Chocolate Chip Cookies - With Fruit!

My son professes to hate fruit. He'll eat some fruit, like watermelon. But mostly he likes to talk about fruit, and how much he does not like it. As a result, I have turned to finding creative ways to include fruit in his diet. Turns out chocolate chip cookies can be well received even if they contain fruit! And since we still have plenty of apples to use here at our house... Here are the recipes that have met with favour:

Chocolate Chip Apple Cookies

1/2 c margarine
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp b soda
1 c peeled, cored and grated apple
1 c chocolate chips
1/2 c quick oats

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream together margarine and sugar. Beat in egg. In a separate bowl, mix flours, ginger and b soda. Stir flour mixture into margarine mixture. Stir in apples, choc chips and oats. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. Makes 30 cookies. (WW - 3 points each)

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c white sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 mashed ripe bananas
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp b soda
1 c rolled oats
3/4 to 1 c chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix in banana. In a separate bowl combine flours, salt and b soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-13 minutes.

What to do with apples...and kale!

This weekend was apple picking weekend. It's amazing just how many apples a 7 year old can pick in 15 minutes. It's also quite a surprise to see how many baked goods can be made from 20 pounds of apples! We discovered what we were told was an Ontario heritage variety - Macoun - which we all quite liked. I also had to turn my mind to what to do with this week's leafy green from the organic delivery. The following recipes were made and consumed happily this weekend at our home:

Apple Cake

2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c canola oil
1/3 c applesauce
1/4 c orange juice
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
2 tsp b powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4-5 med apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

Beat together eggs and sugar until very light. Beat in oil and apple sauce, followed by juice and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flours, b powder and salt. Add to egg mixture and stir until just combined. In a third bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and apples. Spread 1/2 of batter into an oiled, parchment lined 9 inch springform pan. Spoon apple mixture on top. Spoon remaining batter over top, not worrying if batter does not cover completely. Bake in preheated 35oF oven for 50-60 minutes.

Apple Pie

Preheat oven to 350F. In a food processor, mix:

2 c flour
10 tbsp cold butter
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon

Add 2 egg yolks and a tiny drop of water to bind.

Divide dough in half and roll out one half to fit a buttered 8 inch metal pie dish. Refrigerate pie dish and remaining dough.

Place in small pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes:

1 lg cooking apple, quartered
4 eating apples, cut into eighths
3 tbsp brown sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp ginger
handful of raisins
1 tbsp water

Pack apple mix into crust. Roll out remaining dough. Egg wash pastry rim, drape over top crust and pinch edges. Egg wash top of pie, make a couple of cuts in the top and bake for 45-50 minutes.

Sauteed Kale with Garlic, Shallots and Capers

1 to 1 1/2 pounds kale, centre stems removed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lg shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp drained capers, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Cook kale in boiling salted water until almost tender, approximately 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and coarsely chop. Heat oil over medium high heat. Add shallots and sautee until tender, approximately 3 minutes. Add capers and garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Stir in kale and sautee until tender, approximately 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grade 2 - Healthy Eating Initiative

My cousin has started a Healthy Eating Initiative in her grade 2 classroom this year. She was originally sending home healthy recipes with the kids, and providing samples in the classroom for comments and reviews. The idea was so well received that now parents are making the recipes over the weekend and sending them in for the entire class to try on Mondays. In the words of my cousin: "...if I can get more of those crap Lunchables out of my room, and those crap processed foods, then all the better!" She sent me these two recipes which have been well received by the kids in her class:

Salsa with a Twist

Mix together and serve with pita chips:

3 c salsa
1 can chick peas, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn, rinsed
cilantro to taste

Goody Two Chews (from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry)

1/3 c peanut butter
1/3 c maple syrup
2 egg whites
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 1/2 c lowfat granola
3/4 c craisins

Using hand mixer, mix first two ingredients until smooth. Add second two ingredients and mix until smooth. Add last two ingredients and stir well with wooden spoon. Spoon into sprayed muffin tins (12 regular sized or 24 minimuffins). Bake at 250 for 45 minutes. Let sit overnight to harden.

* For those on WW, these are 2 points for the full sized muffin and 1 point for a minimuffin.

Remember Snackin' Cake?

Back in the 80s (or maybe even the 70s) there was a thing called snackin' cake. Cake for snacktime. What could be better? It seems that our kids prefer a snack called cake over a snack called loaf every time, even if the ingredients are exactly the same. The below recipe is a slightly varied version of a recipe that appeared in a milk calendar many years ago. It makes a lot but goes quickly. We keep it in the refrigerator and sometimes warm it up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds so the chocolate gets all gooey. It also freezes well and can be cut into serving sized pieces before freezing. Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Snacking Cake

1/3 c softened butter
3/4 c granulated sugar
3 eggs
3-4 mashed bananas
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tbsp b powder
1/2 tsp b soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c plus 1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or spray a 13 x 9 inch metal cake pan. Beat together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then bananas and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flours, b powder, b soda and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Stir in choc chips. Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes, then transfer cake to rack and let cool completely.

Will's Home and We're Having Ratatouille

Daughter #1 has been encouraging me for some time to start a cooking/lifestyle blog. Here it is. Cooking and time spent with friends and family provide comfort to me during the sometimes stressful stretches in our lives! Today you get my take on ratatouille!

Ratatouille

3 tbsp olive oil
2 sliced onions
1 minced garlic clove
1 eggplant, skin on, cut into 1 inch cubes
1-2 zucchini, sliced
1 small tin diced tomatoes, with juice
1 tsp dried basil
salt to taste

Saute onions and garlic in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil until tender. Mix onion mixture, eggplant, zuchini and tomatoes in a large covered casserole dish. Sprinkle with basil and remaining olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees, covered, for approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste.