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Recipe: Yogurt Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Both Bobby and I have a major weakness for really good oatmeal raisin cookies. I also happen to have a jar of homemade yogurt in my fridge from my dad’s girlfriend (she makes it from raw milk they buy in PA!) that I wanted to do something with aside from yogurt breakfast bowls.

So I set out to experiment with a yogurt based oatmeal raisin cookie. It came out GREAT. I will warn you – these are not very sweet (on purpose) and could probably be eaten for breakfast or a healthy/hearty snack – but in my mind they are also the perfect dessert.

I haven’t gotten Kurt into these yet (to be honest, he doesn’t like ANY sweets, and thank goodness – have you ever met a 20 month old boy who doesn’t want candy? That’s my son) but that’s ok… more for us.

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Here’s the simple recipe:

Yogurt Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2.5 cups whole oats
  • heaping 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix together the yogurt, sugar, egg, vanilla.
  3. Separately, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. Add the flour mix into the wet mix; mix well.
  5. Add the oats, raisins, and coconut – mix well.
  6. Make large (1/3 cup or so) scoops of the dough into round cookie shapes and bake for 13-15 minutes on a baking pan sprayed with Pam.

This made 8 very large cookies. If you prefer smaller ones, reduce the cooking time by about 2 minutes to accommodate that!

Hope you get a chance to enjoy these yummy healthy yogurty oatmeal raisin cookies!

And Happy New Year if I don’t check in before then!

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Lighter Corn Chowder Soup Recipe

Happy Monday eve! I started writing this post nearly two weeks ago and finally wanted to finish so I could share this awesome recipe with you all.

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These past two weeks have been a doozy for me – this is my first few weeks after taking off from work and I still feel like I am going nonstop between errands, watching K, and learning how to exist without going into an office every day.

(Recap: I’m taking an indefinite work leave as of December 1st; we’ll be moving out to a more suburban area in February; K is on a decreased preschool schedule.)

I should really be doing a Thanksgiving recap because I made the amazing Vegducken that was making the rounds this year BUT it’s now almost a month past Thanksgiving and I made this light version of a cream of corn soup and I simply cannot deny you the recipe; it’s just that good.

I was at Whole Foods and saw this SOUPS & stews special magazine by BH&G; one of my goals for December is to make more soup so I picked it up.

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They had a version of corn chowder but it called for two cups of half & half and B can’t eat something like that (creamy soups upset his stomach). So I made a few changes. Here’s my take on this – it’s a whole lot lighter than the original, but really really tasty. I found it super creamy and rich even with my changes.

Lightened Up Corn Chowder

Ingredients

  • 4 slices reduced sodium bacon
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped carrot
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 14-oz can of whole kernel corn
  • 14.5 oz chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 2.5 cups plain unsweetened almond milk

Instructions

  1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet or soup pan; pat excess oil off the bacon with paper towels. Keep the drippings in the pan. Crumble the bacon (it will be sprinkled on top of the soup when serving).
  2. Heat the bacon drippings to medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft, stirring frequently. Add the butter; stir until melted. Add the flour, stir, and cook another minute.
  3. Add the corn, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Stir in the half and half and almond milk. Bring to a boil once more, then remove from heat. Top with the crumbled bacon. Serves 4.

I hope you get a chance to try this… I will definitely be making it again!

Hopefully will be back later this week with more updates and maybe another recipe or two 🙂

Can’t believe it’s less than two weeks to Christmas. I am so not done with my shopping!

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Beet Greens Goma-ae {Recipe}

Here’s another recipe I made a little while ago.

You don’t have to toss your beet greens in the trash – they can be cooked just like any other green. Dark leafy greens are yummy and of course good for you.

Goma-ae is a Japanese dish. Goma = sesame seed. Traditionally this is served with spinach, but I thought that beet greens would be a good seasonal variation on the standard recipe.

Beet Greens Goma-ae

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups of beet greens (including stems)
  • 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons ground toasted black sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Steam the beet greens for 3 minutes.
  2. Mix the soy sauce and sugar at the bottom of a large serving bowl.
  3. Dry the greens and chop them into small pieces. Add them to the soy sauce mix.
  4. Mix in the ground sesame seeds.
  5. Eat!

Inspiration from {HERE}.

Have you had goma-ae?

What’s your favorite dark leafy green?

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Roasted Beets {Recipe}

This is a super simple recipe for roasted beets. This is the technique I use for almost all roasted veggies. Sesame oil is always optional but can be added for some extra depth. It really gives a nice smoky flavor if you use toasted sesame oil.

Simple Roasted Veggies: Beets

Ingredients

  • 4 large beets
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • salt & pepper (1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste?)
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil OR a handfull of fresh basil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Mix together the olive oil, (optional) sesame oil, salt and pepper, and sesame seeds.
  3. Chop the beets in approximately 1-inch cubes and toss them in the olive oil mixture.
  4. Bake on an oiled baking sheet (I like to use foil for easy cleanup) for 35 minutes or until tender.
  5. Sprinkle with basil; serve.

Inspiration found {HERE}.

Do you like beets?

I always have. Growing up we would have pickled beets often (one of my Grammie’s recipes). I didn’t have roasted beets until I was probably in my 20s but I loved them at first bite.

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Roasted Sesame Eggplant {Recipe}

I made this a few weeks ago, but it was very delicious and it’s worthy of a post. Farmers’ markets have started to have some really delicious eggplant. It’s a summer / early fall vegetable.

Roasted Sesame Eggplant

Ingredients

  • Eggplant
  • Sesame Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Ground black sesame or regular sesame (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Cut the eggplants in half, and then in 2-3 inch pieces.
  3. Place the eggplants facing up on a greased baking tin. Drizzle with sesame oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sesame (optional).
  4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. They should be starting to get a little bit mushy so they will be really flavorful.

Inspiration for this recipe came from {HERE}.

Great served as a side or for snacking.