Cosmic Cookies! [Vegan]

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

Oh boy, friends, do I have a cookie recipe for you!

First of all, a little backstory. So there’s this organic market here in my ‘hood called Planet Organic. In the bakery section, you can find a lil’ treat called the Cosmic Cookie. It’s freakishly delicious, and also bordering on healthy, considering the oats, spelt flour, flax, etc. going on. I once bought a package of said cookies and jotted down the ingredient list with a plan to try to recreate them at home. However, the ingredient list was long, and trying to figure out the quantities of each ingredient just made my brain hurt. I hate math.

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

My plans of creating these cookies at home fell by the wayside. I stopped purchasing them from the store because they ain’t cheap. My dreams died a little. Sad story, eh?

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe   Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

But then, something straight-up magical happened. A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the blog of my fellow prairie girl Christal (who writes a fantastic healthy-eating blog, BTW), and she dropped the best bomb ever: PO had released the recipe of their famous cookies! The angels started singing, I started crying tears of joy, and called all of my friends to share the good news. Well, not really, but you can bet your next paycheque that I hightailed it over to the PO website to check out the recipe. And proceeded directly to the grocery store to pick up everything I needed to make these cookies.

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

I altered the recipe in a few areas, most notably, subbing in coconut oil for canola oil and almond milk for soy milk. The cookies turned out exactly as I’d hoped. I stored the cookies in an airtight container in the freezer and took them out as needed for snacks and lunches. They were especially perfect as pre-CrossFit fuel. PS. More on CrossFit later, as a few people have asked for details. As long as I survive the duration of the class, which is questionable, I will tell you a few tales. But in the meantime, bake up a batch of these cookies to sustain you through your work day/school day/workout/and so on. They truly are “cosmic” – out of this world!

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

Cosmic Cookies  (adapted from Planet Organic’s Cosmic Cookie recipe)

A delicious and healthy cookie, packed with good-for-you and energizing ingredients. These cookies make a great regular or pre-workout snack. This recipe makes about 24 cookies. Feel free to make the cookies smaller, but remember to adjust the baking time accordingly. 

2 1/4 cups quick cooking oats

2 cups spelt flour

1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (plus extra, for sprinkling on top)

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup flax seeds

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 TBSP. cinnamon

2 tsp. sea salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups raisins

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

3/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats through to raisins). In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (water through to vanilla). Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Portion the cookie dough using a 1/3 cup measure, and then slightly flatten the cookies prior to baking. Bake for about 24 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cosmic Cookies | Once Upon a Recipe

Have a wonderful week, friends!

What The What? | Lentil and Oat Cookies

What the what?!

There are moments in life that prompt this question. Consider it the G-rated cousin to the more popular phrase: “What the f&@#”?!

What the what?! popped into my head a several times over this past week. Let me explain.

1.On the weekend I was standing in line at the grocery store. Sundays afternoons are a busy time at the grocery store, and nearly every Sunday I ask myself why I choose to come at this time. The place is crowded, lines are long, and people are just…weird. More than normal. I was two people back in an obnoxiously long line at the check-out when I witnessed the guy who was about to pay for his groceries say to the cashier “Hold on, I just have to run to the bathroom.” Umm…what the what?! Dude, do you really think that this is the most opportune time to go and relieve yourself?! Apparently so. Three minutes later, he returned and paid for his groceries and left, whistling on his way out.

2.I share laundry facilities with the people that live in the basement suite below me. Sharing laundry facilities with strangers is not recommended. I’ve been trying to determine why these people are always using the washer and dryer (seriously, at least 6 out of 7 days per week). Either they’re hiding a family of 8 down there or they each own approximately one pair of socks and underwear, one shirt, and one pair of pants. Those are the only explanations I can think of for why 2 twenty-somethings would need to be doing laundry so often. As a result, I find myself doing laundry marathons on the rare occasions that I find the washer and dryer free. Good times. But not really.

3.Children are strange creatures. I took my little sister swimming recently to the local YMCA. I was floating on a floaty-raft-thing, minding my own business, when a wee little 7-ish year old boy backed into me (read: his fault). He turned around, scowled (viciously) at me, shook my floaty-raft-thing violently for about 5 seconds, then shoved it as hard as he could before turning around and carrying on. What the what?!

4.It is still snowing here. Apparently Mother Nature isn’t aware that it’s SUPPOSED TO BE SPRING TIME. Pay attention for crying out loud.

5.Yesterday, the girl next to me in my yoga class farted during Warrior 2. She acted like nothing happened. This has always puzzled me, because if I ever farted in yoga class I’d t0tally start laughing. Maybe even sum up the courage to say excuse me. I realize that it would be totally embarrassing, but just ignoring it when everyone knows exactly where that sound came from just seems worse. In fact, I almost started laughing. I’m incredibly mature.

6.I saw this recipe for lentil oat cookies a few weeks ago on the Food Network. And I thought “Lentils in cookies?! What the what?!” But let me tell you, it totally works. These taste like an oatmeal cookie with an extra oomph of health. Very hearty and satisfying. And a great way to use up leftover lentils!

Lentil and Oat Cookies (adapted from Bal Arneson, Spice Goddess)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup lentils, cooked and crushed with a fork

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup large flake oats

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare your cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper, a Silpat, or spraying with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, cream the lentils, butter, and brown sugar together and then add the egg and mix well. Add the flour, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir in the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, coconut, raisins, and chocolate chips and mix well. Feel free to choose mix-ins that suit your tastes (ie. different nuts, dried cranberries, etc.).

Drop cookies by the spoonful onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned, and allow to cool on a baking rack. This recipe makes a large amount of cookies, but leftovers do freeze well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you’re having a great week friends!

Snack Attack | Brownie Larabar Bites

What if I told you that I made something healthy that tastes like a brownie? That you can totally enjoy, guilt-free, for a snack or a burst of energy before or after exercise. What if I told you that these “brownie bites” have no added sugar or fat, are vegan and gluten-free, and are made with only 5 ingredients. Bonus? They can be whipped up in just minutes.

About a year and half ago, whilst in the throes of a one-month challenge of eating no grains, I was searching for a healthy, filling, and nutrient-dense snack to eat between meals or before exercise. No grains meant no easy-to-grab items like granola bars, and I’d totally had my fill of trail mix, apples smothered in peanut butter, and veggies and hummus. One day while at the grocery store, I picked up a Larabar to try, after reading the ingredient list and determining that it passed the grain-free test. It was satisfying, both in taste and in curbing my appetite, and I appreciated the short ingredient list (just nuts and dried fruit). However, at $2.49 a pop, these little bars are a pricey snack.

Thankfully, these bars are a cinch to recreate in your own kitchen at a fraction of the cost. All you need is a food processor and a good supply of dates and nuts. Then, you can jazz up these little bites with additional flavors, like cocoa powder, coconut, spices, and extracts. Larabar has an impressive variety of flavors, from key lime pie to cappuccino, and peanut butter and jelly to ginger snap.

Without further adieu, here is my recipe for brownie Larabar bites. But be warned, once you pop one of these little nuggets of joy, you won’t be able to stop. Stash them in an airtight container in the fridge and grab them as needed for quick snacks or exercise fuel. They also do a mighty fine job of silencing a late-night sweet tooth. Not that I have that problem.

Brownie Larabar Bites

Makes 8-10 golf ball sized bites.

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup walnuts (or pecans)

10-12 Medjool dates, pitted

4 TBSP. cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

Add all ingredients into a food processor and process until everything is finely ground and the mixture comes together in your fingers. Roll the mixture into small balls and store in an airtight container (I put mine in the fridge). You make also form the mixture into actual bars, but the recipe will yield a smaller amount (likely about 4 bars).

Things I’ve Learned Vol. 1 | Christmas Crack (aka. Clodhoppers)

1.When you’re eating a single lady dinner (read: frozen dinner), always enjoy your dinner on a fancy plate. This will help you to feel less bad about yourself/pathetic for a) eating by yourself, and b) eating microwaved crap when you should have been less lazy and made yourself something respectable to eat. Your fridge is full of groceries, after all.

2. When you decide that it’s a good idea to wait until the week before Christmas to start your Christmas shopping, be prepared to get feisty. People get crazy. I went to Costco recently and people were taking the line-ups for the samples a wee bit too seriously. I actually witnessed two people almost get into a fight about who got there first. Dudes, if you’re going to get that worked up about a sample of cheese, then you’ve got bigger problems on your hands. Seek help. Immediately.

3. It’s not a very smart idea to wait until the week before the big day to start your Christmas shopping.

4.Christmas baking is a lot of fun. Delicious fun at that. And you can dance around to annoying Christmas songs spilling flour and sugar and sprinkles everywhere while you do it. Unfortunately the fun suddenly comes to a halt when you have 14 dozen cookies in your freezer, beckoning you to eat them at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully, most people enjoy Christmas cookies and will gladly take a couple dozen off of your hands. Baking also makes a great gift. Right?

5. We should all poach chickens more often. Whole chickens. As in, stick ’em in a pot, cover ’em with water, add veggies and herbs and simmer away until you’ve got the most tender chicken that’s ever passed your lips. You’ll be left with a whack of chicken (for use in soups, salads, pasta, whatevs) and a serious helping of homemade chicken broth. Win! Seriously. Do it. I followed these guidelines.



Single Lady Dinner/Poached Chicken

6. Nearly every Christmas song recorded after 1995 is terribly annoying. Have you noticed that every song is about love, or asking Santa to shoot you with Cupid’s arrow, bring your love back to you, or some variation of the two? Newsflash peeps! There is no Santa Claus. And if there actually was a jolly old fat guy who could fly around the entire world on a sleigh pulled by magical reindeer in one night, eat billions of cookies, and slide down chimneys and leave us all everything we wished for, I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be so many weird single people in this world. Me included.

7. Is anyone looking for a weird girlfriend? I’ll bring cookies.

8. If you make the following recipe, you won’t regret it.

Warning: I have discovered edible crack. Just 4 ingredients come together to create a highly addictive sweet snack. This recipe was shared by a lovely coworker of mine (hi E!) who brought said edible crack to a cookie exchange I attended last weekend. Clodhoppers is the real name, but after one taste of this stuff, you’ll agree that it’s as addictive as crack. Not that I have any personal experience with the stuff (seriously). Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it.

Christmas Crack (aka. Clodhoppers)

1 cup white chocolate pieces

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 heaping cups of Graham Crackers cereal

In a medium bowl, combine the cereal, cranberries, and almonds. In a double boiler over medium heat, melt the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Roughly spread the mixture (but leave lots of clumps!) on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and throw the whole shebang into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes (to set). Remove from the freezer and break into chunks. Package in festive Christmas bags to give away, or toss into a bowl to enjoy yourself. Start researching rehab programs near you. 😉