Candied Cinnamon Vanilla Pecans

Sweet, salty perfection.

Candied Cinnamon Vanilla Pecans

4 cups pecans

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla 

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 250 and line baking sheet with parchment.

In small bowl, mix sugar, salt and cinnamon.

In large bowl, mix egg white, vanilla and water.  Whisk until frothy. Stir in pecans and mix well.  Add sugar mixture and stir until coated.

Pour mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly.

Bake about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Cool completely and break up clumps.

Cookies and Cream Cookies

What better way to eat Oreos than crammed into another cookie! These turned out great.

Cookies and Cream Cookies from Sing For Your Supper

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup + 1 Tbs granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs milk (I used almond)
1 1/2 cups Oreos, chopped.

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.  Beat together butter, sugars, salt, vanilla, soda and powder until well combined.  Add egg, beating until smooth.  Scrape sides of bowl and beat again until smooth.  Add the flour, mixing in completely.  Stir in milk and then the Oreos.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonful onto prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.  Bake 11-15 minutes, until light golden brown and a bit darker around the edges.  Remove from oven and cool.

No Hurry Vegetable Curry

I don't know about no hurry, because it took forever to prep the veggies for this one.  All in all it is pretty good.  Not knock your socks off fantastic, but a perfectly fine veggie-ful dish.  I served over rice.

Adapted from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, p. 124

No Hurry Vegetable Curry


1 Tbs. olive oil
2 large carrots, sliced on a diagonal
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 can white beans or garbanzo beans
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
salt to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add the carrots and onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, curry powder and cayenne, stirring to coat.

2. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a 3.5-4 qt slow cooker (mine is a 6 and it worked fine).  Add the potatoes, green beans, white beans, tomatoes and stock.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

3. Just prior to serving, stir in peas and coconut milk and season with salt.

Brown Sugar Brown Butter Cookies

These cookies are beyond delicious, and would be even better with some heath bar or chocolate chips added.  Lucy can tolerate low doses of dairy now, so I can cook with and eat it.  After going over a year almost completely dairy-free, it's nice to have the freedom to not have to constantly watch every bite for hidden dairy.  I still try to keep it to a minimum, but these cookies are worth the splurge.

Here's the recipe from The Novice Chef.

Brown Sugar Brown Butter Cookies

ingredients:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 cup unbleached flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For rolling:
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

directions:

Heat butter in small saucepan, over medium heat, until melted. Continue cooking butter, whisking or swirling the pan as needed, until the melted butter takes on a light golden brown color. There will be small flakes of dark brown on the bottom of the saucepan. Remove butter from heat and transfer to a small bowl immediately. Let cool until the bottom of the bowl is no longer warm to the touch, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a shallow bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons brown and granulated sugar. I used my fingers, but you could also use two forks. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Add 1 cup brown sugar to bowl with cooled, browned butter and mix until combined. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined and there are no lumps. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Roll about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a ball using your hands. Then toss the dough in the brown/granulated sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie.