Your Inner Badass

If pressed to describe myself and list my redeeming qualities, cooking skills would not be on that list. I’ve never really taken to cooking, partly because I could get others to do the cooking for me, and partly because I’ve always pretty much sucked at it.

I do enjoy baking desserts and I think if you’re going to indulge then it is always better to make your own. That way your treats are less processed, have no added chemicals and preservatives and you can control what you put into it. Remember there are always ways to make a recipe more healthy by:

• switching to whole wheat flour instead of white
• adding apple sauce instead of shortening or lard
• adding flax seed instead of egg
• using high percent dark chocolate instead of more sugary versions
• replacing butter or oil with mashed or pureed fruit or vegetables like banana, dates, apple sauce, mashed pumpkin, sweet potato, or squash
• replacing roasted, salted nuts with healthier unsalted and raw nuts like almond, walnuts or peanuts

When it comes to cooking though, as of late, things have changed for me. I have taken charge of what I eat almost entirely. I have become a chef in my own kitchen. Trying out, discovering and  astonishing myself with new recipes that taste good and that are  good for you. Requirements for me are that the recipes need to be something relatively easy to make, shouldn’t take too much time and the ingredients should be few and fresh.

Here are a few new recipes that I’ve made and enjoyed recently. I hope you try one and share with others.

Chocolate Almond Cookies (recipe courtesy of Clean Eating Magazine)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted almond butter, stirred well
• 3/4 cup Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice found in the baking section)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 oz dark chocolate (70% or greater, broken into small pieces)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together first 5 ingredients until blended. Stir in chocolate.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 more minutes.

**These cookies are super easy to make with only two steps, are gluten-free, dairy-free and low-sugar (110 cals per cookie, makes 24 cookies). One caveat; they can be relatively costly with almond butter running from $9-10 a jar and you use the entire jar for this recipe. But oh so worth it! Best cookies I’ve ever made. Your loved ones will cover you with chocolate kisses!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups vegetable broth (read ingredients and make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar)
• 2/3 cup each of diced onions, carrots, and celery
• 1 cup lentils (I use red but you can use any variation)
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• diced garlic to taste, about 1-2 cloves
• sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients into a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for about 45 min. stirring occasionally, adding a little water to desired consistency.

**Can’t get any easier than that! My son, who may be the world’s pickiest eater, loves this soup and trust me that’s saying a lot. This soup makes a meal (I like to add in a little milk or sour cream to give it a creamy flavor) along with a side salad and is packed full of muscle-building protein that keeps you fuller longer.

Gingery Quinoa Salad( recipe courtesy of Vegetarian Times Magazine)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 sliced almonds
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 1/2 medium apple, diced
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

1. Toast almonds in a saucepan over med. heat until fragrant and beginning to brown, 3-5 min.
2. Remove almonds, add oil and onion. Saute onion 2-3 min. until translucent, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in ginger, quinoa and juice and season with salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 15-20 min. or until all liquid is absorbed.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in apple, coconut and almonds into salad. Serve warm or at room temperature.

**This recipe may take a little longer with more steps involved (about 30 min.), but it is very tasty, high in vitamin C and beta-carotene as well as vegan-friendly and gluten-free. A one cup serving is 295 cals and it makes a great meal with a salad or as a side dish. My daughter ate practically the whole dish for lunch and dinner one day so it’s a hit a with teens. I encourage you to try out quinoa– its technically  not a grain but is closely related to spinach and chard.

Check out my daughter’s blog post about it here:http://samwriterchick.blogspot.com/2009/06/best-grain-thats.html