CHOCOLATE SESAME TAHINI COOKIES

Nice and moist on the inside.

Cookies cooling on the rack.

I have a recipe for chocolate sesame tahini cookies that I have made several times. It is paleo and you could make it vegan by substituting the egg for a flax egg. I found the recipe on a blog site by PaleOMG. I do like to read Juli Bauer and subscribe (its free) to receive her posts into my email inbox. Her blogs cover a variety of topics - from food to exercises to travel to fashion.

I did make a few changes to the original cookie recipe from paleOMG and provide them here. It is a satisfying cookie, you don't need to eat many to get full. The majority of the ingredients by volume is tahini and maple syrup. It reminds me of a peanut butter cookie as that kind of cookie consists mainly of peanut butter and sugar. 

This cookie is so good that it is one cookie that the DH will request and he even found where I stashed a few in the freezer in case I wanted to serve them to friends over the past holiday season.

Cooking Time: 15 to 17 minutes
Makes 16 to 18 cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup tahini
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa 
pinch of salt (1/8 tsp of salt)
3 tbsp sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

I use a food processor with a mixing blade to make these cookies. You could make them in a bowl by hand but I think you get a better blend using a food processor as you have to combine well the tahini and maple syrup to get a nice paste. 

Into a food processor using a mixing blade, add the tahini and maple syrup. Combine until it is well mixed. Add the egg and combine for about 20 to 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine for less than a minute until you have a smooth paste.  

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie dough scooper, scoop out about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of dough. I like to use the medium size cookie dough scooper (it is a 40 size marked on the inside of the scooper) as the cookies are not too large. Spread out the raw scoop cookie dough so that you have a little bit of space between the cookies. I don't flatten the scooped balls. 

Chill the uncooked cookies on the cookie sheet in your freezer or outside if it is cold enough, for about 12 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough before you bake it makes them spread out less and they are thicker. You can read more about some time trails that King Arthur flour did on comparing chill time for cookie dough. 

Place into a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 17 minutes. I used regular heat and did not use convection heat. After they are finished baking, let them sit on the pan for 10 plus minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to continue cooking. You don't want to transfer them too quickly to the baking rack as they need time to harden before handling.

NOODLE-LESS VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Just out of the oven.

From time to time, I look at frozen lasagna at the grocery store. My body doesn't like eating heavy tomato laden dishes and some dishes can create heartburn. Since the DH and I try to watch our carb intake and make better choices, I decided to make a noodle-less vegetarian lasagna. I like to use a variety of vegetables and ricotta cheese gives it a bit of richness. 

There are many ways to create a noodle-less pasta dish. Some recipes use zucchini or eggplant strips as the base. I decided to use Savoy cabbage as the base for this lasagna. Savoy cabbage is a softer cabbage, better for use in cooking than eating raw and works well if you want to use it for rolling food, layering in casseroles, in soups or in sautéed vegetables.  

You need to first blanch the cabbage leaves in order to soften them and make them pliable. They did the trick in providing the base layers and I made three layers for this lasagna. For the cheese, I decided to use a grated cheese blend of several different cheeses that is packaged as an Italian blend. Any of your favourite grated cheeses will work. For tomato sauce, I buy jars of strained tomatoes and use that as a sauce. Because pasta is not used in this dish, the juices from the tomatoes and ricotta cheese don't get absorbed the same way as it would if you used pasta. I spooned some of the excess juice out of the baking dish after I took out the first slice and it amounted to about a third of a cup. I drank it and it tasted pretty good.   

Both the DH and I enjoyed the lasagna and it met the desire for lasagna.

Savoy cabbage draining in a colander.

I used these strained tomatoes for the sauce. 

Vegetables sautéing in the pot.

Constructing the layers for the lasagna.

Ready to go into the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

10 large leaves from a savoy cabbage 
2 tbsp olive, avocado or other favourite oil
2 leeks, with trimmed ends, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 big handfuls spinach
1/2 to 3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Italian seasoning, optional

DIRECTIONS:

In a large pot, filled halfway with salted water, heat to boiling and add the cabbage leaves. Reduce heat to medium and blanch the leaves for seven to eight minutes. Remove the leaves and place them in a colander to drain.

Using the same cooking pot with the water drained or a larger size frying pan, heat the two tablespoons of oil on medium high heat and add the leeks, mushrooms and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium low and sauté for five to seven minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for another few minutes. While the vegetables are sautéing, pat dry the cabbage leaves with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Be careful to not tear them apart.

Oil a 10 to 12 inch baking dish (I used an 11 inch oval baking dish). Since you will be making three layers, you have to use one third of the cabbage leaves, sautéed vegetables, tomato sauce, ricotta and grated cheese for each layer. Place three cabbage leaves on the bottom of the dish. I cut a fourth cabbage leaf and used half of it on the bottom layer with the three other leaves. To make each cabbage leaf spread easier, I made a small cut in the rib of each leaf before placing it in the baking dish. Add the one third of the sautéed vegetables, followed by the tomato sauce, ricotta and grated cheese. Repeat the layering two more times. After the second layer, I sprinkled some Italian seasoning over the cheese before I added the final layer of cabbage leaves, vegetables, tomato sauce and cheeses. You can add salt and pepper to any one of the layers if you want.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is browned. Serves two to four depending on appetites and if this is the main entree or a side dish. 

CELERY ROOT - SALAD AND OTHER USES

Celery root salad -ready to be served

Over the years I have eaten celery root, but not frequently, and mostly prepared by others. Last year I decided to use this mild root as it is a great substitute for white potatoes. Celery root is a knobby, hairy root vegetable that has a crisp taste. You can eat it either raw or cooked.

There are a variety of things you can make with celery root: cubed and sautéed with bacon; pureed creamy soup; pureed to make a mash either alone or with potatoes, carrots, or cauliflower; cubed and roasted in the oven; and salad. I do like pureed mash with butter, salt and pepper. It is a great side dish. 

As Mark Bittman has said in one of his blogs, you need to be trim the celery root, properly called celeriac, in a fearless and ruthless manner. Using a good paring knife, trim the top off and then following the contour of the shape of the root, cut down along the sides. You want to be careful in not trimming too much of the flesh which is behind the brown skin. Trim the bottom and then trim out any remaining specs of brown skin. When I first tried to peel the skin off the celery root I used a peeler. I found that difficult as it is not smooth to peel like a carrot or parsnip. A paring knife works much better. 

There are several salads you can make with celery root. The dressing is either mayonnaise or vinaigrette based. I decided to make one using oil and vinegar. I like this salad as it combines apple, celery stalks and walnuts with celery root. It has a refreshing taste. I used a mandoline slicer to julienne the celery root and apple. I was tempted to use a food processor but decided that I need to make more use of the mandoline slicer. 

Dressing, chopped walnuts and julienned vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

Salad Dressing
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard 
2 tbsp apple cider or white wine vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Salad
1 medium size celery root, peeled
1 green apple or other tart apple, cored and quartered
2 stalks celery
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted 


DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the salad dressing in a small cup or bowl. Use a whisk to mix together. Set aside.
2. Julienne the celery root using a sharp knife, grating disk in a food processor or a mandoline slicer. Add to a large mixing bowl and toss with the lemon juice. Julienne the apple using a sharp knife, grating disk in a food process or a mandoline slicer and add to the bowl with the celery root. Toss together.  
3. Finely chop the celery and add to the bowl with the celery root and apple. Combine well.
4. Add the salad dressing and toss well. Top with the toasted walnuts.
5. Serves 4 to 6 depending on appetite. 

Modified from gourmandeinthekitchen.com