YUMMY FUN

Chocolate Chip cookies YUM
I love the sweets we make
brownie ice cream cake FUN

I dream of good things to come
I love to bake
chocolate chips cookies YUM

come hang with me some
imagine the wake of our bake
brownie ice cream cake FUN

into the pie, we'll throw some rum
just enough for flavor's sake
chocolate chip cookie pie YUM

and know I start to hum
feeling a little bit fake
hopped up on brownie ice cream cake

the totality of our sum?
from the sugar, I start to quake
chocolate chip cookies YUM
Brownie ice cream cake FUN

20 years ago

20 years ago
I was a ballerina     now     I am a martial artist
20 years ago
I decorated cakes     now     chocolate cakes count for breakfast
20 years ago
I made sense out of the world around me     now     I see reason in nonsense
20 years ago
I thought the right business model could fix the world     now     I believe becoming our best selves is the world
20 year ago
I saved clothes for special days     now     I make every day special

Pumpkin, Oatmeal, Raisin, Chocolate Chip Cookies

AKA: Raya Cookies

My cookies have evolved again. In effort to make them allergen free (for my family) and healthier I have changed out fat for pumpkin. To make them lighter, I add home ground oat flour.  Ect, ect.

Here is the current version:

Raya Cookies:

MIX:
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin or equivalent squash

2 Tbs olive oil
lots of cinnamon
1 cont grape juice concentrate (defrosted)
1 cont water (I use the empty concentrate cont)
1 Tbs baking soda

ADD:
4 cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground is best)
4 cups oats ground in a blender- some texture left is awesome
raisins, nuts, and chocolate chips to taste

Drop onto sprayed cookie sheet (they won't spread, so many can fit on a sheet). and Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

This recipe makes about 3 cookie sheets full- if your toddler doesn't get to them first.

Smoothy Tutorial

To make a good "blended salad" type smoothy I recommend this basic recipe.

Basic Smoothy 
For 1 person:
1/2 banana
handful of greens (spinach is sweeter, kale requires more sweetness to compensate, other fresh greens are doable too) put in according to your taste
1 cup of frozen fruits
fill to top of fruits with water

blend and blend until very smooth

I often throw in fresh fruits that need to be used then cut down slightly on the frozen fruits. Strawberries, bananas and pineapple are some of the sweetest fruits. If you are not using frozen fruits you will need ice cubes to blend up with it.


Blueberry Smoothy

1 whole banana
lots of greens
blueberries to fill line
water to fill line

blend, blend, blend


Chocolate Smoothy- a real treat- enough for 2 or 3 people

5 oz baby spinach
2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 banana
2-4 dates (pitted)
2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 Tbs ground  flax seeds

blend, blend, blend

 Very Green Smoothy

1 bunch kale (rinsed and stripped)
4 stalk celery
1 cucumber
2 granny smith apples (sliced and cored)
1/2 lemon
some ginger root

Zucchini Brownies

Sorry I have no pictures- these never last long enough for that.

They are perfect to make with the large garden zucchinis- often called "Mega-Zukes."

Bake 350, until you consider them done.

Mix:
1/2 cup applesauce (today I used mashed squash) or 2 ripe bananas or oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
fat dash of cinnamon
1/2 c baking cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

then add:
about 3 cups of shredded zucchini (if it has large seeds, I would seed it first. I learned that one the hard way ;P)
2 cups whole wheat flour
and all the chocolate chips and nuts you want

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake.

I usually top it with a Tofu Frosting

Blend until smooth- I mean really smooth. Keep blending:
1 package (12 oz?) silken tofu
1/2 c baking cocoa
dash of cinnamon
dash of vanilla
maple syrup- to your sweetness preference- feel free to taste several times while adjusting quantities
1/2 cup nut butter of your choice (cashew is really decadent)

2 desserts- 1 bake time

Blue Berry Pie

is simple.

Make a crust:

Crumble 4 cups of whole wheat flour , 2 tsp salt in with 1/2 cup palm oil. Add cold water and fork it till it sticks. Take out parts that do stick together and add more water and for more...ect until all used up. Roll out with lots of flour- put in pan.

Pour in blueberries ( I used frozen) until slightly mounded. Drizzle with maple syrup and corn starch. Add top crust- pinch together and bake at 450 for 30 minutes, and then 350 for another 30 minutes.

With left over dough- cut circles, put into muffin tin to form little tart-let shells. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool- these shells can hang around for days until you are ready to use them.

Vegan Banana Cream Tart-lets

are also easy.

Blend:
2 bananas
1 12oz package of tofu (drained)
1/2 cup of cashew butter- raw is best
shake of salt (if cashew butter is unsalted)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs olive oil


Drop these by spoonfuls into tart-let shells.

Melt :
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 Tbs palm oil

Plop by spoonfuls on top of banana cream and let set a few minutes.

Enjoy!

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

How could I miss a holiday like that? I mean it was yesterday and I did nothing about it until tonight. Of course that is probably because by the time I found out it was national chocolate chip cookie day, I had already made my avocado chocolate cake/brownies.


So here is my  repentance and restitution.....my husband let me make it up to him.....adapted from a recipe called "Better then Sex chocolate chip cookies." Now of course, we will have to prove which one is better ; p





One good cookie deserves another.

A Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie- and nobody will argue that it deserves to be called a cookie.


cream:
3/4 cup vegan butter
2 mashed bananas
1 c sugar (gasp, I used real sugar)
1/2 cup black strap molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs cinnamon
shakes of ginger, nutmeg and allspice
2 shakes of salt

then add:
2 tsp baking soda

then add:
4 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour

now add:
1 cup broken walnuts
1 cup vegan chocolate chips


Drop/ roll into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

I like to leave them soft.

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes

3 c flours (fresh ground whole wheat preferred)
3/4 c cocoa
2/3 c oil
2 c real maple syrup
1.5 c  almond milk (or any other milk or even water)
2 avocados peeled and pitted
2 tsp vanilla

I put the flour in the bowl, dig a little well, pour in the cocoa and oil (and always add a dash of cinnamon) mix the oil and cocoa- add in the vanilla and maple syrup- then the milk and avocado. Then I take my hand blender and blend until is is all smooth and creamy.

I pour it into a pan or lined muffin tins and bake at 350 until done (about 20 min).

Peanut Butter Frosting

mix well:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 c milk
up to 1/2 c maple syrup (I use what ever is left in the bottle)
touch of vanilla

and then blend it until smooth- adjusting milk until I get the consistency I want.

Recipies from the Olaf Garden

Chocolate Lefse
7 layers of Minnesotan Chocolate Heaven.

Layer 1- Lefse
Layer 2- Mint chocolate fudge (1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 c chocolate chips, 1/2 tsp mint extract, nuked and stirred)
Layer 3- Lefse
Layer 4- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Chocolate (4 oz cream cheese, 1/2 c chocolate chips, 1 tsp cinnamon, nuked and stirred)
Layer 5- Lefse
Layer 6- Sliced bananas and chopped walnuts
Layer 7-Whipped Chocolate Cream (3/4c whipping cream and 1/4 c chocolate chips melted together, cool in fridge, then whip like normal whipping cream)
Top with a layer of shredded coconut.

Other Menu ideas for the Olaf Garden Include:

Linguni with Swedish meatballs
Lutefish Scampi
Braised Bambi

A mouthful

Whole Grain
Refined sugar free
Gluten Free
Chocolate Chip Cookies

MIX:
1 stick melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 c honey

Add:
2 c brown rice flour
1 c buckwheat flour
1 TBS baking powder

Add:
1/2 c nuts
1/2 c chocolate chips

drop unto greased cookies sheet. Bake at 350 until firm to touch.

brownies

Brownies so good
you can eat them for breakfast

MIX WELL
1 stick melted butter
2/3 c baking cocoa
1 container formerly frozen apple juice concentrate
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

add:
2.5 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour
1 cup steel cut oatmeal
1/2 cup water
1 tsp baking powder

add:
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

bake at 350 until done.