Chocolate Chip cookies with rye flour and dairy free

Made these cookies because I’m trying to reduce the amount of dairy I consume (it’s going ehh) and I had the recipe saved for a while.

I was intrigued by the rye flour in there and the walnuts (I love cookies with nuts!)

Recipe from Real Simple magazine

Meet a better for you chocolate chip cookie that we might even prefer to the back of the bag recipe. Thanks to coconut oil, these cookies are moist and chewy on the inside and crispy around the edges—the best of both worlds! The recipe uses white whole wheat flour, which has the texture and flavor of all-purpose flour but four times the fiber. Chopping your own chocolate (versus using chips) is worth the extra couple of minutes: that way you'll have bits and pieces of chocolate in every bite, with molten pockets throughout.

Ingredients:

1¼ cups white whole-wheat flour 

½ cup rye flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup extra-virgin coconut oil, in solid form

¾ cup granulated sugar 

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg 

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dark chocolate (about 6 oz.)

¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted 

How to Make It

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together the whole-wheat flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the coconut oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture and beat just until combined. Fold in the chocolate pieces and walnuts. Using damp hands, shape the mixture into 28 balls and place on the prepared sheets. Bake until the edges are lightly brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

Mmm

My notes: 

1. I toasted the walnuts and chopped them up. I also used 72% dark chocolate that I chopped 

2. I half liquefied the coconut oil so that I could measure it better and then let us solidify in the measuring cup before making the recipe. I tried to avoid using the electric better but eventually pulled  it out because I just couldn’t get the coconut oil to cream with the butter by hand (it was just clumpy). 

3. Baked it in our oven for 12 minutes, but next time would pull out even sooner because the bottoms of these cookies over darkened. 

4. Cookies have a nice domed shape to them, and taste best when cool. They are crispy— perhaps if I’d pulled them out a wee bit earlier they’d have been chewier on the inside. 

5. I would totally make these again, as they are delicious! I’d consider just using chocolate chips next time to see if eliminating the chocolate shreds, there’s less browning on the bottom of the cookie. 

Pics

Mashed Parsnips

Made this for the baby! Trying to expand his repertoire of food...

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 2 lb. medium parsnips, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup crème fraîche
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, plus 1 Tbs. juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives, mint, parsley, dill, or a mixture

Preparation

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the parsnips and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the parsnips in a colander and let them steam under a clean kitchen towel for about 5 minutes.
  Return the parsnips to the pot and mash them with a potato masher, keeping them rather rough. Stir in the crème fraîche, butter, lemon zest, and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and sprinkle with the chopped herbs.

My notes:
Yup, you do have to core the woody center part of the parsnip, who knew?!
I used sour cream instead of creme fraiche
Omitted the lemon zest, but did squeeze a bit of juice.
I used a mix of parsley and mint.
The baby was a fan!

Nectarine Cobbler

Made this recipe from Family Circle:

https://www.familycircle.com/recipe/cobbler/nectarine-cobbler/

Ingredients

• 6 nectarines, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Pinch of nutmeg

Biscuits:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. 1Heat oven to 375 degrees . Coat a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In bowl, combine nectarines, sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Pour into dish.

Prepare Biscuits:

1. 1In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg, butter and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Stir sour cream mixture into the flour mixture until a dough is formed.
2. 2On a lightly floured surface, pat or roll out dough to 1/3-inch thickness. Using a 1-3/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 6 biscuits. Gather dough together and repeat for a total of 12 biscuits.
3. 3Place biscuits on top of fruit mixture, spacing evenly over fruit filling, and brush with milk. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, until biscuits are browned and fruit is bubbly. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

My changes: 

1. I didn't use the entire 1/2 cup of white sugar in the filling-- I probably used closer to 1/3 cup, because the fruit was pretty ripe. 

2. I used 5 nectarines/peaches (and left the skins on) and then added some blueberries, a few very, cherry plums. I cut the nectarines into thin slices. 

3. I added spices -- cardamom and cloves to the filling as well as a nice squeeze of lemon juice. 

4. I used full fat sour cream instead of reduced fat sour cream

5. The biscuit dough came out quite sticky for me. I attribute this to one of several reasons: I did my best to measure out a 3/4 cup of it, but I may have been off.  I also used full-fat, not low-fat sour cream. I didn't do the best job of rolling out the dough to the thickness they recommended (mostly because it was so sticky, and I was wary of adding too much flour to be able to roll it out. I used an 8x8 pan (which worked volume-wise) which didn't have a lot of top surface area, so I couldn't place the biscuits down in a single layer. So long story, but the dough was tricky to handle and the underside of the biscuits didn't cook where they overlapped. Next time, I'd be sure to not overlap the biscuits, OR partially cook them separately and then transfer them on top midbake. 

6. I would consider making again, though, because it tasted great! 

Gluten free (and dairy free) banana almond butter muffins

Gluten-Free Banana-Almond Butter Muffins

For additional crunch, top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of granola before baking.

1 hour 15 mins15 minsMakes one dozen

TOTAL TIMEPREPYIELD

Ingredients

• Safflower oil, for brushing (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups almond butter
• 3 bananas, mashed (1 1/4 cups), plus 1 banana, thinly sliced
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar

Directions

1. 
   

   1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with baking cups, or lightly brush with oil. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond butter, mashed bananas, eggs, sugar, salt, baking soda, and vinegar until just combined.
2. 
   

   2. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups; top each with 2 to 3 banana slices. Bake until golden and tops spring back when lightly touched, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes in tin, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

My thoughts:
1. I used a mix of raw almond butter and TJ's mixed nut butter. I did not top the muffins with sliced banana, though in order to make them more visually appealing, I would consider it next time.
2. Made a dozen muffins, took about 15ish minutes in my oven
3. I threw in some cinnamon because I felt like it needed a little more flavor.
4. Yummy hot out of the oven!

I had this saved in my cooking folder, and decided to make it on a day when I had so much ripe fruit I had to do something with it all.

Peach-and-Raspberry Oat Cobbler

Rolled oats add texture and richness to the sweet biscuit topping for this easy-to-make cobbler.

3 hours 40 mins25 mins8

TOTAL TIMEPREPSERVINGS

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 1/2 pounds peaches, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (8 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups (6 ounces) raspberries
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup rolled oats, plus more for sprinkling
• 3/4 cup cold heavy cream, plus more for brushing and serving (optional)
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. 
   

   1. Filling: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together peaches, raspberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
2. 
   

   2. Topping: Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter; using your fingers, work it into dry ingredients until largest pieces are the size of small peas. Add oats and cream; stir with a fork until combined and a soft, sticky dough forms. Use two spoons to divide into 9 pieces, distributing evenly over fruit in baking dish. Brush tops with cream. Sprinkle with more oats, then sanding sugar.
3. 
   

   3. Bake until bubbling in center and biscuits are golden brown, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes (if browning too quickly, tent with foil after about 45 minutes). Let cool at least 2 hours before serving, topped with more cream.

Variations

Cherry: In step 1, stir together 2 pounds sour cherries, pitted (5 cups); 3/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Plum-Nectarine: In step 1, stir together 2 pounds plums (preferably Italian prune; about 9 small), cut into 1/2-inch wedges (5 1/4 cups); 1 pound nectarines (about 3), cut into 1/2-inch wedges (2 1/2 cups); 3/4 to 1 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of plums); 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Mixed Berry: In step 1, stir together 5 cups mixed raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries; 3/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Apricot-Strawberry: In step 1, stir together 2 1/4 pounds apricots, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (6 cups); 6 ounces strawberries, coarsely chopped (1 cup); 1 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In step 3, bake 1 hour.

Cook's Notes

The trick to pillowy biscuits is to leave pea-size bits of butter intact, and mix only until the dough forms. It'll be sticky, so use two spoons to drop it onto the fruit.

My thoughts:
1. I used an 8x8 pan (which is closer to 2 quarts)-- should’ve had a cookie sheet underneath for the juice drippings, though
2. I used a mix of peaches, nectarines, pears, blueberries, and mangoes. It was mostly nectarines (1lbs, 12 oz of nectarines/peaches), with two pears and 1/2 a mango cut into chunks. I didn't really measure these exactly, but tried to get it close to what I thought the total volume of fruit was in the original recipe. I liked my fruit mix just fine, but maybe could've added a little more lemon juice?
3. I would add spices next time-- allspice, or cinnamon.
4. Biscuits were yummy. I used salted butter in the dough, and tried to adjust it but mine came out undersalted a bit, but still yummy.
5. Took closer to 50 minutes in my oven. But I might consider letting it go a little bit longer because I thought that the undersides of the biscuits-- the parts touching the fruit--were not 100% done (they were 99% done).
6. I also made it pretty piecemeal. I had the fruit mixed and sitting the fridge, the dough mixed and sitting in the fridge and sort of did the rest throughout the day.
7. I'd absolutely 100% make it or one of the variations again. TK approved it.


My notes from second attempt on 7/10/20
1. I brushed the tops with cream before sprinkling with turbinado and rolled oats and I feel like I got a much better color for the biscuits. I also used the grist and toll Sonora flour for these.
2. I followed the recipe and used 2.5 lbs (7 peaches) and 6oz raspberries this time
3. I did the last 10 minutes or so with a foil tent so the biscuits wouldn’t over brown. Last time the bottom of the biscuits were slightly not done, so I wanted these to be in the oven closer to the full hour.
4. I did a much better job of getting the biscuits even. I used a scale and measured each biscuit to be 2 oz or so.
5. Fits much better in the 9x9 pan than the 8x8

Couscous Dish

Used whole wheat cous cous from TJs.

1. did 1.5 cups dry couscous
2. parsley
3. kalamata olives
4. red bellpeppers
5. shredded carrots
6. garbanzo beans
7. goat cheese
8. potatoes
9. cauliflower
10. cucumbers
11. toasted pine nuts
12. 2 avocadoes
13. cherry tomatoes

Made a tahini sauce, and served with yogurt and chili-onion crunch.
Cooked the potatoes and cauliflower in cumin and a bunch of mushroom seasoning.

Yummy!

asparagus soup

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/asparagus-soup-with-lemon-and-parmesan.html

Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan

This asparagus soup tastes luxurious, yet is made sans cream — just veggies, broth and a hint of Parmesan puréed to silky perfection.By Jennifer Segal

Servings: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 2 bunches asparagus (about 2-1/4 pounds), bottom ends trimmed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Handful fresh herbs, such as thyme, dill or basil (optional, for garnish)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.
2. In the meantime, cut the tips off of one bunch of the asparagus and set aside (you'll use those for a garnish). Cut the remaining spears and the other bunch of asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Add the chopped asparagus to the pot (minus the reserved tips), along with the chicken broth, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
4. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the reserved asparagus tips for a few minutes, or until tender-crisp. Drain the tips and then place them in a bowl of ice water to "shock" them -- this stops the cooking process and preserves their bright green color. Once the tips are cool, drain them and set aside.
5. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches, then return the soup to the pot.) Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in the lemon juice and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. To thicken the soup, allow it to simmer, uncovered, until the desired consistency is reached.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls, then top each bowl with asparagus tips, Parmigiano-Reggiano, herbs (if using), and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (The soup will freeze best if you add the cheese when reheating.)

My thoughts:
1. Probably would be fine without the cheese, honestly. When I added the cheese, which I shredded, it didn't fully melt. I would grate next time, and maybe add in slowly. Also, I didn't bother with blanching the tips for garnish.
2. Easy, quick, yummay, would totally make again.