Category Archives: Recipes

Cookie Monster

I took advantage of the cooler temperatures last week (we’re heading back toward “normal” summer heat now) to appease the Cookie Monster.

He wanted a batch of crunchy oatmeal raisin cookies and I wanted to try a new recipe for chocolate chip chia cookies.  What’s a girl to do?  Make both, of course!

Making both doughs at the same time allowed me to use the mixer twice and wash once.  I made both doughs in the morning and chilled them for afternoon baking.  I worried that the chia seeds would absorb moisture while sitting, lessening the crunch in the final product, but that wasn’t an issue.

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I made some significant adjustments to the chocolate chip chia recipe (above left), which was a bit of a gamble on the first round.  I kept relative proportions the same, but I subbed some rice flour and quick oats for some of the spelt flour, swapped some of the butter for nut butter, and reduced the sugar.

The result?  A low-sweetness, chewy, chocolatey cookie with crunch from the chia seeds and pecans.  They work either as a granola bar-type snack or as a healthy treat — just what I wanted!

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We used to freeze cookie dough balls for later baking, but it’s easier (and more energy efficient, especially in the summer) to heat the oven once, bake all the cookies in one go, and freeze them for later enjoyment.

The oatmeal cookies (smaller cookies in above photos) are a recipe from a friend, who made a batch for Matthew and his mom for their road trip to Florida earlier this summer.  The spices really make the cookies — enjoy!

Judy’s oatmeal cookies

Ingredients
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cloves
1/4 t. allspice
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. butter
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2.5 cups rolled oats
1 c. chopped walnuts and/or pecans
1 c. raisins (or dried cherries or cranberries)

Directions
Combine all dry ingredients (except the oats), including spices.  Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.

Combine dry ingredients with butter-egg mixture.  Stir in the oats, nuts, and fruit.  Chill dough for at least an hour (or up to thirty-six hours), before scooping and baking.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  For crunchy cookies (this is how we made a previous batch, and how Judy makes them), make very small dough balls (maybe a not-heaping tablespoon of dough?) and bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating top and bottom trays halfway through.

I was curious about a chewier oatmeal cookie, so I made the dough balls a bit bigger, but kept the cooking time about the same.

The plan was actually that some would come out crunchier (for Cookie Monster) and some chewier (for me), but I’m afraid none were the super crunchy that Cookie Monster was hoping for, unless he eats them straight from the freezer — they’re very crunchy that way!

Garden veggie slaw and potluck hosting

So, as I mentioned last week, we hosted our vegetarian potluck group on Friday night.  With the apartment looking the best it ever has, I set out to make our contribution to the meal.

I discovered that potluck style meals are awesome to host, because instead of going crazy trying to make (and clean up after) multiple dishes/courses, there’s just the one dish you’re responsible for making.

A couple of weeks ago, I made some kohlrabi-turnip slaw based on this recipe.  So, while I wasn’t strictly working from a recipe when I made my dish for the potluck, this was floating around in my head.

We also planned to make a second, simple dish of sliced garden tomatoes with olive oil and balsamic, but the cooler weather we’ve had (yay!) means slow-ripening tomatoes.  Good thing we didn’t put all our eggs in that basket!

Once I finished the slaw, I completed some final kitchen clean-up, then set out cloth napkins and real (i.e., non-disposable) plates, cups, and utensils (very thankful for the dishwasher post-party).

Fifteen of our friends joined us, bringing their own lovely, local-food themed offerings, for a fun evening of dining and chatting.

I received several requests for the slaw recipe, so, without further ado, my garden veggie slaw.

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GARDEN VEGGIE SLAW

Recipe by Melissa
Serves 12-15

Ingredients
Dressing
3 T peanut butter
2 T miso paste
1 t sweet mirin rice wine
2 T seasoned rice vinegar
1 t lime juice
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 T peanut oil
3 T sugar
6 cloves garlic, minced
Cilantro*
———–
Veggies**
3 c purple cabbage, shredded or cut very finely
1 large kohlrabi, shredded
3  hakurei turnips, shredded
1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 c toasted sunflower seeds

Directions
Combine all dressing ingredients to make a rich, thick dressing.

Prep your veggies.  I cut the cabbage by hand and used a box grated for the kohlrabi and turnips.

In a large bowl, toss shredded vegetables with the dressing.  Let sit for at least two hours for flavors to meld.

Serve topped with toasted sunflower seeds.

*I didn’t have fresh cilantro, so I used some cilantro “pesto” that I made and froze earlier in the summer.  It was a minor flavor note, so could be omitted.
**You can mix and match the veggies here, depending on what you have available.  Green cabbage would certainly work, while the purple adds a nice color pop.  Shredded carrots would also work nicely.

Cool as a cucumber salad

If you’re growing cucumbers (or get them in a CSA box), this is about the point where you’re wondering, what do I do with all of these cukes?

One good option is homemade pickles (looks like I need a post on that subject), but if the pickling route is not your thing, there’s always cucumber salad.

The challenge with a cucumber salad is to make something that’s flavorful rather than watery, with a twist to add interest to what can be a boring dish.

Challenge accepted and met.

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Asian Cucumber Salad

Recipe by Melissa
Serves 4

Ingredients
3-4 c. cucumber, cut in small chunks (or thin slices)
2 T. finely chopped onion (red would be lovely)
2 T. miso paste
2 T. sugar
2-3 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1/3 c. chopped peanuts and/or black sesame seeds
Cilantro for garnish (opt.)

Directions
Whisk miso paste, sugar, and rice vinegar to combine.  Toss with cucumber and onion.  Refrigerate for at least two hours (or up to twenty-four).  Before serving, top with peanuts and/or sesame seeds.

Note: Feel free to play with amounts of miso, sugar, and vinegar to get the salty, sweet, tangy combination that’s right for you!

——

We ate all of the finished product before I could snap a photo.  This makes a fast and easy side, snack, or picnic dish.

Foods of summer

The garden kindly waited to hit its full summer stride until we returned from our trip.  After a week of being creative with frozen veggies, I was ready!

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The zucchini on the bottom right got away from us, but it was perfect for zucchini bread.  I whipped up a big batch and made some with chocolate chips as “cupcakes” for Sir’s belated birthday celebration with his childcare friends.

After I made them, I had a bit of baker’s regret, wondering if three- and four-year-old kids would go for my healthy treat: no frosting, made with whole wheat pastry flour, and chock full of grated zucchini and chopped pecans.

The kids’ verdict?  Yummy!

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I made use of the hot oven to roast some veggies for dinner that night: red beets, golden beets, and broccoli romanesco, served with pasta with garden veggie sauce and a side of garlicky collard greens.

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Garlic featured prominently in the roasting marathon.  Matthew peeled hundreds of cloves of garlic for a taste test of the twenty-four varieties he grew.  Unfortunately, my method of roasting the garlic in muffin tins, with individual varieties separated in the cups, and perhaps the fact that the cloves were already peeled, didn’t lead to the best roasting ever.

Edible, just not that really delicious carmelization that you can get with roasted garlic.  Matthew also sauteed several of the varieties to try them that way.

After all that work, our general conclusion is that the different kinds all taste like, you guessed it, garlic!

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Another meal, this one inspired by a magazine recipe for pasta with anchovies, walnuts, and raisins, served with tomato-topped kale and cannellini beans, plus some sauteed squash.

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Finally, this dish was actually a pre-vacation meal: a simple pasta salad with [raw] kale, spinach, and last year’s sun-dried tomatoes, dressed in olive oil, white wine vinegar, parm, and salt and pepper.  Some chopped olives would have made a welcome addition.

Unpictured eats: quinoa and summer squash salad, gazpacho, lentil chili, and garden veggie curry.

Stay tuned for some recipes, including more details on the polenta dish and a simple, refreshing cucumber salad.

Garden update

It’s one of those, “I haven’t posted in over a week, where do I start?” kind of mornings over here.  So, how about a little June garden tour and update?

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Strawberry season has given way to red raspberry season (with black raspberries — my favorite!) soon to follow.

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We’re currently harvesting artichokes (those crazy, spiky Jurassic-looking plants in the background — see here for artichoke serving suggestion) and the garlic (on the right) is almost mature.

Matthew harvested over six pounds of garlic scapes a couple of weeks ago, four pounds of which we sold to Local Harvest Grocery in Kirkwood.

We’ve been incorporating the rest into our meals, mainly using it as you would garlic, but adding it toward the end of cooking time since it’s more delicate.

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Pictured from front to back: feathery fennel fronds, cruciferous veggies, onions, and potatoes.

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We’ve been harvesting fennel, including some for sale to Five.  We roasted most of the fennel the last two years, but I’m experimenting with very thin slices for use in salads this time around.

We had a beautiful lettuce harvest (and lovely salads) for a few weeks, but most of the lettuce is bolting now.

It’s probably just as well, as I’ve concluded that all the greenery in huge salads makes my stomach grumpy.  It doesn’t happen every time, but often enough that I’m scaling back a bit and trying for less lettuce and more toppings.

We’ve also been enjoying fresh peas, including our first experience growing shelling peas.  They require a bit more work (i.e., the shelling) as compared to sugar snap peas, but they’re sweet and delicious — worth it!

Sir finds peas of all kinds delightful, and I learned the hard way that sitting next to him on the floor, attempting to shell and snap peas while he played, was a losing proposition when my goal was actually having peas left for dinner!

What’s growing in your garden and/or what fun local produce is on your plate this week?