Chocolate Chip Cookies

Customized these for what Austin was in the mood for.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup almond flour

1 cup mashed banana (2 bananas)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips (we used 69% cocoa)

Mix all together, saving chocolate chips for last. Bake at 350 for 17 minutes, or until golden. Let sit to stiffen.

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread Cookies

5 c. Flour*
2 t. Baking Soda
1 T. ground Ginger
1 t. ground Cinnamon
3/4 t. ground Cloves
1/2 c. Molasses
2 c. Applesauce
2 T. Vinegar

4 droppers of stevia

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt until well blended.
3. Add the molasses, applesauce and vinegar and continue whisking until well mixed.
4. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture.
5. Chill dough in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes until firm enough to roll.
6. On floured parchment paper, or a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough to 1/8” thick. Sprinkle extra flour on top, if the dough is sticky (the dough was VERY sticky - needed plenty of extra flour for handling)
Cut dough into gingerbread men or holiday shapes.
7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes until light brown. Remove cookies from the oven and let cool completely if decorating.

*used a mix of einkorn and sorghum

Adapted from: http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/11/28/low-fat-gingerbread-cookies/

Gingerbread

2 and 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 – 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 dropper liquid stevia

Coconut sugar mixed with cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, sifting in the baking powder and baking soda. Stir through until well combined. In another bowl, first combine the molasses with the applesauce, stevia, and vanilla, and mix together. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Gently fold and mix through, until just combined (do not overmix). Transfer mixture to a parchment lined baking pan. If using any optional toppings, sprinkle those on. Bake for 37-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove, and transfer (keeping in pan) to cooling rack. Let cool completely, then remove from pan and slice. Makes one quickbread.

Adapted from: http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/chocolate-gingerbread/

Thanksgiving 2015

Winter Salad: https://protectivediet.com/recipe/winter-fruit-salad

Beet bread: https://protectivediet.com/recipe/zucchini-bread

Pumpkin apple cornbread: https://protectivediet.com/recipe/jalapeno-cornbread-muffins

Wild rice

Mashed potatoes

Dijon-herb green beans: http://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/dijon-herb-green-beans/

Onion and mushroom gravy: https://protectivediet.com/recipe/vegan-mushroom-gravy

Cranberry-orange sauce: https://protectivediet.com/recipe/cranberry-clementine-sauce

SPOTLIGHT: Protective Diet

There are so many good recipes out there, both online and in cookbooks. I have my own recipe for Lentil Shepherd's Pie that I'm going to publish soon (I forgot to take pictures, so I need to make it again first). 

As part of this blog, I want to do "Spotlight" posts in which I focus on specific cookbooks, blogs, or other websites I enjoy. My main purpose in this blog is sharing what I, and my family, eat. The spotlights will be an extension of that idea.

Lately, I have been thoroughly enjoying the "Free Recipes" section of protectivediet.com. These recipes are easy, delicious, and meet my standards. The one caveat is that you need an account on the site in order to access the recipes. It is free to make the account necessary for the Free Recipes, and, to me, worth it. If you like what you see below, you might want to consider doing so.

I subbed shredded beets for the zucchini in this recipe. If you need it wheat-free, sub oat flour.

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/zucchini-bread

I subbed beets for the carrots in this coleslaw. Can you tell I had a lot of beets around?

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/coleslaw

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/cacao-breakfast-muffins

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/gluten-free-apple-oat-breakfast-muffins

This was the leftover alfredo sauce from this recipe. I put it on top of my broccoli; it reminded me of the cheesy sauce I used to put on my broccoli as a kid.

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/fat-free-fredo-sauce

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/spinach-lasagna

I used this sauce to top broccoli and brown rice. Yes, I've definitely been in a broccoli mood.

https://protectivediet.com/recipe/no-fat-not-yo-cheeze-sauce

Stovetop Lentil Shepherd's Pie

On his mission, Austin picked up a specific way of making shepherd's pie that included ground beef and onion, corn, mashed potatoes, cheese, and ketchup. Since he liked it so much, I quickly picked up the habit. The last time I made this was with his help, towards the end of my first trimester with my eldest son. This was immediately after a three-month whole foods vegetarian stint, and I found that I no longer appreciated the dish; it didn't help that I was still getting over my morning sickness.

Since then, I have tried a few vegan versions, but none stuck. Last night, Austin suggested that lentil shepherd's pie sounded appetizing to him. In my mind, this was easy enough, considering my experience with the dish. I didn't get out a recipe; I simply hit the kitchen. What I came up with knocked the socks off any other version I've tried thus far.

I originally wrote this post back in November, but hadn't taken photos and thought I would make it again and do so. I guess I'm too interested in trying new things! I have done "Shepherd's Pie" a handful of times since, but always differently than this, so I'm going to go ahead and post this anyway. Sorry!

Stovetop Lentil Shepherd's Pie:

8-10 red potatoes, cut into chunks

4-7 cloves garlic

1 tbsp Old Bay seasoning 

1 cup lentils

2 cups water

1 onion, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1 bunch chard, chopped, leaves and stems divided

1 tbsp no-salt seasoning

1 tsp sage

1 tsp rosemary

4 cups frozen corn

Salt and pepper

Ketchup of choice, for serving*

Place the potatoes, garlic, and Old Bay seasoning in a pot and cover with water. 

Place lentils, water, onion, carrot, chard stems, no-salt seasoning, sage, and rosemary in a separate pot. 

Set both pots to boil at the same time. Once the lentils reach a boil, reduce to simmer. Once the potatoes reach a boil, reduce to medium heat. Cook each for 15-20 minutes, until the both the lentils and potatoes are cooked through. Mix the chard leaves into the lentils and cover with a lid. Drain most of the water from the potatoes into a mason jar (save excess for other recipes calling for veggie broth). Mash the potatoes with a potato masher, adding back liquid as needed, until the potatoes are the desired texture.

Thaw and heat the corn separately (I did this in a microwave). Layer all elements as desired. Salt and pepper to taste, and top with ketchup.

*My family uses an agave-sweetened brand found at a whole food store. Most recently, I bought an unsweetened version and sweetened it to taste with liquid stevia - as the agave ketchup had become unpleasantly sweet to me, self-sweetening the unsweetened ketchup is definitely to my liking.

Fresh Pumpkin Spinach Tomato Sauce

Our neighbor gave us a big bowl of homegrown tomatoes that were the inspiration for this sauce, on a day I was planning on making a butternut squash dish. I ended up using pumpkin by mistake - I had cooked and pureed both a pumpkin and a butternut squash today, and didn't realized I'd added the pumpkin until I opened the fridge again to find the brighter-colored squash puree still sitting there. It turned out wonderfully anyway!

My toddler's unmixed plate.

Fresh Pumpkin Spinach Tomato Sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped 

3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 cups fresh spinach

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp marjoram

Salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast to taste

Saute onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown. Add seasonings, stir, then add tomatoes. Reduce head to medium-low. Add pumpkin, veggie broth, and tomato paste. Stir until the tomato paste is fully incorporated. Add the spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, add half the sauce to a blender and blend on low (you can also do this part with an immersion blender). Add back to the pot and stir until fully mixed. Serve over cooked noodles.

This recipe is NOT an adaptation :)