Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Apparently, I think everything should taste like chocolate chip cookies.  I mean, the world would be a better place, wouldn't it, if more things tasted like chocolate chip cookies?

The thing is, as a mom, I feel sort of obligated to try to make sure that the things my children eat have some nutritional value.  So, I can't just feed them chocolate chip cookies all the time.  (It's true.  I think it's in my contract.  What?  You didn't get a contract?   hmmm....)

Anyway...

Kaia loves to take muffins in her lunchbox.  Since Kaia doesn't love to take many things in her lunchbox, I try to vary the muffins, and to make them somewhat nutritious.  I like to use whole grain flours and include things like pumpkin, banana, zucchini... Of course, they still have to taste good.  I've found I have to be careful not to go so far over the nutritious line that she won't eat it.  Because food can't be nutritious if they don't eat it.

Well, I have been sick for weeks.  I don't want to waste a lot of time talking about that, but I mention it because it relates directly to my decision to bake muffins today.  I've been sick.  The kids have been getting a lot of their own meals, because the sight of food has kind of pushed me over the edge most days.  Shane has been helping, and they have gotten by all right, on things like veggie burgers and jarred sauce that I prepared when I was well, and an occasional carry-out meal.  Everybody has been pitching in to help with the housework, and they have managed to keep the mess somewhat at bay...somewhat.  I happened to notice last night that there was a fine layer of dust over most of the furniture, and, while the floors were all swept, they could use a good, thorough mopping.  The refrigerator needs to be cleaned.  We're almost out of laundry detergent.  It's time for Mama to try to reemerge from her sickly cocoon.

Now, I won't say I am feeling better yet.  Just...hmmm...well, to be honest, I think I just got tired of sitting around watching the household fall apart around me.  So, last night, I prepared some eggs with potatoes, cheese, crumbled veggie bacon and kale in a muffin tin, so Hallie and Justice can heat them and pop them inside English muffins on busy school mornings for a quick breakfast.  Then, this morning, I got up, had Shane help me rearrange a little furniture to open up the room, swept, dusted, wiped up and cleared away as much of the mess as I could manage, and started a pot of bean soup, because I think I might be able to keep down a spoonful or two.

Since I made the eggs, I had been thinking that I really ought to make something quick and easy for Kaia to grab, too.  She has been doing well getting her own breakfast (usually oatmeal or dry cereal ~ sometimes with a banana, yogurt or milk), so I decided to make some muffins.  They'd make a nice afterschool snack today, and then the kids could put them in their lunches, if they wanted.

We had already designated the one can of organic pumpkin we have to be used in the making of tiny pies, and the bananas aren't quite ripe enough, so I decided to try something new.  I had been thinking for some time that "Chocolate Chip Cookie" would be a great muffin variety.  I looked around on the internet a bit, but none fo the recipes were exactly what I was going for.

I thought, if I just started with a basic muffin recipe, used some brown sugar instead of all regular sugar, replaced some of the flour with almond meal (both for nutrition and for taste), and added chocolate chips, it should taste a lot like chocolate chip cookies.

I decided to fall back on my favourite "Basic Muffins with Milk or Cream" recipe from the Joy of Cooking, and make adjustments.  I knew I wanted to sue whole grain flour, in addition to the other adjustments I was making.  Then, when I was reading over the recipe (which is a wonderful basic muffin recipe, BTW), I noticed that if offers a variation in which yogurt can be substituted for the milk or cream called for in the original recipe.  I wondered if I might be able to use fat free Greek yogurt, thus amping up the nutrition even more than I anticipated.

The muffins mixed up and baked beautifully.  The younger girls just got home from school and gave them an enthusiastic thumbs up, and I anxiously await Justice's review.  I have to admit, due to the dairy, I have not tried them, but I trust my girls.If anyone wants to figure out how to make these dairy free, that would be awesome.  In the meantime, I will make them for the kids.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

Preheat oven to 400℉ and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners (or grease them)

In a large bowl, whisk together:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

In a separate bowl, whisk together:
2 large eggs
1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4-8 TBS melted butter or vegetable oil
2 tsps. vanilla extract

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients with a few quick strokes.  Do not overmix.  Batter should not be smooth (and it won't be, with all those chocolate chips, but you know what I mean).  Divide batter between muffin cups and bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in 1 or 2 of the muffins comes out clean.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan before removing muffins to a wire rack.  Muffins are best right away, but they keep for a few days, and can even be frozen.

Kudos to us! Well...sorta.

Today, Kaia mentioned that she hadn't had a Kudos bar in a long time.  It's true.  I think they are kinda junky, and besides, we like to make our own treats.  So, I thought maybe I could make something similar. ish.  hey really aren;t very similar at all, but they are yummy.  See, I didn't bother to actually look at the ingredients in a Kudos bar, and I haven't eaten many, so I just thought...hmmm...I think they have rice crispies, and chocolate...So, mine have rice crispies and chocolate.  I started with my Peanut Butter Crispie Treat recipe, and thought I would just add chocolate.  I decided to skip the agar agar, since I figured the melted chocolate would bind them well enough (it did), and then I discovered I was out of agave, so I used honey.  It all worked out just fine, and these are ready and waiting to be an afterschool snack for the girls tomorrow.

Here's what is actually in a Kudo's bar:  Milk Chocolate (, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Chocolate, Milk Skim, Lactose, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin,Flavor(s) Artificial ), Granola (, Rice Crisp, Oat(s), Wheat Flakes, Malt, Salt ), Corn Syrup,Chocolate Chips Semisweet (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla) ,Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Calcium Carbonate, Glycerine, Sugar Brown (Salt) ,Soy Lecithin, TBHQ, Peanut(s), Almond(s)

Here's how they stack up nutritionally:

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Servings Per Container: 4

• Amount Per Serving
• Calories 130Calories from Fat 45
• Total Calories 520Total Calories from Fat 180

•  % Daily Value* (DV)Recommended DV
• Total Fat 5 g8%65 g
  • Saturated Fat 2.5 g13%20 g
  • Trans Fat 0 g
• Cholesterol 0 mg0%300 mg
• Sodium 85 mg4%2,400 mg
• Potassium mg0%3,500 mg
• Total Carbohydrate 20 g7%300 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g4%25 g
  • Sugars 13 g 
• Protein 1 g 

• Calcium20%
• Iron2%
• Magnesium2%

And here's what I did:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crispie Bars

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/2 c. honey

2 TBS ground flaxseeds

3 cups crispy brown rice cereal

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease a 9x13" pan (I prefer to use glass for this type of recipe).  Place cereal in a large mixing bowl.  In a small sauce pot, over low heat, heat peanut butter and honey, stirring constantly, until hot, evenly mixed and thick.  Really stir this constantly. Do not walk away or it will burn.  When it starts to bubble, stir vigorously and cook 1-2 minutes until it is very thick.  Stir in flaxseeds.  Immediately pour the hot mixture over the cereal and stir well to coat all of the crispies.  Gently but thoroughly stir in chocolate chips, until they are melted and evenly mixed in.  Press mixture firmly into your greased pan.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until set.  Cut into thin bars (I got 21).  

Some time ago, I found this website, where you can enter a recipe and it have it calculate nutrition information.  If I did this right, I think these look okay, as compared to commercially prepared snack bars.  (I deleted most of the "0%"s, because I felt they were just taking up space on the page.  I think I would like to try adding some oats and almond meal along with the cereal, and I might try subbing agave for the honey, but these sure are tasty just as they are.   

21 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		96.9
Total Fat		3.9 g
	Saturated Fat	5.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.0 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	0.0 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		32.2 mg
Potassium		4.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		14.7 g
	Dietary Fiber	0.8 g
	Sugars	8.9 g
Protein		2.0 g

Vitamin B-6	0.1 %
Vitamin C	0.1 %
Calcium	0.1 %
Copper	0.1 %
Iron	1.3 %
Manganese	0.3 %
Pantothenic Acid	0.1 %
Riboflavin	0.2 %
Selenium	0.1 %
Zinc	0.1 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

You'll notice that mine have more saturated fat and less calcium than the original, but they also have fewer calories, less sugar, carbs and sodium, and more protein and potassium.  I am pretty happy with them, and feel good about giving them to my kids, maybe with a glass of almond milk.  

Back to School, Back to Lunch

Tomorrow marks the start of the 2012-13 schoolyear.  We will send off one 4th grader, one 7th grader and one 10th grader.  That blows my mind.  Seems like yesterday we were shopping around for our very first preschool.  All those people who've said it are right ~ time flies when you're having fun.  we have a lot of fun around here.

This year, we are focussing on getting and staying organized, keeping the house uncluttered and peaceful, and trying to keep stress to a minimum.  Sure, they might get stressed about school (as will we, about work...and maybe about school, too, sometimes), but I feel like, if we can keep from stressing out about things like not being able to find things, not having enough food int he house to pack a lunch, forgetting to sign permission slips, etc., we can at least reduce the level of stress here at home (and probably at school, too).  To that end, we sat down and did some planning.  We reorganized our home, got rid of tons of clutter, and created a quiet area for reading/creating/relaxing.   We also put the kids in charge of what they will eat and wear on school days.

All of the girls have been doing their own laundry for some time, and they have always offered to fix their own lunches, but that has never worked out very well.  We have a tiny little kitchen, and it has just been too busy in the mornings to have three kids in there making lunches.  So, we have decided to have them prepare as much as possible the night before, pack their lunchboxes, and stash them in the fridge.  They have all chosen and laid out all of their outfits for the week, too, and their bookbags are packed and ready to go.  We are hoping all of these changes will take the stress out of our morning routine, and maybe even buy us all a little more sleep time (wouldn't that be dreamy?).  We also made sure to have lots of quick breakfast options available.  For instance, we prepared eggs in muffin cups ~ adding veggies, cheese, soy sausage, rice, etc. to suit different palates ~ to be heated up and tucked inside whole wheat English muffins.  I will keep hardboiled eggs in the fridge for Kaia, who only eats eggs hardboiled, and there is always cereal, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit available.

In oder to make sure that there will always be plenty of choices available to them when they pack their lunches, we created the lists that appeared in my last post.  Also, as has become our tradition, we let the girls choose whatever they wanted for their first-day-of-school lunches.  I feel it gets the year off to a good start, if they get to enjoy a favourite lunch on the first day.  Sort of helps them settle into the school routine, I think.  So, I made sure everything they needed was available (I made pesto and pumpkin muffins, since those were on their lists), and set them to work this evening.  Having each girl pack her own bag worked like a charm.  Below, I have posted pics of the results.  I am so proud of them all.  As you can see, three very different girls pack three very different lunches, but they all made healthy, reasonable choices, with an eye to keeping it nutritionally balanced, which I appreciate.

Look what a great job they did:

This is the way Kaia's lunch looks when it's all packed up and ready to go in to her new lunch bag.  Pumpkin muffin, Super V juice pouch, and a homemade "lunchable."

And here's what's inside that box ~ soy turkey slices, Coastal cheddar (her favourite cheese) and 12-grain crackers.

Here's Hallie's meal, neatly packed in the great new containers I found at Target the other day (Lunch Blox - check 'em out!).  See how the pieces all snap together?  Cool, huh?

Here's what's inside: Two slices of Italian bread, pesto, tomato slices and fresh spinach leaves (she'll assemble these ingredients to make a sandwich at lunch time, but packing them this way keeps them from getting soggy) and a trail mix she threw together with almonds, dried cherries, raisins, pretzels and just a few chocolate chips.

Above is Justice's fare.  She chose coconut water for her beverage, and packed it all up in those neat little containers.

A peek inside reveals gnocchi w/ pesto, ingredients for one of her favourite snacks, ants on a log, and almonds, just in case she needs an extra snack.

While we are on the subject of packing lunches, how stinkin' cute are the new lunch bags?  We love them.  They came in a 3-pack for $9.99 (at Target).  Can't beat that price, and we love things that come in 3-packs.  It's like they saw us coming. (Wow! They're cheaper online!)

Now, the girls are all nestled in their beds, trying to rest, despite the excitement (and jitters) that go along with the first day of school.  Shane and I gave each a bamboo plant in a tiny pot (one blue, one orange & one green), for luck.  Here's to a great year!

Lunchbox Round-up

In an effort get more organized and start the school year on the right foot, the girls and I sat down and made lists of items they like to pack in their lunchboxes.  This year, they will all be packing their own lunches, at their request.  Whenever possible, they will pack it up the night before, so it will be ready to grab and go. Grab and go is a theme for us this year.  We are all desperate for more sleep and less stress in our school mornings, so we are determined to get our act together so mornings can run smoothly and we can get out the door in record time.

Because the girls will be packing their own lunches, my part will be to make sure they have a variety of good healthy foods on hand from which to choose.  When possible, I will separate snacks into individual portions, so they are easy to grab.  We are a busy family, so we need to work together to keep the wheels turning in the right direction.  I plan to post the lists in the kitchen, in case they need inspiration.

We know our lists are works in progress.  Through the year, they will be edited.  We will probably add items as new great ideas strike us.  In the meantime, I will post them here, so you can see what the girls plan to pack this year.  The idea is to pick an item (or two) from each list to put together a healthy, satisfying lunch.  For years, I have kept these lists in my head and run through each as Shane and I tried to throw together 3 lunches first thing in the morning.  I like the new plan so much better.

Lunch Ideas - Justice

Main Dishes

PB & J

Bagel & cream cheese

Gnocchi

Pasta w/ pesto or garlic

Pasta salad

Lentil & Rice

Tortellini/ tomato sauce

Cottage cheese/ pineapple

Sliders

Pita & hummus

Rice & Beans

Homemade Lunchables: Salami or Ham, cheese, trail mix, crackers

Greek Yogurt w/ chocolate or honey

Mac & cheese

Leftover pizza

Cream cheese & jelly sandwich on white

Chili

Letfovers

Snacks:

Pumpkin muffin 

Banana Muffin

Trail mix

Crackers

Luna Bar

Fruit Leather

Grapes

Baby Carrots

Biscuit

Veggies w/ ranch

Hawaiian

Ants on a log

Granola bars

Cookie butter/ pretzel sticks

Banana

Mandarine oranges

Apples

Berries

Cherries

Peaches 

Kiwi

Mango

Pineapple

Drinks:

Gatorade

Water

Coconut water

La Croix

Juice

____________________________________________________________________________

Lunch Ideas - Hallie

Main Dishes:

Caprese

Tomato/spinach/pesto sandwich

Turkey & bread

Pasta w/ pesto or garlic

Greek yogurt w/ chocolate & berries

Quinoa

Leftover pizza

Sliders

Harboiled egg w/ mayonaise, salt & pepper on side

Falafel

Sub

Pasta Salad

Vegetarian rolls

Tortellini/ tomato sauce

Homemade lunchables: turkey, provolone, water crackers

Crispbread, farmer's cheese, mustard

Everything bagel

Snacks:

Pretzels

Trail Mix (almonds, pretzels, dried fruit, chocolate)

Cliff Bar/Z bar

Biscuit

Grapes

Hawaiian rolls

Grape tomatoes

Luna bars

Veggie sticks

Snack cake

Muffins

Cookies

Baby carrots

Peppers

Fruit Leather

Berries

Pineapple

Mango

Mandarin orangess

Drinks:

Water

Chocolate milk

Super V

Juice box 

La Croix

_______________________________________________________________________________

Lunch Ideas - Kaia

Main Dishes:

Homemade Lunchable: soy turkey, coastal cheddar, 12 grain crackers

Hardboiled eggs

Buttered noodles

Nuggets

Rice

Pasta w/ Garlic

Lentils & Rice

Tortellini/ tomato sauce

Beans & Rice

Sliders

Soynut Butter /Rice Cake

Yogurt

"Cold Dog"

Snacks:

Pumpkin muffin

Snack cake

Banana

12 grain crackers

Graham crackers

Goldfish

WW pretzel sticks w/ cookie butter

Chocolate peanut butter

Biscuit

Banana muffin

Cashews (chopped)

Hawaiian roll

Granola Bar

Corn bread muffin

Fig Bar

Cheerios

Cliff bar

Cookies

Drinks:

Water

Chocolate milk

Super V juice

Green juice

Juice box

Risotto ~ Two Ways

Shane and I love watching cooking shows.  Most people probably wouldn't know this about Shane, but he really gets a kick out of them, despite the fact that he doesn't often cook.  Lately, we have been watching "Chopped," a show in which chefs compete for a prize and one is "chopped" after each course of the meal, until only the victor remains.  The other night, one of the chefs made risotto.  We decided it was high time I made some risotto, too.  So, tonight, I did.

When I was at Trader Joe's yesterday, I picked up a box of Arborio Rice (17.6 oz), so when I say to use half a box, I mean half a box that size.  I didn't measure, so...geez, I don't know what to tell you to do if you can't find a 17.6 oz. box.  Just do your best.  the great thing about risotto is that, at a certain point, you are just sort of cooking until the liquid is absorbed and it's done.  So, if you are using less rice, stop adding water sooner.  If you are using more, add more, I guess.  As you can see, this is all going to be very precise.  

I decided to make two different pans of risotto, because I know Shane and I would LOVE mushrooms in ours, and I was pretty sure the kids would prefer Spinach and cheese (which I can't eat, due to the cheese).  Rather than cooking a dinner only half of the family would eat, I made both.  Luckily, we are now left with enough for lunch tomorrow.  

Here's how I did it:

Portobello Mushroom Risotto

1-2 tsps. olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, diced

2 large portobello mushrooms, cleaned and diced (about 1/2-3/4" pieces)

1/2 of a 17.6 oz. box of arborio rice

about 2 oz. red wine

about 3 1/2 cups heated water

1 tsp (or one cube) vegetable bouillon*

1/8 tsp. dried rosemary

1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. oregano

salt & black pepper to taste

In a large skillet (make sure it has a lid that fits) heat the oil.  Add garlic and mushrooms.  Sprinkle with a touch of salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, for about three minutes.  Add rice and stir to combine.  Cook, stirring, until rice has started to look slightly translucent.  Add wine and cook until it has evaporated.  Add 1 cup of hot water + bouillon.  Stir to dissolve bouillon and bring to a gentle simmer.  When the liquid has been absorbed, add another cup of water and simmer again until absorbed.  Continue to do this until your rice is cooked.  This should take approximately 18-20 minutes.  I used about 3 1/2 cups of water, but you might need a little more or a little less.  Just check your rice every now and then to see if it's done.  It should be just ever so slightly soupy, and tender, but not squishy (it's going to sit for a couple of minutes, so don't make it too done here).  Taste, and adjust seasonings.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for about 2 minutes before serving.  

* Again, I used Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef Base, but you can use your favourite.  Also, in my dreams, this recipe also contained peas.  Alas, some child ate all of my peas.  However, if I had any, I would have added them with the last cup or so of water ~ probably 1/2-1 cup of them.  In the end, we loved this exactly as it was, so I am not sure I will add the peas in the future, but I thought I would put that out there, just in case anyone wants to try it.  Actually, I was thinking it would be perfect with some vegetarian Italian sausage cooked up with peppers & onions (and maybe zucchini) thrown on top.  Might have to try that with the leftovers.

Spinach & Cheese Risotto

1-2 tsps. butter

1/2 of a 17.6 oz. box of arborio rice

1-2 cloves garlic, diced

5 large fresh basil leaves, cut in ribbons

8 oz. frozen chopped spinach

3 - 3 1/2 cups heated water

salt to taste

3 TBS cream (or milk, of you don't have cream)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large skillet (make sure it has a lid) melt butter over low heat.  Add garlic, basil and spinach.  Sprinkle in just a touch of salt.  Cook, stirring over med-low heat until spinach has thawed completely.  Add rice and stir to coat.  Cook, stirring, until rice has started to look translucent.  Add one cup of water and bring to a gentle simmer.   When the liquid has been absorbed, add another cup of water and simmer again until absorbed.  Continue to do this until your rice is cooked.  This should take approximately 18-20 minutes.  I used about 3 cups of water, but you might need a little more or a little less.  Just check your rice every now and then to se if it's done.  It should be just ever so slightly soupy, and tender, but not squishy (it's going to sit for a couple of minutes, so don't make it too done here).  Stir in cream and parmesan.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Remove from heat, cover and let stand for about 2 minutes before serving.  

If you buy Trader Joe's Arborio Rice, you will find that it has instructions on the side.  I generally followed them (left out the wine in the Spinach & Cheese one, and used plain water instead of broth ~ you could add the wine and use broth.  It might be even better that way), adding the ingredients I chose.  I want to try other additions, as well.  I am thinking asparagus, peas and mint would be good, with a little white wine and maybe a light (chicken style) broth.  

We loved this, and we are so glad we had leftovers.   Hope you enjoy it, too. 

Cheap & Simple

Trying to keep dinner inexpensive, simple and healthy these days.  Seems to be a bit of a challenge lately to come up with things we can (and will) all eat.  I have a number of food allergies/sensitivities, the kids have a variety of food aversions, and, of course, we all have our individual preferences.  I manage, but it takes a little planning.

Tonight, I totally forgot to plan.  Just looked up and ~ oops!  It's 6:15!  Do you know where your dinner is? 

I really didn't feel like cooking, and, frankly, I didn't have a lot of time to work with before children started collapsing from hunger all around me.  Or so it sometimes seems.  Kaia told me recently that she is "now like a Hobbit."  It's true.  the kids eats all the time.  I decided to cook one thing I know we all like, and let everyone put together the rest of their meal from leftovers and staples around the house.

I hardboiled a bunch of eggs and threw together a quick quinoa/vegetable pilaf, then told the kids they could look in the fridge and put together any meal they wanted, as long as it included eggs.  Justice had deviled eggs, a bagel with cream cheese and green juice.  Hallie had egg salad and the quinoa.  Kaia had two hardboiled eggs (she eats only the yolks), a sausage patty, a bowl of mashed potatoes and a glass of green juice.  And I think she just said she is hungry again.  Holy cow!  I am not sure what I have left in the house that she will eat.  Wish me luck.  I think she has already eaten everything that isn't nailed down.

For myself, I made a nice big salad topped with quinoa, chopped eggs and avocado.  It was super yummy.  Ha! ~ I accidentally typed "supper yummy" the first time I tried that!  It was supper yummy, too :)

Anyway, mine was so delicious, I took a picture.  Unfortunately, I used my little camera phone, and the lighting wasn't great, but I am posting the picture, anyway, as I cannot take another, now that I have eaten the whole thing.  You get the idea.  Yummy, right?  (That's cayenne on top, because I like it spicy, but you could use paprika, if you prefer).  I think it's kind of the perfect meal.  Loaded with protein, healthy veggies, and nothing that will make me itchy, puffy or sick (always a plus in my book).

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones

This morning, I had a hankering for chocolate chip scones.  The only problem with chocolate chip scones (for me) is that they contain butter and cream, to which I am allergic.  I did have some dairy-free chocolate chips on hand (doesn't everyone?  I think they're a staple), so I thought I might be able to figure it out.  I read through a lot of recipes online.  Some of them contained eggs ~ which wouldn't have been a problem for me, since I do use them, except that I happen to be out of eggs at the moment due to Kaia's newfound love of hardboiled eggs ~ and all of them contained butter and cream.  

I decided to fall back on my favourite biscuit recipe (from the Joy of Cooking), with a few adjustments. I've used this recipe before, subbing Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread (or sticks) for the butter and almond milk for the milk, so I thought I could make it work.  Although scones aren't exactly biscuits, they are similar.  I added a little sugar and vanilla to achieve the flavour I was going for, and it seems to have worked out nicely.  I think, maybe, they are a touch lighter than the average scone.  In fact, scone purists will probably say they are not so much scones as they are biscuits with chocolate chips.  I'm okay with that.  In fact, I find them quite delicious.

The instructions are a bit tricky when it comes to the cutting, so, next time I make them, I will have a helper so we can photograph the process and come back here and edit in some photos for clarification.  I could also use a better pic of the final product, but at least it gives you and idea of what to expect.  Besides, it shows off my pretty saucer :) Hopefully, I managed to explain it all well enough for it to make sense.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips*

5-6 TBS cold margarine**

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*Make sure your chocolate chips (and all other ingredients) are vegan, if want these to be truly vegan.

**I used Earth Balance, which is a great substitute for butter in baking. 

Preheat oven to 400℉.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt and baking powder until well combined.  

Cut in margarine with two knives or a pastry cutter.  I use my hands to mix the butter into the flour mixture.  You want to achieve a texture that is like coarse crumbs.  It is important not to allow the butter/flour mixture to form a paste.  

Add chocolate chips and toss lightly. 

Measure almond milk, then add the vanilla extract to the milk in your measure cup and stir to combine.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture in the bowl and combine with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon in a few gentle strokes, just enough to combine.

Generously flour your work surface.

Place dough on the floured surface, pat it lightly to make sure it hold together, and then gently turn it over.  (You can add more flour if necessary, but be careful.  You want a soft, tender dough ~ do not over work it or make it too dry).  At this point, both sides should have a light coating of flour.

Use you hands to form a rectangle with the dough that is about 3/4" thick.  For the purposes of my cutting instructions, make sure the long sides of the rectangle are the top and bottom, with the short sides on the sides).

Using a very sharp knife, cut your rectangle in half from top to bottom, then cut each half in half again, from top to bottom.  Now, cut the dough in half once from side to side.  You should have 8 small rectangles.  Make a diagonal cut from across each small rectangle to form two triangular shapes.  You now have 16 triangles.  

Place the triangles on ungreased cookie sheets.  

Bake for about 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool (but you'll probably want to eat at least one right away :)

Pizza for a Rainy (or hectic) Day

Had a brainstorm today.  Kaia requested homemade pizza for dinner.  Bought the cheese (pre-shredded, because I'm lazy) and made the sauce.  Then, I made the dough for the crust, using a recipe from The Joy of Cooking.  I decided to sub 2 cups of whole wheat white flour for 2 of the cups of flour called for in the recipe, simply because I have had a bag of the stuff sitting around for a couple of weeks and haven't done a damned thing with it.

As the dough was rising, I realized that the recipe I used made enough dough for two regular sized (it says 12" but I think our pizza pans are slightly bigger and it fills two of them) pizzas.  Shane and I were having our favourite portobello mushroom sandwiches for dinner, so I really only needed enough to make one pizza.  That would be plenty for the kids.  I divided the dough in half, then divided one half into three portions ~ one for each girl ~ so the kids could make their own personal pizzas.

I formed the other half of the dough into a round crust to fit on my pizza pan, dusted the pan with cornmeal, put the crust on it and baked at 425℉ for 4-5 minutes ~ just until it started to look not raw, and slightly puffed.  I removed the pan from the oven, let the crust cool, topped it with sauce and cheese and put it in the freezer.  When it is frozen solid, I will wrap it tightly and, the next time we are having a crazy day and feel like just ordering a pizza, we can pull it out of the freezer and have our own, homemade, (part) whole grain crust, less expensive than carry-out or frozen grocery store pizza.  And I'll bet it will taste better, too.

Here's hoping it works the way I hope it will :)  I promise that, when the day comes that we pull out our frozen pizza and give it a whirl, I'll let you know how it bakes up.  I have a good feeling about it.  I mean, if you can buy frozen pizza at the store, it stands to reason that you can freeze pizza...right?

Peanut Butter Crispie Treats

I just finished making a pan of these, and got to thinking:  This is a really good recipe that has gotten rave review from friends and family (adults and kids alike).  I thought I'd share it.


First, I searched GENH to make sure I hadn't  posted this recipe before because, frankly, I was sure I must have.  Can you believe that I didn't know you could search my blog for a specific recipe?  I am sooooooooooo technologically backward!  Luckily, I manage to find my way around enough to post here.  The importan thing is that I managed to search the blog and discover that I had not, in fact, posted this.  Weird.  You should totally have this recipe.


This is one of my favourite quick, not too un-healthy treats.  I began my quest for a healthier version of the ubiquitous Rice Krispie Treat some years ago.  The problem with Rice Krispie Treats (for me) is that they contain marshmallows (which contain gelatin) and butter (which is a dairy product).  Now, those two problems could be fairly easily solved, I am guessing, by substituting vegan marshmallows (which are expensive, and not always very easy to find) and Earth Balance (or a similar vegan butter substitute).  That might be the best plan for the purists.  However, I saw this as an opportunity to make over the treats into something a bit less junky, something that I could feel good about giving my kids (in moderation, of course).


Now, I have to admit, I have always preferred the peanut butter Krispie Treats to the original.  I'm just not a marshmallow fan.  Peanut butter, or the other hand?  Well, I LOVE peanut butter.  So, with that decision made (peanut butter!  That adds protein, right?), I began with a standard peanut butter Krispie Treat recipe.  The recipes I found contained corn syrup and sugar.  Now, I am not against using sugar, but I thought I could find a more health-conscious option without losing the essence of the snack.  I decided on agave nectar.


We love agave nectar.  It has a lower glycemic index that sugar, is sweeter, so you can use less, and it works well in a variety of recipes.  The only problem is that it is sort of watery, and does not "set" the way that a mixture of sugar and corn syrup will when cooked.  So, I had to find a way to help my treats hold their shape.  I decided to give agar agar a shot.


According to Wikipedia, "Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived by boiling^[1] from apolysaccharide in red algae, where it accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte and serve as the primary structural support for the algae's cell walls."  

So, there you have it.  Sounds appetizing, doesn't it?  But it is cool stuff.  Agar agar can be to fruit juice to make a vegan "jello" type of dessert.  It can also be used for thickening, and I had a feeling it might do the trick in my recipe.  I hadn't worked with agar agar much in the past, so I did some reading up and experimenting to figure out how to make this work.

I also decided to add some ground flaxseeds.  You may notice that I add these to a number of recipes (granola bars and bread, for instance).  Being vegetarian, we don't get a lot of omega-fatty-acid-rich foods, so I like to throw in a little extra wherever I can manage (using eggs rich in omega-3 fatty acids, for instance, or fortified milk)  For more information about the health benefits of flaxseeds, check out this:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

While I was making over my treats, I decided I might as well use organic brown rice crispies, instead of the regular "Rice Krispie" cereal.  Now, the argument could be made for using the regular cereal, because it is fortified with all sorts of nutrients, so it might be more nutritious in some ways.  I was going for a whole foods approach to the treats, but you can decide what's most important to you.  The recipe works with whatever crisp rice cereal you choose.  (This time, I chose Nature's Path Organic Crispy Rice.)

Finally, after much experimentation and lots of taste-testing, I arrived at a recipe, and have used it ever since.  Now, you can use it, too.  Enjoy!

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Peanut Butter Crispie Treats

3 cups organic brown rice crisps cereal

1/2 cup organic peanut butter (no sugar)

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 tsp. agar agar flakes

2 TBS ground flax seeds

Grease an 8x8" square pan. Place cereal in a large bowl. In a small saucepan stir together agave nectar and peanut butter over low heat until hot and smooth. Stir in agar agar flakes. Quickly mix peanut butter mixture into cereal, sprinkling in flax seeds as you go and making sure all cereal is evenly coated. Press firmly into greased pan and let cool before cutting into squares or bars.

If you like, you can sprinkle the bottom of your pan with chocolate chips (or M&Ms-type candy) before you press in the cereal/peanut butter mixture.  This will give you a bar that is similar to the popular "Kudos" snack bars.  My kids like them with or without the chocolate, so, frankly, I usually leave it out, to save on added sugar.