Triple Malt Chocolate Chippers

Were you an Ovaltine kid? While I was more a fan of my malt in chocolate-covered ball form, my mom and her side of the family are die hard fans of the bittersweet flavour in everything from bread to milkshakes. Then I started seeing posts for malted milk chocolate chip cookies. Whoa - chewy cookies, with the extra layer of Ovaltine? Sounds good to me!

I dialed up the malted flavour a touch more in my batch too - using a roasted malted barley flour as well as swapping the chocolate syrup for the less cloying, more flavourful sweetness of malted barley syrup. Bittersweet chocolate chips replaced the milk chocolate in the original, and the whole batch became eggless with the help of one of my favourite egg replacers - ground chia seed. Huge, with chewy middles and perfectly crisp edges, these are cookies you would be proud to serve at a bake sale, an ice cream party or just after school with a tall glass of milk!

Shared with Sugar & Slice Sundays 

Multilayer Bars for New Adventures in #SundaySupper

There are some recipes that it seems like everyone knows how to make, but I've either never attempted or only made very recently. Things like homemade mac & cheese. Tuna (or chicken) casserole. Chocolate sauce. Seven Layer Dip. Stuffing. Granted, most of these just weren't eaten at home growing up, so it just didn't occur to me. I'm getting more varied in my experiences though, mostly thanks to my wonderful job at the school and teaming up with both #RecipeRedux and #SundaySupper!

Since this week our #SundaySupper group is all about new experiences and adventures in the kitchen (and in life!), I wanted to try my hand at a recipe I never really believed would work - the infamous Magic Bar. And really, it doesn't seem like it should work - you're just tossing a bunch of stuff on top of each other, no binder for the layers, then pouring condensed milk over the whole thing! How does it solidify? How can you call it anything other than pudding? But, like magic tricks and mysteries, it does work. I don't know what's in the condensed milk (I don't really want to know as a nutritionist!), but it morphs into this creamy "glue" along with the chocolate and butterscotch chips and keeps it all together.

Of course, even though it was my first time making anything like these, I had to jazz them up. When I found out these were also called Seven Layer Magic Cookie Bars, I wondered - could I do more? Could I make these into something that was even better than the original, with more complex flavours and a little fruity kick? I decided to give it a whirl, and - like magic - they worked wonderfully. Rich, sticky sweet, a little more "grown up" with the fruit and bittersweet chocolate, I had to wonder why people didn't make them this way before!

I started with a chocolate cookie and coconut oil base, spread it with a tart raspberry jam, then piled on coconut, thinly-sliced banana, bittersweet couverture discs, and butterscotch chips. For the condensed milk mixture, I mixed up the part can I had left over from the Fibre Bars with a dollop of creamy, natural peanut butter and poured that on top, finally capping it with chopped roasted peanuts! Oh. My. Gosh. Can we say Heaven?? It certainly was for my dad - the king of the PB+banana+butterscotch combo.

Take a cooking adventure and tackle something new! This event is hosted by Conni of The Foodie Army Wife - Thanks Conni!

Check out the brave new world of yummy delights below:

New Expeditions (Sides, Starters & Staples)

Homemade Corn Tortillas from Pescetarian Journal
Easy Oven Polenta from Shockingly Delicious
Homemade Spiced Flour Tortillas from Chocolate Moosey
Naan from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Homemade Tofu from Kimchi MOM
Indian Moong Beans from Magnolia Days
Baked Lemon Coconut Risotto from Soni’s Food
Homemade Peanut Butter from Home Cooking Memories
Homemade Ricotta Cheese from Webicurean
Portuguese Chorizo Bread from Family Foodie  
Savory mushroom and herb steel cut oat Risotto Foxes Love Lemons
Grilled Asian Snap Peas and Peppers from Neighborfood

Grand Quests (Main Dishes)
Traditional Pork Tamales from Gourmet Drizzles
Braised Lamb Brisket with Lemon Oregano Yogurt Sauce from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Rice Burger from The Urban Mrs.
Pan-fried Scallops with Garlic Chili Linguine from Food Lust People Love
Miso-Glazed Salmon from The Foodie Patootie
Penne with Mustard and Chives from My Other City By The Bay
Arepas Rellenas (Stuffed Arepas) from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Spanish Baked Scallops from Momma’s Meals
Black Beans and Cheese Empanadas from Basic N Delicious
Pork Dim Sum from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Venison Steak Gyros from Curious Cuisiniere
Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Basil Sauce from Growing Up Gabel
Vegetarian Hortobagyi Pancakes from Happy Baking Days
Caribou & Andouille Chili from The Foodie Army Wife

Escapades (Sweet Treats & Spirited Companions)
Vegan Chocolate Mousse from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
Zebra Cake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Multilayer Bars from What Smells So Good?
Rut-Busting Wines For New Cooking Adventures from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
Homemade Vanilla Marshmallows from Vintage Kitchen
Strawberry Raspberry Fruit Leather from Juanita’s Cocina
Making Macarons – FAIL! from girlichef
Macaroons from Noshing With The Nolands
Fresh Strawberry Frozen Yogurt from The Messy Baker
Bircher Muesli from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Hello Kitty Rice Krispies from The Ninja Baker
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls from In The Kitchen With KP
Dorie Greenspan’s Orange Almond Tart from Hip Foodie Mom
Ombre Mini Cakes from Daily Dish Recipes
Chocolate Dipped Madeleines from Big Bear’s Wife

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, April 28th to talk all about citrus recipes! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 3:00 pm AKST/7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more delicious recipes and food photos.

Super Simple Vegan Taco Salad

With the warmer months approaching (soon... maybe. Please??) my thoughts are already on the garden. I just finished sorting out my "direct sow" seeds (this year it's Lutz beets, strawberry spinach and a rainbow carrot mix), and my heirloom tomato seeds are well on their way. This year's crop, if Mother Nature is kind, will feature tiny Red Currants, rich purple Gypsies and the lovably hideous Riesetomates, possibly with another group of Indigo Roses if I can find space (and the store that sells the seedlings)!

Of course, at the moment we're still relying on supermarket produce, which tries to emulate their fresh-from-the-garden counterparts but often comes up short. Lettuce priced at $2.47 a head is crenated and half-slimy, tomatoes are overpriced tennis balls and spongy zucchini is the size of a finger. But still, the call of the sun and the slowly increasing temperatures is a strong one, and I can't help but crave more fresh veggies and cool, crisp salads.

To compensate for the lack of our market's quality (and the still-brisk evenings), I turned to the cook's friend - heat. Just like roasting under-ripe or out-of-season tomatoes concentrates and enhances their flavour, adding a warm, hearty, spicy topping (in my case, a taco filling) to cold veggies, followed by cool, refreshing yoghurt and lime creates a whole new flavour and texture sensation that is so much more than the sum of it's parts.

I know most taco salads have a tortilla shell (or at least chips), and you can certainly add those, or cooked brown rice, to beef up the bowl a bit more. I opted to have a small bowl of garlicky millet on the side, since for some reason grains on cold greens weirds me out. Plus, I never really liked hard tacos anyway, and the soft ones turn to mush too fast! Either way, this salad is a light yet hearty addition to the Mexican (or Tex-Mex) table, and is a nice way to herald Cinco de Mayo with the rest of the Holiday Food Blog Parties group! Take a look at the delectable treats on display:

1. Alfajores from Roxana's Home Baking
2. Spicy Fish Tacos with Avocado Yogurt Sauce from Crumb Blog
3. Classic Flan from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
4. Dulce de Leche Milkshake with Coconut Milk Whipped Cream from Chocolate Moosey
5. Lime Margarita Bars from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
6. Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche from Magnolia Days
7. Tropical Fiesta Cocktail from Hungry Couple NYC
8. Paletas - Mexican Popsicles from Pineapple and Coconut
9. Bizcochitos Cookies from Jen's Favorite Cookies
10. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Gotta Get Baked
11. Super Simple Vegan Taco Salad from What Smells So Good?
12. Gluten Free Tres Leches Cake from Kelly Bakes
13. Queso Blanco from The Messy Baker
14. Gorditas with Picadillo from Juanita's Cocina
15. Strawberry Margerita Slurpee from Chocolate Chocolate and More

Multigrain Sourdough Bread for Bread Baking Day #58

Lately I've been coming home from work rather stressed out, for a few reasons I won't go into here. While some people write, exercise, listen to music, drink or eat to escape from daily life, I go back to the kitchen and fire up the oven. To me, there is nothing more soothing than the experience of crafting something out of the basic elements of flour, sugar and water (or some variation thereof), especially when that end product is a yeasty, hearty loaf of bread. 

Thankfully, I have at least one willing assistant (with a remarkably adventurous palate) to eat the fruits of my labour. For my mom, when it comes to bread the more nuts, seeds, grains and fruity bits I can fit into the dough the better, and I always try to keep it on the high-fibre, higher-protein end of the spectrum, with a minimal amount of added fat, so that a slice or two with her lunch or midafternoon tea can keep her satisfied and energized without weighing her down. 

For Bread Baking Day #58 this month, we were invited to come up with a recipe full of flakes and seeds by our host, Cinzia from Cindystar. With pretty much every seed and grain I had in the pantry, plus a handful of Craisins and a perfectly tangy sourdough starter, this hearty, dense whole wheat bread is a perfect fit for the party! With the protein and fibre the seeds and grains add, it might just help turn that pair of jeans (or swimsuit!) into the perfect fit for you too!

Also shared with YeastSpotting

Jamaican Lamb Curry

Leftovers. Who doesn't have a love/hate relationship with them? I mean we have way more food in our house at the moment than I can ever see us eating for some reason (well, partially because I have pre-baked stuff for work in the freezer), yet neither my mom nor I (the two cooks in the house) can bear to throw anything away that is still actually edible. I never grew up wanting for any of the basics like food and shelter, and though my mom grew up in a low-middle class home she didn't go hungry either - so neither of us can explain our frugal nature (except that we have a Scottish background and she grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood - her words not mine!).

And yet, here we are for another Waste Not Want Not Wednesday (and Allergy-Free Wednesday). Granted, I planned the leftovers to make this, since it had been a while since I had made my dad anything savoury and when we were breaking down the lamb for our Easter stew my mom was leaving a lot of meat on the bone which I knew I could salvage! I stuck the pieces into a plastic bag and froze it for when I had other remnants perfect for a good, hearty dish - and when some end-of-the-line baby carrots, half a gigantic onion, a sad-looking tomato and a Thai chili from the back of our fridge (that had been there since the summer and was still good!) made themselves known I had the makings of one of his favourites - Jamaican curry stew.

Baked in a casserole for 2 hours, this melange of spicy gravy, vegetables and lamb comes out meltingly tender and rich. Being made of "bits and pieces", it also doesn't make a ton of food (even though it just gets better the next day), and the whole thing is not only gluten, nut, egg, refined sugar and dairy-free, but it is deceptively low in fat and filled with fibre!

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday #27 at Poor and Gluten Free and Allergy-Free Wednesday at The Tasty Alternative.