Squirrel Treats: Autumn Acorn Cookies

Happy Fall!

The seasons are a-changing. Until today, I hadn't posted in about a month. This is because, I started my real job! Hello, working world. Maybe now I'll actually be able to pay for all my organic baking supplies....

Anyway, I whipped up some squirrely acorn treats to commemorate the fall-ness:

Yummo. Perfect two-bite snacks! Also, check out that sweet maple-leaf mini-dish, which I scored at a yardsale last weekend. Get this-- it's from Occupied Japan, and I got it for FIFTY CENTS!!! (/two for $1) Success.

THE RECIPE:

1/4 c each of:
-millet flour
-garbanzo bean flour
-brown rice flour
-tapioca flour (scant)
-flax seed meal
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp guar gum    ---> combine all dry ingredients
1/2 tsp vanilla
10+ drops stevia
extra light olive oil

chococlate chips / hazelnuts
almond / nut butter
almond meal
almond slivers

Add oil gradually, cutting into dry ingredients gradually. Add vanilla and stevia to oil, so that they mix in evenly. Add oil until batter is pie-crust consistency (flour is just barely not-powdery anymore).

Shape dough around a chocolate chip and/or hazelnut, molding it into an acorn shape. Next, place a dab of almond butter on top of the "acorn" to form the lid. Roll this top area into almond meal, pushing the almond butter glob around the top of the acorn. Finally, stick an almond meal sliver into the "lid" to form a stem.

 Tadaa, you just made an acorn. Feel free to use other fillings (nuts, carob chips, coconut, etc).

Bake at 350 for ~10 minutes.

Consistency was powdery, taste not all that sweet, but still yummy. Add more sweetener if desired.

Rocky Mountain Mystery Green Dinosaur Cookies

1. When I was little I thought the Rocky Mountains looked like chocolate chip cookies, because they were tan with dark spots (which were trees, and sadly not chocolate.)

2. I decided that I'm going to be a dinosaur for halloween this year. Also, when I was little, I had a song that went "Roo doo doo doo dooo doo-doo di-o-na-saaur, what are YOU going to be-for-Hallow-ee-een?" I would sing this consistently from Sept 1-October 31, and I though that a dinosaur was the WORST thing in the WORLD to be for Halloween.

3. I read that when sunflower nut butter is cooked it turns green. Sometimes. How mysterious!

1 + 2 + 3 = Rocky Mountain Mystery Green Dinosaur Cookies!!!!!

Version 1: 

THE RECIPE:

1/2 c coconut oil
1 egg
1 tbs + 1 tsp agave
1/2 c sunflower nut butter (I use Maranatha)   --> cream all above ingredients
1 c all purpose gluten free flour
1/2 c millet flour
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs tapioca flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 drops stevia

Mix all ingredients. I tried rolling/cutting a few into dinosaur shapes, but they were too crumbly. Also, too oily. Also, not alll that sweet, but still yummy. ALSO: THEY WERE NOT GREEN!!!!! how disappointing.

This led me to:

Version 2: (aka, WTF??!? cookies)

THE RECIPE****:

1/2 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
3 tsp agave
1/2 cup sunflower nut butter  ---> cream all above ingredients
1 c all purpose flower
1/2 cup millet flower
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs tapioca flour
10 drops stevia
unknown and unrecorded amount of yacon syrup.


Okay here's the deal. 1) They turned green. Very, very, awesomely green. 2) They were absolutely disgusting, and WAY too greasy. And, I had NO idea why. Then, two weeks after I fed these green monsters to my dad and sister because I couldn't stand them, my mom told me that she put sesame oil in an unlabeled Yacon Syrup can.

So, these probably would have been great, had I actually used yacon and not, apparently, sesame oil. As it were, they were awful. So, make at your own risk. (= ****)

Oh- also- sunbutter + baking powder = green. Mystery solved. DINOSAURRR!!!!!

Cucumbers Galore

THE RECIPE:
Cucumbers.

My garden produces one thing: Cucumbers. What is the MOST difficult vegetable to find something to do with? Cucumbers.

I do not particularly like cucumbers. However, they are quite refreshing, and make a good snack when sliced into chip-shape. At any rate, I'm proud to have produced some whoppingly big cucumber specimens.

HUUUGE cucumber.

 

Yep, that's a big one.

 

The garden in its prime! Note the chard in the bottom left corner. Sadly, it got devoured by mischievous squirrels before I could harvest any.

Basil Cheesey Eggs

This one isn't too hard a concept. Great for a quick lunch.

THE RECIPE:
1 egg
1-2 Basil leaves
Some soy cheese
Little bit of almond milk.(~1 tsp)

Crack egg on frying pan. Dump in ~1 tsp almond milk (adds fluffiness). Sprinkle in a small handful soy cheese (I used a "mozzarella" variety), or as much as you want. Break up fresh basil, and add that. Scramble it all together. When egg is just-cooked (no clear parts left), remove from pan and consume.