Peanut Butter Criss Crosses

I originally learned this recipe from my mother's “Better Home and Garden” cookbook which was a five-ring binder, 8 ½ inch by 11 inch hardcover meant to be used.  It always easy to know which recipes were used frequently as their pages are dotted with stains, partially or entirely missing from this cookbook.  The latter is the case with this recipe.  I'm not surprised the page is missing from this recipe book as there was time when I knew this recipe by heart.  Thankfully, the paperback version of this same cookbook which I acquired in 1995 contains this recipe.  

½ cup (1 stick) butter softened/at room temperature 
½ cup sugar 
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1 egg
½ cup peanut butter 
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour plus 1-2 extra tablespoons for making criss cross 
½ teaspoon baking soda  
½ teaspoon baking powder   

Place oven rack on middle run setting. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit.  

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until blended.  Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix.  Add peanut butter.  Mix.  Add flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix.  

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  

To make criss cross design put 1-2 tablespoons flour on a small plate.  Gently tap back of fork tines against dough to prepare fork for first time use.  

Gently dip back of fork tines in flour to coat as this will keep dough from sticking to fork as you make criss cross.  Partially flatten rounded teaspoon of dough with back of fork in one direction and then the opposite to make the criss cross.  Repeat until all teaspoons of dough on cookie sheet complete.  

Bake in oven for 7 – 9 minutes or until bottoms appear lightly browned.  

Cool cookies on wire rack.  

Irish Oatmeal Muffin or Bread (makes 24 muffins or 4 mini loaves)

On recent perusal through my revised 13^th edition of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, I came across this recipe in the muffin section. Not being in the mood to bake 24 muffins but needing to use up 2 cups of milk before it spoiled I chose to make mini-loaves of bread with the intention of freezing one or two of the loaves for later.

This recipe requires soaking of rolled oats for according to my Fanny Farmer Cookbook, “The Irish cook their oatmeal all night long for a rich and creamy effect. These muffins take on that same flavor from soaking the oatmeal overnight in buttermilk.”

I found the end result to be perfect for toasting and topping with butter, maple syrup, applesauce or strawberry jam. Needless to say, none of the 4 mini loaves made it to the freezer.

Irish Oatmeal Muffin or Bread

2 cups buttermilk or 2 tablespoons lemon juice and scant 2 cups milk
1 cup rolled oats
2 eggs
½ – ¾ cup dark-brown sugar (if you like your muffins sweet, use the larger amount)
1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt or ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

 

In a large bowl combine the oats with the buttermilk or lemon juice and milk. Stir well. Cover. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight before mixing and baking the muffins.

Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. Line with paper liners or grease two 12-cup muffin tins if making muffins. If making mini-loaves, set aside 4 non-stick mini-loaf pans.

Remove milk-oatmeal mixture from refrigerator. Add eggs to this mixture and gently beat. Gradually add sugar and gently beat until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, salt and oil. Beat until batter well blended.

If making muffins, fill muffin tins about three-quarters full with batter and bake for about 20 minutes. Start testing for doneness after 15 minutes. Remove muffins from the cups and cool on racks or serve hot.

If making mini-loaves, fill pans three-quarters full with batter. Place pans on a cookie sheet and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean. The cookie sheet is to catch any of the batter in the event it bakes over the top of a pan. Remove pans from oven, loaves from pan and cool on rack for at least five minutes before serving.

Store any leftovers in air-tight container. 

 

Two mini loaves done 

and 

cooling on rack

Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing or Dip

 
On a shopping trip many months ago, I bought Tuscan (Lacinato, Dinosaur) Kale with the goal of making kale krisps. I don't recall if this kale ever became kale krisps but it got my mind thinking what these greens would taste like with a caesar salad dressing since I've used them making a salad with roasted butternut squash and red onions topped with creamy dairy-free sunflower seed olive oil dressing.

This thought set me on a quest to find a caesar salad dressing I could made home which would be dairy, egg and anchovy free. After reading a lot of recipes I settled on this one which is a slight variation from one which appeared in the June 2018 issue of Yoga Journal. Omit the water from this recipe and you've got a dip for crackers, apples, raw carrots, cucumbers.


Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing or Dip

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds or raw sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon table salt or ¾ tsp kosher salt (optional)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
water, if needed or desired to thin recipe (skip if making this as a dip)

Place pumpkin or sunflower seeds, tahini, olive oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, black pepper and salt (if using) into a blender or food processor.

If using a blender, pulse on low a few times, then blend on high for one minute. If making as a salad dressing add water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

If using a food processor, pulse several times until ingredients begin to blend and then mixed until fully blended. If making as a salad dressing add water one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

If making as a salad dressing, pour dressing over salad and toss. 

If making as a dip serve with crackers, apples, raw carrots, cucumbers.

Refrigerate unused portion in an airtight container. 

                                    Vegan Caesar Salad Dip 
                                        ready to be served

 

 

Wheat and Dairy Free Skillet Roasted Cod Fillets (serves 1 – 2)

 

Since my family knows I love to cook, I am the recipient of recipes including cookbooks, hand written copies and those clipped from a print journal which belonged to a family member who no longer cooks. This is how I ended up with a 1933 copy of Better Homes Recipe Book by Marjorie Mills from which I got my “Drop Whole Wheat Biscuits” recipe.

This recipe is a variation of one I received in the collection kept my late Aunt Caroline which she clipped from print journal. Hers didn't specify the amounts of the ingredients, except for this fish, which I'm okay with but in sharing this recipe I felt it critical to specify amounts along with cooking times, size of skillet and a reminder to wrap a towel around the handle of the skillet at the end as I can tell you from personal experience the handle can remain very hot for a good amount of time.

I've used both fresh cod and frozen cod with this recipe as well as fillets of different thicknesses at the same time. My preference is for day boat fresh cod which I realize not everyone has access to. Additionally, day boat fresh cod won't fill your house with a “fishy” smell.

The end result is a fillet which is browned on the outside easily cut with a fork.



Wheat and Dairy Free skillet Roasted Cod Fillets (serves 1-2)

1 pound cod, fresh or frozen which have been thawed
¼ cup canola oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon white sugar
1/8 – ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (if you don't like a heavy pepper taste, use the smaller amount)

 
11 – 12 inch skillet which is stovetop and oven safe
spatula large enough to flip fish
dish towel

1) Place oven rack on middle rung.
2) Pre-heat oven to temperature to 425 degrees farenheit.

3) Remove any skin from fish.
4) Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of salt and sugar on this side of the fish.
5) Sprinkle half the black pepper (1/16 – 1/8 teaspoon) on side of fish just sprinkled with sugar and salt.

6) Sprinkle remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt and sugar on this side of the fish.
7) Sprinkle remaining half the black pepper (1/16 – 1/8 teaspoon) on side of fish just sprinkled with sugar and salt.

8) Pour canola oil into skillet and gently swirl oil around until bottom of skillet is coated in oil.
9) Heat oil over medium-high heat. You'll know the oil is heated when you tilt skillet very slightly and the oil ripples or wave.

10)Place fish in skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 1-5 minutes or until the oil around all fish pieces is browned and the top of the fish begins to “flake”.
11) Flip fish using spatula.

12) Turn off stovetop and place skillet in pre-heated oven for 7-11 minutes. Time in oven will depend upon thickness of fish.

13) Remove skillet from oven and place dish towel around handle.

14) Serve fish. Store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.

Skillet Roasted Cod Fillets ready to serve

Julie's version of Trader Joe's Tahini Dressing or a dipping sauce for apples or carrots

This is a slight variation on the Tahini Salad Dressing found at the Trader Joe's website. The end result is thick enough to be used as a dipping sauce for apples or carrots. Quick to make, it's a nice alternative to Sunflower Seed Olive Oil Dressing. 

 
¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup water

Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic to a small bowl. Combine. Mix water ½ tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

Add all ingredients to a small bowl. Whisk with a fork until combined.

Serve.

Refrigerate unused portion in an airtight container.

One Banana Oat Cookie

As I noted in my February 2019 Whole Wheat Banana Bread post, it's been a while since a banana in my house has gotten too ripe to eat.  Well, that changed earlier this month when I had one banana that had gotten too ripe to eat.  I thought about freezing it but these days space in my freezer is limited due to all the bell peppers, blueberries and roasted tomatoes from this year's farmers market currently occupying this space.  Lacking the equipment and motivation to make a smoothie with the banana, and not wanting to just throw this in the trash/compost heap, I chose to make a banana oatmeal cookie.  

As anyone who has purchased lots of bananas knows, their size varies which means the amount of banana in the recipe will vary.  If you find yourself under the 1/3 cup mashed ripe banana called for the recipe, I suggest using the 1/8 cup amount of nuts/seeds and raisins/chocolate chips called for in the recipe to keep an appropriate amount of moistness.   

This recipe works great with a toaster or countertop oven and a small 15-16 ounce baking dish, like a CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish. 


One Banana Oat Cookie (serves 1 to 2)  

1/3 cup mashed banana (this is about one banana, if you're little over 1/3 cup, that's okay)
1/3 - 1/2 cup quick cook rolled oats 
1/8 - 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
1/8 - 1/4 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut 
Non-stick cooking spray if using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung. 
2) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

3) If using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish, spray dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.  

4) If mashed banana is less than 1/3 cup in a medium size bowl: 
     4a) Combine banana with 1/3 cup oats.
     4b) Mix in 1/8 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
     4c) Mix in 1/8 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut. 
     4d) Go to step 6.

5) If mashed banana is 1/3 cup or more in a medium size bowl: 
    5a) Combine banana with 1/3 cup oats.
    5b) Mix in 1/8 cup sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
    5c) Mix in 1/8 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries or shredded coconut.
    5d) Go to step 6. 

6) If using CorningWare 15-ounce Oval Baking Dish, scoop batter from bowl into prepared baking dish.  Go to step 8. 

7) If using non-stick cookie sheet, scoop batter from bowl on to cookie sheet and shape into one large cookie.  Go to step 8. 

8) Bake for 15 minutes. 
9) Remove from oven and cool 2-3 minutes.  
10) Serve and store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.  

 

 One Banana Oat Cookie 

with raisins and walnuts

ready to serve

Almond Stuffed Date Bacon Wraps

I've found pot luck meals a great way to learn and try new recipes. This is how I came across this one. The combination of sweet and salty with the crunch of almond can make these very addictive.

If possible, used pitted dates as it eliminates this task.

8 oz. bacon
16 dates, pitted
16 whole almonds or enough slivered almonds to stuff 16 dates (roasted and unsalted recommended)
16 toothpicks
Non-stick broiler pan

1) Place oven rack on middle rung.
2) Pre-heat oven to temperature for baking bacon as instructed on bacon package.
3) Cut bacon slices in half.

4) If dates are not pitted, slice date lengthwise and remove pit.
5) Open pitted date along pre-made slice used to pit date, insert a whole almond or 2-4 pieces of slivered almonds.
6) Close date.
7) Wrap one slice of bacon around almond stuffed date.
8) Push toothpick through bacon and date to hold this together.
9) Place almond stuffed bacon wrap on broiler pan.
10) Repeats steps 4 – 9 as many times as needed.

11) Bake as instructed on bacon package.

12) Remove from oven. Cool 1 -3 minutes. Serve.