Mesquite Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are thin, chewy and given a huge flavour boost from mesquite flour. A small amount goes a long way to making every bite extraordinary!

 

Mesquite is a flavour and aroma that usually brings into mind memories of barbecue or slow, smokey camp outs. It's one of my favourite flavours of liquid smoke, and in fact was one of N and my first memories as a couple (he ordered a sandwich with mesquite BBQ sauce on our first date). So with our anniversary rolling around in mid November, I decided to honour (or poke fun at) the occasion and dug into my stash of mesquite flour to make these cookies.

While mesquite is almost always associated with savoury foods, it actually pairs really well with rich, sweet and "dark" flavours like brown sugar and bittersweet chocolate too! I enhanced the flavour of the mesquite by adding both whole wheat flour and flaxseeds, adding a lovely nuttiness to the overall cookie. That said, because of all the "thirsty" ingredients, it is imperative that these cookies rest in the fridge at least an hour to hydrate, otherwise they will have a gritty texture. The chunks of dark chocolate become ever so slightly oozy when they bake, even when cool, and add just the sublest hint of sweet and bitter to the dough. 

These cookies are definitely a great addition to the cookie platter at the holidays, if an unusual one. You can make them big or small, adjusting the bake time as necessary, and while they don't need adornment, there is nothing stopping you from throwing on a dash of sprinkles on top before baking for a little festive flair!

PCB Jam - Toast Topper #91

When Ontario produce is abundant (and relatively cheap!) It's jam making time! This batch is full of peaches, cherries and blackberries, promising Summer in every bite.

Wow - this is what happens when life shoves things to the back burner - or in this case, the drafts folder! Luckily, this jam is so good that I make it almost yearly, so please forgive the shoddy photo but enjoy this Toast Topper!

I make no secret of the fact that I love freezing my produce when it's at it's peak in the Summer, or if I can't get out to the farmer's market (like - ahem - this year), purchasing my berries and stone fruit conveniently IQF. For me, you can't beat the flavour in the middle of the Winter, since here you're lucky to find anything but mealy apples that are $3 a pound by the time November rolls around! That said, I am also completely guilty of buying too much fruit when it's on sale and thus, overburdening the freezer (especially when it's competing with cookie dough, turkeys, stock and pies). When I start getting attacked by bags of it when I open the door, I know it's time to break out the large pot, the pectin and the canner and get preserving.

This jam is perfect in it's simplicity, not needing spices or extracts to make the flavours pop. Rather, the sweetness of the peaches and cherries is balanced by the blackberries, which also add a tiny bit of texture (because I'm lazy and don't strain seeds). This jam also comes together lightning-fast, meaning that you need to make sure your waterbath canner is almost boiling and your jars are sanitized before you start the process. If canning isn't your thing (and I'll be honest, I haven't done any this year), fear not - you can keep a jar unopened in the fridge for a month or so or freeze it for up to six (use a plastic container though, broken glass is no fun!).

Apple Onion Rosemary Jam - Toast Topper #90

Apple Onion Rosemary Jam is sweet, sour, savoury and an excellent condiment alongside cheese and crackers or topping roast beef. No pectin and very little sugar needed - it all comes from the produce!

 

 

Are you a condiment person? I, for one, was always a huge fan of spicy, tangy accompaniments to a traditional Sunday roast dinner, and if I was at a party with a platter of cheese and relishes - heaven! My mom is also a fan of sweet-sour-savoury condiments, especially things like chutney. So, while our family gatherings this year have been quite scaled back, it just means that I don't have to share everything I make! (Just kidding, I love to share).

This jam was inspired by a cheese board spread I saw in the local wine store's magazine, where they had a little bowl of onion jam alongside oozy Brie and sharp Cheddar, toast points and crackers. I still had a bounty of apples hanging out in the fridge and I always have onions in the pantry, so I gave it a go with a recipe I found on Just a Pinch. I added a pinch of rosemary that I had dried from this summer's herb garden, which really lent a savoury note to the mixture and played off the sweet apples and brown sugar well, in addition to the garlic and black pepper. 

 

It is worth noting this is a small batch recipe - it only makes two cups or so - but because there is no pectin to mess around with it is fairly scale-able. It is also a weapon to have in the fridge or freezer all year round, since while it's great on roast beef it would also play nicely with a hearty beef burger or even a grilled cheese sandwich. Whatever you feel needs a pop of flavour, this will suffice!

 

Beetroot and Poppyseed Sourdough

This Beetroot and Poppyseed Sourdough is cooked in a Dutch oven for an unbelievably crisp crust, and the long fermentation makes for the most amazing flavour and texture. You will never have a loaf quite like it!

 

The only (and I repeat: the only) good things about the cold weather coming around here are these: my root vegetables are finally ready to harvest, and I can turn on the oven and not get whined at for heating up the house. I proudly grow a variety of beets and carrots in my little plot every year, and take great pleasure incorporating them into things like chutney, soups, cake, pickles and bread. 

 

Now, beet bread is nothing new to me. I have made beet-enhanced bread on this blog before, and it is always a hit given it's natural sweet earthiness. That said, I never made one of the sourdough or Dutch oven baked variety! I came across this gorgeous idea while scrolling through my feed reader shortly before World Bread Day, and I immediately bookmarked it. Not only did it use up one of my large beets, but I didn't have to pre-roast and puree the vegetable - a simple grate is all that was needed. As a result, the bread baking process draws out the sweet liquid in the shreds, infusing every bite of the crumb and making it impossibly tender. A couple spoons of poppy seeds add crunch while the hot Dutch oven made the crust crisp and relatively thick (read: chewy!).

 

One of the reasons this bread was such a win for our family is that it was a sourdough recipe. This means that the bread takes a while to make, but it is almost completely hands off and while you sleep at night, making for fresh bread in the morning! The slight tang from the fermentation balances the nuttiness of the seeds and the sweetness of the beets as well, so every bite is sheer perfection (trust me: my mom ate a portion of this loaf without even butter). If you have a sourdough starter languishing after the bread boom of the summer, break it out and give it a few feeds before using it so it's lovely and energetic - the dough is rather heavy so the yeast needs to do a lot of work!

Chickpea and Quinoa Tabbouleh

This salad is fresh, light and healthy with a tangy lemon garlic dressing infusing chickpeas, quinoa and a host of vegetables. Homegrown lemon balm adds interest to the standard parsley as well!

 

I know, I know... it's the second week of November - what right do I have posting a lovely salad like this? Well, I have succeeded this year in maintaining a tiny kitchen herb garden (for how long, I don't know) and with the unseasonably warm weather in the later half of our growing season we still have plenty of just-picked tomatoes on the counter! I wanted to use up as much as I could with my older Home Ec class, and when I came across a partial bag of quinoa in the freezer I was inspired to make a version of one of my favourite salads from college: tabbouleh. 

Normally, you'll find a rather bare-bones ingredient list in tabbouleh - parsley, mint, bulgur and maybe some lemon and olive oil. This recipe takes the idea and runs with it, swapping in the nutrient dense (and gluten free) quinoa for the bulgur and adding in extra veggies - including deliciously nutty chickpeas and home grown lemon balm. A few twists on the traditional dressing pop up the flavour even more! While this was made and enjoyed the same day by my students and colleagues, the leftovers were even better - my mom began raiding the leftovers in the fridge as a snack and said the mixture just kept getting better with time. 

Of course, if quinoa isn't your thing, the standard bulgur is still perfectly fine here. You can also use couscous, amaranth, millet, rice or farro for different flavours and textures - just make sure they're all cooked before adding them! The possibilities are endless, but if you don't have lemon balm I do suggest adding some lemon zest to the mix for that bright citrus flavour. You wont regret it!

Jerusalem Bagels #worldbreadday2020

Vegan Jerusalem Bagels are pillow-soft with a lightly chewy crust, accented by toasted sesame seeds. Sliced and frozen they are a perfect secret weapon mid week... If they don't "disappear" while still hot and fresh!

 

It is the 15th ever World Bread Day hosted by Zorra (@zorrakochtopf )! It has been a while since I last participated (university is no joke kids) but I am so glad to bring my bakes to the table again this year!

Bagels are known for being time consuming and messy to make in this house - the use of the mixer, stove and oven along with the baking sheets and cooling racks and floured counters... it's a lot when you just want some carbs in the breadbox! That said, bagels are insanely convenient for the school year lunches, breakfasts on the go, and lazy Saturday mornings. When I stumbled across "Jerusalem bagels" on Coco's Green Deli, I was intrigued - ring-shaped, topped with sesame but without the glossy and chewy exterior from boiling, could they possibly compare to my beloved Montreal bagels, or even my usual homemade ones?

 

 

Well, the short answer is yes! While different from the boiled bagels, these soft, pillowy breads are the perfect (and fast) addition to the weekday routine. The dough is soft and slightly sweet thanks to the soy milk and sugar, while whole wheat flour adds a touch of nuttiness and a boost of fibre. I also added a scoop of Naked Rice protein to the dough since N will occasionally eat them without any Toast Topper or even peanut butter (shocker, I know!) and the protein and fibre will help keep him full and energized for a few hours. The dough is also great for making dinner rolls to pair with soup or chili, but whatever you do, don't skip the seedy topping! It doesn't have to be sesame seeds - but flax, chia, poppy, heck even sunflower seeds add a boost of crunch and a warming nuttiness that really keeps them from being too sweet and rich.

 

Interestingly enough, when I made these on parchment paper, I didn't like them as much as I did when I baked them on SilPat - possibly because the silicone insulates the dough and keeps the softness throughout the whole bagel. However, both are good - you just have a bit of a thicker bottom crust on parchment.

 

Thanks again to Zorra for hosting WBD 15! 

 

 

Coconut Butter Shortbread

These unassuming, shortbread-like cookies pack a hit of coconut flavour thanks to coconut butter (AKA creamed coconut). A drizzle of dark chocolate on top gussies them up just enough! 

 

Baking is such a zen practice for me. So many times I have caught a glimpse of our kitchen clock and thought "where did that time go?". I'm really glad that I get to not only cook and bake for a living, but that I get to teach kids how to do it too, creating things from cornbread to granola bars to pizza wontons with them and watching them hone their skills. Being school in 2020, some things have changed - nuts of all kinds are verboten, a lot of the hands-on stuff has disappeared, and my allergy lists are as long as my (orangutan, allegedly) arms. Lessons have become more refined than the "set the kids free" method I used to employ, but I still try to get them involved in any way I can.

One of the things I love doing with kids is cookies, and these ones are no exception. The process to "dough" takes about 10 minutes, and once it's made (by either the "responsible" adult or a watched student) the younger ones have a blast rolling and "squishing" the dough balls on the sheet. Ironically, for this recipe I was the one who needed to mind my allergies, as coconut and I don't mix at all! That said, this small batch is rich enough to satisfy a dessert craving without leaving you with a million cookies (not that that's a bad thing...) and with the dark chocolate drizzled on top you can feel a little fancy too. I served these to my coworkers and they were a hit!

Christmas Curry

This Christmas Curry is PACKED with vegetables and vegan protein, with a light coconut broth made with homemade curry paste infusing every single ingredient! I managed to toss in eggplant, kale, snow peas, onion, and two types of sweet potato, and topped it off with some home-grown Thai basil!

 

One of the best things about being able to go back to work is that my school is near a few international supermarkets. Even though I definitely did not grow up with the flavours of India, Japan, the Caribbean or Thailand (except for a few "world days" at school) I definitely developed a love for their cuisines, and others, when I lived in our nation's capital. Mom also had the chance to travel the world with work about that time, so when it comes time for me to cook for her I usually know where I'm headed!

Like I've mentioned a million times before, the main curry we make at home is Thai based - filled with fresh flavours from vegetables and light but filling tofu, it is something that it suitable year round. I had a few batches of curry paste hanging around my freezer from the summer (and last year too, apparently!) so I knew it was time to get back into the game and clear some freezer space. In terms of vegetables, I got a ton of inspiration wandering the shops near work. Mom loves sweet potatoes in curry, so I grabbed a couple varieties to play with, and a pack of Chinese eggplant as well which I love for their silky quality when cooked (and minimal seeds). Tofu is something we always have on hand, so it wasn't even a question, as were the addition of some of the garden's peas, chilies, kale and bell peppers. The final touch was the Thai basil I was growing on the windowsill, which I was excited to finally have a use for! 

Of course, even the best laid plans don't always work out seamlessly. I thought I had a can of coconut milk hanging out in the pantry, but apparently it had disappeared sometime in the past! However, I did have a couple bricks of creamed coconut - essentially coconut butter from pureed coconut meat - so a half block added the touch of creaminess to offset the spice of my homemade curry paste. The other half was used too - don't worry, you'll see it on the blog soon! 

While the prep work and initial cooking of this curry takes some time, the great thing is it makes a lot - so you have some for dinner and you can freeze the leftovers without issue. It's a great pinch-hitter when you just don't feel like cooking or when you have unexpected vegetarian guests for dinner. Like all these curries, add vegetables or change them up to suit your taste. Regular potatoes, jicama or cauliflower would work instead of the sweet potatoes, use green beans instead of snow peas, spinach instead of kale... you get the drift. I always say the more veggies the better! Likewise, if you don't enjoy tofu (though it soaks up the curry flavour beautifully), saute up some chunks of chicken and toss them in with the kale to warm through. The miso adds a delicate richness to the flavour and stands in for the traditional shrimp paste or fish sauce, but if you are not vegetarian feel free to add those instead!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies (GF/Vegan)

Gluten Free and Vegan Cinnamon Roll Cookies! Spicy, sweet and perfectly sized for popping into your mouth.

 

Who doesn't love the gooey, spicy bite of a cinnamon roll? I am in the midst of planning my holiday baking spree right now, and I came across a recipe that I made a few years ago and never got to share! I was first inspired to make my childhood favourite mall treat in a cookie form by one of my yoga instructors, who would comment on the smell coming from the cafe below the gym. She has celiac and associated milk allergy, so for the holidays I knew I had to try and make her something reminiscent of the bakery classics. 

Now, since I was trying to keep the cookies as non-irritating as possible for her digestion, I avoided the top 8 allergens including soy. Instead, I stuck to the original recipe, using coconut oil - a move that, ironically, mad me wear gloves the whole time because it's one of my allergies! That said, the dough, filling and even glaze smelled like heaven and my instructor was so grateful for a treat that was safe for her, making the minor convenience well worth it. The dough is in no way elastic or "rollable" like standard sugar cookie dough, so it did break and make not-so-pretty swirls, but the pockets of cinnamon filling were like little bursts of happiness. In all honesty, I think they are quite pretty in a Jackson Pollock type of way, and if you really don't like it, just heavy-glaze them like that internet famous Krispy Kreme (just kidding, don't do that... an even coating is fine). 

Like shortbreads, these cookies store well and are suitable for boxing, mailing and gifting - ours lasted a max of 3 weeks before everyone got and demolished them, but I'd wager another week would have been fine too. Once baked they don't fall apart, so they work well on a cookie tray as well - something that will make any gluten free people at your holiday party happy! You can also make the dough and freeze it pre-bake for last minute finishing, a bonus if (like me) you plan ahead.

(Almost) Doubletree Cookies

I finally got around to making a week batch of the infamous Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies! I made a few variations on the original, namely veganizing them, but I also used chopped chocolate instead of the chips and pecans instead of walnuts because it's what I had on hand. They are a perfect mix of crisp and chewy with great flavour and texture!

 

While I've never been to a DoubleTree hotel in my life, I am no stranger to the knowledge that they offer fresh baked cookies on arrival. This fact alone would make me want to stay there - not because I could eat them (cookies are, unfortunately, not on my body's "do" list) but because I do the same thing here when we have guests. Whether it is a large family gathering (and I mean large - Italian families are crazy!) or simply my grandma, N or my sister's boyfriend D, there is a large chance that some form of homemade goodie will be waiting for them. It simply seems like the right thing to do!

 

While N definitely prefers peanut butter based cookies (or cinnamon cakes), my grandma is definitely one for the more classic flavours. The original cookie recipe that I found online (then rediscovered in a scaled down format) met the criteria for a classic cookie (yes, like my mom used to make) but with enough of a twist with the lemon juice and cinnamon. I set about making this batch a wee bit healthier, though, since while cookies are a treat there's no reason you can't boost flavour and nutrition - plus I was out of eggs and butter thanks to a batch of bread I whipped up the day before. So veganizing the cookie happened as a result, but I also used a touch of whole wheat flour for a bit of extra depth in the flavour department. Because you can never have enough chocolate, I chopped up a bar of my favourite kind, adding the tiny little shards into the dough as well like chocolate confetti! Pecans were always a natural choice for me, as they are my mom's and grandma's favourite nut, and we always have some on hand. 

While you can certainly bake these cookies right away, time got the best of me and I had to stick the dough in the fridge for an hour while I tended to other things. That said, like most cookies (and all those with whole grains), these definitely benefited from the chill time - the dough was thoroughly hydrated and the chocolate had solidified after the heat of the kitchen. When baked, the cookies were thin, with crisp edges and a chewy middle studded with the pecans. The aroma was pure home, and when my grandma walked in she commented how wonderful it smelled!

Vegan Cottage Pie

This unusual, yet delicious take on the classic Shepherds Pie is completely vegan and packed with vegetables like carrots, onions, lentils, peas and (of course) zucchini! The topping looks cheesy but its actually a mix of sweet and Yukon gold potatoes mashed with rice milk and lots of salt and pepper. I made it in smaller foil pans so N could freeze and eat as he needed. Yum!

I get some of the best cooking inspiration from N. He is so adventurous when it comes to my cooking and he loves to help out, so when he texted me asking if I could make him a vegetarian shepherd's pie I grinned and told him "of course!". That said, I immediately decided to go off on a tangent - not only would this be a vegan shepherd's pie, but it would be crammed full of veggies, legumes and with a deceptively complex tasting topping!

I started off the thought process initially by nixing the whole idea of "fake meat", using lentils exclusively (as in Minimalist Baker's version). However, when I was picking up some other groceries, I came across the Meatless Farm Co. ground on sale and thought the addition of just a little bit of it would help "beef" up the texture (sorry), and stretch the recipe so that I could send N home with lots of leftovers. To the ground I added all the veggies I had on hand - which is to say, zucchini was a must (we are drowning in it) and the standard peas and carrots as well. When it came to the topping, I knew exactly what was expected - N loves sweet potato, so I mashed one in with the standard Russets, which made the pans look like they were topped with cheesy mash! It was a really good thing that this recipe made 4 pans of the pie, though, because it was such a hit N polished off the lot during his stretch at work. Hey, when you need a filling, healthy meal before a graveyard shift, you also want it to taste amazing too!

This recipe is, of course, incredibly versatile - in short, use whatever veggies you have on hand and like. Not a pea fan (hi, me too!)? Throw in chopped green beans, corn, celery, even bell peppers! No meatless ground? Use an extra 1/2 cup of dry lentils when you go to cook them. There are no rules - except to enjoy making and eating it!

Orchard Harvest Jam - Toast Topper #87

Orchard Harvest Jam is a medley of peaches, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries cooked simply. No adornments needed (or a whole lot of sugar either!)

I get so excited every year when the first Ontario peaches and berries make it to market. Too often, the window where the peaches and nectarines are just right is only a week or two long, and during that time I'm at the farmer's market as much as possible, buying up the local harvest. This year, of course, farmer's markets have been hard to find and a much different experience to attend, and honestly I've been shying away from them because the joy of interaction is gone (for now!). That said, it has been a perfect time to use up my frozen stash of various fruit from over the year, and when I came upon a bag marked "Orchard Harvest Jam" I suddenly remembered I never posted this beauty from last year! So, to make up for it (and while a loaf of zucchini bread baked away in the oven) I made another batch.

This jam is really easy to make, given the already soft nature of thawed fruit. If you only have fresh, absolutely use it - I bet it would make this even more spectacular. Just remember to peel and put the peaches, 'cause those things have no place in a Toast Topper! I used a big ol' potato masher to break down my mix, leaving a bit of texture, but if you want silky smooth run it through a blender or use a stick blender to do the job. I love to use Pomona's Pectin when I do jams, mostly because I hate super-sweet preserves but also to cater to the various health concerns of those I gift jars to. This pectin is calcium-activated and comes with directions on the packet (though I buy mine in bulk these days, so i often Google when I can't remember), but the key is that you can't use too much sugar or it won't set! I have also used this pectin in jams using honey, and it works well there as long as you can dissolve it well enough.

Technical stuff aside, though, the beauty of this jam shines through in it's simplicity. There are no spices, liqueurs, extracts or chocolate to overshadow the ripe fruit, and the tartness of the berries counteracts the sweetness of the peaches. I like to bottle this jam in 4 oz (1/2 cup) jars so that I can stash a few and give the rest away, but if you do can this I would suggest no larger than a 1/2 pint (1 cup) jar so that you can get through it before it goes off (it'll last about 2 weeks in the fridge). You can also freeze this but it won't be as thick upon thawing, then again depending on what you're doing with it that might be perfect (she says as she eats applesauce with slightly runny jam stirred into it).

Lucifer’s Ginger & Chile Biscuits (copycat)

Lucifer himself won't be able to resist these cookies packed with ginger and a hefty dose of cayenne. Two bite drops are more than enough to satisfy even the most devoted chilehead!

My sister's boyfriend loves all things spicy. He one ate an entire scorpion pepper on a dare - which turned into a series of hilarious text messages which I won't share cut will sum up as a detailed progression of the digestive process. Luckily, he's starting to embrace the fact that spice does not always have to equal heat - it can be a blend of both, and these cookies are definitely testament to that!

I honestly can't remember where I heard about these cookies first - I want to say it was on television but I can't say for sure. At any rate, I was intrigued by their name and decided to look them up, since they did not exist on our Canadian store shelves. A little digging and I was sold. Obviously, I've never had the "real" Lucifer biscuits, but I did find quite the enticing description for them online: "as you munch, the heat builds up slowly and finishes with a warm and well-judged chilli kick. Infernally tempting, it's the biscuit that bites back". Ginger is already spicy and warming, but the added chili definitely brought a different "kick" to the mix. A bit of Googling and I found a recipe on Lost in Food that I used as a basis for my experiments. I only had vegan margarine on hand (being the holidays, I try to make "gift cookies" as neutral as possible) and I bumped up the ginger a little bit while also using a nuttier flour for my base. Next time I may play with adding oatmeal as well, because I love the zing of ginger in oatmeal cookies and I think it could work. It wouldn't be traditional by any means, but that's the fun of baking at home!

I will definitely say that these cookies benefit exponentially from an overnight chill in the fridge (or even in the freezer - you can stash this dough for up to 4 months if wrapped well). The resting allows the spices to permeate the dough and the whole grain flour to hydrate completely, making for way better (and spicier) cookies! If you are really pressed for time, rest the dough at room temperature for 1 hour, then shape and freeze the balls for 15 minutes prior to baking so they don't melt everywhere. It won't be exactly the same, but it will be better than mixing and baking all at once!

Even though it's summertime where we are, I encourage you to give these a try. Just - don't eat them all at once, okay?

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies with PBfit

These thick, chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies are full of peanut flavour, protein and fibre, making them a perfect snack to hold you over till dinner, or before bed to stave off low blood sugar headaches in the morning!

We are definitely a peanut butter loving household. Between the lot of us, we spread it on toast, make sandwiches, add it to sauces, make candy and eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar. N on the other hand prefers his peanut butter in baked goods, especially cookies. For instance, I affectionately refer to these cookies as the ones that "sealed the deal" with him, and I make them far too regularly. There have been times where there were three jars of peanut butter in the house - two for eating and one for baking. Hey, you can never have enough of it!

So, when the great folks at PBfit sent me a jar of their powdered peanut butter to try out, I was excited. I have "regular" peanut flour at home already, which is just defatted, ground peanuts, but the taste of it is nothing like the jars of Kraft we have in the pantry and when baking it can be hit-or-miss (it works really well in satay and other spicy sauces though). PBfit adds coconut palm sugar and salt to the peanut flour, meaning when it is reconstituted (they suggest a 1 tbsp PBfit + 3/4 tbsp cold water ratio) it has more of the classic flavour and texture. As a bonus, because most of the fat has been removed, I don't have to worry that the large jar will go rancid before I can get through it as long as it's stored in my pantry. A few of the other nifty benefits PBfit offers are a 90% reduction in fat and a 33% reduction in calories over traditional peanut butter, all while being vegan, gluten free and with no artificial ingredients. The concentrated legumes (yes, peanuts are a bean!) pack a decent dose of protein too: just a tablespoon of powder has 4 grams of it for only 1 gram of fat.

When picking a recipe to use, I scouted around for one that was relatively easy to "healthify", finding one that used applesauce along with the oats. I swapped the applesauce for PBfit and water, which not only bound the cookie together but make the resulting cookie less "cakey" while adding great flavour, protein and fibre. Chilling logs of the dough and slicing them thick while semi-frozen lent to the finished cookies' chew and tenderness, without letting them fall apart. You could also drop these by spoonfuls onto the cookie sheets, but bear in mind you'll need to flatten them with your fingers or a glass because they don't spread. Because I had hard workers in mind (N has a fairly active job in the essential sector, and doesn't always get a chance to eat), I tossed in a few scoops of protein powder as well.

With the addition of the PBfit and my favourite protein powder, each cookie gets a 2 gram boost of extra protein on top of the naturally occurring protein in the oats and whole wheat flour. Combined with the fibre, one of these cookies will definitely keep you satisfied without being weighed down!

Sourdough Snacking Cake

If you are craving a rich, dense and decadently chocolatey dessert, this vegan snack cake is for you! While it is definitely sweet, the addition of sourdough starter (which I know a lot of you have lying around!) adds a hint of tang and lightens up the recipe, enticing you back for more!

While I didn't hop on the sourdough bandwagon as much as some people did during the last few months, I was definitely inspired to break out my (often neglected) starter to get some use out of it after all the articles cropped up online. I had made sourdough chocolate cake once before so I knew it was a sure-fire winner, but never recorded the recipe I used. Thankfully, many other people had the same idea I did, and not only that but some of the vegan community did as well!

This recipe was a combination of a few recipes I had saved, with my own twists for good measure. I only had oat-based creamer at home (I don't drink "milk" so I rarely buy any) and I had the end of a bag of spelt flour to use up, so those went into the mix. I knew I wanted to add coffee to heighten the chocolate flavour (especially since natural cocoa isn't as "deep" as Dutch process) but I only had French Vanilla flavoured instant - in that went! After all, I figured, all those things work with chocolate, and it was worth a try.

All in all, these changes served to make (in my opinion) a richer, nuttier flavoured cake with a solid "mocha" note, almost like those cappuccino mixes you used to find in the 90's. The tang from the sourdough was present but not overwhelming, almost like a red velvet cake, and I think you could definitely make red velvet cake out of this recipe by adding food colouring and frosting! For weeknights (or, lets face it, Blursday afternoons), this cake, unadorned, is perfect as is. I would suggest adding the chocolate chips halfway through the baking process or right after, as when I added them before (as written in the recipe), they settled into a layer in the middle. Not a bad thing - just not a layer of gooey goodness on top. Or you could do both - there are no rules!

Almond Butter Brittle

Almond Butter Brittle is packed with rich flavour and has a crunchy, yet melt in your mouth texture due to the fine bubbles. Break the slab up for your favourite friends to enjoy - or hide it all for yourself!

I know... I was just complaining about the oppressive heat wave, and here I am working with motlen sugar! The fact is that while I still do love the control that open-kettle candy making gives me, it is problematic - especially in the summer, and doubly so when it is hot, humid and raining. On days like today, the microwave is actually your best friend if you need to placate your candy desires!

The first time I made this - and where the photo came from - was over the Christmas holidays, which were noticeably cooler and drier. At the time, I selected the microwave brittle recipe (originally from an old church cookbook) because the stove was already in use with other cooking projects and I needed a fast, last minute party addition. The original formula was for peanut butter brittle - which would taste fantastic (and obviously, we love our peanut butter around here) - but I was given a jar of fancy schmancy almond butter by a coworker and I couldn't resist trying it out! I also happened to come across my bottle of butterscotch schnapps and figured "why not?" so in it went!

The resulting brittle was a perfect mixture of sweet, salty and a little bitter from the almonds, and best of all it set up beautifully and didn't become sticky like stovetop brittle can (usually from uneven temperatures). I also love that it was done in 10 minutes and ready to wrap in an hour! Of course, you could jazz this up with a drizzle of dark chocolate (I'm 100% debating coating pieces in it next time like a Crunchie bar) but I didn't have time on my side for that!

While I know that it is Summer, I'm sure we can all agree that beach season is cancelled and comfort food is in - so break out the healthy almonds, add a little (or a lot) of sugar and try this! Not that I'm suggesting anything, but this would also be fantastic on ice cream!

Vegan Red Beans and Rice

Vegan Red Beans and Rice are spicy (but not hot unless you want it that way), hearty and healthy - a perfect meal in a bowl you can make with hardy vegetables and pantry ingredients that feeds a crowd, or you for a week if you're stuck at home!

I have a soft spot for Cajun-style cuisine. Around here, it's mostly "white bread" country, as my city historically played host to blue collar automotive workers looking for cheap, hearty and simple fare. There is absolutely a place for it on the menu - N and I used to frequent a local "greasy spoon" diner before the virus hit - but given the choice I will almost always go for complex and spicy flavours. Since hitting up a House of Blues (where I have had the best jambalaya of my life so far) is out of the question, as is a trip to NOLA, I am content to make my own version at home - with a vegan twist.

Interestingly enough, this batch of comfort food only really came about because I was doing my quarterly pantry clean out and came across a bag of dried kidney beans from when I made minestrone ages ago. I always have TVP chunks and liquid smoke on hand, as well as some kind of rice, so I started the beans soaking while I looked up a red beans and rice recipe I could adapt. A few Google searches and some cobbling together later and I had a working plan.

In order to infuse the smoky flavour throughout the starchy beans, I both soaked and cooked the dry legumes with water spiked with liquid smoke, which I also added to the water the TVP chunks hydrated in. It is worth noting I am not a fan of the pickled pork flavour in traditional beans and rice so I skipped any vinegar, but if you enjoy it a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar would suffice. The rest of the spice flavour was layered into the bulk of the stew, balanced by the hearty vegetables and plain rice. The resulting mixture left just enough broth to spoon over each serving, which also soaked in to the leftovers we refrigerated overnight. Yes, like most stews and soups, this is truly a dish that benefits from patience (and a lot of it). On that note, I also beg of you to not use canned beans here - they will turn mushy and not yield the same depth of flavour from the smoke-soaked and cooked ones. If you can find a bag of small red beans at the store, use those instead - they are definitely better than kidneys in my opinion, but again, use what you have!

Whole Wheat Mocha Croissants

You can never go wrong with the combination of chocolate and coffee, especially when it is laminated into a flaky (vegan) pastry! These whole wheat croissants are also stuffed with a baton of dark chocolate for good measure, and the lamination features a scoop of @nakednutrition Naked Rice protein powder which keeps it from oozing everywhere. The result is a decadent treat for whenever your craving strikes!

I cannot think of croissants without thinking of Walt Disney World. As a kid, I was lucky enough to go to the theme parks several times, where I not only fell in love with the magic (I am a total DisNerd) and the ability to travel the world through EPCOT, but with the food. Now, I'm not going to say Disney World is a Michelin paradise - by and large, you will find your stereotypical American fast food above anything else - but in EPCOT, tucked away in the France pavillion,is a little bakery they named Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie. This bakery is the source of arguably some of the best chocolate croissants I have ever had in my life.

Before all of you traditionalists start jumping down my throat, I will admit - I have never been to France and had a "real" croissant. No, my experiences with the pastry were from a local bakery-cafe when I was in school and the occasional store-bought treat. However, the croissants from EPCOT were the perfect mix of buttery and sweet, and the filling was a luxurious chocolate that was almost a fudge-like ganache. When I was looking for ways to use up a canister of natural cocoa we bought by mistake (it's too sour / bitter for hot chocolate), I thought of those pastries. I toyed with the idea of making a rich cocoa and almond butter filling, but as I was looking at the recipe calling to add flour
to the lamination butter, I thought: why not make the whole croissant chocolate?

This became doubly intriguing when I discovered I was out of butter. I had shortening, which I have used before in puff pastry and croissants back in my baking school days, but it's flavourless and needs oomph to really be a part of this recipe. In lieu of the flour, I sifted in some of the cocoa, sugar, a dash of espresso powder for good measure, and a few scoops of my latest favourite protein powder with a pinch of salt. After folding and turning the whole wheat dough, the medley took on a lovely coffee-brown shade. I opted for whole wheat not only for health, but because the slightly nutty flavour of the whole grain played beautifully with chocolate. 

I still wasn't 100% satisfied, though. A pain au chocolat needs a filling. So, reaching into my bittersweet chocolate stash, I melted down and piped the chocolate sticks for the centre, which I stuck in the fridge to set (it was 30 degrees Celsius here). Rolled into the middle of the pastry, it melted ever so slightly, making the centre like a truffle. It's a good thing these are dainty-sized croissants, because they are so good it's hard to stop at one!

Call me sacrilegious, but I actually like the texture of these vegan croissants better than their buttery brethren. They were light, impossibly flaky, and the neutral flavour of the shortening allowed the cocoa and coffee to shine through. If I was making plain ones that needed the flavour boost, I would stick to butter - but when the flavours get fancy there's no need to muddle the pot!

Double Chocolate Protein Cookies with @nakednutrition

Need to add a protein boost to your day? Try these vegan, gluten free double chocolate cookies - full of decadent flavour with two scoops of @nakednutrition Naked Rice protein powder. 

One of the biggest things I miss about my pre-social distancing life was going to the gym. Now I'm no body-building, rock-hard-abs kind of girl, but I love my Zumba and the energy it gives me. At home, I keep up as best I can with classes - an interesting experiment when your "workout room" is also your office!

One of the things I do have to be mindful of in my day-to-day life is my protein intake. For me, this is not because I'm active (I have many friends who put me to shame in that respect) but because my autoimmune condition can make it difficult to get enough in every day. When I know I haven't been eating well, I opt to add a little protein powder to my food. I've never been one for drinking smoothies or milkshakes (of which protein powder always seems to become), but if the right powder came along I wouldn't mind giving it a shot! When Naked Nutrition approached me about a collaboration, I was intrigued - they were a new brand to me, and their transparent, no-nonsense labeling was a gigantic plus. So often I am stuck scanning label after label for gluten, dairy or my arch nemesis, coconut, but the website (and the bottles of powder) have clear, easy to read wording and nutrition facts.

Naked Nutrition is best known for their whey powders, and again it is easy to see why they're unique in a sea of various blends and flavours typically lining the shelves. For the longest time, whey in general has dominated the protein market, but since it's not an option for me I keep looking for alternates. Along the way, I've encountered powders that were gritty, slimy or that turned my drink or food into concrete - not a recipe for success - but when I saw that Naked Nutrition offered a rice protein I was intrigued. Rice has a tendency to be on the sweeter side naturally, but can also be gritty - how would this stack up?

Well, the first test was right when the 2.27kg bottle arrived - digging for the scoop (which always happens, I don't know why companies don't attach it like they do those ice-cream spoons) I took a little bit of the powder between my fingers. It was smooth - not baby-powder smooth, but smoother than most powders I've tried before. Taking that as a sign, I added a scoop to my mug of hot cocoa. The texture of the drink got a tiny bit thicker, but not like I was drinking a hot milkshake, and most importantly there was no grit or "off" flavour. It made the drink a little creamier though, as if I made it with whole milk instead of water. It has become my go-to treat on dance days!

Bolstered by those findings, I turned to my area of expertise - baking. I have several people in my life that (for whatever reason) could use a little boost of nutrition but who are also not big eaters. One thing they all have in common, though, is a love for chocolate and cookies. Taking that knowledge and my newfound protein powder, I set about tweaking a recipe I make with the kids in Home Economics class to make double chocolate, chewy, protein rich and lower-sugar cookies.

The cookies got a boost of flavour and fibre from the inclusion of oat flour and rolled oats, which I pulled from my gluten-free stash. Whenever I work with an oat-based cookie dough, or any gluten free batters in general (excepting my angel food cake), I always let it sit at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour at room temperature, which allows the dry ingredients to hydrate and the whole mixture to bake smoothly. My patience was rewarded with these thick, chewy discs - and now that I know they're a hit (they disappeared within a few days) I've made a double batch to hang out in my freezer, pre-scooped, for when the cookie hunger strikes again!

Many, many thanks to Naked Nutrition for this opportunity! Remember, Naked Rice is an all natural, nothing added protein that is gluten free and vegan, with a slightly sweet flavour and NO grit - perfect for adding to your smoothies as well as in culinary applications. Whether it is a mug of hot cocoa, a bowl of oatmeal or a chocolate-packed cookie, you'll never believe how smooth and tasty (or taste-free) this is!

Unstuffed Farro Cabbage Rolls

When your cabbage crop is ready but not looking perfect (holes in the leaves and not a perfect tight head to be seen) you switch gears from traditional to unstuffed cabbage rolls! This vegan dish gets meaty flavour and texture from red and green lentils, mushrooms and caramelized onions, while the standard rice gets a switchup to nutty, chewy farro. Each bite is packed with flavour and texture, perfect for Fall eating!

Yes, yes - this is yet another one from the archives of Instagram, or as I like to call it "where good food goes to die". I can't help it, these days all the hours blend into one another - between late nights writing essays (help me, English classes are worse than I remember), running Zoom classes for my grade 4-8 kids, trying to workout with virtual classes and actually cooking, sometimes getting around to writing about it all falls to the bottom of the pile. I do have a decent chunk of recipes in the pipe though, so thanks for bearing with me!

At any rate, this type of meal is exactly what I would go for in times of stress like now. Not only is is full of comforting, warming flavours (I'm looking now at the polar vortex supposed to smack us on the weekend) but it uses tons of cheap, hearty ingredients that also happen to be full of nutrition! After all, we have been stuck inside for what feels like an eon and while we do our best the stress is not good at all for our immune system - cue the sulfur compounds in the cabbage and the antioxidants is the tomatoes, lentils, garlic and paprika. The mushrooms give a boost of vitamin D which we all need after living indoors for so long, and adding in the farro boosts up the B vitamins and our friend fibre for a healthy digestive tract all over.

On the off chance that any of that science-y mumbo jumbo isn't your cup of tea, all you need to know is this recipe is hearty, healthy and absolutely delicious warm or cold - just make sure you have a large pot to put it all together, because the cabbage is a beast until it cooks down! It is well worth it, though, especially if you love the flavours of cabbage rolls and Mediterranian cuisine blended with classic Eastern European basics. If you're only cooking for one, take heart - this freezes very well and if you portion pre-freezing you can be set for over a week!