Almond Butter and Honey Ginger Cookies

As I'm writing this, the day is gray and dark. From my window, it's absolute madness outside. Rain has been pouring by the buckets full since yesterday and the wind is blowing in steady gusts of 25-35 miles per hour. After a great October, typical fall weather has officially arrived in the NW and it gave me every good reason to stay inside, curled up with a hot cup of tea never to far away.

The entire weekend was filled with inside activities. We carved pumpkins and watched movies. I started to knit myself some red mittens, I made some hot tomato and carrot soup, delicious, and I baked cookies. These were actually a bit of an experiment I've been thinking about ever since reading this blog about cashew butter, ginger and honey sandwiches back in May. I have no idea what took me so long, but it was worth the wait.

The sandwiches reminded me of my childhood because at a young age I didn't like p.b. and jelly sandwiches, but I loved p.b. and honey together. I must have been the only kid on the playground who didn't pull out a gooey, flattened, purple jelly seeping through the pale white bread sandwich. I still don't like them much. I thought the idea of adding ginger to the sandwich was a great touch, then thought of how good these flavors would go together as a cookie.

I'm amazed to say that these came out really well after my first attempt. I experimented with the baking times and methods and think I have found perfection. I love the spicy note of ginger, a perfect warming spice for a cold wet day. I used almond butter because I love it and it's flavor is much more subtle then peanut butter, I think any other neutral nut butter would work nicely. The spelt flour works really nice with these as well, but you could use regular or whole wheat pastry flour if you prefer. Honey is the only sweetener I used in these cookies except for them being rolled in the turbinado sugar. This is an optional choice, but I really recommend it because it gives a nice slight crunch to the outside before biting into the softer middle. If you wanted to make these vegan, you could replace the honey with agave and probably get similar results.

Almond Butter and Honey Ginger Cookies

makes 2 dozen

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup honey

3/4 cup almond butter

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 1/3 cup spelt flour

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

turbinado sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease or spread parchment paper/silpat mat onto baking sheets.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, ground ginger, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter with the honey and almond butter. Stir in the fresh ginger. Pour in the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Pour the turbinado onto a small plate. Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball and place in the turbinado sugar, coating evenly. Place the ball onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Let them sit for a couple minutes on the baking sheet before removing and letting cool completely on rack. Do not over bake. Store tightly covered for a few days.

Rice and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

When we're young, everyday constantly brings you something new and unseen before. Questions like, where do rainbows come from and why do bird fly, are asked. I'm a very curious person by nature and still ask questions on a daily bases because I love to learn and experience new things. I think eating can be like that too, but many people get into a rut and eat the same foods everyday or the same way. There is way to much good stuff out there to be left unexperienced!

This brings me to last week, where I had been seeing beets everywhere at the market. So the other day I decided, on a whim, to get some. I hated beets growing up, absolutely hated them. But I've heard that taste buds change and develop over time so I decided to see if this was true. I brought a lovely bunch home, two golden and one red, and for the next couple days they sat. I had no idea what I wanted to make with them. First, I chopped off the greens and added them to some pasta. They reminded me of chard, not my favorite green to be honest, but the sauce was strong enough to mask their potency. I finally decided to roast the beets in the oven and serve them mixed with a vinaigrette and stuffed between french bread with goat cheese, onions, and pine nuts. As they were roasting, my mind drifted from the thought of a great lunch, where me and beets have finally settled our differences, to ugh, that smell drifting through the kitchen is making me lose my appetite. I did at least try the sandwich, but pretty much pulled all the beets right out. I guess I'm still not a beet eater, maybe in another ten years I'll try again.

Mushrooms and I on the other hand, have been friends for a long time. In soups and stews, raw and grilled, or on pizza and in sandwiches, I like them most ways. But a new one for me was stuffed and roasted. Every time I go somewhere and somebody has made stuffed mushrooms, they always seem to be filled with crab or some meat product (I'm the only vegetarian in my family). I'd never really thought of making them for myself because they seemed like such a fuss, but I'm so glad I did.

I love how mushrooms can remain so earthy, while still absorbing all the flavor of what ever their cooked with. Roasted, their outsides remain firm enough to hold the filling, but are tender to the bite. I had left over rice from the day before, which made these super quick to prepare. This makes more filling than you'll need, but it made a great addition alone to my lunch the next day. The two of us ate these more as a meal with salad and soup than as an appetizer or first course for a party of four. This recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled if you need more.

This is exactly the reason I keep trying new foods and new ways of preparing them, because even though it doesn't always turn out (beets), I still come out ahead with something great. Have you tried anything recently that you hadn't since you were young? Was the experience a good one or bad?

Rice and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

serves 4 as a side

12 cremini or button mushrooms

olive oil

sea salt

1 cup cooked brown rice

3 tablespoons feta

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to broil.

Place rice, feta, garlic, and parsley in a bowl, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Remove all the stems from the mushrooms, discard or save and add to another meal some other day. I've found the easiest way to remove the stems is to grab the stem in between your thumb and pointer and middle finger, then give a slight twist and pull up. They come out much nicer than trying to cram a knife into their side.

Place them stem side down on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle sea salt over the top and place in the oven about 4 inches from the top for about 2 or 3 minutes.

When they are done pull them out and flip them over. Fill with the rice mixture, this can get messy but just push it all in, and broil until the filling is hot, about 2 minutes. Serve warm from the oven.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

The holiday season hasn't even started yet and I'm already in the kitchen baking treats and getting excited for all the family gatherings and parties just around the corner. Something about the cooler days and thoughts of being surrounded by loved ones, makes me want to turn on my oven and get baking. It's definitely a comfort thing.

My first official Fall dessert this year was a simple apple and blackberry crisp I made in the middle of September, for a little gathering. And the Dutch appletaart I made a couple weeks ago, soon followed. But, to be honest, when I was younger I craved all things pumpkin. Oh how I could not get enough pumpkin pie or bread and everything in between. These days I take a little bit of both, but I still can't help but feeling a lot of nostalgia towards pumpkin this time of year.

Before making this ice cream, I actually had a mad chocolate craving earlier in the week and brownies seemed to be the only thing I could think of that would cure that craving (I'm sure you've all been there). Instead, I put off baking them because I had planned on making a dessert for friends coming over a few days later.  Plus, I knew that between Scott and I, a full batch of brownies can easily be gone in 3-4 days. So I made this ice cream instead, hoping it would diminish my sweets craving. But when I had my first bite, I knew it's perfect accompaniment would be these brownies I planned on making. It was really hard to wait, but so, so worth it.

The ice cream was pure pumpkin goodness. It was like eating a chilled slice of pumpkin pie, but without the crust. I'll be making this again for sure and as soon as the sweet little sugar pumpkins are ready, I'll be using those instead of the canned variety. But really either way it's perfect.
I first spied this pumpkin ice cream recipe from Cannelle et Vanille. Hers was made from whole milk and cream and filled with all my favorite spices. It sounded amazing, but I was thinking more along the lines of a dairy free version. I've been experimenting with ice cream and have found coconut milk to be the perfect base. It has just the right amount of creaminess. If you've never used coconut milk don't be put off thinking that the coconut flavor will outshine the pumpkin and spice, it doesn't. Instead it provides a slight undertone, that most people would miss unless you told them what was in it.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

1 14 ounce can coconut milk

3/4 cup almond milk, or other dairy free milk

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3/4 cup cane sugar

1 cup pumpkin puree

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients and whisk together well. Let chill for about an hour in your fridge. Once really cold, follow instructions for your ice cream maker. Enjoy alone or with a nice square of chocolate brownie.

Pan-Seared Squash with Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta

I rarely ever plan meals much more in advance than say a day or two. I know there are people out there that do though, and I admire that, I'm just not that person. Maybe I will be some day, but for now, when I'm at the farmers market or grocery store I want everything in site that appeals to me. Of course I'm also on the look out for versatility.

One such vegetable, or vegetable category, that has yet to let me down on it's use and versatility is squash. Just this summer I've enjoyed all the summer squash I could take. I put them on pizza, grilled them, ate them raw in salad, even made a couple quick batches of bread. Their uses are endless and always flavorful.

The other night I wanted a quick dinner, but I wanted it to not feel like it was quick. I boiled some water for pasta, made a quick pesto, and pan-seared some sliced summer squash with a touch of balsamic vinegar. I think this may be my new favorite way to enjoy them. It's fast and the perfect warming meal to start out the season of heavy cooked meals ahead.

The pumpkin seed pesto is nothing new, but I had just enough pumpkin seeds left over that I wanted to use up, and I thought the idea of squash and pumpkin seeds together sounded like a good idea.

Later in the week I made this squash again and served it in between thick slices of tomato and mozzarella with crusty bread smeared with this same pesto. See what I mean about versatile.

Pan-Seared Squash with Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta

serves 4

for the pesto pasta (Pesto adapted from Gourmet)

1 pound penne

1 1/2 cups hulled green pumpkin seeds

2-3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup water

1 cup tightly packed cilantro, roughly chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of one lemon

for the squash

2-4 small summer squash

olive oil

sea salt
pepper

balsamic vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

To make the pesto, heat enough olive oil, over medium heat, to make the surface of a skillet shiny. Toss in the pumpkin seeds, along with some salt and pepper to taste, and stir to coat. Cook until seeds are puffed and start to make a popping sound, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. 

In a food processor pulse the seed mixture, water, cilantro, scallions, and olive oil until a course paste is formed, not finely ground. Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl, add about 3/4 of the pesto and stir to combine. Add more if needed, otherwise store the pesto in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

To make the squash, cut each into 1/4-inch slices. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. When it's hot add the slices to the pan and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Leave them for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Flip and repeat on the other side. Once golden, add in a splash of vinegar to the pan. It should bubble up and reduce to lightly coat the squash. Serve over the pasta or on the side immediately.