Chocolate Rosemary Cookies

This delicious recipe may sound a little strange, and it is. Blending together an herb you may have reserved exclusively for Italian dishes, it may surprise you how delicious it can be in a post dinner (or breakfast, or lunch) treat.

Enjoy!

1/2 cup oil of your choice (even olive would probably work well in this)
2 tbsp chopped rosemary (fresh or dried, dunn' matter)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 non-dairy milk of your choice (almond, soy, coconut...)
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 & 1/3 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 C, line two cookie sheets with wax paper
2. In a large bowl, mix together oil with rosemary, add in sugars, and beat until smooth
3. Add milk and flax seed, beat again.
4. Add salt, baking soda, and about half the flour at a time, beat yet again.
5. Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly mixed
6. Scoop 2 tbsp-ish at a time on to cookie sheet and flatten with a fork
7. Bake both sheets at once for 10-15 minutes, checking the bottoms after 10 to see if they're lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes and transfer to cooling racks.

Hot Maple Brussels Sprouts

As someone who self-defines as empathetic, relies on this quality for much of my work, and claims to enjoy the prospect of sharing this trait with others, there is one despicable quality I simply cannot tolerate: Adults with children’s palates. I know that may sound harsh. Perhaps you’re tempted to unsubscribe, either from my blog, or our friendship, but at the very least you should hear me out.

When I was but a cub, I didn’t take to ketchup (or katsup, if you’re illiterate) the way many children did. Still, I find it a somewhat icky direction to encourage a homefry towards, and yet most folks I know from childhood would have described it as a staple to their childhood selves’ diet. Look at them today, and they’re racing home from their various “real life” commitments to read food porn like the rest of us foodies. Palates develop. Tastes grow. They become an extension of our own willingness to open ourselves to an endless experience of what we put in and around our mouths. When we move past the sugar and tomato-ish preferences, and into the varying, expansive, and unrelenting possibilities of sautéed earthy root vegetables, of time-sensitive marinades, of pairings that, even just for a moment, confuse your senses in a way that shapes your face into a state of genuine unknowing… This is where we find the possibility in food! This is where the (food) magic happens.

So, if this rings true to you, perhaps gnaw on your blankie to muffle the screams that may follow with this next recipe… And then give it a try and watch as your taste buds play catch-up (not to be confused with katsup).

Hot Maple Brussels Sprouts!

Grocery list:

1 lb (450g) Brussels sprouts (about 20): trimmed, halved lengthwise
2tbsp olive oil
Coarse kosher salt
2 tsp maple syrup
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or a pinch more if you need a punch/sinus clearing…)

1. Spread Brussels sprouts on rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt.
2. Roast at 200C for 10 minutes, stir, and roast another 10 minutes until lightly browned, tranfer to serving bowl
3. Stir together maple syrup and cayenne, pour over Brussels sprouts, toss well.

Makes 4 side servings, or 1 Brussellsy Feast. Enjoy!

Vegan Dumplings!

Anything that takes an entire evening to make is bound to taste better than a quick fix meal. There's something about having to really work for your food that brings out the foodie in all of us... and with that in mind, I bring you vegan dumplings!

It was still late afternoon when we decided to venture into the culinary abyss better known as homemade dumplings. The challenge of finding vegan dumpling wrappers (pre-made dough that folds easily into dumpling-like shapes) was a good one, and from what I've read online it's probably easier to just make them yourself. In terms of filling, you can really switch it up here. As long as you aren't using anything too watery, and as long as it fits in the dumpling wrapper, it's probably fair game. What I've listed below is what we used in ours, and I can definitely attest to its deliciousness.


DUMPLING FILLING:
-1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
-2 tablespoons soy sauce
-1 tablespoons sesame oil
-1 cups finely shredded nappa cabbage
-1/2 cup shredded onion


DUMPLING SAUCE:
-4 tbsp soy sauce
-3 tbsp sesame oil
-pinch of white sugar
-pinch of chili flakes


1. Sautee filling ingredients, and mince until almost ground.
2. Keep dumpling wrappers under a wet cloth to prevent them from drying out. Take out only 10 at a time, and lay flat on clean countertop or cutting board.
3. Drop 1 tsp of mixture into centre of wrapper, wet edges of wrapper with a drop of water, and fold wrapper in half.
4. Make sure edges of wrapper are smoothly sealed, and pinch the edges until they are frilled. Flatten the bottom of the dumpling so that it can stand on its own.
5. Place filled and sealed dumplings into tupperware or a ziploc baggie until ready to cook. Repeat steps 2-4 until you've exhausted your collection of wrappers, or until you're simply too excited/hungry to not move to the next step.
6. Heat 1 tsp of cooking oil in a large nonstick pan (one which you have a fitted lid for!) at medium heat, and place as many dumplings as will fit (flat side down), and not touching.
7. Allow to fry for about 2-3 minutes, until the bottoms of the dumplings have browned.
8. When the bottoms of the dumplings are sufficiently golden, throw in a quarter cup of water, and place lid onto pan. Steam dumplings for 1 minute.
9. Remove the lid, and allow the remaining water to evaporate.
10. Throw together dumpling sauce, and nom nom nom! You have dumplings!

Though quite a bit of effort on the first round, round two and three proves much quicker and significantly less complicated. I recommend munching on cooked dumplings in between each round when you first start out --though, in all honesty, that's probably a given.