Carrot Cake Cookies

These little gems taste just like the real thing!  Only they are actually quite healthy for you.  I made these when I was on my "cleanse" a few months ago.  I made the recipe as is only substituted gluten-free flour for the whole-wheat flour.  They are just the right size for a mid-afternoon snack or morning cup of tea.

This recipe comes from "Oh She Glows", a wonderful vegan blog.  Great recipes!  http://ohsheglows.com/2010/11/20/itty-bitty-carrot-cake-cookies/

Ingredients: (15 bite-sized cookies)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I’m sure other flours would work!)
1/4 cup regular oats
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4-1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup shredded carrots, packed
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in water overnight
1/4 cup pure maple syrup, room temperature
1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed for about 25 seconds in microwave
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 1 baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick mat.
2. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and oats in a large bowl. Add in the nuts, coconut, raisins, and shredded carrots.
3. In a small bowl mix the maple syrup, softened coconut oil, vanilla, and freshly grated ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until combined.
4. Drop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Shape into a ball with hands. Bake for about 12 minutes and cool for 10 minutes on a baking rack.

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

I did some pre-holiday shopping and purchased some White Chocolate Cranberry Popcorn.  It was really good!!  However, it was fairly expensive for what you get.  It's a well-known brand, south of the border.  I thought to myself "self, you could make this!".  So I went on a popcorn-making binge!  I made 3 different kinds:

• White Chocolate Cranberry
• White Chocolate Peppermint (my personal fave)
• Milk Chocolate with M&Ms

I put the popcorn in bags, tied with a little raffia or ribbon and card, and gave them away as gifts. 

White Chocolate Candy Cane Popcorn

White Chocolate Cranberry Popcorn

Milk Chocolate with M&Ms

Ingredients:
Popped popcorn
White Chocolate (use the good stuff)
Dried Cranberries
Candy Canes
Miniature Marshmallows
M&M

Pop the popcorn as per usual, but do not add any butter or salt.  Cool.

Melt the white or milk chocolate over a double-boiler or in the microwave. 
Spread the popped corn over a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle the melted chocolate overtop.  Sprinkle with cranberries.  Drizzle more chocolate overtop, making sure that the cranberries are well-coated so that they stick to the popcorn.

Let cool completely.  Once cool, break up into pieces.

I kept mine in the garage, where it was cold.  I also kept some in the freezer and just took out what I needed.  This kept it from going stale too quickly

For the candy cane popcorn, unwrap the candy canes and place in a zip-loc baggie.  Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush them to manageable pieces.  I mixed the crushed candy canes and miniature marshmallows.  This was my favourite kind! 

I used Christmas coloured M&Ms in the third kind.  Use your imagination to come up with other variations. I think the possibilities are endless!

Christmas Cookies

I made quite a variety of Christmas cookies, mostly to give away.  I really like an assortment around the holidays; you never know who's dropping by or when you might need a quick last minute gift.  It's always a nice hostess gift to bring as well, as a little "extra".

This year I made:

• Toblerone Shortbread (my fave)
• Peppermint Chocolate Cookies
• Cinnamon Bun Cookies
• Snickerdoodles
• Maple Syrup Shortbread
• Cape Cod Cookies (White Chocolate Cranberry)
• Fern's Christmas Cookies (Cherry, Chocolate Chip, Coconut) (my kids and husband's long-standing favourite!)

I'll post a few of the recipes for next Christmas. 

Winter Salad

I made this salad a few times over the holidays.  It's especially nice over the Christmas season as the colours seem and ingredients seem to go well with the holidays.

Ingredients:

• California Salad Mix or Baby Lettuce Mix
• cherry tomatoes
• red onion
• dried cranberries
• toasted pecans

Dressing:

• olive oil
• lemon juice
• white balsamic vinegar
• maple syrup
• salt & pepper

I like the "baby lettuce" blend, which means they are tender leaves, usually romaine, leaf lettuce, arugula, etc.

Thinly slice the cherry tomatoes and the red onion.  The pecan pieces should be toasted in the oven, which brings out their beautiful nutty flavour even better. 

For the dressing, I usually do 1 part vinegar/lemon juice to 3 parts olive oil.  Sorry I don't measure!  I'll have to learn, won't I....  Add a splash of maple syrup to offset the tang of the vinegar and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss all together and gently toss with the dressing. 

The Quiet Season

The hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year's are behind us, bringing in a quieter, calmer season.  I love January because we settle in, burrow deeper into our den, and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes with this time of year.

It's a time to clean out the clutter, get rid of the things that no longer serve us, and create a warm, enticing home.  I find this time of year, I want to declutter - after the busyness of the holidays, the gifts, the wrappings, the decorations; I want my home to reflect a cleaner, more organized place to be.  Or at least I try!  When you have kids and a husband in the house that leave things on the counter, on the table, in the bathroom; it's a bit more difficult to keep the house clean and organized.  Oh well, time enough to be super organized when the kids have left the house.  Or so I think.......

It's also a great time of year to create in the kitchen. 

• comfort food:  a baked pasta, French Onion Soup, Chili.....
• the enticing aroma of a soup bubbling on the stovetop......
• a hearty stew, ready when you are......
• the lingering smell of chocolate chip cookies or blueberry muffins.....

It's makes me want to spend long, leisurely Sundays in the kitchen, creating wonderful culinary gifts for my family.

The winter months are also a great time of year to do those in-house projects: finish those built-in bookshelves, reorganize that closet, renovate your bathroom, paint your bedroom.....  Take your time, finish things, and don't get overwhelmed.  After all, none of those projects are going anywhere. They will still be there when you're ready!

Stack your end tables with books, crossword puzzles, and boardgames.  There's no where else to be....  There's nothing more important than nurturing your body and feeding your soul.  It's a time for a break in the action and a time to refuel.  Don't you feel the least bit guilty!  We all need some downtime to revitalize and this is the perfect time of year to do so.  Look at it this way - when you're rested and energized, you have more to give and are happier in the process.

May 2012 be a year of learning, of trying new things, pushing past your comfort zone.... May the year ahead be full of blessings, "snapshot" moments, and happiness.

Be yourself, everyone else is already taken!