Carrot Oatmeal breakfast cookies

I ripped this recipe out from a quarterly newsletter that was sent out from our insurance company when we lived in the Bay. I liked that the recipe was eggless, and that it didn't have any white sugar in it.

Carrot Oatmeal Cookies (recipe developed by Farm Fresh to You)

Ingredients:
1 cup whole-grain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (scant) sea salt
1 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup carrots, shredded or grated
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Squeeze out any extra moisture from the carrots (there will be a lot of you grated them), and add the carrots and nuts to the bowl with the flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, melted butter, and ginger. Pour the maple syrup mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Drop the batter in tablespoon-size amounts into a silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet, and gently press the dough into a cookie form with a spoon or your hand. Bake in the top 1/4 of the oven for 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Remoce from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.

My Notes:
1. I used whole wheat pastry flour as the whole grain, and I would do that again.
2. I used the whole 1/2 teaspoon of salt (not scant)
3. I used rolled oats, and liked it, but I bet instant oats would be just fine.
4. I added nearly a tsp of cinnamon and a heaping 1/4 spoon of nutmeg. I'd consider ground cloves and allspice for next time.
5. I shredded the carrots, so no water really came out-- I didn't have to squeeze any extra moisture out.
6. I added closer to 3/4 cups of walnuts, and I followed the directions exactly and added them into the dry mix before adding the wet ingredients. It worked fine.
7. I used slightly more ginger and I grated it right over the bowl of wet ingredients so that the ginger juice dropped into the mix as I grated.
8. After I mixed it, I let the dough rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes to let the butter firm up a bit.
9. Took about 12ish minutes in my oven.
10. These cookies don't really spread, and I didn't smoosh the tops so they turned out as morsels. They'd look more cookie like if I'd rolled them and shaped them.
11. Made about 18 cookies.
12. TK really liked them! Will make again. Not too sweet, and the maple flavor is there, subtly.

Date breakfast bars

We had a box of deglet noor dates (pitted) that was languishing on our countertop, so I decided to make these bars: https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/11/date-breakfast-squares/

Date Breakfast Squares

We cut these into 12 bars.

For the filling
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon finely grated orange (or mandarin or clementine) zest

For the crumbs
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 cup raw or turbinado sugar
1/2 cup olive oil, coconut oil, melted butter or a mix of the above
3/4 cups rolled oats, I used quick-cooking but old-fashioned should work just fine
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, or a wholegrain flour mix of your choice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
A pinch or two of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Either grease bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch pan or line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan, combine dates, water and zest over low heat, simmering for 5 to 10 minutes, until liquid has absorbed and mixture has thickened. Set aside while you make the crumbs.

In a large bowl, mix the sugars and oil or butter together. Add the oats, flour, spices, baking soda and salt and stir to combine; the mixture should form a coarse rubble.

Press half into the bottom of your prepared pan. Dollop the date mixture over it and use a small offset spatula (or whatever you have on hand) to spread the mixture smoothly over the crumbs. Don’t worry if the crumbs move around a littleunderneath; these bars don’t require perfection. Sprinkle remaining crumbs over date layer and press lightly to cover.

Bake bars for 25 minutes, or until light brown at the edges. Cool in pan. Cut into squares. They’ll keep just fine at room temperature but will last up to a week in the fridge and longer in the freezer.

My notes:
1. I made a mistake and forgot to chop the dates up prior to stewing them. sigh. So I had to blend them in the blender and probably added close to a half cup more water to get them to blend.However, this ended up working out just fine, and I'd consider doing it again to get a more even filling consistency.
2. I used half butter and half olive oil for the fat. I also used half rolled outs and half instant oats. I would do that again, if possible.
3. I used whole wheat flour.
4. I zested 3 small mandarins. We could taste the citrus after the stewing step, and I even added more zest before the top crumb layer, but we didn’t taste the citrus after the bake. I’d consider adding more.
5. I’d also consider adding chopped walnuts— not sure how. Maybe mixed into the date purée? Maybe mixed into the crumb on top? I think I'm leaning toward chopping them finely and putting them into the crumb topping.

Update:
I made these again on 6/8/19
1. This time I used a mix of olive oil and coconut oil. The bars definitely turned out crumblier without the butter but I was able to slice them into bars without too much trouble after refrigerating them overnight.
3. I chopped maybe a half cup of pecans and mixed them into the top layer of crust. Delicious and I would do that again.
3. I zested a little extra orange peel over the date purée and the flavor came through better this time.
4. I also made the date purée ahead of time and froze it in the freezer, defrosted it overnight and it worked well. If I have a surplus of dates for some reason, I’d consider keeping a bag in the fridge for a quick dessert.

Vegan cream of mushroom soup

From Sarah Britton's Naturally Nourished cookbook: "The only cream of mushroom soup I ate as a kid was the canned variety—the one that plopped out of its claustrophobic aluminum home and retained its cylindrical-tin shape. You know the one I mean. 

These days, I still love mushroom soup, but I make it from scratch without dairy. What is the secret to the creaminess without the cream? By blending cooked beans with vegetable broth, you end up with a totally luxurious texture that mimics heavy cream but is virtually fat free. In addition, beans deliver healthy, vegetarian protein and a serious dose of filling fiber. It tastes as if you are eating the richest soup of all time, but it’s a delicious illusion that warms you up, fills you up, but doesn’t fill you out! 

To take this delicious soup to the next level, you must make the Garlic Herb 
Croutons. They are ridiculously rich, perfectly seasoned, and extra 
crunchy. You’ll be finding reasons to make soup just to eat them!" 
https://food52.com/recipes/75760-luxurious-cream-of-mushroom-soup-with-garlic-herb-croutons

Ingredients

For Luxurious Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 1large leek
• 1tablespoon coconut oil or ghee
• 3medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
• 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried), plus more for garnish
• 4bay leaves
• 4garlic cloves
• 14ounces / 400 grams cremini mushrooms
• 2cups / 500 vegetable broth
• 1cup / 250 ml plant-based milk of your choice
• 1 1/2cups / 250 grams (about 1 15-ounce an) white beans, such as navy, butter, cannellini, or great Northern, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• Garlic-herb croutons (recipe follows)

For Garlic-Herb Croutons (makes 4 cups)

• 1 1/2teaspoons coconut oil
• 1/2teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4cups 330 grams cubed whole-grain bread

Directions

For Luxurious Cream of Mushroom Soup

1. To prepare the leek, cut the white and light-green parts in half lengthwise and then crosswise into chunks. 
2. In a large stockpot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, salt, black pepper, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook until the onions and leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Mince the garlic, add it to the pot, and stir. 
3. While the onions, leeks, and garlic are cooking, clean the mushrooms by removing any dirt or natural debris with a damp cloth (do not wash them in water). Cut the mushrooms into quarters and add them to the pot. Cook until they are dark brown and very soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the broth and stir. 
4. Meanwhile, combine the milk and beans in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
5. When the mushrooms are cooked, add the vinegar and about one third of the soup to the blender with the blended beans. Blend on high until creamy, then pour the mixture back into the pot with the remaining soup, stir well, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Thin the soup with water if desired.
6. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the croutons and some fresh thyme sprigs. 

For Garlic-Herb Croutons (makes 4 cups)

1. Preheat the oven to 325F/160C.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion powders, thyme, oregano, and salt, whisking to combine. 
3. Place the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the oil mixture over the top, tossing very well to coat the bread. Bake until the croutons are golden, fully toasted, and dry, 35 to 45 minutes. Store leftovers in an airtight glass jar at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

My notes: I made the soup. I used two large onions, two leeks, and fresh thyme. I also used coconut milk as the plant-based milk of choice and I opted for ghee and not coconut oil. I used canelini beans. Overall the soup is okay. I think I want more mushrooms and more depth than this soup offered. Frankly it tasted like the vegan mushroom gravy from the first mess but without as much oomph. However, it is a relatively healthy recipe and TK liked it, so maybe would make again?