Maple Tofu Bites - Simple Saturday

These Maple Tofu Bites are more of a tasty-treat-tip than a recipe. They make a fun, pick-up sweet appetizer for a cocktail party or a kid's party (and the best part is they're so good for us.)

Maple Tofu Bites

I was lucky enough to be invited by Allison of SushiDay.com to a Tofu Workshop that was being taught by Rachael of LaFujiMama.com.

We started with dried soy beans.

They were soaked and ground up.

Allison doing the grinding~

They were heated and pressed,

Andrew of EatingRules.com doing the pressing~

which gave us warm, toasty soy milk.

Rachael guiding us~

It was so nutty and delicious I may be spoiled for store-bought forever. The soy milk was curdled and then the pillowy curds were ladled into a wooden press.
After and hour, we ended up with creamy, fresh tofu.

We didn't even throw out the nib-like paste, called Okara, that's left over from pressing the ground beans for the soy milk. We each took some home to use in cooking other things. (hint: post to come?)

Our Tofu was silky melt-in-your-mouth light and we topped our bites with chopped scallions and grated daikon.

Then Allison told us how she and her boyfriend, Son, like to eat tofu drizzled with pure maple syrup. What? What? Doesn't that sound incredible? Well, turns out - it IS incredible and how easy is that? Of course, Allison didn't just bring up the idea without also bringing out the maple syrup so we could test this brilliant tip.So, now I pass it along to you with the added plating idea of making tiny lollipops out of them for serving at a party or to kids (who love eating anything on sticks. Who doesn't, really?)

I know the generous and talented Allison will be posting the whole workshop on her site soon, so check out SushiDay.com and follow her for updates. You can also visit LaFujiMama.com for tofu making and other wonderful recipes.

Maple Tofu Bites:

Firm Tofu
Real Maple Syrup

1)Use a small cookie cutter to cut your tofu into small bite size pieces (or cut into small cubes)

2) Drizzle with Maple Syrup, or pre-soak in Maple Syrup for a few minutes before placing small wooden skewers or sandwich picks into the tofu pieces for serving. Garnish with chopped nuts, if you desire.Happy Saturdays and here's to simple scrumptious ideas~ Thanks for stopping by.

The Best Best Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Is there any treat more classic than a chocolate chip cookie? There are thousands of variations and I've made and eaten about half of those, but I'm swearing by these being my favorites.

Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

I think I was in college when I discovered how easy it was to freeze home-made cookie dough. One hour making a batch of cookies, then freezing them meant I could have home-made chocolate chip cookies at my beck and call (my freshman 10 was 20.) I've been zip-locking those goodies ever since. When I visit my mom, I make a few bags for her and my brother and his wife to tide them over til my next visit. When my kids have friends over they grab and gobble amazed that I "whipped up home-made cookies" so fast.

And when the mood strikes me (which is more often than needed), I can take out just one or two and bake them in my toaster oven for a single treat. For the money and time spent, I don't think you'll find a "roll" of bake-off cookie dough any easier.This recipe came about like many others; I was hungry. It happens a lot that way. I was sitting on the pier watching the Pacific Ocean and the wind was turning chilly and I still had a 2 mile walk ahead of me to get home. I was thinking how a nice hot bowl of oatmeal feels on chilly spring mornings. Then my mind turned that bowl of oatmeal (way too quickly) into a cookie.

If I'm going to have a cookie it would have to have chocolate too, and if I really went crazy I'd add pecans and dried fruit...nah, not just dried fruit - big dark cherries. In fact, I'd leave out the nuts so they wouldn't upstage the cherries and chips. I love cherries and cherries with chocolate. When I was little, my mom would bring home boxes of Chocolate-Covered Cherries. I'd bite each candy with excitement, as if the cherry was a surprise to me every time.

Those sweet day dreams carried me the whole 2 miles back home and into the kitchen to make up a batch of these:

RECIPE: The Best Chocolate Chip Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick (8 Tbls. butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup dark dried cherries, chopped

1) In a large bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir together, then add the chocolate chips and cherries and toss to combine.

2) In another bowl, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla together. Then add the egg and beat again until creamy.

3) Add the creamy ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well with a wooden spoon.

4) Scoop out cookie dough in about Tbls. size balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

**You can freeze the dough at this point (bag, label and return to the freezer for cooking later), or Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. The secret is- DON'T OVER-BAKE. Take them out even if they don't look done and give them a chance to cool= chewy, chocolate and soft.

Remove, allow to cool and try to discipline yourself to not eat the whole pan in one sitting.

Easiest Nutella Cookie Ever - Simple Saturday and Gluten Free

I'm not kidding, this is so easy I'll give the ingredients first: 1 Cup Nutella + 1 egg.

CRISPY CHEWY NUTELLA COOKIES

This recipe came about because my Nutella Cookies didn't have enough Nutella taste for my obsessive palate. I wanted the taste of "Nutella-on-a-spoon" (you KNOW you know what I'm talkin' about), but in an easy carry-around serving size.

I had made "Easy, No flour, Almond Butter cookies" with just one egg, so maybe this would work too?

It does. Oh, it does.

You know how the best part of a brownie is the chewy edge or crispy top? (They've even made brownie pans that give you more edge because so many of us love that part.)

They've made muffin pans so shallow that all you get are muffin tops (the ones we like to eat, not the ones that are a result of it.)

Well...these cookies taste like brownie edges. They are a hand-held mixture of crispy and chewy. They are "tote-able Nutella". They are dangerous. Some of these I rolled in crushed walnuts (hazelnuts would be fabulous, but I didn't have those in the pantry.) They spread a lot, so be sure to give them plenty of room. Go get your Nutella-fix. It will take you all of 20 minutes.

Crispy Chewy Nutella Cookies:

1 cup Nutella
1 egg

1) Mix these two ingredients together in a bowl. Be patient - start whisking slowly, then harder until fully incorporated. The batter will be very loose.
2) Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. 3) Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. ( I turned my pan half-way through for even cooking.)

The less cooking makes them more soft and chewy, the more cooking increases the "crispy". Check it according to your own oven heat and the size of the cookies you make.

**Optional - I didn't get a picture of these, but they were also good sprinkled with powdered sugar, or sandwiched together with cream cheese.

Nutella tote-ables, oh yeah. :D

Dandelion is the new Kale - Simple Saturday

Dandelion Chips w/ Sea Salt

Kale Chips have been king long enough. Actually, I love Kale Chips and I've watched so many friends and kids who thought they didn't like greens end up snacking away on baked and seasoned Kale Chips by the dozen. If for any reason, you have not tried them - the simple recipe is the same as the one I've included here for Dandelion Chips. I have a bit of an obsession with Dandelions, as you can read about here (Dandelion Sun-dried Tomato Bread Pudding.) On my quest to see just how many products I can actually make with these loyal, fierce and underestimated miracle plants, I tried Dandelion Chips.

They bake up so easy and I can't wait to try them with different seasonings: chipotle powder, curry or maybe powdered chives (Mmmm.)As you might expect, Dandelion Chips are more delicate than the hardy and curly Kale, and the taste can be more bitter (a nice break from the too sweet and processed bagged chips.) I loved these with sea salt sprinkled all over. They melt in your mouth like dandelion air, and I think they'd make a perfect garnish on mashed potatoes, added to salads, or crushed and sprinkled over casseroles. Dandelion Chips:

1) Wash, dry and break dandelion greens into large pieces. Discard any thick ribs.

2) Drizzle a bit of Olive oil on the greens and toss with your hands to lightly coat all the leaves.

3) Place in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 8-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them so not to burn.

4) Remove pan from the oven, sprinkle the leaves with seasonings (I used Sea Salt) and allow to cool. That's it - simple~ Let me know if you try Dandelion Chips and if you have ideas for other ways to use them. Have a dandy day :D

Sweet Potato, Apple & Cider Pancakes

I'm a sucker for a bright Sweet Potato. Sometimes when I'm shopping I'll add a couple to my bag and assume I'll figure out what to make with them later. It's hard to go wrong with these terrific tubers.

SWEET POTATO, APPLE & CIDER PANCAKES

Sweet Potatoes have tons of Vitamin A, and Fiber and are very low in calories. They are so naturally sweet, you don't need a lot of sugar, even when you use them in dessert recipes. I love adding them to pancakes as a way of increasing nutrients at breakfast and they freeze so easily. Make a stack of these, freeze them individually, then bag them and take out the amount you need when you need it - toast 'em, and you've got hot potato pancakes with chunks of apple. They even make a great snack for kids who love having them in little silver dollar size like the ones I made here. The butter on top makes a good picture (and let's face it, butter is fatty-fun-tastic), but these are so moist with the apples and sweet potato bits, the tang of buttermilk and the apple cider that you don't really even need butter or syrup.
RECIPE: Sweet Potato, Apple & Cider Pancakes

1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbls. Brown Sugar
1 Tbls. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Apple Cider
2 eggs
1 Apple (peeled, cored, chopped small)
1 Med. Sweet Potato (Baked or Microwaved)

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2) In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and apple cider 3) Stir together (the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients). Then fold in the apples and soft cooked insides of the sweet potato.
4) The batter should be thick, but loose. If too thick, add more cider or water. 5) Heat a griddle, or flat bottom non stick skillet on Med/High. Brush on a tiny bit of oil or butter if needed. Don't let the butter burn.
6) Ladle a small amount of batter onto the hot skillet and cook until the sides form tiny bubbles, flip and cook the other side of that pancake until set and cooked through.

** If freezing, allow the pancakes to cool completely - then freeze spread out on a sheet pan until firm, then bag for later and return to freezer.

To reheat - heat in toaster oven or oven for about 6 minutes on 300F.

Homemade Tootsie Rolls - Ninja Energy Bites

The saying, "Everything taste better when it's homemade" has never been more true.

Chocolate Cocoa Tootsie Rolls
(aka: * Ninja Energy Bites)

If you take all the good things about the old-time candy, Tootsie Rolls (chocolate, cute, chewy, fun), but (like a stealth ninja) make it your own and better (real chocolate, chewy without being tough or pulling your teeth out, NO HFCS or trans fats, fun for kids to help, easy and even cuter because you pick the wrapping paper) then you have these Ninja Energy Bites.

The simple ingredients, the speedy process, the healthy use of Agave instead of corn syrup, the fun way of punching and kneading in a bag, and the fast, accurate but friendly knife skills of chop-chop-chop make this worthy of "Food Ninja" status. Don't you agree?

RECIPE: Cocoa Tootsie Rolls (Ninja Energy Bites)
(*measurements given for dry ingredients by weight*)
2 0z. real dark cocoa
2 oz. Unsalted Butter

Put these two ingredients into a double boiler (or bowl over a saucepan of simmer water) and heat, stirring until the butter melts and you have a thick paste.

4 oz. Agave syrup
2 tsp. Vanilla

Add these two ingredients to the cocoa paste, heat and stir until fully incorporated. You'll have a thick syrup. Remove from heat.

4 1/2 oz. Confectioner Sugar
2 oz. Dry Milk

Add these two ingredients, stirring to incorporate. You'll have a very thick batter.

In a large ziplock bag, pour in 7 1/2 more oz. confectioner sugar, then pour in the thick cocoa batter. Close up and knead ingredients together in the bag (you may have to let air out of the bag now and then for better movement). Kids and friends will love to help with this and there's no messy cleanup, so let'em at it.
Knead all together until you achieve a ball of dough that holds together (about 3 minutes).
Place the cocoa dough on a work space that is sprinkled with about 4 more oz. of confectionary sugar. Knead dough again, working the sugar into the dough until it is stiff, but moldable.


Cut the dough into about 6 even pieces. Roll those pieces out into ropes and cut into pieces about 2 inches long. Place those on a sheet pan and let dry or place in refrigerator to help harden just a bit. Wrap in parchment paper, or a printed paper of choice. These would be great in Halloween theme or...wait for it...NINJA print paper!

Peach Puff Pancake - Simple Saturday

Need a perfect brunch item? Here it is. Need a quick, impressive, one pan-serve a family-wow'em-fresh fruit-make me look good without a lot of hassle-breakfast/lunch/snack item (and who doesn't)? Here it is.

Peach Puff Pan-cake

On the weekends, at my house, all regular schedules go out the window. I'm not sure when any one is eating, if they're eating here or who might be dropping by. It's the life of having teenagers, being a freelancer and having a husband in the television business.

This german-style puff pan-cake is perfect for throwing together, and leaving out on a platter for the taking...whenever, whomever, wherever. This is also great with apples (peel and slice thin for quick baking). When you first take this out of the oven it's puffed really high and then will naturally fall into a moist custard type pie.

The moisture is why it's still good even after being out for an hour, and good hot or room temp (of course, like most things with eggs in it, refrigerate this if not eaten within a couple hours.) Before the last peach has left for another season, puff it up with pride in this Peach Puff Pancake.

RECIPE: PEACH PUFF PANCAKE

2 Large Peaches (pitted and sliced)
4 Tbls. butter
1 1/2 cups AP flour
2 Tbls. sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
5 eggs
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400F.
1) In a large oven-proof skillet with sides, place butter and sliced peaches. Put the skillet into the preheated oven to allow the butter to melt and the peaches to warm and soften while you prepare the other ingredients. Remove pan after about 5-8 minutes so the butter doesn't burn.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

3) Make a well in the center of the flour (dry ingredients) and pour in the eggs, and milk. Whisk the eggs and milk together, then incorporate the dry ingredients also, making a batter.

4) Pour the batter, carefully, into the hot skillet and stir everything together. Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffed and golden on the edges.

Remove and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. You can slice in pan or turn out onto plate for serving. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top for garnish (and lip-licking.)