cookies at work

So I've been insanely busy lately... not by choice. Spending more time "Feeding the Beast" (that's the blank pages of the features section which I'm obligated to fill with words and pictures 6 days a week)than myself and the little stinker.

But I did have time between keyboard clacks to snarf this bag full of oatmeal/almond meal/flaxseed/chocolate chip cookies.

Per Tina's request... I'll try to think of what I did to make these...
I think it was 2/3 cups oats, maybe a scant tablespoon of flaxseed, 1/3 cup almond meal, 1/2 cup flour (sorry Tina, these probably won't work for your family... you might want to try rice flour?), 3 tsp. baking powder, 1 egg, about a half cup sugar, 1/3 cup oil and mini chocolate chips... I didn't measure them, I just dumped. There was some vanilla extract in there too. Again, I didn't measure, but I'm guessing it was about 1/2 teaspoon or so? Oh, and I think I used some shredded coconut, dumped from the bag. Cooked at 350 degrees until they looked set.

For a while in Taiwan I made all kinds of things with a combination of oat and sticky rice flour. The oat flour made things very crumbly, while the rice flour was more gummy. Together they sort of approximated the texture of wheat flour goods. Pancakes, crepes and quick bread recipes worked pretty good with this mix. I think I could use straight rice flour for the crepes.

the perfect stack

Made with raw sugar, tahitian vanilla extract and eaten with trader joe's maple syrup, all presents from the waldals. :)

This week's cooking

Lentil Veggie Soup

1 cup red lentils, soaked and cooked until mushy
1 cup chopped canned green beans
1 plum tomato, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp tandoori masala
garlic salt to taste

Zucchini Bake from East West Mennonite cookbook

3 big zucchini, grated
1 cup mozzarella
2 eggs
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper
Baked at 350 til browned and firm

Couscous with pinenuts from a box!


Spicy Spinach Chicken - another Mennonite recipe

It's really great to have a cookbook with Indian and Bangladeshi recipes along side things like pumpkin cream cheese rolls. The book this recipe came from was written by well-traveled Mennonites who live in Bangladesh.

2 onions, finely chopped
2 Tbs garlic-ginger paste (made by mashing up fresh garlic and ginger)
4 Tbs oil
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper
chili peppers to taste (I skipped em)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 lb spinach, thawed and drained
1 chicken, cut into pieces

Cook the onions in oil until fragrant, then add garlic, ginger and cook a minute. Then add spices and yogurt, cook until oil separates. Add spinach and stir for a few minutes. Then add chicken and stir until chicken is browned. Turn heat to low and cover. Cook until chicken is tender.

I served it with couscous and a side of plain yogurt, remembering how our friends Alina and Satnam always had "Dey" with their spicy meals.

Pound cake and good reading

Lots of people have asked me if I've had any pregnancy-related cravings. I don't think so... I've been trying to eat lots of fruits and veggies and avoiding processed foods, but I do get a sweet tooth from time to time. My cravings rarely go unanswered. I was just craving a dessert when there was a knock at my door and my good friend and neighbor Saya dropped off a hunk of homemade apple pound cake.

I warmed it up and covered it in cool whip (yeah, I know that is the epitomy of processed foods) and sunk my eyes into my newest care package from our aunt Mary Alice.... who sent me a green baby book and two pregnancy mags. What a treat!

Visit from the Waldals

Yeah, I'm horribly late, as in two weeks late, in publishing these pics from when Bryce and Emily came to visit us in Hoptown. They came on a Friday around lunchtime and then after eating Chinese dumplings, we headed to Coffee And... for dessert and drinks. Then we twisted their arms (idiom doesn't really work when you make it plural, does it) to stay the night so they could get up bright and early and have plenty of time to stop at the Cincinnatti IKEA before returning home to Cleveland.
Here's Bryce making a really rich chocolate dessert... just like the good ole days at Magnolia House.


And Emily, waiting patiently and working on their taxes.
she's not too sure what she thinks about me taking a picture of her with the pad thai :-)After eating dinner we trooped over to the New Era to bring Joe some dinner and dessert. We ate the super rich chocolate cakes in the KNE kitchen.