Southern Baked Corn Casserole

In the past couple weeks, I've grilled probably a fields worth of corn on the cob! This time we had some leftovers, so I wanted to try a new recipe. I was going to make everyone's favorite, creamed corn, but decided on this corn casserole instead. I thought it was great! Mr. ate more than one serving and said he liked it, but the kids didn't really touch it. Check out my tip below on how to get the kernals off the cob.

Southern Baked Corn Casserole
adapted from here

2 cups fresh grilled corn (see tip for removing kernals)
¼ cup onion, diced
½ cup red bell peppers, diced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp ground mustard powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
¾ cups whole milk
1 egg (beat lightly)
1/3 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1 TBL butter
1 TBL dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put 2 TBS butter in skillet and melt. Stir in onion and bell peppers and cook until the onion is cooked and clear looking.
Take skillet off burner and mix in flour, salt, paprika, mustard powder, and black pepper. Stir well and put back on burner until the flour/seasoning mixture is lightly bubbly.
Slowly add milk while stirring. Continue stirring until the mixture boils and keep stirring constantly for one minute.
Remove mixture from heat and stir in corn and egg.
Put the corn mixture in a one quart baking pan or casserole dish.
Melt 1 TBS butter and blend with cracker crumbs and parsley in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the cracker mixture on top of the corn casserole.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the crackers are lightly browned.


*I once saw this tip on Michael Chiarello's show, how to get cut the corn off the cob. Place the cob in the bundt pan hole and slice away. It worked great!



enjoy,

Macaroni Salad

This is a simple macaroni salad, the dressing is much like a coleslaw, so since I can't seem to leave recipes alone I added in some seasonings. I also added in lots of veggies, too much for my liking, so I would recommend adding 2 TBL- 1/4 cup of each. We had this with grilled burgers and grilled corn on the cob. This is a great picnic/BBQ salad.

Macaroni Salad

adapted from Hellman's/Allrecipes

1 box elbow macaroni

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

For add ins, add diced red and green bell peppers, celery, red onions, frozen peas, roughly chopped olives and 4 chopped boiled eggs.

Cook pasta for about 8 minutes, rinse under cold water and drain. Combine all ingredients except the add ins. Add to the pasta and stir in the add ins. Allow to chill in the refrigerator overnight or a few hours (if the pasta seems to be dried out before serving, stir in a little milk).

enjoy,

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Mr. introduced me to grilled corn on the cob when we started dating. I have never had boiled corn on the cob since. lol. There is nothing special to do, I buy white corn and keep it in the fridge until grill time. The chill will create moisture to help it cook the corn when grilling (some people soak it).

I use a medium-high heat (gas grill) and keep turning the corn every so often until it's all nice and charred, about 25 minutes. Let it cool slightly, take a damp clean rag and pull off the husks and wipe the silks away. A little butter, salt and pepper and it's SOOO good! The corn is light and crisp. I bought 8 ears of corn for the 5 of us, they were gone! We all love it.

How do you like your corn on the cob?



enjoy,

Cookbook Review: The Secret Ingredient: Delicious and easy heart-healthy recipes that might just save your life. By Sally Bee: Aromatic Chicken

I was offered to review The Secret Ingredient: Delicious, easy, heart-healthy recipes that might just save your life, By Sally Bee. I love hearing other people's medical miracles and couldn't wait to see what recipes she's created.

At the age of 36, Sally Bee suffered three major heart attacks in the space of a week and the doctors called her husband so he could say goodbye before she died. She had never smoked, didn’t drink and was fit and healthy. Sally Bee’s story of survival and recovery from her heart attacks are nothing short of a miracle. Baby-step by baby-step, Sally defied all the odds and, five years later, is vital and healthy.

The most important thing for Sally during her recovery (thinking she wouldn’t live for much longer) was sitting down and eating with her family every night. To save her heart, Sally needed to eat healthily but her kids didn’t want just salads and seeds, so she began creating new recipes that they’d all enjoy, including versions of comforting classics and delicious desserts.

Throughout her book, Sally tells her inspirational story and gives encouragement and support for changing your eating habits, and those of your children, without feeling deprived and in a way that works for life. She’s living proof.

Sally Bee was juggling being a writer, television personality, wife and mother of three when she suffered three major heart attacks in a week in 2004. After a full recovery she credits to healthy eating, Sally is now a spokeswoman for the British Heart Foundation and a trained heart therapist giving regular talks to heart rehabilitation groups. This is her first cookbook.

I chose to make her Aromatic Chicken over rice. It has flavors of coriander, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric and ginger in it. She called for using the whole berries of the spices, toasting them then grinding them, but I just warmed the ground versions in a pan to help bring out their flavors. I wasn't sure how of the quantity I need using ground versus whole berry so I just guessed it. While simmering away, it smelled really good! Unfortunately, once tasted, the flavor wasn't so strong and tasted kind of plain. Maybe I needed more spices? Maybe the flavors simmered away? Anyways it was mild enough that the kids and Mr. ate it, which I was so surprised and is most important anyways! It was more like a chicken and rice soup since you add some of the broth over the rice.

Some of her other recipes I'm eyeballing are her Chilli con Healthy, Meatballs in Spicy Tomato & Vegetable Sauce, Snappy Tuna Melt, Italian Blushing Pasta and her Healthy Spring Vegetable Risotto.

I love these little bags of spices, found in the grocery store near the Mexican products here. They run about .99 each which is great if you don't use that spice very much and don't need a big $6 bottle of it.

This book is beautiful with it's glossy pages and beautiful photographs. The cover is a matte print with her book logo all nice and glossy (flip through pages here). Sally Bee certainly has something to smile about as she is pictured in her book. Reading her story of her heart attacks at such a young age (gosh the same age I am now, I could not imagine) with her 3 young children really remarkable. Her book includes recipes from soups and starters, salads, sides and vegetarian, chicken, fish, beef, lamb and pork, and of course desserts. So if you are looking for some heart healthy recipes, looking to eat better you may want to check out this new recipe book. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I have.

You may find her on her website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter also!

The Secret Ingredient:
Delicious and easy heart-healthy recipes that might just save your life
By Sally Bee
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8140-7
$22.95 Paperback

I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about The Secret Ingredient. I received free product to keep for this review. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family. Product info & stock images provided by PR.

Chinese Chicken Salad with Mom's Egg Rolls

I bet you all are just starving, huh? I haven't posted a recipe in ages it seems. Well I'm trying to get back into the swing of home cooking since we are moved now, and ate too much fast food in the last couple weeks (we did find a great pizza place nearby though!).

So here is a great salad I tossed up last night. It's more about what ingredients you like so I didn't add quantities here (plus I made a ton, since we had 2 dinner guests). Prep time takes up most of this meal, since it's cooking chicken, slicing veggies and frying up won ton strips. Tossed all together and drizzled with some of the toasted sesame dressing makes this a great family style salad. I then took more time to make my mom's homemade egg rolls. I was in the kitchen 2 hours making all this, until we were eating, and that is why I will not have a cafe. Dinner would always come late. lol. So plan ahead slice and cook what you can ahead of time, I got a late start in the day so I was pressed for time. Everyone loved it and I have lots of leftovers!

Chinese Chicken Salad ingredients

Chicken breast, roasted and shredded
Romaine lettuce, finely shredded (TIP: use your serrated knife!)

Sugar Snap peas

Carrots, shredded

Baby corn (found in a can in the Asian aisle of the grocery store)

Green onions, sliced

Mandarin orange slices, drained

Fresh garlic, crushed

Fresh grated ginger

Fried Won Ton wrapper strips

Soy Vay Toasted Sesame Dressing and Marinade

I did season the chicken with garlic powder, salt & pepper and roasted in a 425' oven for 20 minutes. Shredded when cooled. Then I tossed it with a little of the dressing along with some fresh garlic and ginger.
For the egg rolls, I did add some fresh garlic and ginger to the mix as well and served them with a sweet and sour sauce or soy sauce.

as you can see, my (new) kitchen is not together yet, but here's a sneak peek of it so far! I love the long prep counter in front of the window!

enjoy,

Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi Knock-Off

I love the chicken scampi from the Olive Garden, that's my go to meal from there. I found a knock-off recipe I thought I'd give a try at home. Let me tell you, it's very close to theirs, I loved it! Sorry mine wasn't so photogenic, but it sure was tasteful!

Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi
found here, from Top Secret Recipes

Scampi Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1 1/2 cups Chablis wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 cup heavy cream

5 to 6 quarts water
16 ounces angel hair pasta
4 tablespoons light olive oil
12 chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 chopped red onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

Optional Garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Recipe
1. Make scampi sauce by melting butter in a preheated pan over medium/low heat. Add 2 tablespoons chopped onions and sauté for 2 to 4 minutes or until the onions begin to brown. If the butter begins to burn, turn down the heat. When the onions are beginning to brown, add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Don't let the garlic burn. After about 30 seconds add the wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 to 18 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add parsley and heavy cream and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Do not let mixture reach a boil.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the angel hair pasta and cook for about 4 minutes or until pasta is al dente, or mostly tender with just a slight toughness. Drain the pasta in a colander or sieve when done, then hit it with some cold water to prevent sticking and to keep it from cooking further.
3. If preparing all four servings, preheat 2 large skillets over medium heat (if making just 2 servings, you'll need only one skillet and half of the total ingredients -- save the rest for another meal). Lightly salt and pepper the chicken tenderloins, then coat each one in the flour that has been measured into a large bowl. Arrange all of the coated tenderloins on a plate before sautéing 6 tenderloins in each pan. Cook the tenderloins for 3 to 5 minutes on one side or until golden brown.
4. When the chicken is brown on one side, flip each of the pieces, and move them to the side of the pans, then add an even amount of the sliced peppers and chopped onions to the center of each skillet. Continue cooking the chicken and veggies for 4 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is browned and the veggies are beginning to brown on the edges.
5. Divide the scampi sauce in half and pour it over the chicken and veggies in each pan. Add 2 portions of pasta to each pan, then toss the ingredients a bit and continue to cook for a couple minutes or until the pasta is heated through. Prepare each dish by serving equal amounts of pasta onto each of four plates. Use a spoon or tongs to add the peppers and onions on top of each pile of pasta. Arrange three chicken tenderloins onto the center of the pasta.
6. Sprinkle each plate with about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh parsley and serve it up with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)

Makes 4 servings (but can be easily divided into 2 separate servings for 2).

sharing some goodness @


enjoy,

California Chicken Club Sandwich

This sandwich rocked! It was really good! I didn't follow any recipe, just used what I liked in a club sandwich. Ok, actually I don't order clubs when we go out, but years ago I did work in a cool Cafe and a club sandwich was on the menu. I made a mean one back then, if I say so myself! Anyways I made this a grilled BBQ sauced chicken club with avocado and bacon and veggies. Very simple. I made a few clubs and served them all on a platter family style. I was able to get 5-6 sandwiches with the amount of ingredients I used, plus a little leftover. Adjust the amounts to your liking, like I said there is not recipe, just add however much of whatever you like. (Mr. took my camera on a work assigment, so I had to use my Daughter's little thing)



California Chicken Club Sandwich

5 small thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper (per taste)
BBQ Sauce
1 pound bacon, cooked, cooled
5 Provolone cheese slices
2 Ripe Avocados, sliced
Green leaf lettuce, cut to fit bread
2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 small Red Onion, sliced thin
Mayo
White bread slices
Wheat bread slices
Sandwich picks

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Grill chicken 4 minutes per side on low-medium heat. Baste with BBQ sauce. Slice when cooled down.
Toast bread (3 slices per sandwich), add a little mayo then layer with lettuce, tomato, onion and avocado on the bottom layer. Add a second piece of toast with a little mayo and add chicken, bacon and cheese. Top with third piece of toast with a little mayo . (I used white and wheat for one sandwich)
Secure sandwich with picks at the top, bottom and sides of sandwich. Cut the sandwich from corner to corner, so that the picks are in the middle of each triangle slice.





enjoy,

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

A simple, easy dinner was in order this night. Doesn't everyone like tomato soup and grilled cheese?

I have made a tomato soup Roasted Garlic and Herb Focaccia Sticksfrom scratch before, but I wanted to try this one too. After reading some reviews on it, I adapted it to our liking, I also changed the amount it feeds (to 6) there on the site since it figures it all out for you. I used my immersion blender and blended for a good 5 minutes so it was creamy texture. I tried a little in the regular blender, but it still almost blew up (too hot!). I didn't want the half & half to overpower the tomato flavor and beautiful red color, so I only added in a little.

Anyways, I thought this was fabulous! Everyone ate it (well my 7 yr old didn't like the smell of the fresh basil plant, so she was being picky about that). This is a tangy tomato soup, so you could add a little more sugar to cut the acid in it. In fact, I liked this recipe better than the other one I posted about. I picked up an olive loaf of bread and made grilled cheese sandwiches with that. I topped the soup with some broken pieces of Roasted Garlic and Herb Focaccia Sticks.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

adapted from allrecipes (go to site to customize serving amounts)

4 fresh roma or on the vine tomatoes - seeded and diced
4 cups tomato juice

2 cloves garlic
14 leaves fresh basil
1/2 cup half & half
1/4 cup butter

pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 2 hours. Puree (I used my immersion blender, be extra careful if you use a regular blender!) the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, in the stock pot.
Keep the pot over low heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

1 loaf Artisan Kalamata Olive loaf, sliced (or another kind of bread)

Sharp Cheddar cheese

Jack cheese

Mozzarella cheese

butter

Butter one side of each slice of bread.

Place both slices of bread (per sandwich), buttered side down, on a hot griddle or pan. Add cheeses, let the cheeses melt and the bread turn golden (griddle like an open face sandwich). Then flip the top slice onto the bottom slice. Serve hot.

enjoy,

Recap: Corned Beef Dinner

I can't wait for tomorrow! My favorite dinner ever!
I realized in my original post, for the Corned beef dinner I made last year was sort of lacking. So I combined it all here. I serve this with boiled potatoes & carrots. I basically will either boil, crock pot or roast the corned beef, then add this sauce and bake a little longer for it to turn into a wonderful glaze. The cabbage is the best though! I bought and extra one so we can have lots. Have corned beef and potato leftovers? Try this Corned Beef Hash recipe!
I will have to update this post with a current photo, including the cabbage.

Corned beef Sauce
Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. horseradish (or more to taste)
1/3 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 C ketchup
3 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. water (or white wine if you prefer)

Melt butter, add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cook over med. heat until well blended.
Baste boiled/cooked corned beef with sauce and bake 15 minutes at 350'.


Cabbage (sautéed)
slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 large head of cabbage, sliced into 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch wide slices
Salt & pepper to taste
*corned beef juices

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil (enough to well coat the pan) on medium high to high heat in a large, wide pot (8-quart if available) or large, high-sided sauté pan. Add chopped onions, cook for a couple of minutes, then add garlic.

Add a third of the sliced cabbage to the pan. Sprinkle with a little salt and stir to coat with oil and mix with onions. *Add some of the corned beef juices as you go.
Spread out the cabbage evenly over the bottom of the pan and do not stir until it starts to brown. If the heat is high enough, this should happen quickly. The trick is to have the burner hot enough to easily brown the cabbage, but not so hot that it easily burns. When the bottom of the cabbage is nicely browned, use a metal spatula to lift it up and flip it, scraping the browned bits as you go.

Once the cabbage in the pan has browned on a couple of flips, add another third of the cabbage to the pan. Mix well, then spread out the cabbage and repeat. You may need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan to help with the browning, and to keep the cabbage from sticking too much to the pan. Once this batch has cooked down a bit and browned, add the remaining third of the cabbage and repeat.

Can be made ahead and reheated.
more at "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/

enjoy,

Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad

I found this one morning while making my menu plans, sounded pretty good to me! My oldest said so too, so it was dinner that night! I used my favorite BBQ sauce for mine as well as for the dressing. Mr. and I both LOVED it (we had seconds), we love cilantro though and all the flavors come together in this. The kids weren't crazy about it, because of the cilantro. Next time I'll keep it separate. But gosh, this is GOOD! I forgot my tortilla strips for the photos *sigh.


Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad
The Sister's Cafe

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup BBQ sauce (my fave homemade here)
1/2 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head Iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Haas avocados, diced
shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
crispy tortilla strips

Stir shredded chicken in with the BBQ sauce until well coated. Of course you can use less or more sauce, it's up to you! I like quite a bit since I love the smoky flavor of BBQ sauce in a salad. Toss together the lettuce, cilantro, corn, beans, and chopped veggies. Top with shredded chicken, cheese and crispy tortilla strips. Drizzle ranch or cilantro lime dressing over salad and enjoy! (I just drizzled more BBQ sauce over it)

*to make crispy tortilla strips simply slice about 10 corn tortillas in narrow strips and place on cookie sheet. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray and sprinkle generously with salt. Place under the broiler and let bake until crispy and brown around the edges, but watch it! It burns fast!



enjoy,

Orzo and Rice Pilaf

Here is a great side dish I adapted. I love the orzo and asparagus in this! This is very similar to my rice side dish I posted about here.

Orzo and Rice Pilaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2/3 cup orzo pasta
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
2 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 Tbl Parsley
1-2 TBL shaker Parmesan
6-8 Asparagus spears (1/2 C or so), cooked, diced

Heat oil and butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté orzo, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add rice and sauté, stirring, until coated with oil and butter.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in asparagus, parsley and Parm.

adapted from Epicurious.
(*updated omitting salt & water for directions)

enjoy,

Corn Potato Chowder

I love making this, it's a very simple hearty and inexpensive meal. Add some crusty bread and a salad and there you go!

Remember these recipe cards I blogged about before? It comes from those. I will cheat and just point you to her scanned image for the recipe. haha. Recipe here.

enjoy,

Review: The Vegetarian Family Cookbook: Vegetable Lo Mein and Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Cookies

I was recently asked to review The Vegetarian Family Cookbook written by Nava Atlas. Nava Atlas is an author of 8 other vegetarian cookbooks and also shares her website for more informative information. She lives in New York with her Husband and two sons. I am please to be helping Nava with her Blog tour, by sharing with you a couple of recipes from her book.

Even though we are not Vegetarians, there are plenty of recipes and information in this book for everyone to enjoy. There are lots of vegetable side dishes, desserts, soups, breakfasts, snacks and on and on. There are more than 275 recipes to choose from! Each recipe also has the nutritional analysis, and recipe suggestions from her book to turn it into a meal.

From Mommy I'm Hungry

I decided to go with Asian style recipes for dinner and cookies for snacking. I first picked the Orange-Glazed Tofu and Broccoli and Nava suggested to pair it with her Vegetable Lo Mein for a meal. Since I knew I'd be the only one eating the tofu dish, I halved the recipe and made the rest of the family grilled teriyaki chicken over rice also. I thought it was great, it sure had lots of orange flavor. I think we all liked the Vegetable Lo Mein, stir frys are always a hit. The leftovers are great too! The cookies are almost gone at just day 2! I think that means they've enjoyed them as well! I loved the tartness you get from the dried fruit & berries from the trail mix.

From Mommy I'm Hungry

I'll share with you 2 of the 3 recipes I made. The red markings are how I adapted it to suit us.

From Mommy I'm Hungry

Vegetable Lo Mein

4 servings (I doubled ours for leftovers!)

"This Chinese restaurant favorite is a fun dish to create at home, and has the advantage of being far less oily than its carry-out counterpart. Udon or soba noodles work well; using whole grain varieties makes the dish nutritious as well as authentic."

8 ounces narrow Chinese wheat noodles, udon, or soba (if unavailable, substitute linguini)
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
8 ounces pre shredded coleslaw (preferably with carrots included)
1 1/2 cups sliced brown or white mushrooms, or one 15-ounce can cut baby corn, drained (I used both)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed, or thawed frozen green beans (I used frozen sugar snap peas)
2 to 3 scallions (green onions), cut into 1-inch-long pieces
Natural soy sauce to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook the noodles in plenty of steadily boiling water until al dente (about 8-9 minutes) , then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a wok or stir-fry pan. Add the coleslaw and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then add all but the last 2 ingredients.
3. Continue to stir-fry until the vegetables are all just tender- crisp, adding just enough water to keep the bottom of the pan moist, about 5 to 7 minutes more.
4. Combine the cooked noodles with the vegetables in a serving bowl and toss together. Season with soy sauce and pepper. Serve at once.

From Mommy I'm Hungry

Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies, Four Ways
Makes about 3 dozen

"These cookies use only a third of the sugar called for in most conventional cookie recipes, and butter is replaced with applesauce and just a smidgen of oil—that’s the magic. From their smooth texture, you’d never think that these cookies are whole grain, made with whole wheat pastry flour. I now make a batch weekly, as mandated by my sons, who think that store-bought cookies, even natural brands, pale beside these. "

Basic cookie batter:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar ( I used regular, minus 1-2 Tbl )
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds, optional (I left out)
1 cup applesauce (or a bit more to make a smooth and slightly stiff batter)
2 tablespoons safflower oil (I used canola oil)
One of the combinations of additional ingredients, below

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the first 4 (dry) ingredients plus the optional flax seeds in a mixing bowl and stir together.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce and oil. Stir together until the wet and dry ingredients are completely mixed.
4. Stir in the additional ingredients of your choice. Drop the batter onto lightly oiled baking sheets in slightly rounded tablespoonfuls. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just lightly browned. Let stand for a minute or two, then carefully remove with a spatula to a rack or plates to cool.

VARIATIONS
1. Chocolate chip-walnut: Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (preferably cane juice sweetened) and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.

2. Chocolate chip-raisin: Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (preferably cane juice sweetened) and 3/4 cup dark raisins.

3. Chocolate chip-trail mix: Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of your favorite trail mix (containing nuts, dried fruits, and seeds). This makes a robust cookie that really is great to take out on the hiking trail. (I found a Goji/Cranberry berry fruit & nut trail mix at Henry's)

From Mommy I'm Hungry

4. Chocolate chip-granola: Add 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of good-quality granola for a crunchy cookie that’s sure to delight both old and young hippies alike!

From Mommy I'm Hungry

From Mommy I'm Hungry

Thank you Nava for letting us review your book, I'm sure we'll enjoy more recipes from it! All the best for your book tour! How would you like to win a copy of this book? Please check out my giveaway here!

enjoy,