Helvetica Gingersnap

Another one of my favorite things is cereal. I like all kinds there is no real prejudice. I think it may be because it’s kind of like eating a crumbled cookie soaked in milk, which is pretty fantastic. In the world of cereals granola is certainly at the top of my list but they never seem to have everything I want in them so I decided to make my own. This batch was also part of a care package that I sent to my boyfriend in NY, luckily he has same excitement towards cereal as I do so he was very excited to get such an exquisite treat in the mail. I ended burning one of the batches which was a huge disappointment, there is a reason that granola is so pricey at the market. The ingredients are very expensive when it is all finished. So if you decide to make these watch those trays they can burn in seconds.

• Pre-heat oven to 300˚
• In a large bowl combine the first six ingredients, through the cinnamon, and give a quick toss to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.  Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir so that every piece is coated.
• On a parchment covered tray, spread mixture so that it is a think layer.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes so that the edges do not burn.  Once done, let cool for 15 minutes.  Add chopped fruit after cooked.

Ok so I actually made these quite sometime ago, but they were so amazing if I close my eyes I can still taste the chewy goodness. These by far are the best cookies I have ever made, and I make a lot of cookies. They were incredible, a slight crisp on the outside perfectly chewy on the inside. The ginger and chocolate come together to create a complex flavor and the little kick from fresh ginger is rounded out by the sweetness of the chocolate. Delicious. Making these cookies were special for 2 reasons the first was they were part of care package to my boyfriend who is still working in NY so I wanted them to be extra special for him. The second reason is that I needed to use a mixer for this recipe, I inherited a classic KitchenAide mixer from my grandmother on my dad’s side. She was an amazing baker, she made everything from cakes, pies, candy, fudge and cookies. I have the fondest memories of being in the kitchen with her as a child and baking gingersnap and chocolate chip cookies. Having her mixer and using it now lets me put just as much love into everything I make as she did.

This recipe takes some extra time, you have to chill the dough overnight and then chill it a second time once you roll the balls out. But they are absolutely worth it!

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick or 1/4 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger root
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (dark preferred)
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon boiling water
7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about half a bag or just under 1 cup)
1/3 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

1. Sift together the flour, powdered ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and fresh ginger until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, beat until combined. Add molasses and beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Set aside.
4. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat in the dissolved baking soda. Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat down into a rectangle that is about 1 inch thich. Chill dough in the refrigerator (wrapped in plastic) overnight, until firm.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Refrigerate baking sheets and dough balls for 20 minutes.
7. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar (I used a combination of sugar, nutmeg, chocolate and a few other secret spices) and return to baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until surfaces crack slightly. If baking both sheets of cookies at the same time, rotate the sheets about halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Delicious ingredients make delicious cookies.

Sifting makes things extra fine and mixes well.

Sugar and butter…enough said.

Super sticky and amazingly delicious in Grandma’s mixer.

High-quality amazing chocolate chips

My baker’s secret mix to roll the dough balls in

About to start baking

Just out of the oven

Wow do you see the gooey chocolate, amazing. Now go make them yourself!

The first time I made these cookies it was for a Christmas party and they were a huge hit. I decided to make them again for a care package to send to my boyfriend who is New York for the next 7 months! The original recipe was adapted from Quaker Oats. I think the secret to these is you must use fresh nutmeg, it makes all the difference and smells wonderful. I substituted Splenda for regular sugar since these are not diet friendly, so each cookie ended up being about 160 calories and were  pretty big in size so one wouldn’t destroy your day (or 3) They really turned out great!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar ( I used Splenda to cut the calories)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Quaker Oats (old fashioned – NOT instant)
1 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup toffee pieces (I used Heath toffee baking pieces)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, at least 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and beat well.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat together until just moistened. Stir in your oats, then stir in your white chocolate chips and toffee bits.

4. Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto greased and/or lined cookie sheets. Bake the cookies 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown (mine took about 11 minutes). Cool for a bit on the cookie sheets before transferring elsewhere to cool. Makes about 30 cookies, depending on how big you make them.

One of the best things about Summer is the produce by far. I had some amazing peaches and was dying to try a peach shortbread cookie recipe. I scoured my favorite food blogs and found this one that was on the healthier side, since I have a bit of weakness for cookies I wanted to make sure if I ended up eating the entire pan it wouldn’t be quite as damaging. The cookies are 100% whole wheat and had only 6 tbs of sugar, and they tasted like it. lol. I think cookies either need to be whole wheat or low sugar doing both makes them a little too healthy tasting. These were a bit on the cakey side too, they were more like a muffin which was fine just not what I was going for. On the upside though, I was able to bring them to my boyfriend’s parents house which works well since his dad is a diabetic its a great low-sugar treat that he can enjoy guilt free.

Recipe:
(adapted from Martha Stewart via Cates World Kitchen)

2 cups roughly chopped, not-too-ripe peaches (this was about 3 large peaches for me – I took the skin of all but 1 to make it as sweet as possible)
9 Tbsp granulated sugar (6 for the mix and 3 to soak the peaches in)
pinch nutmeg ( I always use fresh grated nutmeg I think it makes a world of difference)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour ( I used regular whole wheat flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 F and line a few baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.
Toss the peaches with 3 tbsp sugar and set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and 6 tbsp sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it between your fingers (or mix with a pastry blender) until it looks like coarse crumbs. Gently stir in the cream, followed by the peaches.

Scoop up about 2 tbsp of dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing the cookies about 2″ apart. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I know this is a bit late, but better late than never. This was a great 4th of July dinner party, it was part birthday celebration for a friend, part going away party (my boyfriend is spending the next 7 months in NY for work, very sad), and part welcome to LA party (some friends were visiting from Santa Fe, NM). My boyfriend and I made a delicious all vegetarian meal that was not only healthy but full of flavor. We started with a cold red quinoa salad with cucumber, edamame and a lemon vinaigrette. It’s a recipe  that he took from his favorite restaurant in Santa Fe, New Mexico called Real Food Nation. We also did roasted corn that was turned out sweet and delicious, we soaked them in water for about 5 minutes then put them under the broiler for 10 minutes and they came out golden and roasted. For the main dish we did black bean burgers, they were excellent. I found the recipe on a great blog called The Kitchen Sink the recipe is below, I highly recommend trying it. To finish the evening and to celebrate a friend’s birthday I made vanilla cupcakes with fresh whipped cream, but to take advantage of the great nectarines that needed to be used I folded them into the whipped cream for a slightly sweet and fruity topping. The were so yummy, I just love whipped cream.

Black-Bean Burgers
Adapted from The Kitchen Sink

Yield: 4 burgers I doubled the recipe

2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (I used regular paprika)
generous pinch of salt
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 soft hamburger buns

Accompaniments: sliced avocado, romaine, salsa, sliced sharp cheddar

Pulse 1 can beans in a food processor with yogurt, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, cayenne, paprika and salt until a coarse purée forms. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro and remaining can beans.  Add as much juice from the lime as needed to create a mixture that holds together. Form mixture into patties.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers (alternatively, heat a grill pan and brush it with the oil). Cook burgers until outsides are crisp and lightly browned, turning once, about 10 minutes total. Serve on buns, along with the accompaniments.

Happy Friday everyone. The weather is wonderful here in Santa Monica, sunny with a cool breeze not too hot, no too cold and pretty much the perfect day for ice cream. A new ice cream shop recently opened in the Brentwood Market. It is called Sweet Rose Creamery and let me tell you it is absolutely amazing! The ice cream is made with organic and top quality ingredients and you can really tell when you taste it. It isn’t too cold and doesn’t melt too fast, I think it may just be the best ice cream I have ever had. The store itself is adorable and has a retro feel with modern touches.

“At Sweet Rose Creamery we make small batches of homemade ice cream using only the best ingredients. We use organic milk and cream from Clover, organic eggs and sugar and we never use any stabilizers or ice cream bases. We believe that quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation leads to delicious ice cream. We also make all of our toppings, cones, sauces and ice cream sandwiches from scratch daily.”

I have been there twice now both times amazing. The buzz flavor they have is salted caramel with rock sea salt on top, delicious. I had that with a scoop of  peanut butter and chocolate chunk the first time in a fresh made waffle cone. This time I tried a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of banana, both rich and creamy and you can taste the real fruit inside. My brother got a double scoop of the salted caramel and then an additional scoop of hoji tea, which is similar to green tea in taste. I highly recommend all of them.

Anybody who knows me definitely knows that I love cookies! They are my favorite dessert every, I will take a cookie over anything else anytime. Also if you know me you know I have zero willpower when it comes to sweets…especially cookies! So I am always on the look out to make recipes that are a little healthier.  Here is a new recipe, for healthy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, adapted from health magazine. Enjoy.

6 Tbs unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pitted dates (I didn’t have any dates, so I left this out)
3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used a little more than 3 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets (or line w/ parchment or silpats).
2. Place butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Melt in microwave, just until completely melted. Remove from microwave and add brown sugar. Stir until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flours, baking soda & salt.  Stir into butter sugar mixture along with egg, vanilla and dates. Fold in chopped chocolate and mix well.
4. Drop Tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until they appear to be set and not gooey in the middles.

Yield: About 30 cookies

Nutrition Facts (Mine vary slightly since the dates were omitted)
Serving size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 99.35
Calories From Fat (32%): 31.37
Total Fat 3.64g
Saturated Fat 2.07g
Cholesterol 13.16mg
Sodium 75.71mg
Potassium 82.09mg
Carbohydrates 16.37g
Dietary Fiber 1.24g
Sugar 9.15g
Net Carbohydrates 15.13g
Protein 1.47g

I am always on the lookout for some new healthy recipes to try and these look delicious. They are full of flavor and simple fresh ingredients, I am going to try and make them all in the coming weeks.

Via Savour Fare
Sauteed Asparagus with Leeks
This salad looks so good, it’s simple and fresh and looks like it is just full of flavor.

Via Once Upon a Chef
Spring Pea & Basil Soup
This soup just has a handful of ingredients and can be served hot or cold and paired with a crusty baguette seems perfect.

Via Green Kitchen Stories
Linguine della via di Grotta Pinta
This looks so amazing and rustic, the recipe is from the blog Green Kitchen Stories and narrative behind this recipe is so charming I am going to have to make this right away and share it with some loved ones.

Via Sprouted Kitchen
Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
This looks so healthy and just as delicious, and seems like one of those summer salads that you can have everyday for lunch and just not get tired of.

Via Enlightened Cooking
Wheat Berry Salad with Kohlrabi, Apples, & Sunflower Seeds
I have always wanted to try using Wheat Berry and this seems like the perfect recipe to start with.

Via Honest Fare
Vegetarian Chli
Yum. It has been very cold lately here in LA and this vegetarian chili seems like the perfect dish for a cold Spring night.

My boyfriend and I had a taco night dinner party, and it was absolutely delicious. We made carne asada steak with fresh made corn tortillas. Spicy Mexican black beans, cilantro rice,  fresh guacamole, salsa, and all the toppings. We also made home-made margaritas that turned out fabulous. We finished the meal with sliced mangoes and a dash of chili powder. In the business of preparing a meal for 9 people, some of the photos did not turn out that great and in our excitement we forgot to capture a few of the steps and the finished outcome. But here are some shots of another successful dinner party.

Hello everyone! I know it has been quite the hiatus for posts recently. Work has been unbelievably busy and draining leaving me utterly exhausted by the end of the day. But here are some wonderful farmers market photos taken by my sister at the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market. All of these photos are available for purchase on her Etsy shop Creative Recovery