Whenever I make cookies at home, I run into a big problem…I end up with a lot of cookies at home.  And I just haven’t figured out how not to eat way too many when they are just over there on the counter.  Calling my name.  Maybe I’ll get the hang of it when I’m a real grown-up.  But for now, I have to resort to sneakier methods of self-control such as (1) giving most of the batch away, (2) putting half of them in the freezer where instant gratification is less of an option (frozen cookies just don’t have the same siren call), or (3) making cookies that only contain ingredients that I would put into a healthy snack.  These fall into the last category.

My favorite part of these crumbly, sweet, and salty treats is that they are made with whole grain spelt flour, which is a good source of fiber, manganese, copper, and zinc.  My second favorite part is that it contains Grade B maple syrup as the sweetener instead of refined sugar.  Also, the ingredients list is simple and to the point.  They’re on the small side, so you can eat two and say that it only counts as one.  And they’re vegan, in case you’re looking to cut animal products.  I like to think of these as my all-of-the-satisfaction-with-none-of-the-guilt-peanut-butter-cookies.  But that’s too much of a mouthfull.

Before baking

And after. Hey, there's some sunlight in this picture! Thanks, Portland!

Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies
 makes about 4 dozen small cookies
adapted from Green Kitchen Stories

Ingredients
- 2 cups whole grain spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup walnut oil (you could use olive oil here instead)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly grease 2-3 baking sheets.  If you are using non-stick baking sheets, you probably don’t need to grease them.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.  In a separate large bowl, mix peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla extract until well-combined.

3. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.  The dough will be quite soft.  Drop dough by the tablespoon-full onto your baking sheets and lightly press down with the back of a fork.  It helps to get the fork a little wet occasionally to keep it from sticking.

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes.  They may seem a little under baked when you remove them from the oven but they will seem less doughy when they cool.

* I added this post to this week’s Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Whole Food Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, and Hearth and Soul Hop.

I ended up with about 7 bottles-worth of kombucha, which would normally cost $21 dollars!  So I pretty much broke even on the first batch.  Future batches just require extra tea bags and sugar.

The verdict?  Delicious.  The only downside is that each batch takes about a month, so I’ve got to be patient

Here are kombucha-making instructions as I understand them:

1. Get a SCOBY.  They are sometimes also referred to as “mothers”.  This is what makes the kombucha magic happen.  You can buy them in kits, like I did, or ask for a piece from someone who’s already on the kombucha train.

2. Bring a gallon (16 cups) of water to a boil on the stove.  Add 8-10 tea bags.  You can use black, green, or herbal teas.  Brew tea according to package instructions, being careful not to over-brew black and green tea as this will make it bitter.

3. Add 1 cup of sugar and dissolve.  This is what my kombucha-making kit recommends, but I might decrease the amount a bit for future batches.  The sugar is important to feed the SCOBY and the final product will contain less sugar than you’d think because the SCOBY will digest a lot of it.  I’m just trying to figure out what works for my tastebuds right now.

4. Pour the tea into a very clean gallon-sized glass jar and cover with a clean cloth.  Remember, this is going to sit out at room temperature for up to a month and so you really want to avoid any bad bacteria growth.  My understanding is that the SCOBY helps to fend off bacteria growth but I’ve seen people end up with moldy kombucha batches before.  You’ll know it’s bad mold if it’s powdery, dusty, or a different color than your SCOBY.  Cover the jar with a clean cloth so that the kombucha can breath.

5. Let the tea come to room temperature.  This can take a couple of hours but don’t put the SCOBY into too-hot liquid.  You don’t want to fry the little guys!  Once it’s cool, add the SCOBY, cover with a clean cloth attached with a rubber band, and find a spot for it to hang out for 2-4 weeks.  The ideal spot would be warm (maybe close to a heater vent) and out of the way so you can avoid getting weird looks from visitors.  The longer it sits, the less sweet and the more “vinegary” it will get.  We like ours on the vinegary side so we went for 4 weeks.

6.  Enjoy your kombucha and share pieces of your now fully-grown SCOBY with friends!

In other news, today was the perfect Saturday.  It was the beginning of my 3-day weekend, meaning that schoolwork pressure was off!  I went to an amazing yoga class this morning, baked some peanut butter cookies (recipe forthcoming!), walked the dog, and cleaned the apartment and went shopping with Jeremy.  Now it’s 8:30 at night, so I guess I could get started with some reading for class…

Does anyone else out there make their own kombucha?  Are there any flavor combinations or techniques I should try next?

* I added this post to the Weekend Gourmet, Real Food 101, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, and Monday Mania.

Why is cooking fish such a scary undertaking?  I don’t know about you, but for me there’s something kind of intimidating about creating a meal that highlights a delicate, flaky piece of fish.  Seafood just seems a bit more gourmet than my everyday fare and when I do decide to cook it, I feel the pressure to make it right.  And that is exactly what I did with this Herb-Crusted Cod.  It came together in no time and was delicious with a side of buttery scalloped potatoes.  It tasted like a fancy, slaving-over-a-hot-stove kind of meal but was actually more of a weeknight, 30-minute success (not promising you can make this is under 30 minutes…I am the world’s slowest chopper of vegetables and so I always take recipe prep time information with a grain of salt).

If you decide to make both of these recipes for dinner (and I suggest you do!), I would suggest that you start by prepping the potatoes and the topping for the fish.  Then, you can start cooking the potatoes, assemble the fish, and let them finish in the oven together.  I used wild alaskan true cod because it was reasonably priced and came in nicely sized fillets.  I think this recipe would work with just about any fish you like, but you might have to adjust the cooking time.  I’d love to see how it turns out with salmon!

Herb-Crusted Cod
serves 4

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup almond flour (coarsely ground, if you’re making your own)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 skinless cod fillets

1. Preheat the oven to 450.  Lightly grease a baking pan.

2. In a food processor, combine oil, almond flour, parsley, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper.  Pulse until you have a course mixture.

3. Place the cod fillets in the baking pan and sprinkle with almond flour mixture.  Press down a bit to make it stick as much as possible.

4. Bake in the oven until the tops are lightly browned and fish is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately

Scalloped Potatoes
serves 4

Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lb Yukon gold potatoes
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup grated swiss cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Use a mandoline to thinly slice the potatoes.  In a large bowl, toss with about half the butter and the olive oil.

3. Heat the remaining butter in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Place a layer of overlapping potato slices in the skillet to cover the bottom.

4. Toss the remaining potatoes with grated swiss cheese.  Add to the skillet, press down with a spatula, and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to brown.  Cut into slices and serve.

* I added this post to this week’s Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

I’ve decided that I need to earn back his trust a bit by making a few dinners that I’m sure he’ll enjoy.  They may not live up to my weirdo health-nut standards (I’m trying to dial back the carbs…this dinner was a carb-lover’s paradise), but seeing his empty plate was its own reward.  Luckily for me, Jeremy does like mushrooms, especially shiitakes.  I piled them on in this dish to amp up the superfood content.  And I served it with a side of buttery garlic bread to underline my good intentions.

Lemony Leek and Mushroom Pasta
serves 2

Ingredients
- 3 leeks, washed and finely sliced (white an light green parts only)
- 3/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- juice from 1 lemon
- toasted and chopped walnuts, for serving
- finely chopped parsley, for serving
- 1/2 lb linguine pasta

1.  Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.

2.  Heat butter or oil in a large pan.  Add leeks, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

3.  Turn heat to low and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Toss with noodles until heated through.

4.  Top with walnuts and parsley, if desired.

Goddess Bowl with Tahini-Lemon Dressing
serves 4
adapted from Oh She Glows 

For the bowl:
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 1 cup mung beans, cooked
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 3 cups kale, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste

For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup tahini (I like roasted sesame tahini better than raw)
- 2 garlic cloves
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (plus a little more if you love the stuff like I do)
-  2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 Tbsp water, as needed to get a good consistency

1. Make the dressing.  Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.  That’s it!

2. You can make the quinoa and beans ahead of time if you’d like.  Or just start those simmering in separate pots and cook according to package directions.  Start chopping those veggies while you wait.

3. In a large pot, heat the 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add onion and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add bell pepper and tomato and cook for about another 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the kale and cook until softened.  Now you can add the quinoa, beans and sauce.  Simmer until everything is nice and hot.  Add some extra salt, if desired.

* I added this post to this week’s Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Weekend Gourmet, Real Food 101, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, and Monday Mania.

I decided to make this recipe after hearing it mentioned on a recent Spilled Milk podcast (thanks for the recommendation, Katie!)  One of the wonderful things about it is that it dirties very few dishes and doesn’t require a big trip to the grocery store.  In fact, I had all the ingredients on hand except for the broccoli and shrimp!  In the end, you get such a great payoff for minimal time, energy, and money.  Win, win, win.

Now I think I’m going to go blow that money I saved on a good dinner out for me and Jeremy.  Because it’s Friday!

Melissa Clark’s Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp
serves 3-4
adapted from The Wednesday Chef 

Ingredients
- 2 pounds broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 Tbsp EVOO, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp sea salt, divided
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined
- zest from 1 lemon

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Toss broccoli with 3 Tbsp olive oil, spices, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.  Spread on a large baking dish and roast for 10 minutes.

2. While broccoli is roasting, toss shrimp with remaining 1Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and lemon zest.  When broccoli has been roasting for 10 minutes, add shrimp and roast for another 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Serve with brown rice or accompaniment of choice.

* I added this post to this week’s Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Weekend Gourmet, Real Food 101, Fat Tuesday, and Monday Mania.

They have the boyfriend’s stamp of approval, too.  Or at least I assume they do because I left the pan unattended with Jeremy and his friend for a few hours yesterday and when I got home, half of the bars were gone.

Please enjoy!  I’m off to get my clinical prep done before my earrrrrrly morning at the hospital tomorrow.

Coconut Bars
makes 16
adapted (just slightly) from Elana’s Pantry

Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk beverage (I realized later that the original recipe is referring to the thick coconut milk that you get in a can.  You can choose your own calorie adventure here.)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 Tbs vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 Tbs coconut flour
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, mix eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, honey, and vanilla.  The mixture may want to separate, just do your best.

2. Add almond flour, coconut flour, shredded coconut, and salt.  Mix well.

3. Pour the batter into an 8×8 and bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool and serve.

* I added this post to this week’s Hearth and Soul Hop, Whole Foods Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Superfood Sunday, and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

I served it with Whole Foods brand naan for dinner last night to make my life easier but I mixed the leftovers with quinoa for lunch today liked that even better!  If you want to be more traditional, serve it over basmati rice.

Mutter Paneer
serves 4-6
adapted from Lisa’s Kitchen

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 Tbs ground coriander
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cayenne
- 2 Tbs butter, divided
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 8 oz fresh paneer, cubed
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 cups tomatoes, diced (I actually Pomi brand chopped tomatoes since fresh ones aren’t in season)
-  2 cups full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 lb peas (defrost if using frozen)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 Tbs garam masala

1. In a small bowl, mix water, coriander, turmeric, paprika, and cayenne until a paste is formed.  Set aside.

2. In a large pot heat 1 Tbs butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add paneer and cook until browned on all sides, stirring constantly.  This should take 5 minutes or so.  Remove paneer from pan with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.

3. Add cumin, black mustard and fennel to the heated oil and cook until you hear the spices start popping, about 1 minute.  Immediately add another Tbs butter and the spice paste.  Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

4.  Add tomatoes and allow to bubble and thicken for about 10 minutes.  Add yogurt, peas, paneer, salt, and garam masala.  Simmer until heated through.  Serve with rice, naan, or quinoa.

* I added this post to this week’s Real Food 101, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Fresh Bites Friday and Fight Back Friday.

Goodness Green-ness Soup
makes 8 servings
adapted from Anna Thomas’ recipe

Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 2 Tbs, plus 3 cups water, divided
- 1/4 cup arborio rice
- 1 bunch chard, de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1/2 lb spinach
- 4 cups vegetable broth (I used homemade leek broth)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- juice of 1 lemon

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stockpot.  Add onions and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until onions are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add 2 Tbsp water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover pot.  Allow to cook until caramelized, about an hour, stirring occasionally.

2.  Meanwhile, in a separate pot, combine rice with remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover the pot, and allow to cook for about 15 minutes.  Stir in the chard greens and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Strain remaining water out of rice and chard.

3.  Add the rice and chard to the caramelized onions, along with broth, cayenne and spinach.  Simmer just until spinach has wilted enough to be covered by the broth.

4. Puree soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender.  Stir in lemon juice.  Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

* I added this post to Sunday Night Soup Night, Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival and Real Food 101.

Served with oven fries and sautéed chard.

I’m going to let you in a secret about saving money on the salmon here.  When I was at the fish counter in the grocery store looking over my options, I noticed that the cheapest way to get salmon was in the form of salmon burgers.  I asked about the ingredients (I didn’t want to pay for any “fillers”) and it turns out they were just wild-caught salmon with some herbs and spices.  It was from the exact same fish being sold as steaks and fillets.  I imagine they just use the less perfectly shaped bits to make the burgers.  So if you don’t mind having a little less control over the seasonings included in your patties, you can always look for this option.  Or you could buy canned salmon.

To learn more about safe and environmentally-friendly fish choices, have a look at this quick guide from the Environmental Defense Fund.  It rates fish based on sustainability and levels of mercury or PCBs.

Quinoa-Salmon Patties
makes 6 patties
adapted from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen 

Ingredients
- 2 Tbs fresh chives
- 1 large handful cilantro
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 lb wild salmon (skinned and de-boned if necessary)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1-2 Tbs olive oil

1.  In a food processor with an “S” blade, pulse herbs and spices several times until minced.

2. Add salmon and quinoa and pulse together until evenly mixed.  Form into patties and set aside.

3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add salmon patties (I could only fit 3 at a time) and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and cooked through.

* This post is part of the Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Real Food 101, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Real Food Wednesday, and Monday Mania.