None of This or None of That Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

That's right! No oil, no flour, no eggs, and no added sugar in these cookies! I have been eyeing these cookies for a short time now, but always forgot to get an ingredient so I kept putting them off. Well no more! I finally had everything on hand and whipped these up. My kids loved them! They smell wonderful baking too.

You can also make them gluten free using gluten free oats. Also you could probably use another nut butter if you're allergic to peanuts.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
from The Skinny Fork, gave me about 28 cookies

2 Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/3 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts, chopped
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined. Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. ( I just use my small scooper = 1TBL per cookie) of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

 enjoy,

Lemon Cream Pie

...make a lemon cream pie! A neighbor of ours, gave us a 10 pound bag of their lemons fresh from their tree. Wow! Immediately the kids wanted me to make lemonade. Well I knew it wouldn't take all of these lemons so what else could I make? I've made lemon bars last time with all of my lemons so I wanted something different. PIE! I found this recipe and it sounded great. I used my gluten free pie crust recipe and decided to use my tart pan instead (I love that it's easier to remove the slices). I also opted for a chilled pie because our oven heats up this little house so the less time I have to use it, the better. You do use a pre baked pie crust though, but it doesn't take too long in the oven.

This pie is just wonderful!! It's cold, creamy, fluffy and melts in your mouth. I really loved it. It's not too tart, it's perfect. A perfect end to Summer and to welcome Fall. Oh, and yes I made them lemonade, and I'll blog that soon too. 

Lemon Cream Pie
adapted from Welcome Home 

1 pie crust recipe, pre baked and cooled (gluten free recipe here)
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup frozen butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup sour cream

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and milk in saucepan, and cook over medium heat until thick (should take a few minutes). Stir in the frozen butter until melted, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the 1 cup of sour cream and pour into baked pie shell. Chill 6 hours or more, top with whipped cream before serving.

enjoy,

Quinoa Spring Rolls

Quinoa is still a grain that I am trying to get used to liking since the last few recipes I've tried haven't been so great. I've had this recipe in my pinterest folder for some time now and thought this weekend was the perfect time to try them! I recently went back to work (sorry my blog is far behind!) and sometimes I get to take lunch breaks. This was lunch this past weekend. I am so glad I gave this recipe a try, because it is now a keeper. I love asian foods, flavors and egg rolls so these were perfect.

I made these spring rolls up the night before and was a little worried they would turn soggy, but happily they held up so well. I even rolled them between pieces of wax paper so they wouldn't stick together. The flavors was fantastic in these and I loved the quinoa.


Quinoa Spring Rolls
adapted from The Healthy Haven Blog

1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup or so of each: bean sprouts, grated carrots, shredded cabbage, sliced green leaf lettuce
6 rice paper wrappers

 Dressing:
 2 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar
 2 Tbs. soy sauce (or Tamari for gluten free)
 1 tsp. minced garlic
 1 Tbs. minced ginger
 2 tsp. sesame oil

Combine the quinoa and all the veggies in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and then toss with quinoa and veggie mix, set aside.

Before assembling the spring rolls, fill a pie dish with warm water. Then soak a wrapper for 30 seconds or until it begins to soften. Don’t let it sit for too long because it will soften too much and fall apart. Place the wet rice wrapper on a plate and add a couple of tablespoons of quinoa veggie mixture. Fold the edges over and roll into a spring roll. Repeat by soaking another rice wrapper and wrapping it. Keep going until all the filling has been used. Eat right away or roll between pieces of wax paper and refrigerate.

Dressed quinoa and veggie mix

let's eat!

 enjoy,