Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I made a batch of these last night for a dinner party and the plate was cleaned within minutes.  These cookies are the most comforting cookies ever.  I love the hearty flavor of oats combined with sweet almonds and bitter chocolate chunks.  Instead of using chocolate chips, I just chopped up a bar of 100% dark chocolate and the cookies turned out perfectly delicious.  This recipe makes about 12 cookies, but you might want to double the recipe as these cookies go quickly!  

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of gluten free oats (Bob's Red Mill makes gluten free ones!)
• 3/4 cup of gluten free flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of Earth Balance or canola oil
• 1 ripe mashed banana or 1/4 cup of apple sauce
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, beaten (or egg replacer)
• 3/4 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup of 100% dark chocolate, chopped into little chunks.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, baking soda, and spices.
3. Using your hands, incorporate the Earth Balance and banana mash into the dry ingredients.
4. Using a large spoon, mix in the maple syrup, vanilla, and egg. 
5. Stir in the coconut, chocolate, and almonds.
6. Form dough into balls and flatten onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake in the oven for about 10 or so minutes. 
8. When cookies are golden on the outside, remove cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
9. Enjoy with a glass of rice milk!

Yellow Curry

  

Yellow curry, with its earthy and pungent flavor, pairs so nicely with the sweetness of creamy coconut milk.  You can buy Indian or Thai yellow curries at the store, but it is also pretty easy to make if you have a food processor.  I make my curry mild, but you can add as much red chili pepper as you like!  This paste lasts a month in the fridge if stored in an air tight container.  It goes well with tofu, veggies, chicken, and rice noodles!  I made a simple chicken, broccoli and carrot curry, but next time I want to try cauliflower or sweet potatoes!

Ingredients:

 - Curry Paste:

• 5 cloves of garlic peeled
• 1/2 a bunch of cilantro leaves
• 4 green onion sliced
• 1 tbs of grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsps of ground turmeric
• 1/2 tbs of ground red chili pepper
• 1 1/2 tsps of salt
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• 1tbs of olive oil
• 2 tsbs of honey
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon

-Curry Dish:

• 1 lb of chicken or tofu cut into bite sized pieces
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 1 large bunch of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can of coconut milk

Directions

1. To make the curry: using a food processor, chop up the garlic and ginger, then add the cilantro leaves and green onions and chop some more.  Then slowly add all the other spices.  Mix in the oil, honey, and the juice of the lemon or lime.
2. In a frying pan, sear the chicken and cook for about 8 minutes (if you're doing tofu, you don't need to cook the tofu first, just add it in with the carrots.)
3. Add the carrots and 3 tbs of the curry paste, coating all the ingredients.
4. Add the coconut milk and simmer on medium/low heat for about 15-20 minutes.
5. Throw in the broccoli and cook for another 3 minutes.  
6. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Coffee

While most people try to give up coffee in the new year, my resolution was to start drinking coffee.  Yes, you heard me, start.  You may ask, why would a health nut like me want to develop a coffee habit?  Well, if you read in my New Year's posting, my intention for this year is to try new things and break out of my routine.  I avoid coffee because the caffeine keeps me up at night, but I admit that I love the taste of it.  One day my friend said to me, "Um, why don't you just drink decaf?" For some reason the idea of ordering a decaf coffee had never occurred to me.  "Brilliant," I thought, "this is my resolution for 2012: become a coffee drinker!"  It has been a challenge to break my habit of not drinking coffee, but finally today my resolution came to fruition.  Instead of compulsively jumping into my regular Sunday morning ritual of biking to the grocery store, I asked myself, "What do I want to do this morning?" The answer was clear: I wanted to sit around and drink coffee.  My roommate and I went to Four Barrel, the ultra hipster coffee shop in the Mission.  I had been there a million times with friends, watching them drink coffee while I sipped a glass of water.  Finally, it was my turn to order.  I asked the girl with the asymmetrical haircut for, "a decaf soy latte, please."  In a few minutes, my order was up, a hot cup of Joe adorned with a swirly heart of soy-milk foam!  I took one sip and I was in heaven.  The flavor of the dark roasted coffee with the creamy soy milk was mouth watering.  As we sat outside, leisurely enjoying our lattes, I thought how healthy this was.  Now, coffee is arguably not a healthy substance, but the act of drinking coffee is mentally healthy for me. I define "healthy" as having a variety of choices in how I think and act, as opposed to unconsciously getting stuck in the same old patterns.  Just like my hip hop dance teacher said yesterday, "This booty-shake is another move you can add to your repertoire at da' club, " I can bust out coffee-time whenever I want.