Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

We recently found out our son is allergic to eggs. Luckily it isn't severe, but we're hoping that if we avoid eggs then he will outgrow his allergy, so there are no more eggs in my fridge. For his 1st birthday he got a Vegan birthday cake because I couldn't find any mixes without eggs. For Vegan it was delicious, but for the rest of us it left something to be desired. :) I immediately started the hunt for a good egg-free cookbook that was not vegan (I like to think the milk and butter will help with the flavor if it's egg-free). I've been happy with my "Bakin Without Eggs" book (I got a great deal on Half.com), but I've really missed my favorite Chocolate Chocolate Chip recipe. When I was a teenager my friend and I made these and I've been getting rave reviews ever since. This morning I decided to take a stab at modifying the recipe and couldn't wait to post my results!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (egg free)
(Makes about 4 dozen)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk (I add this as needed to keep dough moist)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cocoa
4 cups flour (this make a really thick cookie dough so you may need to reduce this if mixing by hand)
2 cups chocolate chips (the original recipe called for peanut butter chips)
See directions below.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (the traditional version)
(Makes about 4 dozen)
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup cocoa
4 cups flour (this make a really thick cookie dough so you may need to reduce this if mixing by hand)
2 cups chocolate chips (the original recipe called for peanut butter chips)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, then add milk. Add the rest of ingredients in order. Bake 12 minutes.


I was so proud of my results! This was definitely my best egg-free creation yet! They were more crispy than I expected, but next time I'm going to try this with applesauce instead of butter (and I'll probably need to reduce the milk) and then they will be nice and chewy. I even took a picture:

Good Cholesterol Salad

We have found that my husband's cholesterol levels are very influenced by what he eats (which is nice because it doesn't require medicine to keep his levels healthy, but does require us to be more conscientious about what we eat). He got his "bad cholesterol" down by eating healthy and eating lots of grapefruit (but be careful about doing this if you're on cholesterol medication - it could cause serious side effects so read your warnings from the pharmacy), but then his "good cholesterol" levels were too low so we added this salad to our diet. I am pleased to say I came up with this all on my own (and it did the trick for his cholesterol levels)! (And I'm happily ignorant of my cholesterol levels, but I'm sure this helps me too!)

Jamie's Good Cholesterol Salad

Romaine lettuce (my favorite, but I'm sure any kind will do)
1 cup chopped Walnuts (walnuts are high in good cholesterol, but also high in fat so be careful)
1 avocado, chopped up (again, high in good cholesterol but also high in fat)
1 grapefruit (helps lower cholesterol)
Honey

1) Toast walnuts by baking them at 375 for about 8-10 minutes, stirring once and keeping a careful eye on them so they don't burn. Toasting them really brings out the flavor.

2) I slice my grapefruit in half and section it, spooning out each section. Then I squeeze the grapefruit to add the juice to the fruit sections. (Once we peeled the grapefruit and then sliced it and it was super sour, so I'd avoid that method!)

3) We each make our own salad, adding our preferred amount of toppings and then drizzling with honey to help with the sour taste of the grapefruit. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Soup

I've been looking for new recipes, especially focusing on low-cost recipes. Since this doesn't have any meat it definitely fits the bill! I would serve it with a hearty bread on a cold day.

1 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes (about 2 medium potatoes)
1 small parsnip
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
6 cups low-sodium broth (I used chicken, but vegetable would probably be better if I had some)
3 Tbsp apple juice concentrate
cinnamon, cloves, and salt to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel and cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Peel and cut parsnip into slightly smaller pieces (I found it took longer to bake than the sweet potato and hopefully this will help compensate). On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the parsnip, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

I make my own chicken broth from bouillon (it's so expensive canned at the store!) so I boiled the water in a pot large enough for the final soup so I could reuse the pot. Often in soups I reduce the amount of bouillon so it isn't too strong, but since I used a reduced sodium broth 6 cups was just right.

In a blender, puree half of the vegetables with 2-3 cups of stock. (I poured my remaining broth into a large measuring cup to free up my pot.) Pour puree into the pot and puree the remaining vegetables with broth. Add the apple juice, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and heat through.

Changes I made to the original recipe: I don't have apple cider on hand, so I used apple juice, cinnamon, and cloves. I would decrease the garlic as it is very potent in such a large amount as she suggested (my husband suggested we better air out the house while it was baking!). I didn't have any green Tabasco sauce and wanted my soup my sweet than spicy. The parsnip gave this some spice and I didn't want it any more spicy than it already was.


I modified this recipe from Delish.com

Hamburger or Hot Dog Buns

I got this great recipe from my friend Brittney and I don't think I'll ever buy store bought buns again. (Okay, I'm sure I'll get desperate at some point when I need a ton, but I never want to buy them again.) She triples this and freezes the rest, but we don't have a lot of freezer space and my family prefers them fresh.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil (I always use olive oil, but I'm sure any kind is fine)
1 tsp salt
4 cups flour (I use bread flour, but all-purpose works fine too. You could also do up to half whole grain flour without needing to adjust the recipe.)

I just throw this in my bread machine on the "dough" setting (it's just a 1 1/2 pound machine, but since I don't cook the bread it can handle this large of a recipe). Then I shape them and cook them.

If you don't have a bread machine:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar and stir: in a few minutes it should start to foam (an easy trick to see if you have your water warm enough and your yeast is alive). Pour into a large bowl (I always use my mixer) and add other ingredients. Adjust flour amount so that dough clings to dough hook but is not too dry. Knead on low for 5 minutes. Cover and let raise until doubles, about one hour.

Shaping the buns:
Makes 12 hamburger buns or 8 (large) hotdog buns.
 I flour my hands and roll the hamburger buns into balls. For hotdog buns, be sure to make them very slender (I roll them like I would to make snakes with play-dough when I was a kid) because these rise very well. I try to make them the length of the sausages we're eating and this usually works well.
Allow to raise until they are the size you want, usually about an hour but sometimes I've found that they're rising so well (and getting so large) that I want to cook them sooner.

Bake at 400 for 12 to 14 minutes.

When I get store-bought buns and my meat (hamburger, sausage, whatever) is all gone I never want to eat the leftover bun, but not with these. And they are so easy!

Sonoran (thin) flour tortillas

I enjoyed my Texas Flour Tortillas, but wanted something thinner that was more like a traditional tortilla and found that these are called "Sonoran" tortillas (for the part of Mexico they are from). I searched for a recipe that did not use shortening or lard (there are some interesting ideas out there on how to make your own, more healthy lard!) and just decided to be brave and try something with oil and see what happened. It's essentially like the Texas Flour Tortillas, but water instead of milk and no baking powder so it won't raise.

Jamie's Sonoran Flour Tortillas (makes 12, so I usually 1 1/2 the recipe)
2 c. bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp oil
2/3 c. water

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix the oil and water and then slowly add to the flour mixture. (Then the rest is like other tortillas.) Knead the dough for a few minutes to make sure it's all mixed together.

(Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 12 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-90 minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to bubble up turn it and cook the other side (about 30 to 45 seconds on each side).  They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (these reheat well) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).

A few things I've learned:
-Bread flour helps make thinner, tastier tortillas than all-purpose flour.
-Wheat flour really dries out this recipe so I prefer white flour (this is probably because my wheat flour is fairly coarse).
-You can reduce the oil to 2 Tbsp, but again it dries out the tortillas.

Texas Flour Tortillas

For Christmas I got a tortilla press and I've loved making home-made tortillas. I searched for a recipe that used oil instead of shortening and found this yummy one: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-end-to-my-quest-flour-tortillas.html.

The tortillas really raise up and are more like a thick pita bread than the thin tortilla I expected. But they make for a delicious and filling breakfast burrito. I think sometime I might use them to make individual pizzas by covering them with toppings and cheese and baking them for 5-7 minutes.

I've adapted it for two reasons:
-I like large tortillas and the recipe didn't make very many.
-I found that it was too dry and needed more milk.

Texas Flour Tortillas (makes 16)
3 c. white flour
3 c. wheat flour
4 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 Tbsp) baking powder
2 1/4 tsp salt
6 tsp (2 Tbsp) oil
2 1/2 c. warm milk

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the oil to the warm milk and slowly add to the flour mixture. Stir into a ball and knead for a few minutes. (Most recipes recommend you let the dough rest for 20 minutes or so here, but I'm not that patient and don't have that much time, so I skip this step.)
Divide the dough into 16 pieces, rolling them into balls. Cover with a damp paper towel and let rest for 10-30  minutes. (The more time you let it rest the more the dough softens up and makes it easier to roll out.)
Press the dough into tortillas (I use my tortilla press, but you can use a floured surface and rolling pin).
Cook in a skillet on medium heat (preheat your skillet for best results). When the dough starts to raise a bit turn it and cook the other side (about 45 seconds to one minute on each side). Because these are so thick they won't get big bubbles like thin tortillas, but keep an eye on them and it's pretty easy to figure out how long they need to cook. They taste best if you eat them when they're warm, but you can store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat them on the skillet or in the microwave (but they taste better fresh) or wrap them tightly and store in the freezer (I use a gallon zip-lock bag).

Workout Smoothie

(This is called a "Workout Smoothie" because it has some protein for the yogurt, unlike the other recipes.)

Ingredients:
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1-2 kiwi
2 cup fresh spinach
1 cup room temperature water
1/2 banana
1 cup collard

Directions: Place yogurt, water, banana, and kiwi in blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add greens and blend for one minute or until smooth.

This is my husband's favorite (probably because of the kiwi).

Variations: See Beginner's Smoothie.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

Fall Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 pear
1/4 zucchini
2 cup kale
1 cup room temperature water
2 inch chunk cucumber
2 Tbls fresh parsley

Directions: Place pear and water into blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add vegetables and blend for one minute.

Variations: See Beginner's Smoothie.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

Beginner's Green Smoothie

We had a church activity where a friend introduced me to "Green Smoothies." Basically, it's a way to get your fresh vegetables if you aren't good at eating them regularly. Here are a few that she shared.

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple
1/2 banana
1 cup room temperature water
2 cup fresh spinach

Directions: Place banana and chunks of apple with water into blender. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add spinach and blend for one minute or until smooth.

I would say enjoy, but remember you aren't drinking this specifically because it's yummy (think of it as an acquired taste), but because it's healthy for you. :)

Variations: Everyday (if you drink it this often) replace the spinach with romaine, lettuce, cabbage, kale, collards, etc. (If you don't use variety you could develop food allergies.) After a week, cut down the apple to 1/2 or omit the banana and increase the greens by another 1 cup.

***Warning: Do not gulp down a green smoothie! It will give you really bad indigestion because your body thinks you're just drinking a normal liquid. You need to "chew" (yes this sounds weird) it until it warms up and then swallow. Yes, it takes awhile to eat this, but think of all the health benefits you're getting (that you wouldn't have normally gotten.

100% Whole Wheat Bread (Bread Machine)

I started with the 100% Whole Wheat Bread recipe that came with my bread machine instruction booklet, but found that I really had to tweak it to work with my machine. This is the result.

Ingredients (for 1 1/2 pound loaf):
1 1/8 cup water
2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cup wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp yeast

Add ingredients into your bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. My machine says to put liquids in first, flour 2nd to last, and yeast on top (in case you decide to use the delay start). I use the whole grain setting (3 1/2 hours).

A few tips: Measure the oil and then use the same measuring spoon for the molasses - it will slide right out.
I do a little more than 1 cup of water (1 cup was too little, 1 1/4 was too much).
More bread tips.

Variations: Instead of 3 cups of wheat flour, do 2 3/4 cups wheat flour, 1/4 cup ground flax seed, and 1/3 cup cracked wheat (be sure to put the cracked wheat on top of the flour so that it doesn't soak up all the water). I like this variation because it gives the bread texture.

Homemade Maple Syrup

My parents always made this syrup and I really don't like store-bought syrup. It's too thick and fake tasting. This recipe is great and so easy!

Combine the following in a saucepan

1 cup white sugar**
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water

Stir and cook on medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in:
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. maple flavoring

Allow to cool before you serve because it's very hot. Enjoy! (My husband and I usually triple this because it stores easily in the fridge.)

**For a lower sugar recipe we use 1 cup of Splenda instead of the white sugar.

Granola

Normally granola at the store is not very healthy and pretty expensive, so I've been wanting to try to make it at home for some time now and finally had time to do it. I did a Google search for granola, looked at about four recipes, and then made up my own.


Granola Recipe
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (I thought my bowl was big, but it was barely big enough):
4 1/2 cups rolled oats (quick oats don't work as well)
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, unsalted (I don't like their taste, so I always skip these.)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds, but many people use sliced)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves (optional, but I think it brings out the cinnamon flavor)

Combine other ingredients in a medium saucepan:
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar (Splenda also works fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (some recipes use as much as a cup, but I've done as little as 2 Tbsp and noticed that my granola is just more chunky and crispy)
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp mapliene or almond extract)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a large cookie with parchment paper. (You can use wax paper, but I found my pans were getting a wax residue and didn't like to think about what I was eating so I splurge for the parchment paper.)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.

Combine other ingredients in a saucepan and warm (I stirred it over medium heat for a few minutes until everything was well combined and the sugar and salt dissolved).
Drizzle the wet ingredients over the dry, stirring well (everything should be thinly covered with the syrup mixture). Spread evenly onto the prepared cookie sheet. Cook for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes to cook evenly.

Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container. (Most websites said it lasts 1 week on the shelf or 3 months in the freezer.)

My thoughts: At first I was surprised when I tasted it because it smelled so rich but is not very sweet. However, once I got over my surprise I decided that I really like it this way.

Serving suggestions: Eat as cereal, stirred in yogurt, or just as a yummy snack. Eat with Crasins, raisins, or other dried fruit.

Variations: Add coconut for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Use honey instead of maple syrup.
Some people suggested using All Bran instead of wheat germ.

My take on this: I was worried that this would be expensive, but I'm lucky enough to have a WinCo Grocery Store near me and they sell everything I needed in bulk. I estimated how much I would need; it was about $3 and I didn't use all of what I bought. This was quite an easy recipe, but does require "tending" since you need to stir it every 20 minutes for an hour.

Making life easier:I always double the recipe, but have to mix it in two bowls because of the large amounts of ingredients. I also use two cookie sheets (some people commented that if you don't spread the granola thin enough then it won't cook and remains soggy). I stir it after 30 minutes, and then 20 minutes and 20 minutes, increasing the cooking time to 1 hour and 10 minutes. I usually throw a bag in the freezer since we don't usually eat it within a week. When my husband is running late for work and doesn't have time for breakfast I send him with granola in a small bowl and a container of yogurt and it makes for a great, easy breakfast.

I used the following recipes to create my own:
Jennifer's Granola (this was my base recipe)  (Allrecipes.com)
Megan's Granola (Allrecipes.com)
Easy Cranberry Granola (Allrecipes.com)
Food Network Granola
CDKitchen Granola

Bread Tips

I love homemade bread! If I never had to buy store-bought bread again I'd be happy. Here are some tips I've found:

-Spray the bread with cooking spray to keep the crust moist (other recipe books have suggested brushing with milk or butter, but I've never tried this).

-Slice your bread with an electric knife (turkey carver). It helps to not crush the bread and is so much less work (but does have a tendency to spray the crumbs further).

-Especially for bread machine bread, I've found it best to allow the bread to cool and then bag it up for a few hours before slicing. This softens the crust, keeps the bread more moist and also seems to help the flavor.

-Again, for bread machine bread, I often (thinly) slice off the bottom of the loaf because it is pretty tough. If you use an electric knife this is pretty easy to do without wasting a slice of bread. For breads with thick crusts I often trim the sides as well (the top is always fine).

-Store homemade bread in the freezer unless you plan to eat it in a day or two. It will taste fresh whenever you pull it out to eat it and easily defrosts in a fridge in a few hours. We make our sandwiches all at the same time and freeze them so it makes it much easier to prepare lunches for the work day.

Whole Wheat Bread

I finally found a whole wheat bread recipe that raises well, but doesn't take all day. I found a recipe on recipezaar.com and adjusted it for my needs (they seemed to have changed website host and their recipe a bit, but this is the closest I could find).

2 cups milk
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup warm water
2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
a little sugar (about 1/2 tsp)
about 7 cups whole wheat flour
cooking spray

In a Pyrex measuring cup, warm milk and butter in the microwave for about 3 minutes (don't let it boil or it will kill the yeast). While this is warming up, add yeast to the warm water. I like to add a little bit of sugar so that the yeast will foam and I will know if it's working (this will take a few minutes). When the milk is warm, add in salt, brown sugar, and molasses. Pour milk mixture and yeast mixture into a mixer. Mix until blended and add flour one cup at a time. When the dough begins to get thick change to a dough hook (around 4-5 cups of flour added). Continue to slowly add flour until dough pulls away from the sides (make sure dough is still moist) and allow mixer to knead your dough for a few minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Pour dough into bowl, turn over (so that some cooking spray is now on top), cover and allow to rise for one hour (or until it doubles in size).
Spray two bread pans with cooking spray. Divide dough into two parts and place in bread pans. Allow to rise for one hours (or until doubled in size).
Preheat oven to 375. Cook on middle rack for 35-40 minutes (do not under cook).
Remove bread from pans, spray with cooking spray (to keep crust moist), and allow to cool.

Unfortunately, I don't think I have any pictures because I have started using my bread machine to make bread now, but I LOVE how well this rises and tastes delicious.

Changes I made:
-I found that the original recipe made the bread a little dry, but adding the molasses really helped that.
-The original recipe says to heat the milk in a saucepan, but I always had to keep a close eye on it so that it wouldn't get too hot. Then my mom suggested that I should just use the microwave and I knew she was a genius! :)
-I always halve the salt in recipes and my husband never complains about that in my baking (even though he loves salt).