Will Run For Almond & Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

happy second breakfast

Last week over snacks with team spartan quinoa cookies came up.   I'll pretend it was an, "oh my,  quinoa cookies would be so delicious" conversation instead of a "what in the world are quinoa and cacao nibs and where do you find these strange things" kind of conversation.

For the record there was a run involved as well.  Long Limbs Rowlinson has been posting some pretty fast couch to 5K times and we wanted to see how she was doing.  Fine.  Truth be told we wanted to see if we were going to embarrass ourselves on actual race day.

If anything was embarrassing it was the way that we were walking after our 18K run today.  Walking is a term that I used loosely.  Hobbling would probably be more accurate.

On that note these cookies make a great second breakfast cookie or a post run cookie.

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies

(6 cookies plus one sample cookie)

1 C ground oats

1/2 C ground quinoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 T brown sugar

2 T chocolate chips

1 T cocoa nibs

2 T chopped almonds

4 T unsweetened soy milk (or milk of your choice)

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 T olive oil

Preheat oven/baking stone to 375 F.  In your coffee grinder or blender grind 1 C oats and 1/2 C quinoa.  Place ground mixture in a medium sized bowl and add baking soda, sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, and almonds.  

nibs, chips and nuts

In a small measuring cup combine soy milk, vanilla bean paste and olive oil. 

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Combine thoroughly.  Dough will seem slightly dry but will stick together.

cookie dough

Form 1/4 C of cookie dough into cookie shapes and bake for 8 minutes.

yum

Will Run For Broccoli Salad

I'm not quite sure how broccoli salad goes from mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits to tangy tofu dressing, dried raisins, smoked almonds, sunflower seeds and hemp hearts.  Just like I'm not sure if it was Farmer or Housemate who left me with four measly pieces of broccoli where there once was delicious broccoli salad.

Broccoli Salad

Tangy Tofu Dressing

Adapted from Fresh Mayo

(2- 2 1/2 C)

1/2 sweet onion roughly chopped

1 clove chopped garlic

1/4 tsp dried dill

1T water

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1 C soft silken tofu

2 T & 2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 T organic sugar

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp miso

2 tsp dijon mustard

4 T white balsamic vinegar

1.  Cook onion, garlic, dill, water, and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar in a frying pan over medium heat until liquid has evaporated.

2.  Remove from heat and place in blender along with onion tofu, olive and sunflower oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, dijon mustard and 4 T white balsamic vinegar.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.  Add additional water as needed.  Place in refrigerator until cool or until your broccoli is ready. 

Broccoli Salad   

4 small heads of broccoli chopped

1/4 C raisins

1/4 C cranberries (or use raisins)

1/4 - 1/2 C sunflower seeds

1/4 C chopped smoked almonds (salted almonds also work)

1-2 T hemp hearts

1 recipe tangy tofu dressing.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Hide from housemates.  Enjoy.

Will Run For Granny's Pineapple Cake

Pace Bunny & I spend a lot of time talking about food on our long runs.  What did you have for breakfast?  What have you been eating for lunch lately?  If you could eat anything when you get back from this bloody run what would it be? 

 Sunday's 16 K was no different except we were unfortunately discussing where exactly she found the honey chew that I had just eaten and how long it had been there.  Pace Bunny seems to pull tissues, sport beans, etc. out of nowhere.  Do you really want to be using a tissue that someone has to convince you has never been used even though it's kind of damp?  Sadly, the answer is yes.  I can't judge. I ate the sports beans that had been in my fuel belt since the full half martini marathon in October.

Sunday I ran for a healthier version of Granny's pineapple cake.  It is so moist and delicious.

Gram's Pineapple Cake

Cake

1 T coconut milk

1/4 cup earth balance (butter or margarine) + 1/4 cup olive oil

2 flax eggs (2 T ground flax + 6T water)

1 cup unbleached flour + 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup organic sugar

1 can pineapple (540 ml) chunks (reserve juice)

1/4 tsp cardamom  + 1/8 tsp allspice

Topping

1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9 X 13 cake pan.  Combine all dry ingredients and set aside.  In a separate bowl combine flax eggs, olive oil, earth balance, coconut milk and pineapple juice.  Add pineapple to dry ingredients.  Add liquid ingredients  Bake for 45 minutes.

While cake is baking in a medium saucepan over medium heat combine 1 can light coconut milk and 1/2 C brown sugar.  Simmer until mixture begins to thicken.  Add 1/4 C coconut oil until melted.

boring

After taking your cake out of the oven poke holes in it with a fork and pour on the glaze. 

Is it wrong to eat just the topping?

If possible allow to sit until glaze has absorbed and enjoy with a good cup of coffee and some mile high foam.

Will Run For Pineapple and Coconut Cake in a Cup

party for one!

Cake in less than five minutes could be a very dangerous thing.  Cake in less than five minutes with everything coconut and fresh pineapple in a cup is most definately a dangerous thing.  

Cake

1 T coconut (ground in coffee grinder)

3 T wholewheat flour

1 T pineapple puree

pinch cardamom and cinnamom

1/4 tsp baking powder

pinch salt

3 T coconut milk

2 tsp maple syrup

*Glaze

1 T coconut milk

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp shredded coconut

* double or triple glaze if you enjoy a really moist cake.

Prepare glaze by combining coconut milk, brown sugar, and shredded  coconut in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 2 minutes stirring half way through cooking time.

In a pottery or ceramic mug combine coconut, wholewheat flour, spices, baking powder, salt, coconut milk, maple syrup, and pineapple puree.  Cook in microwave for 1 min 30 seconds (may vary slightly depending on microwave).

cake

 Poke holes in the cake and top with glaze.  Allow glaze to soak into cake (or finish licking bowl and eat cake).

cake + glaze = elbows out!

If you don't have five minutes to spare how about just one?

Will Run For Chili Sweet Potato Fries

Poutine season is finally here!  I think that it officially begins with the opening of the Sturgeon Falls chip stand but I'll have to check with Farmer & Housemate to be sure.   I live with two people who are mad about poutine.  Apparently gravy sans beef fat can be a challenge.

Housemate: "Does your gravy have beef fat in it"?

Snarly Waitress: "Ya.  Where do you think that you would be able find vegetarian gravy"?

Punchy Housemate: "THE WORLD"!

Housemate is moving out soon.   I'd like to say that we've had enough of her white leather italian shoes, striped leggins, chip eating,  and expired dairy but we're actually going to miss her to bits.  In celebration of her living with us we're having a poutine buffet (classy).  

Until then I'm using the buffet as a good excuse to eat french fries in as many ways as I possibly can.

Chili Sweet Potato Fries

(serves 1 hungry person & 2 not so hungry people)

ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes 

1 T chili powder

1/4 tsp chipotle powder (optional)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 T apple butter

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place baking stone in oven.  In a medium sized bowl combine spices and salt.  Add apple butter and white balsamic vinegar (apple cider vinegar will also work).  Combine thoroughly.  Peel and slice sweet potatoes into medium sized wedges.  Place in a bowl of water as you peel.  Drain sweet potatoes and coat with spice mixture.

Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes or until potatoes become brown and crispy at the edges.  Garnish with additional sea salt.

Will Run For Spicy Spelt Berry Salad

Sunday was clean out the fridge day.  It was also curse, swear, & stomp your feet day because the water line connected to your fridge leaked all over your hardwood floor causing it to swell, heave and discolour.  If that wasn't reason enough for cursing, swearing and stomping (difficult to do all at once) water leaking through your basement ceiling is definately reason enough to throw yourself to the floor with arms and legs flailing (slipping in the puddle in front of the refrigerator will also have the same effect). 

Luckily the spelt berry salad came before the leaking, heaving, cursing, swearing and stomping otherwise this post would have been about chocolate cake or Wild Turkey (how that got in the liquor cabinet I don't know.  I think it might have been a house warming gift.  They must have know what we would need it). 

 Spicy Spelt Berry Salad

Dressing

(makes 1/4 C)

juice from one freshly squeezed lemon (approximately 1/4 C)

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp garam masala 

Salad

(makes 5-6 cups)

3 C cooked spelt berries (1 1/2 C dry spelt berries)

1 roasted red pepper cut into strips

1/2 C fresh cilantro

1/4 C fresh chives

10 spears of grilled asparagus

19 oz roasted chickpeas (1 tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder roasted for approximately 30 minutes @ 375) 

1/2-1 tsp sea salt

Begin by roasting your chickpeas and cooking your spelt berries.  Cooking the spelt for 40-45 minutes gives it a great chewy texture.

spelt berries

Roast red pepper.  Turn your oven to broil.  Slice pepper in half, scrape out seeds and brush lightly with olive oil.  Allow to cook until dark splotches begin to appear. Turn and allow to cook until dark splotches appear on the other side.  Use tongs and place peppers in a bowl with a lid and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Peel off skin and slice into thin strips.

roasted red pepper

While waiting impatiently whisk together lemon juice, maple syrup and garam masala to make dressing.

Grill asparagus (lightly brush with olive oil and either use an indoor grill or roast in oven alongside peppers).

Combine cooked spelt berries, peppers, fresh herbs, asparagus, sea salt and dressing.

spicy spelt berry salad

I'm beginning to think that a cold cellar is the way to go.  Forget setting up the fridge I'll be busy digging a hole in the back yard.  Luckily I have three helpers who would be more than happy to dig.

Will work for treats

Will Run For Apple Nachos With Chocolate Coconut Sauce

"I don't like to eat out of the blender".  

 "Really? You don't like to eat chocolate coconut sauce out of the blender?  I could get you a bowl.  How about a really long spoon".

  What I was thinking and not saying was, "what's wrong with you"!  Soundbites from our kitchen.

I recently discovered apple nachos.  They are pretty much apple slices slathered with all kinds of delicious toppings.  Apples with caramel sauce, apples with chocolate syrup, apples with melted peanut butter.  Yum.  Why didn't I think of this sooner.

I made mine with coconut chocolate sauce, pecans, cocoa nibs and coconut but you could put anything on them.

I should fill my water bottle with chocolate sauce more often.

Apple Nachos

(serves 1)

1 sweet apple

1 T cocoa nibs

1 T raw pecans

1 T unsweetened coconut

*1/4-1/2 C Coconut Chocolate Sauce

Thinly slice apples.  Lightly brush with lemon juice to keep from turning brown.  Top with coconut chocolate sauce.  Add pecans, cocoa nibs, and coconut or your favourite toppings. 

Coconut Chocolate Sauce

(approximately 3/4-1 C)

1 small avocado

2 T cocoa powder

1 C coconut milk

1 C dates + 2/3 cup water (simmered for five minutes)

pinch salt

1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste.

In a blender combine avocado, cocoa powder, coconut milk, date paste (1 C dates + 2/3 cup water simmered on medium heat for 5 minutes), salt and vanilla.

breakfast?

Ramsey Loop I'll see you next Sunday.  You bring the nachos and maybe a wagon.