Sweet Beet cookies can't be "beet"!

I found this interesting recipe on Weelicious that I thought was worth trying.  I'm pretty lucky in that my kids are pretty great vegetable eaters, but still, it can't hurt to add a bit more to their diet, right?  These cracker-like cookies actual have a 1/2 cup of raw grated beets in them!!  Crazy, huh?  What's even crazier is that my kids actually REALLY liked them!!!
Here is the recipe:

Sweet Beet Cookies (Makes about 50 – 1 inch square cookies)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Raw Beets, shredded fine*
2 Tbsp Oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Here is my peeled and ready-to-grate beet!

 

Grated with my Adjustable Microplane Grater (Pampered Chef)!  I grated more than needed so I divided it up and froze it in portions for future use.

2. Combine the first four ingredients and stir to combine.

3. Using your hands, add the beets to the flour mixture coating the beet pieces with the flour.

 

 

4. Add the oil and work with your hands to bring the dough together (the salt and sugar will fall to the bottom of the bowl so make sure you knead the dough well to combine everything — the outcome will be a smooth dough).

It actually looked like the color of ground beef!

5. Form the smooth, sweet beet dough into a flat rectangular disk and roll it out 1/2 inch thick on parchment paper or a dry clean surface.

I had some help!  =o)

6. Using a knife, cut the dough into squares or use small cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

7. Bake on a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet for 15-17 minutes. 
I had mine in for 15 minutes and burned the bottom of some of them.  I made 45 total instead of 50, but I think I made them too thin.

8. Cool and serve.

*You can only use RAW fine shredded beets for this recipe. Using canned beets will not work because of the thickness of the beets and they are already cooked.
*These cookies are best stored on the counter in an air-tight container.

Here is the proof that they passed the little kid test for tastiness! 

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Who says Organic dessert has to be complicated?!

It's funny because I think that the idea of "Organic" conjures up all kinds of different ideas in different people. My family isn't walking around eating twigs or any other crazy stuff. We are eating healthier which means in some ways it is more about what we are NOT eating! We are not eating pesticides and chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). We are eating food that is more pure like it is supposed to be. Just about ANYTHING you normally eat, you can find an organic version of. (Of course, I prefer to make food from scratch whenever possible, but that's not always feasible.) One of the reasons I LOVE shopping at a store like Earth Fare is that they literally have everything there in organic form!

Here is the quick and easy dessert we had tonight--Organic Ice Cream in Organic Ice Cream Cones! Who knew Organic Ice Cream Cones existed--not me!





















We even stumbled upon organic seaweed while there today for making your own sushi--how cool!
Earth Fare also sells these wonderful organic cookies that are similar to Oreos but organic! I think it would be terrific to use these for a pie crust or just eat with a cold glass of milk! As you can see, we've already dug in!

I guess the point I am making is that eating organic and eating healthier doesn't mean you have to give up everything that you love--you just have to search a little to find the healthier version of it. Cookies are cookies in any form and of course should be eaten in moderation, but I feel a little better about giving my kids cookies that I know do not have pesticides, GMOs, High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fat in them.

Oh, and while we are talking about desserts and ice cream, if you'd prefer to make your own, here is a delicious ice cream recipe for your ice cream maker that I got out of a Cuisinart Recipe Booklet for the Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker that we own. It is YUMMY! Again, this recipe is TOTALLY doable with all organic ingredients! If you'd like to lighten it up a little, you may substitute lower fat creams and milk for heavy creams and whole milk that the recipe calls for.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed & sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries with the lemon juice and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate in the juices for 2 hours.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream plus any accumulated juices from the strawberries and the vanilla.
Pour into ice cream maker and mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes (in the model that I own).
Add the sliced strawberries during the last 5 minutes of freezing. The ice cream will have a pale pink appearance due to the strawberries.

Enjoy!
=o)
Jen

Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten-free)!

I wanted to bake some cookies today--I have been so enjoying cooking lately! I thought making chocolate chip cookies sounded yummy and have heard of baking with flax seed. Today I found this great recipe for Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies on a web site called Ellie's Whole Grains. I didn't have the 2 cups of chocolate chips it asked for, but instead used about 1 1/2 cups, and they still came out great! Also, instead of using flour, I used Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix.
I took pictures of some of the organic ingredients that I used. I really like using the Fair Trade-Organic Wholesome Sweeteners brand of Sugar (and Agave as was in a previous post). Click on this link to learn more about what Fair Trade Certified means. I also have some Organic Brown Sugar that I purchased at Trader Joe's, and some Spectrum Organic Ground Flaxseed which I purchased at Earth Fare. I try to use flaxseed whenever I can, including sprinkling it on salads! I've even sprinkled some on grilled cheese sandwiches before the cheese melts, and the kids never even knew it was there! So needless to say, I was thrilled to be adding 1/2 cup of it to this recipe! Another tip--they say it is best to store flaxseed in an opaque container/bag and to store it in the refrigerator.

Anyway, here is the recipe I used! It says it makes 5 dozen. I used a 1 Tablespoon scoop (like the recipe calls for) and ended up with 45 cookies.

Classic Chocolate Chip Flaxseed Cookies Recipe

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cream together:
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar

Add to the creamed mixture:
2 eggs
1 ½ t vanilla

Mix in another bowl:
1 and 1/4 c flour (I substitued gluten-free baking mix)
1/2 c flaxseed
1 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1 t salt

Blend together the dry and wet ingredients and add 2 c of your favorite kind of Chocolate Chips.

Optional: add grated coconut and/or nuts.

Beat together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla until creamed.
In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt -be sure that there are no lumps of baking powder or soda! Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until well blended.
Using a tablespoon, scoop batter separated ~2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown around edges depending on your oven! Cool on the pan for about 3 mins and then scoop off onto plate to finish cooling. Store in a airtight container. Makes about 5 dozen cookies (depending on the size you make them! :)

Enjoy! We did!

=o)
Jen