Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 30th, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Dessert | Recipes - (2 Comments)

   
 
Good Morning and Happy Friday! Last night I had 3 over ripened organic bananas on the counter and decided to make a chocolate chip cookie that tasted like banana bread. However, I know most chocolate chip cookies require obscene amount of butter or oil. I experimented by adding more banana and omitting the fat altogether. The Result? Delicious, soft, chewy, gooey cookies! I’m absolutely in love with this recipe and cannot believe they came out so good without all the fat added! 

INGREDIENTS:

2-1/2 organic mashed bananas

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 large egg

1-1/2 cup organic oats (make sure it’s not the instant or quick cook because it will act like flour and will not be suitable for this recipe)

1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (you may use regular whole wheat flour if you like. The cookies will be more dense and coarse in texture)

1/2-1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-1/4 cup dark chocolate chunks or semi sweet chocolate chips (I used a little bit of both)

1/4 tsp of sea salt 

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the bananas,sugars, vanilla, egg and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. The mixture won’t be smooth, fluffy, or ‘creamed’ like traditional cookie dough and will have small chunks of bananas present and it’s on the runnier side.

2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.

3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds. Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge covered with plastic wrap it up to 5 days.  This is a wetter, looser dough and isn’t suitable for baking until it’s been chilled. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.

4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 14 equal-sized mounds of dough. Tip – Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.

5. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place  cookies on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for about 10 minutes for very soft cookies, longer for more well-done cookies, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. Baking times could range widely due to the moisture content variances in bananas, climate and oven variances; bake until your cookies are done. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. Happy Baking!

***Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired. 

Recipe was adapted from Averie Cooks


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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

Creamy Cauliflower Mash

January 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Milana in Sides - (0 Comments)

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A healthy alternative to mashed potatoes….the taste is just out-of-this- world delicious! Im going to probably be choosing this over potatoes for a while. Especially since its 130 calories per serving!

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium size Cauliflower head
1 Tbsp Vegan Cream Cheese
3 Tbsp Vegan Butter or Shortening
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan or 2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper

INGREDIENTS:
Clean cauliflower florets and put in a pot with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 6 minutes or until tender. Drain completely and pat dry with paper towels. Add to a bowl with remaining ingredients. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Garnish with any herb. Enjoy!

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Rating: 5.0/5 (2 votes cast)

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 Box Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
  • 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
  • 1 whole Medium Onion
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
  • 24 ounces, Baby Bella Mushrooms, Chopped
  • 2 small Zucchini, Diced
  • 1 large Eggplant unpeeled, diced in chunks
  • 1 can (28 Ounce) No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 can (8oz) No Salt Added Tomato Sauce
  • 1/2 cup White Cooking Wine
  • 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 containers (15 ounces each) Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 whole Eggs
  • 1 box (10 oz. each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water pressed out
  • 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 pound Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper with cooking spray in between layers to prevent sticking.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or 4 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add eggplant and cook an additional 3 min. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.

Pour in tomatoes and sauce. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped parsley.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, spinach, Parmesan cheese, and pepper.

To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Serves 12.

Nutrition Facts
User Entered Recipe
  12 Servings
Amount Per Serving
  Calories 381.7
  Total Fat 15.4 g
  Saturated Fat 8.0 g
  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g
  Monounsaturated Fat 5.4 g
  Cholesterol 60.4 mg
  Sodium 466.9 mg
  Potassium 395.3 mg
  Total Carbohydrate 38.6 g
  Dietary Fiber 8.5 g
  Sugars 5.5 g
  Protein 26.0 g
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Rating: 5.0/5 (3 votes cast)