sweet miscellany

Sometimes I test or create a cookie or sweet because of a brainstorm over whether or not certain flavors will work well together. I could be in the middle of doing something completely unrelated to cookies and all of the sudden I will have a cookie epiphany. An idea will pop into my head and I immediately have to write it down so I won’t forget it later. I have a folder on my desk whose only purpose is to house the various post-its and random pieces of paper that have ideas written on them for future baking endeavors.

A random brainstorm is how this cookie came to be. I think I may have been on a walk and all of the sudden I started wondering how well lemon zest, orange zest, raw pistachios, and olive oil would taste in a cookie. I think walks allow my brain to wander and apparently, it always wanders to sweets. I guess I can live with that since some lovely cookies have come out of it.

The olive oil may sound a little funny in this cookie but it works really well with the lemon and orange zest. You could make this cookie gluten free by using a gluten free flour mix and you could make it vegan by using agave instead of honey.

Citrus, Pistachio, and Olive Oil Cookies
These are best treated as more of a drop cookie: use a small cookie scoop, drop them on the sheet, and chill them for about 10 minutes prior to baking. I garnished the top of each with a whole pistachio prior to baking, but feel free to do whatever your heart desires. This recipe will make 2 dozen tbsp sized cookies.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped raw pistachios, plus more whole pistachios for garnish
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and the pistachios in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey and oil until well combined, then whisk in the lemon and orange zest so that it is evenly distributed.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until it just comes together into a somewhat stiff dough. Using a cookie scoop (or a spoon, or tbsp measuring spoon), scoop out the dough and place on a lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart (they will spread!). Press a whole pistachio onto the top of the cookie (optional). If you would like the cookies to not spread as much, you can refrigerate the shaped dough for about 10 to 15 minutes. Otherwise, let the shaped dough sit for a few minutes, then bake for 7 to 9 minutes until the edges and bottoms are just golden. It is best to take these out earlier rather than later as they will dry out easily if over baked. Enjoy!

Though I bake and eat a good share of sweets, I tend to eat healthier vegetarian meals for dinner during the week. Since most people don’t subsist on baked goods, I decided to share a favorite dinner recipe. It doesn’t really require a lot of ingredients, and chances are you have most of them in your kitchen already.

I’m not quite sure how this dinner concoction came together. I think I was trying to use up some things in my cupboard and refrigerator before they went bad. I had some left over coconut milk left, bulgur wheat that needed to be consumed before the “best by” date, and a beautiful bunch of kale in the crisper waiting to be eaten. These were combined into one of my favorite go-to dinners, lemony kale with creamy bulgur wheat. It’s rather simple and is ready in less than 20 minutes.

Lemony Kale with Creamy Bulgur Wheat

Since usually only cooking for 1 or 2 people all of the time, this recipe serves 2. You can easily double (or triple) it to suit the number of mouths you are cooking for. To save time, I usually saute the kale while the bulgur wheat is cooking so they are done about the same time.

1 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 bunch of Kale, ribs removed and torn into smallish pieces
1 tbsp oil ( I tend to use olive oil or grapeseed oil)
zest of 1 lemon
pinch (or more) or crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut, toasted
1/4 cup sliced raw almonds, toasted
sea salt

In a medium pot or saucepan, bring the coconut milk and water to a simmer. Stir in the bulgur wheat and then bring the mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a nice boil, reduce the temperature to a simmer and stir often for about 10 to 20 minutes until the bulgur wheat is still creamy, but a lot of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.

In a separate pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat. Once your pan is hot, toss in the kale and then stand back! It will crackle and hiss when it first hits the oil. Next, toss in the lemon zest, red pepper flakes, and a bit of sea salt. Saute the kale until it turns bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the kale mixture over the bulgur wheat and top with the toasted almonds and coconut. A bit more sea salt may be sprinkled on top before serving. Enjoy!