Sesame-Coconut Snack Squares

In case you are sick of super-sweet desserts and all of the over Thanksgiving fare, these bars are a great, fairly-healthy snack to keep you satisfied through the Holidays. Though they do take a little more time than a typical bar because of the whole wheat crust baking before the sesame-coconut topping, They are well-worth the effort.


Sesame-Coconut Snack Squares
Yield: 18-20 squares. From Rose Shulman

For the cookie base:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar or organic sugar

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted

For the sesame-coconut layer:

1 ounce (1/4 cup) whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup mild honey, like clover

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup, firmly packed) unsweetened shredded coconut

1 to 2 ounces (1/4 to 1/2 cup) sesame seeds, coarsely ground

1. Make the cookie base. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.

2. Cream the butter with the salt and sugar. Add the sifted flour and blend together. Using your hands, press out the dough over the bottom of the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. Using a fork, make holes all over the surface of the dough (this is called docking).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Bake the cookie base for 20 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 5 minutes before topping.

4. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer or whisk until light and thick. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the flour and baking powder and beat to blend. Add the coconut and sesame seeds and stir together. Spread in an even layer over the cookie base, scraping out every last bit with a rubber spatula. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the surface is just beginning to color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Walnut Sunflower Wheat Bread

One of the best things in the world is fresh-baked, homemade bread. It took me a little while to appreciate the different texture of my homemade breads compared to the bland, snow-white wonder-bread stuff (I only got to eat that classic white bread when I was at summer camp), but I love it now. The walnuts and sunflowers add a great texture to this bread.

This bread only takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time, so it would be perfect to make while decorating the house on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when you will be at home for a 4-5 hour stretch doing various holiday activities.

Wheat Nut and Seed Bread
Yield: 1 loaf. From King Arthur Flour

1 1/3 cups (10 5/8 ounces) lukewarm water
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) olive oil
5 tablespoons (3 3/4 ounces) honey, molasses or maple syrup
4 cups (16 ounces) King Arthur Premium Whole Wheat Flour or 100% White Whole Wheat flour
1 tablespoon King Arthur Whole-Grain Bread Improver, optional
1/4 cup (1 1/4 ounces) sunflower seeds (feel free to use a bit more if desired)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) walnuts, chopped (feel free to use a bit more if desired)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Combine all of the ingredients, and mix them till you have a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till fairly smooth. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk. 

Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap (or a clear shower cap), and allow it to rise for about 2 hours, till it's crowned about 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking. Yield: 1 loaf.

Pumpkin Pasta

I just spent 4 days in Washington, DC gorging myself on all of the yummy food the city had to offer (um, Teaism's salty oat cookies are ah-mazing, and I was very happy with their muesli for breakfast after a 5 mile run!). I thought I would throw this recipe up in time for Thanksgiving as a fun twist on the traditional baked mac n cheese. I love this recipe. It's everything good about thanksgiving: pumpkin and sage and carbs and cheese! Honestly, I will cut up some turkey and mix it into pumpkin sauce if I have some leftover from Thanksgiving so that it really is the perfect Thanksgiving mac n cheese.


Pumpkin Baked Penne

serves about 4. Adapted from How Sweet Eats

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup cream cheese

2/3 cup milk

1/2 pound whole wheat penne

1/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped, plust more for garnish

crumbed bacon, if desired

Prepare water for pasta and cook according to directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add butter and onion. Whisk continuously until the butter browns and small brown bits appear in the pan. Immediately whisk in flour and chopped sage leaves and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add milk, cream cheese, and pumpkin, then mix until until combined. I chose to keep my “sauce” in a thicker state, but if you’d like it thinned out a bit more, add additional milk. At this point, taste and see if you’d like any additional salt or spices – this will most likely depend on how seasoned your squash was. I added another small pinch of salt.

Add pasta to an 8 or 9-inch baking dish. Pour sauce over top, then use a spoon to fold the sauce into the penne, coating it completely. Top with shredded cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Garnish with crumbled bacon and sage leaves if desired.

Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup

The beautiful fall leaves have gone away and the naked trees make the weather feel colder, so a hot soup sounded perfect. I even got to learn about ham hocks to make this. Ok, so I did not learn much, but apparently the ham hocks I found were cured and sealed so that they could sit out for weeks at room temperature... kinda scary. Despite the slightly disturbing, long-lasting meat, this soup did not last long at all. I did not even feel the need to add salt to it because of the saltiness of the ham.

Navy Bean and Ham Hock Soup

• Serves 8. Adapted from Food Network
• 1 pound navy beans, picked over, rinsed and drained
• 10 sprigs parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 quart of cold water
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 
  

Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic with the water and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.

Pour into heated bowls and serve.

Party Idea: Cookie Bar

Most people think of bridal showers (and weddings, for that matter) as being in the spring, but I have noticed that quite a few of my friends are tying the knot this November and December. That being said, I hosted a bridal shower this past weekend and, knowing that bride absolutely adores icing, thought that a cookie bar seemed the perfect excuse to eat gobs and gobs of icing.

I kept it simple, since there were only 15 girls or so. I chose two flavors -chocolate and vanilla- of make-ahead, slice and bake cookies as the vehicles for the icing, then divided up a batch of icing into three parts: the 1st part was dyed green, 2nd part yellow, and the 3rd part had peanut butter whipped into it. I also bought some dairy free frosting for dairy-sensitive guests (the cookies are not dairy free though). With all of that made, I got some pretty sprinkles and I was set for the party =).


Homemade Slice and Bake Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (about 11 ¼ ounces)

*optional* ¼ cup cocoa, if you want chocolate cookies

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

10 tablespoon butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.

Place granulated sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and egg whites, beating until well blended. Beating at low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until a soft dough forms. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Place each portion on plastic wrap; shape each portion into an 8-inch log. Wrap logs in plastic wrap; freeze at least 2 hours or until very firm. I froze mine for a couple of days, though you can freeze them for up to 2 months.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cut each dough log into 32 (¼-inch-thick) slices; place 1 inch apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Apple Pie for Breakfast

Thoughts this morning:
"Mmmmm, pumpkin pie... I really want that. But it's breakfast, I really should not have pie for breakfast, especially not before a cardio work out and yoga.
Yogurt looks good... but not as good as pumpkin pie...
There are those sauteed apple chunks from last night that I cooked and then decided not to eat, I should use those up... yogurt and apples and pie... Apple pie smoothie!"

Yup, that's how I decided on an apple pie smoothie for breakfast. It was delicious and I have no regrets about skipping the pumpkin pie.

Apple Pie Breakfast
Yield: 1 breakfast =)

2/3 cup Stoney Field vanilla yogurt (I use this kind because it is not sickeningly sweet)
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced and sauteed with water until mushy
2-3 tablespoons apple cider
1/8-1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice, depending on preference

Place all ingredients in a blender on medium or high for about 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Apple Raisin Salad

Not sure what to eat for lunch today? Well, have I got a suggestion for you. Grab a whole wheat pita and fill it to the brim with this delicious salad. I love this salad because there is no added sugar, but it is so sweet! I made this for a dinner at church to rave reviews. It's simple and I almost always have all of the ingredients on-hand.

Apple Raisin Salad
Serves 8

4 chopped apples, skins on, cored
1 1/2 cups raisins
4 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Cinnamon to taste, optional

Mix all ingredients together, serve =)

Note: mixing a bit of lemon juice over the apples helps to keep them from browning

Simple Pumpkin Soup

• It's Fall! The colors are gorgeous, the air is crisp, and the days are perfect for enjoying a game of catch or a nice run at the arboretum. In fact, I actually tried honing my baseball throwing skills while babysitting the other day. It was a wonderful! I forgot how much fun hanging out with kids is and how it reminds me to slow down and not take life for granted. 
• The perfect way to not take life for granted is a bowl of soup with a slice of homemade bread. When I was trying to think of an easy and affordable meal to serve at church last week, I was reminded of pumpkin soup. I had never heard of such a thing as pumpkin soup until this year, but I love pumpkin and had to try it. This recipe is so easy! If you are looking for a good soup appetizer for this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this one. Next time I make it, I am going to try it with a rind of Parmesan cheese cooking in the pot (I will remove it before I serve the soup).  Feel free to let me know if you get a chance to throw a cheese rind into the mix before I do!
• Pumpkin Soup
  Adapted from All*You
  Makes 4-5 servings
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans solid packed pumpkin
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring often until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, water, milk, syrup, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool and then cover and chill. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Black Eyed Pea Salad

What did I do with my entire day, you ask? Why, I made dinner for 30 people with options for gluten-free, vegetarian, raw, and vegan persons in under 3 hours, clean up of the kitchen included.
I think that deserves an olympic medal, just saying. Or at least, my face on the front of the wheaties box, right?
Anyway, this salad is pretty darn delicious and soooo simple and so good for you! I love the way the colors pop. I mean, the stuff looks like candy, it's so bright. It was part of the smorgasbord of options that I made for the 30-person dinner =).

*Thanks to my neighbor for giving me this recipe*

Black Eyed Pea Salad
Makes 12 servings

1green bell pepper
2 red bell peppers
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1/2 large red onion
2 (16oz) bags of frozen black eyed peas, thawed

1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon regular mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Chop peppers and onion, mix in a large bowl. Add peas, stir.
In a separate, smaller bowl, mix the oils, vinegar, mustards, and salt and pepper. Pour over pea mixture and stir/mix to combine. Serve immediately or chill in fridge before serving.