Ginger Cookies, from One Grandma to Another

It still weirds me out when I realize that my old elementary school friends are “all grown up” – or at least as grown up as I am. In the back of my mind, they all stopped aging around 12 years old, when we graduated to high school, or whatever age they were when I left the hallowed walls. Sadly, or gladly depending on how you look at it, time didn’t stand still for us. We aged, became adults, and moved on with our lives – some of us coming together once in a while for school reunions every so often, but mostly getting lost in the wind. Even Facebook had minimal impact on keeping connections with each other, although most of us had each other as contacts. I’m hardly ever on there myself – mostly, my account is an extra “Favourites Folder” for nifty links I find (the other part of the reason I’m still with them is because it’s a social outlet for my nutritional consulting business). When I do actually pop on there (to answer messages or replies on my Wall), I’m often flabbergasted at what they’re up to.

Treats and Snacks

This recipe was a long time in the making.

No, I'm not talking about mixing -> baking -> assembly time. Well, that was a long time too, but a heck of a lot less time than it took for me to actually get into the kitchen and make it. No, this took a long time for me to figure out from start to finish.

Now, I consider myself pretty able in the kitchen. I can bake up a storm, make a mean pot of soup and have even been known to can a few things. Gluten free stuff isn't too foreign to me either. But candy and chocolate crafting is another whole ball game. I'm the first to admit that I'm not a fan of dealing with molten sugar, gooey melted chocolate, or even frosting and decorating cakes. I know - aside from the sugar thing, there are definitely instances of those on my blog. I'll do them... I just don't like to.

Still, I really couldn't say no to this.

Eat Yer Beans!

We all know that we should be eating more legumes. Full of fibre, vitamins, minerals and all sorts of good stuff, there’s no denying how healthy they are. But aside from a smear of refried pintos in a burrito, the cannellinis in a bowl of minestrone or a bit of hummus with pita and crudités, beans are still a bit of a mystery food to most people. Far from boring, beans are incredibly variable in taste and application potential – and when you consider that they’re also one of the cheapest foodstuffs around, it’s no wonder that so many cultures worldwide rely on them as a staple food. From salads to spreads to a delicious topping on a baked potato, the possibilities are as endless as the varieties, and once they discover how simple it is to prepare a satisfying, meatless meal for a crowd many people wonder why they didn’t do it before.

However, beans come with that stigma – “beans, beans, the musical fruit” – and yes, if you start eating bowl upon bowl of them after a meat-heavy, fibre-poor past, well, the rhyme might ring true for a while until your gut bacteria adjust. But starting slow and gradually adding more legume-y dishes to your repertoire will keep you from becoming a public disturbance (or, for some of the less mature set – you know who you are – a musical icon!). Half the battle is the mind game most folk have surrounding any meatless meal – it’s not a “real” meal because there’s no meat. While many people now “get” that beans and lentils provide more than ample sustenance for a meal – thanks to a slew of food bloggers, cookbooks and the general vegetarian / vegan movement – I still come across a few that ask how “meat-freers” get their protein!

Thankfully, most adults out there are pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new foods and manners of cooking. Kids, however, are a whole other ball game. Poll an elementary class as to whether they want black beans and rice or chicken nuggets and fries for lunch and (assuming we’re talking about North Americans) it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what would sell out. Their “new” palates and taste buds undeadened by years of experience mean that half the time you can’t even successfully hide them in their favourite foods.

But just try getting anyone – especially a child – to resist a cookie. By and large, they are the favourite after school or teatime snack regardless of their “specifics”: after all, a cookie is a cookie is a cookie! I’ve already whipped up brownies, muffins and bread with different beany boosts, but aside from a tofu-based chocolate chipper way back in 2007 (it was 2007? Whoa!) I’d never tried the legume thing in a cookie. But I had this recipe from an old bean cookbook I took out of the library years ago and photocopied that used pureed navy beans as a base, so why not at least try? Even though I knew my sister (who’s miraculously maintained her super-taster ability over the years) would never touch them, my peers at IHN sure would – especially since it was simple enough of a recipe to veganize and I had a slew of ideas for modifications I wanted to try. One of the first things I messed around with was the very base of the cookie dough. Gone were the navy beans, in came the nutty, almost buttery chickpeas. Vanilla got boosted way up – ¼ tsp in a cookie? Yeah right. Butter and shortening had Earth Balance take their places, and instead of straight whole wheat flour I broke out a mix of spelt and oat flours, finally throwing in a handful of rolled oats just because.

I Come in Peace

I’m finally getting around to actually looking through some of the books I got for Christmas. While I always start with good intentions, I’m distracted so easily that it’s a wonder that I’m still in school. Mind you, I’m writing this post in class, but I at least look like I’m doing something. I can’t help it – if I’m bored by something (hello, another Anatomy and Physiology course after two years of it in college?) the mind wanders away on it’s own and I don’t pay attention to anything. Ironically, this system (which is basically a variation of how I do my homework: TV on, even though I’m not technically watching it) works wonders for my retention capabilities. Not only do I accomplish a bunch of other tasks, but I remember the lecture too... go figure.

Lovey Buns

So it’s coming around to mid-February, which can only mean two things: one, that the Superbowl and all it’s over-priced ads, is over and done with and two, that the freakishly pink and chocolate-inundated Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Though I have nothing against the lovebirds that flock to the bistros and flower shops this time of year, the sheer prevalence of chocolate and jewellery filling the stores these days is always a bit of an amusement factor for me. After all, Saint Valentine was clubbed stoned and finally beheaded after trying the whole religious conversion trick (a common practice for the priesthood, even today) on the Roman emperor who imprisoned him for being Christian in the first place. Now, I don’t know about you, but not only does that story sound like an absolutely horrible excuse to indulge in the excesses marketed by Hallmark, but it also makes me wonder about the intelligence of this Saint in the first place. I mean really – if you had been arrested and thrown in an ancient Roman prison for simply helping any Christian countrymen, why on earth would you then go to the guy in charge of that law in the first place and say “hey, how about accepting this Saviour and atoning for your sins”?