Meatless Monday: Christmas Cookies!

By now, you should know I love to bake cookies, I think...!

Well, today is an especially momentous cookie baking occasion because, you see, I FINALLY found a sugar cookie recipe that was just right, and the dough was perfect for making shapes with!!! I have had so much trouble in the past trying to make cute cookie cutter shapes from cookie dough; it was always too wet, too soft, didn't taste good, or the cookies didn't bake right and lost their form in the oven. But, FINALLY. Finally. I have found it! And I am so excited to share this marvelous lemon sugar cookie recipe with you! But, I must not take all the credit- this recipe is largely adapted from this little gem from myrecipes.com.

Lemony Sugar Cookies
(makes around 30 cookies depending on cutter(s) used)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt 
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat together butter and sugar until well combined. Next, add in the egg, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, milk, and vanilla until nice and creamy. Bit by bit, beat in the flour mixture until dough is formed. Flatten dough into disc onto a plate like in the picture below, cover with plastic wrap, then cool in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
 

When dough is ready, take half of it and roll out onto floured surface to about 3/8" thick. Cut out desired shapes then place onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet(s). Decorate with sprinkles if desired, then pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. Allow to cool before enjoying!

I have not been able to stop eating these tasty treats since making them earlier this afternoon! Lily quite fancies them as well. I normally make a healthier version of sweet cookies like these by using whole wheat flour or less sugar or a sugar substitute, or however I am able to, but this time I kept it traditional and just make them like the recipe indicated. Afterall, it's Christmas time and I think enjoying something extra sweet is alright once in a while :)


 
These cookies will be made as gifts for friends and family this year, along with some other kind of cookie, probably my dark chocolate coconut and flax cookies; those will be the healthy option! Although, adding fresh lemon gives these cookies a boost of vitamin C, antioxidants, and can also aid in digestion.

Lily is feeling much better now, although she was quite the cranky kid this weekend! We did still manage to get some fun holiday crafts done, so check back on Wednesday for that, plus Sweet Saturday on Friday! Thanks so much for stopping by, now on to the link-up! 

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! Share your turkey-alternatives or other yummy Thanksgiving favorites. No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 
          

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Have a great day!

 
  

Sweet Saturday #26: Pumpkin S'mores Cookies

Happy almost-Halloween, everyone! I don't know about you all, but I'm getting excited! I'm also going pumpkin-crazy, so I just had to make something pumpkin-y. I came across these AH-mazing sounding cookies recently and had to try them. Don't they look so yummy? I only did some slight tweaks, and I honestly was not 100% satisfied with them, but wanted to share anyway. The original recipe is called "Pumpkin Swirl Sugar Cookies", but they made me think of s'mores, so I gave them this cute name for my post. I Read on for how it went...

Pumpkin S'mores Cookies
(makes about 30 cookies)

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (+ extra for rolling) 
Chocolate chips  
Mini marshmallows
Raw brown sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar, coconut oil, and butter, then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Flour a flat surface for rolling the dough out on. Take a section of the dough, and roll out onto the floured surface with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 1/4" thick. Spread chocolate chips and mini marshmallows onto the dough like shown below.

  
Roll the dough into a log.

  
Slice roll into slices about 1" thick, then spread onto ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart. Sprinkle some of the raw sugar on top of each cookie. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly browned on top. Allow to cool before serving.

  
Now, as awesome as these cookies look, I was a little disappointed. I thought dough was too doughy, and the pumpkin flavor was too subtle. This may have something to do with my using whole wheat flour or omitting the ginger, but I really don't think that should've made a huge difference. Also, the marshmallows practically completely dissolved into the cookies, which may have been because they were a cheap brand, perhaps? Honestly, I don't know. I followed the recipe to a tee except for the slight ingredient changes, but what I changed shouldn't have changed the cookies flavor too much I feel, but what do you think? I'm not the most experienced baker, maybe I did miss something...

Let me know what you think if you give them a try! Now, onto the features! Last week's most-clicked on posts were....

Simple Sweet 'n Savory is being featured here again for these too-cute cupcakes!! Love the cobweb frosting!

This yummy apple and honey challah is from Something Sweet, a blog that always has the most amazing baked goods on the web! 

Pinkoddy shared this sweet and simple DIY ghost tutorial made from upcycled materials.

This adorable unicorn-themed birthday party post is sure to inspire you! Congrats, Becoming SuperMommy, for being the most clicked-on feature!

I invite you to link-up Halloween-themed posts, but feel free to link-up whatever you want, as long as it is family-friendly and sweet! Fall-related posts are also encouraged. Our guest-hostess today is Good Girl Gone Green, and her blog is one of my favorites, so please check her out and be sure to leave some comment love if you like what you see ;)

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Good Girl Gone Green if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Don't forget to hop around and say hi!

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

I am still working on my Halloween costume, so expect some sweet pics of that and Lily's coming soon, as well as our pumpkins! Have a great weekend! 

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Sweet Saturday #20: Raw Chocolate Banana Tart

For today's post, I'm sharing a really yummy recipe adapted from Good Girl Gone Green's blog. She always has such delicious recipes made with mostly (if not all) raw ingredients. You should definitely go check her out!

Anyway, when she linked this recipe up to Sweet Saturday last weekend, I just had to try it. I had most of the ingredients already, and what I didn't have, I improvised. I also had 2 ripe bananas needing to be used, so I tossed those in too. It came out phenomenal! The only thing I would do in the future is add some honey into the crust because I found it a little bland, but that's just me :) Other friends who tried it said they liked it just the way it was (yes, was, because this baby is gone!).

Raw Chocolate Banana Tart
(serves 8-12)

For crust:
1 cup nuts of your choice, such as almonds or pecans (I used a combination of almonds and cashews)
2 tbsp shelled hemp seeds
2 tbsp flax seed (I used some that were already ground)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

For filling:
2 ripe bananas 
1/2 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder (I used cocoa)
1/4 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup 
1/4 cup coconut butter or oil (I used oil)

Note: If possible, soak nuts for up to 4 hours before using. I only soaked them for about half an hour, and everything turned out fine.  

Place nuts, coconut oil, and shredded coconut into food processor and blend until it is a fine crumble. Pour crumbs into a 8' or 10' pie pan and press into the bottom of the pan to form a layer, then place into freezer to set.

Looks like a beach...

Next, melt the coconut butter or oil if it is not melted already. You can keep things raw by melting it in a food dehydrator if you have one, or placing it in a small bowl in a larger bowl of warm water. Once melted, mix the ingredients for the filling together in the food processor, except for one of the bananas, until smooth.

Take the nutty crust out of the freezer, and spoon or pour chocolate banana mixture onto it, spreading it so that about an inch of the crust is still visible. Slice the reserved banana up and place slices on top of tart. Place in freezer until it sets, for about 1 hour (could very well take less, but an hour is for sure). Allow to defrost a bit before serving.

The one thing with placing the sliced banana on top is you have to keep the tart in the freezer once it's done, as to prevent them from getting all brown and gooey. If you'd rather keep it in the fridge so it doesn't take long to defrost (and easier to slice right away!), just don't put banana on top. It will still be beautiful and delicious!

Some other things you could use as toppings are:

• sliced strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• sliced or crumbled nuts
• shredded coconut

Just to name a few!

Eating raw helps to contain all natural enzymes present in food, which would be decreased or destroyed from cooking. These enzymes help our bodies to absorb the nutrients found in foods. Cooking food can also cause harmful compounds to form- especially if you burn or overcook something -that can be cancerous.  

In this day and age, it's difficult to go completely raw, but it's good to eat as much raw foods as possible, especially fruits, vegetables, and legumes. This tart will enable you to eat healthy and raw without having to lose the enjoyment of eating! Good Girl Gone Green has TONS of fantastic raw food recipes on her blog, as well as information about choosing a healthier raw lifestyle, so do take a look if you are curious about eating raw! 

OK- now it's time for the hop! Our guest-hostess today is April from April's Country Life Blog. She has the most adorable tea party treat recipes and other fun country-style tidbits. Please follow her and show her some love! 

I especially liked this fabulous cake she made for her daughter's birthday !

Just follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow April's Country Life Blog and me if you are not already. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

 

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Sweet Saturday #18 with Sweet Features!

OK, so since I featured a sweet recipe on my Meatless Monday post this week, I decided I just had to go ahead and share some of the amazing goodies that were linked up here last week. Like, seriously, my head was spinning with excitement! It was so hard to choose just a few, but here they are:

Puerquitos! I just like saying that! These cookies are too cute from a new linker, Heather at girlichef. Thanks for sharing! Heather has lots of other amazing recipes at her blog, so be sure to check her out!

Another new linker, Six Sister's Stuff (yes, six sisters...on one blog!), shared this eye-popping salad that combines some things you may never have thought to combine...yet, somehow, I think this will work! I'll let you know if I try it, thanks, Six Sisters!

This is not the first time What's Cooking in the Burbs has been featured here. Bridget always has such tasty-looking treats at her blog, and these sugar cookie bars are too perfect! They're so sweet and delicate looking, they might just grows wings and fly back to Heaven...

 

I love the name of this blog- Chocolate, Chocolate, and More -and her recipes just as much. Just one look at this mouth-watering casserole had me craving it...thanks, Joan!

 

Lastly, I just had to share this non-dessert treasure from Sam at My Carolina Kitchen. Just look at that! It's art! I personally invited Sam to link-up after seeing that gorgeous Heirloom Tomato Tart featured on Simple Living with Diane Blach. I'm so glad she rsvped yes!- thanks, Sam!

We also had things other than recipes last weekend. Here are a couple creative DIYs:

This is an idea to bookmark! Lily is not ready for something like this yet, but I'm sure plenty of you have kids who might enjoy this chore chart from Serenity You. Not only is it super cute and colorful, it will help get chores done! Score! Thanks, Natasha! Natasha is another new linker who has lots of fun stuff on her blog, so check her out :)

And last we have this super awesome homemade face/body scrub from a super awesome blog, Earning My Cape, who is also guest hostessing. Susie has so much variety on her blog, you will just get lost there! It's one of those blogs where you click on one post and inevitably click on another...and then another...and then another! Please visit and follow Earning My Cape! I'm also being featured on her blog today as well, so please read and comment! It would be oh so appreciated, and would make me oh so happy :D

OK, now it's your turn! Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me and Earning My Cape. Leave me a comment if you are a new follower so I can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)

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Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love Fridays even more because of this :)

Btw...what are you doing for the holiday weekend?

Meatless Monday: Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Truffles

Over the weekend I was craving something sweet after a rough couple of days with Lily. As I said on Friday's post, she was feeling sick and we were also in the midst of potty training; between those things, she was just being a handful in general, and mommy was burnt out by the time she finally got to sleep on Friday.

I didn't want anything too sugary because my teeth have been bothering me (plus it's obviously healthier to lay-off the extra sugar!), and I didn't want anything too heavy, like ice cream. Then, I came across this recipe while I was browsing recipe blogs and inspiration struck! I recently finally bought a food processor, and I had many of the ingredients to make these tasty treats, but I changed it up enough to make it my own, and I made 2 different versions...

Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Truffles
(each recipe makes about 12 truffles)

Cashew and Date Delights

1/2 cup raw cashews (helps if they've been soaked in water for a few hours)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup
7 pitted dates
1-2 tbsp shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Process the cashews in food processor until chopped to a mostly fine, crumble (or to your liking). Add the rest of the ingredients and process 5 seconds at a time until all is mashed together and somewhat sticky. If it's too dry looking, add some more coconut oil or water, and if it's too wet, add more cocoa powder. 

Remove the blade, then roll chunks of the sticky brown mess into little balls like in the picture below. Next, roll into shredded coconut. They can be served right away or refrigerated to keep. 

Peanutty Balls

1/2 cup raw peanuts (also helps if they've soaked)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp peanut butter
2-3 tbsp honey
5 dates
1 graham cracker

Process the graham cracker into fine crumble and set aside. Process the peanuts in food processor until chopped to a mostly fine, crumble (or to your liking). Add the rest of the ingredients and process 5 seconds at a time until all is mashed together and somewhat sticky. If it's too dry looking, add some water, if it's too wet, add more cocoa powder. Add more honey if desired, to taste.

Remove the blade, then roll chunks of the sticky brown mess into little balls. Next, roll the balls into the graham cracker crumbs. They can be served right away or refrigerated to keep. 

I personally liked the Date Delights better, but I was then craving peanut butter on Saturday and decided to change it up. There are so many possibilities, actually. Here are some other ingredient suggestions:

• almonds
• dried cranberries
• raisins
• cashew and/or almond butter
• dried cherries
• espresso beans
• hazelnuts
• macadamias
• cacao

So many possibilities for such a quick and easy treat! And best of all, a treat you don't have to feel guilty about eating! Lily took a bite and right away said, "Mmmm", followed by, "I want more". Paul was impressed as well, but still prefers the classic sugary sweets (he's not the best role model in those respects). I'm hoping to perfect these even more so that he will enjoy them over traditional cookies and pastries.

Or you could enjoy them without any coating...along with a glass of pinot noir :)

Adding nuts to your diet is a good way to keep your heart healthy and cholesterol levels low. This is pretty common knowledge, but did you know that using dates as a replacer for sugar can also be beneficial in ways other than keeping refined sugars out of your diet? They are full of fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, potassium and copper. Do keep in mind that they are still high in sugar and carbs, so eat sparingly! It's just good to know that they are better for you than straight up sugar! 

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week!

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What are you having for Meatless Monday??? May I suggest sharing some more healthy versions of desserts? I'm a on a roll here!

Clearly, she's feeling better :)

 

Meatless Monday: Frozen Tahini-Banana Bites

Every so often I stumble across a recipe that gets me really excited. The requirements for such excitement usually are:

• unusual prepartation or ingredients
• uses ingredients in a way I never thought of
• is not only delicious, but also healthy!  

And I get especially excited when it's an easy-to-make dessert that is sugar-free and I just so happen to have all the ingredients readily available! 

I came across the recipe for Frozen Yogurt Tahini Banana Cups (what a mouthful!) via Simple Living with Diane Balch (currently my favorite food blog, I might add!) when Fox in the Kitchen linked it up onto the Foodie Friday blog hop. Fox in the Kitchen has a wealth of awesome recipes on her blog, so do check her out, and she based the recipe off of the vegan version from The Veggie Nook (lots of good stuff there, too!). And she got the recipe from Sketch-Free Eating, a blog that has many amazing raw-based recipes, and they got it from...somewhere. I couldn't find the original recipe on their blog, they have way too much amazingness on there that easily distracts me...

SO, with all that being said, you know this recipe has to be awesome if so many people felt the need to keep passing it on! I made a batch for a Sunday afternoon gathering, and I'm sorry to say they did not go over as well as I'd hoped, although I found them to be so yummy and delicious that I ate half the batch myself. They are lightly sweetened and just melt in your mouth! Not everyone is as enthusiatic about healthy-eating as I am. That's why I am so grateful for my blogging community that can appreciate recipes like these, at least I hope so...

I had the cute Disney cupcake liners left over from Lily's 2nd birthday party :)

Frozen Tahini-Banana Bites
(this is the exact recipe from Fox in the Kitchen, but I just think that title is less of a mouthful!)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of cold-pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup tahini
1-2 ripe banana
1/2 cup plain regular or Greek yogurt 
4 tbsp honey or agave (you can use less, but I thought this was the perfect amount)
1 tbsp raw sesame seeds
Pinch of sea salt
24 blueberries+ for topping (optional)
24 cupcake liners 

Note: the recipe from Fox in the Kitchen says this makes 2 dozen, but I was only able to make half of that with this amount. Perhaps I used too much batter per cupcake cup, or perhaps I just used larger-sized cupcake cups than she did, but if you want to make the full 24, I suggest not to be too generous with filling each cup with the mix.

What I used

Combine the coconut oil, salt, honey or agave, and tahini in a small bowl; it will work better if the tahini and coconut oil are softened or melted. Next, add the yogurt until well-combined. Slice the banana(s) into 24 slices. Spoon some of the mixture into each cupcake liner, then place a piece of sliced banana on top, sprinkled with some of the sesame seeds. Place cupcake cups on tray in freezer and freeze until batter is set, for about 5 or so minutes.

The batter

After first freezing phase

Take the tray out of the freezer then spoon the rest of the batter on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and then place tray back into freezer. Allow treats to freeze for at least one hour before serving.

Now, to "add a little something", I placed a single, fat blueberry on top of each treat to make it look a little more appealing. I think they came out cuter-looking that way, and you can of course get even more creative with whatever you choose.  

Another thing I did to make things more fun was to put blueberries in the middle of one of the treats for one of the kids to find. Whoever got the treat with the blueberries in the middle won a prize! (In this case, my friend's daughter found them and she won a word card game. She was very pleased with this:). 

After taking my first bite, I thought of so many other creative ways you can mix this recipe up. Here are some suggestions:

• use peanut or almond butter in place of tahini
• add raw carob or chocolate shavings as topping
• add extra fruit to the middle or top
• mix chocolate, vanilla, almond, etc. flavoring into batter
• put jelly in the middle

I am going to try and make them with peanut butter and chocolate next time! They may go over better with the pickier eaters in my life that way. Plus, how can such a flavor combination go wrong?

The general consensus of this recipe among my family and guests was:

Friend 1: "Good, but weird."
Friend 2: "Tastes like halvah; could use more banana."
Daughter of friend 1: "No thanks." (she's vegan)
Daughter of friend 2: "Yum." (she found the blueberries)
Lily: peeled off the banana and left the rest
Paul: "Yuck!"
Me: "Yum, yum, yum, I'll eat the rest!"

I hope the mixed response does not deter you from trying this if you're curious and especially if you're passionate about raw food and healthy eating. This is super-easy and cheap to make and definitely a much better alternative to store-brought popsicles and ice cream. 

Tahini is an incredibly tasty and versatile ingredient that I don't think is used much at all in the western world. It is a very popular condiment and ingredient in parts of Africa and the Middle East, used as a sauce in many yummy dishes. Tahini is essentially sesame paste; when mixed with water and a little salt, if makes a salty, nutty sauce that can be used as a topping on things like tofu, chicken and vegetables, or as a great salad dressing. This is the first time I've seen it used in a dessert other than Halvah. If you don't know what Halvah is, it is like a Turkish candy bar (pictured below). 

Halvah can also refer to any sweet, dense sesame seed treat, but this is the most recognized and commercial version in the West

Sesame seeds contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals such as copper, manganese, calcium, iron and vitamin B1, plus much more! That's a lot for such a small seed. These nutrients can help heal and prevent ailments such as arthritis, colon cancer, and osteoperosis. They also help to lower cholesterol and support bone health.

Have a happy Meatless Monday and do let me know if you try this unique recipe, and also if you decide to pass it on as well :)