filling and raspberry topping, repeating until the glass is full.

fast lunch {white bean dip}

As I've mentioned, life in Iowa has been busy.

And when your are running from 4:20AM to 8:30PM, you don't have much time to even eat lunch, let along think about preparing it when Noon rolls around.

Enter - this amazingly delicious, simple, and quick lunch that Nic and I have been feasting on for the past six days.



Rye + sesame crackers topped with a simple white bean dip, sprouts, avocado and red onion. Literally, Nic and I rush home to prepare these open faced "sandwiches."



Somedays we get a little crazy and add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and some sliced mushrooms.



The creamy dip and avocados combined with the slight crunch of the sprouts and red onions are the perfect toppings for the rye crackers.

I think we both shed a single tear when we ate the last of the crackers. Because, you know, the grocery store is just too far to go and get more (seriously, we don't even know if our HyVee carries the Ryvita brand).



The white bean dip that topped our crackers, couldn't be easier to whip up. And it nearly rocked my socks off as I had my first bite.



This basic recipe could be jazzed up with any flavors (basil will be included in the batch I whip up tomorrow), and consists of only pantry staples.

Simple White Bean Dip
Slightly adapted from this recipe

In the mix::

• 1-15 ounce can white beans (I used Great Northern Beans)
• 2 T olive oil (a good quality olive oil is best)
• 1/4 cup water (or enough to make it the creamy consistency you are looking for)
• salt and pepper to taste

To prepare::

• Throw all ingredients, except water, into a blender (for an ultra creamy dip) or a food processor and blend.
• Add water 1T at a time to achieve the consistency that you want, I used about 1/4 cup.

recipes forthcoming

It has been an extremely busy, exhausting, life in Iowa lately.

I have been running on fumes by the end of each and every day, only to have to wake up too early the next morning and do it all over again.

There are no minutes, seconds, to spare any day.

Go...go....go.

Thankfully, I had some time to breathe on Friday and Saturday, and was able to whip up some of my best (at least my favorite) recipes to come out of my kitchen. Ever.

Here's a peak.

Hold me to posting them before my regular life starts up all over again on Tuesday.

The lunch that I don't think I could ever get sick of {since I've been eating it every day for nearly a week and still crave it}:



The easiest white bean dip ever that packs a big flavor punch:



Seriously, the best dessert that I have created. Vegan or not. I want you to come over so I can make it for you:



And now, for some much more needed R&R, Nic and I are going to spend the day hiking. Something we haven't done in far too long.