Ja cię kocham…

I love pesto.  Basically anything with basil in it gets a thumbs up from me.  What I never thought about was how versatile pesto is.  Basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, cheese… that was pesto to me.  Oh how I was wrong!   You can change up the pine nuts with walnuts or almonds… change the basil to thyme… throw in red pepper flakes… or even sun-dried tomatoes!

A little bit of this particular pesto goes a long way.  I think I actually made too much.  Because I have so much left over, I’m putting on my chicken, crackers with cheese, on my sandwiches, as a dip for my raw vegetables, and anything else that I can think of.

I’ve cut the recipe in half.  The changes are reflected in the recipe below.

Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Red Pesto

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 plump, chewy sun-dried tomatoes (about 2 ounces)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
a couple big pinches of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
handful of fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts or pine nuts, lightly toasted
zest of half a lemon

Directions:

Pulse all ingredients in your food processor until it reaches a crumbled texture.  If you are using the pesto with pasta, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water with 2/3 of the pesto sauce and then add the rest of the pesto to the mixture.  If not, use a small amount of hot water to thin it out.  I suggest gradually adding the water so you can get the consistency that you prefer.

Ugh.  What an awful picture.  Just had to get that off of my chest.

Oh how excited I was to bake.  I hadn’t baked in a while, and I just had the urge.  I came across a recipe that was so easy – no eggs, no milk, no butter.  Minimal ingredients make me happy especially when I bake because I dread the sink full of dishes after I’m done.   This was no fuss, required no grocery shopping, and had chocolate in it.  Works for me.

Well, it didn’t work for me.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a fabulous recipe.  I’m just not a fabulous baker.  I either take the baked goods out too soon or too late.  I rarely clutch that perfect time when the cakes, cookies, and muffins are perfectly moist and stay intact.

I posted a picture of when the mini cakes were intact.  The second I tried to take them out of the loaf pans, they fell apart into a disastrous pile of crumbles.  It still tasted fantastic, but it looked like absolute crap.  Pun intended.

This was soooo yummy… but unfortunately I had to run out to the store to buy an intact dessert for the guests that were soon to arrive.  I wasn’t about to serve them a pile of crumbs.  We win some and we lose some, right??

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Source: Martha Stewart Living, December 2007

Ingredients:

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil – safflower, canola, or grapeseed work well.
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
2 tsp. distilled white vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with spray.

Whisk water and cocoa in a small bowl until smooth. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add cocoa mixture, oil, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in vinegar. Pour into pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake, invert it onto rack, and turn cake right side up. Let cool completely.  And let’s hope your doesn’t fall apart like mine did.

You’re probably wondering what on earth I am thinking to put carrots in a cookie.  Quite frankly, I don’t blame you.  It sounds strange.  But if it’s strange, I’m making it.  So long as it doesn’t entail exotic meats... That kind of uniqueness ain’t for me.

Carrots are wonderful because they can be used in savory dishes as well as sweet, baked goods.  If you don’t believe me, check out my Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese Spread.  You’ll see what I’m talking about )

These cookies are sweetened with pure maple syrup – no sugar.   Others who have made this cookie say that it’s not sweet enough and add turbinado sugar on top (Sugar in the Raw), but I don’t think it’s necessary.  They are perfectly sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, but subtle enough for everyone to enjoy – including my parents who do not do sugary sweets in any shape or form.

The original recipe found on the 101 Cookbooks foodblog calls for walnuts.

You guessed it.  I omitted them.  I just can’t do it.  )

On a random side note, I would like to share with you an awesome kitchen gadget that I have and LOVE.  It’s a grater, but it’s designed for messy people like me so there is minimal clean up.

See?  It all goes in the container, not the counter and floor!

They come in all different grate sizes.  I used the smallest for the carrots so they wouldn’t be chunky and crunchy in my cookies.

I really enjoy these cookies because they are perfect for those days when you want to bake but you don’t have eggs, butter or milk.  I had one little egg left in the carton.  That’s not enough for most baking recipes.  I had a swig of milk left, which MUST be saved for Jay.  He does not function without his milk in the morning (so cute…).   And I had a ton of butter, but I didn’t feel like using it.  This recipe calls for coconut oil instead, which is quickly becoming a favorite baking staple in my house.  It adds no extra sweetness but leaves a coconutty after taste in your mouth – and it makes your kitchen smell wonderful while it’s baking.  It’s a little expensive, but well worth the investment.

So all you carrot cookie skeptics need to at least try these.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised!  They taste like macaroons!

Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

Source: 101 Cookbooks

Yields: 30 small cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose works, too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted…)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats.

I used steel cut oats.  It’s texture is a little different than your typical oatmeal.

Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.