Orange Zest Cookies with Orange Icing

The other day a group of friends and I went orange picking with an awesome organization called "Food Forward".  Food Forward gathers volunteers and sends them out to local properties and orchards to harvest their excess fruits and vegetables which are then distributed to local food banks & organizations.  Such an awesome idea and it was so much fun.  We got to spend the day out in a beautiful orchard, and they had a dj and food trucks - and they even let us bring a few oranges home!

I decided to use mine for a new recipe I've been wanting to try out:  "Orange Zest Cookies with Orange Icing".  They are made with fresh squeezed orange juice and are citrusy, sweet and delicious with tea (also with morning coffee - who can resist fresh baked cookies for breakfast?).

So if you're in the LA area and are looking for fun ways to give back, check out Food Forward and maybe you'll be inspired by whatever fresh produce you end up harvesting!

For 'Orange Zest Cookies' Recipe, read on...  

Ingredients:

Cookies:

11 tbsp. (5 1/2 oz.) unsalted butter

3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz.) sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2-3 oranges)
2 tbsp. grated orange zest (grate this before juicing)
2 cups (8 oz.) flour (I used white whole wheat flour & it was great)

Icing:

2 cups (8 oz.) powdered sugar
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. grated orange zest
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. (1 oz.) freshly squeezed orange juice

Directions:


1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2.  To make your cookie dough:  Cream your butter & sugar in a bowl along with your vanilla, baking powder, baking soda & salt.  Beat in the egg, and then the orange juice & zest (the mix will look kind of curdled - don't worry, that's normal).  Mix well.  Then add your flour & mix until smooth.

3.  Drop dough by the teaspoonful onto your baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges start to turn a light, golden brown.  Remove & let cool.

4.  To make your icing:  In a new bowl, beat your sugar, butter, orange zest, vanilla & salt.  Then add your orange juice & beat until blended & smooth.

5.  Once your cookies are cool, top with icing & enjoy!  (I like to keep my icing in a pretty little jar next to the cookies & spread it on whenever I'm ready to eat one).

Picnic Part 3 - Super Chopped Detox Salad

Part 3 of our Picnic Extravaganza is our "Super Chopped Detox Salad".  This salad is inspired by one that is offered at the salad bar at Whole Foods.  It's full of fresh, raw veggies and is made in a food processor so there's barely any chopping involved.  You basically just throw everything in and blend it up and it's done.  This recipe makes a lot which is great because the leftovers are just as good as the day you made it.  Just scoop some into a tupperware and you have a super healthy lunch to go!

*Note:  If you don't have a food processor, this salad can also be chopped by hand - it'll just take ya a little longer.

Ingredients:


1 head of broccoli (no stems)
1 head of cauliflower (no stems)
3 or 4 carrots
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup no-shell sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup currants (if you don't have these you can just add extra raisins - or dried cranberries)
juice from half a lemon (about 4 tbsp)
salt & pepper
maple syrup


Directions:


1.  Wash & roughly chop broccoli into manageable pieces (remove stems).  Pulse in food processor until finely chopped.  Empty into a large bowl.

2.  Do the same with the cauliflower.  Also add into bowl.

3.  Now the carrots (We're doing everything separately because each vegetable takes a different amount of time to reach "finely chopped" consistency.  There's also not enough room for them to all go in my food processor at once - but feel free to try it if you have a gigantic one!)

4.  Mix all together in your large bowl & stir in the sunflower seeds, currants and raisins.  Now squeeze your lemon juice over everything and add salt & pepper to taste.  Finally, drizzle with a little maple syrup (I use about a tablespoon for the whole thing), give it a final stir and enjoy!

5.  Enjoy again tomorrow.

Amanda enjoys our 'Detox Salad' - which pairs excellently with some Homemade Falafels.

 I enjoy a mimosa - which pairs excellently with everything.

Picnic Part 2 - Vegan Brownies

Hello!  Welcome to Part 2 of our delicious picnic.  Today I was going to post our "super chopped detox salad" recipe but then I realized that I forgot to take any photos of it - and what's a recipe post without inspiring pictures of what you're making?  So I'm going to make it again this afternoon, complete with photo shoot, and until then I will tide you over with something so amazing you'll probably forget about salad all together (just kidding - eat your greens!).  The delicious, moist & rich VEGAN BROWNIE!  I'm not personally vegan but my friend Amanda is so I made this as a surprise dessert to bring on our picnic.  I also really love cooking & baking with vegan recipes because they're generally very health-forward and make a lot of great substitutions for things like oils and sugars and stuff that we should be consuming in moderation.  These brownies do just that, without sacrificing any of the taste.

I have also noticed that many vegan recipes contain uncommon ingredients that a regular joe might not always have sitting in his/her cupboard.  So in the interest of not making you drive to some specialty store to buy 'kelp granules', whenever possible I am going to post recipes that contain fairly straightforward ingredients.  I'll also provide you with substitution options in case you want to make something with whatever supplies you already have.  This is also a great way to learn about ingredients that are interchangeable in the kitchen.  For instance, did you know that you can use applesauce instead of oil when baking?  Yup!  And that's what you're about to do.

Ingredients:


2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar (I like to swap half for maple syrup - see * below)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup brewed coffee (or water, soy milk, almond or regular milk)
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil (or coconut oil)
1 cup apple sauce (this used to be all oil but I swapped it out for apple sauce!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract (you don't have to use this, but I like it)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Other things you can add: chopped up dark chocolate, coconut flakes, dried cranberries, nuts...

* Whenever a recipe calls for sugar you can swap it for out a healthier alternative; maple syrup.  1 cup sugar = 3/4 maple syrup.  Just remember that maple syrup contains more liquid than sugar so when you do this, slightly decrease your most prominent liquid by a few tablespoons.  (In this case, that would be the coffee/water).  Click here for more inclusive directions.

Directions:


1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder & salt.
3.  Pour in your cup of coffee, oil, applesauce, vanilla & almond extract and mix until well                blended.
4.  Stir in chopped nuts/chocolate, etc.
5.  Spread evenly in a 9x9 baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Then let cool & serve!

Picnic in the Park + Homemade Falafels

Yesterday my friend Amanda & I went on the most beautiful picnic in Griffith Park.  I've been in Los Angeles 3 years now and can't believe I've never really been there!  It is MASSIVE and has a golf course and horses and a gigantic merry-go-round...  After exploring for about half an hour (we'll leave out the part about driving towards oncoming traffic on what I thought was a one-way street) we chose a lovely spot surrounded by trees and settled in to enjoy our goodies.

Here are some of the things we prepared for lunch:

-Homemade falafels (baked, not fried!)
-Fresh parsley tahini sauce
-Pitas with homemade garlic hummus
-Our favorite "super chopped" vegetable salad
-Vegan brownies

And an assortment of fresh fruits & veggies and, of course, orange juice & champagne for mimosas!  Over the next few days I'll share with you all of our amazing recipes so that you, too, can enjoy nourishing yourself with sunshine, friendship & healthy foods.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
1/2 an onion
2-3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
a squeeze of lemon juice (about a tsp.)


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  If using canned chickpeas, drain & rinse.  Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until blended (will have the texture of hummus).  Spoon mixture into little "patties" on baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes.  Flip and bake for another 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Top with tahini sauce and serve in pitas, on buns or with your favorite salad.  Keep leftovers in the fridge for a great, quick snack!

* For quick, homemade tahini sauce blend 1 heaping tablespoon of tahini, the juice of a whole lemon, a handful of fresh parsley and a little salt & pepper together in a food processor (or magic bullet) and serve fresh.

Amazing Homemade Granola

This post is about one of my favorite things to make of late - homemade granola.  I love granola for breakfast (preferably with a little plain yogurt or vanilla almond milk) but I have yet to find a store-bought brand that isn't loaded with sugar and sickly sweet.  This granola is made with coconut oil and a little maple syrup and I swear once you've had it you'll never look back.  It's so easy to make and fills your house with the most AMAZING smell as it's baking.  It's also vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free, and contains no refined sugars.  Plus, you can customize it with any nuts/seeds/dried fruits you want and create a different combination every time.

This granola also makes a great homemade gift.  Just fill up a pretty mason jar, tie with some twine & include a card with the recipe for a thoughtful gift that keeps on giving!

Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds (chopped)
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (hulled)
1.5 cups flaked coconut
1/4 tsp. salt (I use finely ground sea salt)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup maple syrup (you can also use agave or honey)
4 tbsp. coconut oil (or sunflower oil or olive oil)
Your choice of dried fruits (my favorites are dried cranberries & raisins)

Directions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 F

2.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir coconut oil & maple syrup together.

3.  In a large bowl combine oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, salt & cinnamon.

4.  Pour oil/syrup mixture over dry ingredients and stir well until everything is combined (get your hands in there if you want!)

5.  Pour onto a baking sheet (one with raised edges) and bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir.  Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes & repeat until the oats are golden brown.  The total baking time is usually around 30 minutes, but keep an eye on your granola as some ovens are hotter than others.

6.  Once it's cool add your dried fruit, mix together and store in a lovely jar!  You'll be very happy to wake up to this tomorrow morning.