Chocolate Chip Cookies {& an arm workout}

how does this blog not have a chocolate chip cookie recipe already? i mean, shouldn’t that be the first post? so here you go, finally, i present to you, a chocolate chip cookie recipe.

but, this is not an ordinary recipe.  the ingredients that go into it will create the chewiest, most delicious chocolate chip cookie that you have ever tasted. & not only are they incredibly scrumptious, but they are simple to make, & better yet, foolproof.  yes.   f o o l  proof.

how do i know? {because i’m a fool} the first time i made them, i accidentally added 1 tsp of baking powder, instead of the baking soda that the recipe calls for.  i made a mad attempt to try scooping the baking powder out of the flour i dumped it into…i think i ended up taking out more flour than the actual baking powder {oops}. and then i added the 1 tsp of baking soda in…so who knows what really ended up in there. annnnd even still, the cookies came out flawless.  {they only lasted 2 days in our house. . .yeah,  the recipe yields about 42 cookies}

oh, and the second time i made them, my brown sugar got a little too much air {dried out} and would not pack down in my measuring cup… so instead of packing down the sugar, like a good baker knows to do, i just filled the cup too full & dumped it on in.  voila, cookies still came out beautifully. see?  foolproof.

i want to call them “chocolate chip cookie buttons” because they are cute as a button.  these are not the cookies that you put in the oven and a minute later they get super thin & spread out & run into each other, nope, these little guys puff up and come out looking all adorable & petite, like buttons. and that’s especially great for those of us baking at elevation…it’s not easy to make pretty looking baked goods in the mile-high city!

::how cute! & yep, that’s an Idaho quarter::

lastly, totally unrelated to cookies– check-out the beautiful flowers that matt got me this week {tulips are my favorite!} just had to share because i think they are so gorgeous. {& yes, i know that i am the luckiest girl in the world ♥}

now, where’s that arm workout? read below, it’s part of the recipe! {& really only for those of us who are lucky enough to not own a fancy shmancy kitchen aid mixer with a paddle attachment…}

Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe slightly adapted from: Apple A Day

ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• .5 tsp salt
• .75 cup butter at room temperature {1.5 sticks}
• .75 cup brown sugar {packed}
• .25 cup coconut sugar {regular granulated sugar can be subbed here}
• 1 egg {large}
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• .75-1 cup milk-chocolate chips

directions

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt into a small bowl, set aside.

Arm Workout Warm-up: In large bowl cream together butter, brown sugar, and coconut sugar.  {Those of you with a stand-mixer fitted with a paddle attachment can use that here, but you’ll miss out on the arm workout!}

::the beginning of creaming the butter & sugar::

Blend in egg and vanilla.

The Arm Workout: Add flour mix to large bowl in three parts.  It will feel pretty dry, and at times, impossible to mix, but I promise you that they will turnout!

Once all of the flour is fully combined, stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop cookie dough with a spoon and roll into balls. Place cookie dough balls onto baking sheet, about an inch apart.  Bake in a 350° oven for 8-10 minutes. {time may vary depending on your oven}

note: the tops may not brown but you will see the edges turn golden.

Remove from oven, let cool.  See how long you can go from devouring the entire batch {our record is 2 days} … enjoy!

any comments, suggestions, or questions can be directed to Rachel at: nomushroomshere@gmail.com

Running {energy} Bars

i’ll be running a half marathon on april 7 {eeek! that’s soon} with one of my good friends, Courtney — she’s my race-running buddy :)

and even though it’s my 6th or 7th half {yeah, i lost count…}, i am still learning new ways to train and fuel my body to prepare for a successful race.

one thing i struggle with is a good pre-run meal.

last weekend, i went to a few stores nearby to check out their “energy” bar selection.  there were a few that looked great, but then i looked at the ingredients.    meh.

and then there were some that were all natural/had organic ingredients, but then i looked at the price tag.  geeeeez.

so i decided it was time to make my own homemade Running Bars.  i love it because you can control the taste – like your bars to be sweeter? add a bit more honey.  like a nuttier taste? add a dab more almond butter. you can’t go wrong doing it yourself!

the perfect pre-run {or pre-walk/jog/workout/climbing/yoga/etc.} bar!

Running Bars

recipe adapted from: No Meat Athlete’s “Ultimate Energy Bar Formula”

**No Meat Athlete’s website is awesome. take a minute to check it out — he provides a formula {not a recipe} for making delicious energy bars. This recipe below is one that I created from the formula, with a few tweaks to the ingredient amounts.

ingredients

• 15oz Great Northern Beans
• .5 cup almond butter
• .25 cup raw honey
• 1 small banana
• .25 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• .25 tsp sea salt
• 1 .79oz packet Garden of Life Raw Protein in Vanilla {or 1 serving of your favorite protein powder}
• .75 cup spelt flour
• 1 cup oats
• .5 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

directions

Preheat oven to 350°  –  Grease a 13×9 glass baking dish with a dash of oil.

Using a food processor, pulse beans, almond butter, honey, banana, vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt until smooth.

Add protein powder, flour, oats, and coconut and pulse again until combined.

Spread mixture into pan.  Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

…Enjoy!!

Cilantro Tomato Soup

one of my favorite meals is grilled cheese & tomato soup.

now, let’s up the ante   ::   tomato soup with a cilantro infusion and grilled cheese with fontina & brie.    yes.   comfort food, at it’s finest.

throw in a salad and you can call it a well-rounded meal.

busy-bees beware: this soup is not the quickest, but if you have the time, it’s worth it.

i’ll recommend that you make it on a blistery fall/winter day and slurp it up while cuddled under a blanket on the couch watching your favorite show {bonus: fireplace popping in the background} – don’t forget the grilled cheese…great for dipping.

Cilantro Tomato Soup

recipe adapted from: Kalyn’s Kitchen

ingredients

• 2 medium bundles fresh cilantro {washed}
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 small-med garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1.5 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 28oz can of dice tomatoes {Muir Glen organic fire roasted tomatoes are the best!}
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• black pepper to taste {I did 10 grinds}
• dash of cayenne {+1 pinch for more of a kick}
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

directions

Prepare Cilantro: Cut 2-3 inches off the top of one cilantro bundle {you want to cut off most of the leaves, leaving just a few behind}.  Pick the leaves off the cilantro stalks and set aside about a .5 cup of leaves {this will be used for garnish}.  Finely chop the remaining leaves {great time for the slap-chop!}.   Using kitchen twine, tie the cut cilantro stalks back together along with the other full bundle of cilantro {or separately}.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a deep, medium-sized pot {I used our 4.5 quart Le Creuset dutch oven}.  Add chopped onion and saute for 5-6 minutes.  Stir in garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and paprika until combined.  Next add entire can of tomatoes {juice included}, water, the cilantro bundle, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove pot from hot burner and allow to cool.  Once cool enough to handle, remove cilantro bundle{s} and discard.  Puree soup with a food processor or blender, working in batches if necessary.  If the consistency looks good to you, you can stop here.  It’s more of a bisque at this point, and I like it smoother.  If you want a smoother soup too, use a fine mesh strainer to work the soup through, discarding the “pulp”. {I added about a tablespoon of “pulp” into mine before tossing the rest}

Return soup to pot and warm it over medium-heat.  Stir in the cayenne pepper, lime juice and the chopped cilantro.  Once heated throughout it’s ready to serve.  Garnish with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a few cilantro leaves… Enjoy!!

Spicy Black Bean Burgers (w/ avocado topping)

hang on,   before you cringe at the idea of eating a “veggie burger” hear us out, we’re meat-eaters too. in fact, a big juicy burger is one of our favorite meals.

but there is something special about these meatless burgers; they’re not like the patties you’ll find in your grocer’s freezer aisle, or at the new hipster/vegan/hippie hangout down the street.

these are satiating burgers filled with beans and spices and herb g o o d n e s s. don’t tell your man and serve them to him as a ‘burger’ …they are surprisingly similar to the cow-version visually…

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

adapted from: “Recipe of the Week: Burgers,” by Sally Sampson (Wiley). {recipe states that it makes 4 burgers, but we find that it yields 5 or 6}

ingredients

• 4 cups cooked, rinsed and drained black beans {we use 2-15oz cans}
• .5 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs
• 5 scallions, both white & green parts, minced
• 4-5 tbsp cilantro, chopped {we love our cilantro, we use 5}
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1-2 tsp crushed red pepper {we use 1.5}
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

directions

Place 2 cups (or 1 can) of the black beans in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until chunky.

 !!Absent Appliance Alert!! – since we don’t have a food processor, we put the beans directly into a large mixing bowl and use a potato-masher to, well, mash them! does the trick!

Transfer beans from processor to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining whole black beans, along with the panko, scallions, basil, garlic, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes and mix until combined.  Add eggs and mix again until well combined.

Divide the mixture into desired portions [original recipe suggests 4 portions of 3/4-1in. thick patties].  Toss the portions back and forth between your hands {after they’ve been washed, for goodness sake!!}.  Set on a plate and sprinkle the patties with salt and pepper.  Place a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and when it is hot, but not smoking, add the burgers to the dry pan.  Cook until well seared on both sides and heated throughout, about 4-5 minutes each side.  Serve with Avocado Topping {recipe below} & enjoy!!

Avocado Topping

Original Recipe from: Matt & Rachel’s Kitchen **not to be confused with our famous guacamole!**

ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• half a lime
• half a white onion, chopped {the “slap-chop” saves lives here…}
• 3-4 tbsp of cilantro, chopped {or more, if you love it like we do!}
• .25 tsp garlic salt
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• sea salt, to taste

directions

Halve the avocados, removing & discarding the pit.  Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado into a medium mixing bowl. Depending on the ripeness of the avocados, you may be able to mash them easily with your average cereal-spoon, but I find that a potato-masher does a great job to “cream” the avocado into a lovely texture. Halve the lime-half {which will create 2 quarters… look at that math!} – and squeeze the juice onto the mashed avocado.  Use a spoon to mix in.

Add chopped onion and cilantro.  {Just a note: We pick the cilantro leaves off their ‘stalks’ which can be time consuming, but so worth it!  To save a little time, you can use a slap-chop -if you own one- for both the onion and cilantro.}

Add the garlic salt and cumin.  Take a little taste to see if your tastebuds desire a little more salt, then add sea-salt as desired.  {We found that only a couple twists of our salt-grinder was needed}  Enjoy!!