They turned out great and my 15 yr old picky daughter gave me her seal of approval!

• 2 cups all purpose GF baking mix
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 Tbs. xylitol
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 cup tiny cubes cheddar cheese (I used Altadena brand goat cheddar)
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (I used Romano cheese from from Trader Joes)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeño
• 1/2 sliced black olives
• 1 cup sour cream (I had goat yogurt, so that’s what I used)
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup melted Kerigold butter
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce for dough , 1/2 c for topping
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

I found these! Now these cookies are not completely GF, they are low gluten. b Perhaps one day I will try to make them completely GF to see how it works out.  I have made many changes and substitutions to the original recipe to bring it up to my  healthier standards,  lower sugar without the white stuff and without compromising the taste  and texture. Having said that, this is certainly not your Mrs Fields, but for a healthy cookie, it’s pretty darn good!

Healthy/Vegan Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cups Barley Flour
1 cup Brown Rice flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup spectrum palm shortening (Butter Flavored)
3/4 cup Coconut sugar
1 packet Stevia
1 tablespoons flax seeds
1 tablespoons Ener-G Egg Substitute, powder
1/4 cup almond  milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cups grain sweetened semisweet vegan chocolate chips
Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. (I used Convection Bake)
grind the flaxseeds and mix it well with 2 tbs of warm water
In a small bowl, mix almond milk VERY WELL (until creamy) with Ener-G egg replacer and add flax meal mixture. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt. Set Aside.
In a large bowl, cream together palm shortening and sugars and vanilla. Add soy/flax mixture and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until smooth.
Gradually add flour mixture to liquids. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by small ice cream scooper, and press down with your fingers
Bake for 7-8 minute until lightly golden. Watch the time, it depends on the pan.
Let cool on the pan 5- 6 min., just until set enough to remove to wire rack. They will be very soft and fragile, but will set up as they cool.
Let pan cool before baking more.

For me this made 21 cookies
Click below for the original recipe
Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/chewy-vegan-chocolate-chip-cookies-465444#ixzz1eJdp2aKB

My friend Cathy who has been attending Chef’s School has inspired me this week with all the salads she has been making and blogging about. You must check out her blog, the salads are colorful, and so yummy looking! She definitely has lots of great information there as well.

Here’s one I created that so easy, yet tastes so gourmet!

1 bag organic baby spinach
1 organic heart of romaine
2c. shredded cabbage
1 persian cucumber
1 apple of choice, or you may use a pear
2-4 tbs fresh mint minced
soft goat cheese for garnish (Optional) (You may use toasted nuts or seeds instead if you wish to make this vegan)

Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
1/8 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. Mango Ginger Chutney (Trader Joes)
1 clove garlic crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, except for the goat cheese.

Make the dressing by mixing the ingredients then adding it to the salad a little at a time as you don’t want to drench it.  If you have any left over you can use it on a different salad the next day or make a smaller version of this salad again. Enjoy!

Jicama and Cucumber salad
(picture coming soon)

½ med jicama grated

2 Persian cucumber grated

1 c. cherry tomatoes slices

handful of  chopped cilantro

3 scallions/green onions

dressings:

juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbs. Sunflower oil

¼ tsp red chili flakes

salt and pepper to taste.

It’s best if you make this salad right before you are going to eat it as it produces a LOT of liquid as it sits. Put all the ingredients in  a bowl toss with the dressing and enjoy right away. Goes great with oven roasted potatoes.

Christmas 2011 — Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high
gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods —
merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This
year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine
concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift
giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes
there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in
a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates
from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some
health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned
detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a
book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down
the Benjamines on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift
receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or
driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift
certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this
isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town
Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

Give to a charity in your loved ones name.

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or
motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a
local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is
struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin
their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery
and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave
your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at
your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese
lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about
fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to
burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that
China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about
US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow
their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our
communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.
THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

1c. red jasmine rice (got it at the bulk bin at my local whole foods)

2 1/2 c. water

1 tsp sea salt

cook the rice until the water is absorbed about 30min. then let it rest and cool completely (you can do this the night before)

once the rice is cooled transfer to a salad bowl and start adding to it the following  ingredients:

1/2 of a red bell pepper chopped

2 slices of jicima chopped

1 c. frozen roasted corn kernels (rinse it under very hot water to thaw it out a bit)

bunch cilantro chopped

2 green onions chopped

*note: I used the Vidalia chopper small grid to get uniform cubes. It’s fast and looks pretty especially if you are making this for company. You can get it at bed, bad and beyond with a 20% coupon for about $15.

Once you finish chopping and adding the ingredients to your rice, then mix the dressing with the following ingredients:

Dressing:

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp applewood smoked sea salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

once you have mixed the dressing, toss it into the salad and let it marinade for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Below is my experience with the fruit, some pictures and some facts about the Dragon Fruit (I believe it gets it’s name because it looks like the head of a dragon)

The peel came off pretty easily once you cut into it. the flesh is mostly water, sort of like a watermelon but a little more dense.  It has small sesame size back seeds that are easy to chew and don’t interfere with eating the fruit. It has a mild sweet flavor and very refreshing to eat. It’s definitely one of my new favorites. I’m going back tomorrow to get some more while they have it.  I bought then for 2.99 a lb. for 2 fruits I payed a little bit over 7 dollars, not bad for an exotic fruit like this.

You can see the peel in the background, it just came off very easily.

Dragon Fruit Nutrition Information

• Dragon fruits are rich in antioxidants. They help to prevent the formation of carcinogenic free-radicals.
• Dragon fruits are packed with vitamin C. Vitamin C ensures bruises and cuts heal faster and helps improve the general immune system.
• Vitamin B2 acts as a multi vitamin to recover and improve loss of appetite.
• Vitamin B1 plays an important role in the production of energy as well as metabolizing carbohydrates.
• Vitamin B3 lowers bad cholesterol level and enhances the appearance of the skin by moisturizing and smoothing it.
• The seeds of the fruit contain high polyunsaturated fatty acids.
• Dragon fruits help excrete heavy metal toxins from the body.
• They help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Regular consumption of the dragon fruit works great for asthma and cough.
• Carotene helps maintain and equally improve the health of the eyes.
• The proteins from the fruit enhance metabolism of the body.
• The fruit serves as a food substitute for rice, for the diabetics. Read more on fruits for diabetes.
• They protect the environment by absorbing CO₂ at night and releasing oxygen to purify the air.
• Dragon fruit can be used as cosmetic and health material, with functions of improving eyesight and preventing hypertension.
• It is good material of beverage, delicious vegetable dishes, having high nutrition, low heat, rich vitamin C, may be processed to be all kind of drinks
• Dragon fruit can be cultivated easily. It has strong root and is good at water conserving, heat and drought resisting. So planting dragon fruit is low cost.
• Dragon fruits are rich in minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus. Calcium reinforces bones and helps in the formation of healthy teeth. Phosphorus aids in tissue formation.
• The fruits are low in calories and high in fiber. They help to avoid constipation by acting as natural laxative. They help to improve the overall digestive health. The fiber enhances the digestion and reduces the fat.

Dragon Fruit Nutrition Facts

The typical nutritional value per 100 g of dragon fruit is as follows:

• Fiber 0.9 g
• Calcium 8.8 g
• Fat 0.61 g
• Carotene 0.012 g
• Niacin 0.430 mg
• Phosphorus 36.1 mg
• Ascorbic Acid 9.0 mg
• Protein 0.229 g
• Water 83.0 g
• Ashes 0.68 g
• Iron 0.65 mg
• Riboflavin 0.045 mg

Consumption of 1.5 oz of a dried dragon fruit, equates to almost eating a full pound of the fresh dragon fruit. It is beneficial as all the necessary and important dietary fiber, micro nutrients and vitamin C are still in abundance in a dried dragon fruit. This was all about the dragon fruit nutritional value. Here follows the information about dragon fruit calories.

Dragon Fruit Calories

As seen above dragon fruit is low in calories. 100.0 gm of 1 tropical dragon fruit contains about 60 calories. So it can be included in weight loss diets.

I hope the above information about dragon fruit nutrition facts helps you to make way for the new, aptly-named super fruit, the dragon fruit! Dragon fruit is the latest entrant to the world of super fruits.

Source of information: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dragon-fruit-nutrition-facts.html

All in all, it seems they only took 2 weeks of soaking in water to get rid of the bitterness, not too bad.

So after reading several ways to brine olives, I decided to just come up with my own combination.

I covered the olives in filtered water, then added

2 Tbs. of real salt,

half of a lemon chopped into cubes,

several bay leaves,

about 4 cloves of garlic cut in half

a dash of organic red wine vinigar

and covered the top with some extra virgin olive oil.

it’s supposed to sit like this for about 2 weeks.

will report back!

Here’s a picture for all you visual types