New Hope Mills Chocolate Chip Cookies
Image by Stef Noble
This is actually more of a contribution of Joe’s, as he introduced me to this cookie and is the one who always makes them. They are a variation on a recipe found on New Hope Mills pancake mix and, in fact, use the buckwheat variety. New Hope Mills, a water-powered gristmill on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Moravia, NY. Their products can be found fairly easily in the region (at Wegman’s, for example), but you can also visit the mill directly for tours and products. You can also order it online at Taste of CNY or even Amazon. But what about those cookies, you ask?
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Joe’s New Hope Mills Chocolate Chip Cookies
In a mixer, cream
1/3 cup butter,
1 egg,
approx. 1/6 cup of lemon juice,
1/3 cup brown sugar,
1/3 cup white sugar.
Then add
1 1/2 cups New Hope Mills Buckwheat Pancake Mix (I cannot vouch for other buckwheat pancake mixes),
1/2 cup chocolate chips,
1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut (toasted or untoasted, your preference)
1/4 to 1/2 cup nuts (we have been using pecans and will be trying macadamias at some point).
Spoon out onto cookie sheets with wax paper/parchment/Silpat/etc. and bake for 12 minutes at 375°.
Shove by the fistful into your mouth while hot.
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Lately, we haven’t been including the nuts, for no particular reason, and I think I actually prefer it that way as they get in the way of the hot gooeyness of the cookies. These are the only chocolate chip cookies that I can eat more than one of at a time, thanks to the slight tang of the buckwheat pancake mix that cuts through the goo.
The cookies picture above are actually “leftovers”. Joe usually makes a batch of dough and puts half in the fridge for later on. I’m sure it would freeze nicely as well (roll into balls first and freeze on a baking sheet, then put them in a bag). If you bake them right after making the dough, you’ll end up with a more flattened, chewy cookie, due to the warmer dough. The colder “leftover” dough tends to stay mounded up more, giving you a softer cookie middle, with a crisp outside. Both versions are excellent, therefore, you should always set some dough aside so you can have it both ways.
The dough is tasty as well… maybe eat half of your leftovers raw?
Bean and Chicken Tostada
Image by Stef Noble
I’m not going to turn this site into the “All Cooking Light All The Time Show”, but I have been making a number of meals from their recipes lately. As I’ve been trying to keep track of things a little better, it’s nice to know nutritional information for everyday meals*. I tend to avoid the recipes that rely too much on pre-packaged ingredients or inferior versions of food (low-fat cheese… blah!). What I’ve realized by browsing their recipes though, is that many are perfectly normal versions of recipes, but, again, just being aware of the calories in the recipe is helpful as well as recognizing an appropriate portion size.
Anyway, tonight I made an altered version of their Black Bean and Chicken Tostada for myself, Joe, and Ben. Altered in just a few ways:
* I used dry pinto beans instead of canned black because that’s what I had a lot of at home.
* I shredded the chicken instead of chopping it coarsely and only used half of the amount of chicken called for (which was mostly because I forgot to pull enough out to thaw, but the shredding made it stretch farther and we had enough for the three of us)
* Introduced just a smidge of a shredded Mexican cheese blend because a little cheese makes everything better (the picture above was taken right after topping… it got meltier soon after)
Both kinds of dried peppers were easily found at Wegmans. I think you can find ancho chiles everywhere these days. If you’ve ever spent any time in Upstate New York, you know that it’s not a hotbed of authentic Mexican cooking. I think I can safely say that this was one of the better Mexican-style meals cooked in Ithaca this evening (readers of the Ithaca craigslist will know what I speak of). I was really pleased with how this turned out and I’m sure I’ll make it again in the future. The chile puree and tomatillo sauce are not difficult at all to make, so, assuming that you have the beans ready to go, it’s not a particularly time-consuming recipe. The fresh tomatillo and cilantro flavor really made these nice, the chicken was moist and tender, and the bean and chile mixture provided a nice earthiness. We have some leftover tomatillo sauce and I think it would work nicely on top of some huevos and toast.
So there are definitely some worthwhile recipes within the realm of Cooking Light. I’ll definitely continue to explore there and post about my attempts here. At the very least, readers can learn about some tasty recipes that also offer full nutritional disclosure.
* Which is not to say that I’ve been totally good on the healthy front. Last night was the venerable “Ladies Night” (in which various female members of the preservation program that happen to be still in Ithaca get together for gabbing) and it was a night of pizza and pie. The pizza pie for me consisted of two slices of fresh mozzarella, plum tomato, and fresh basil pizza from Pizza Aroma in Ithaca. Verdict: EXCELLENT. They do make an expensive pizza, but it’s very good. We got three pizzas total, the fresh mozz and basil, the salad pie minus cheese for our resident vegan, and one with sausage and cheese for the meat-eaters. The crust is crisp and flavorful, with a dusting of cornmeal - thick enough to be toothsome and non-droopy, but thin enough that the crust doesn’t overwhelm the whole thing. We got regular dough, but they also offer whole wheat. As you can see from the linked menu, they offer a wide variety of toppings so that both the adventurous and the timid can be happy.
The dessert pie was a vegan summer berry pie from Greenstar, the local co-op. The crust is flaky and almost of a shortbread-like nature with an oaty streusel topping. Inside is a mix of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and who knows what other berries. I ate way too much, but I can’t get enough of berry pies and it’s nice to have a quick pick-up option that is very satisfying (and vegan-friendly so everyone can have some dessert!).
Unfortunately, there was just too much blabbing going on, so no photos of Lady Pie Night. I have some muffins that I need to discuss as well, but I made them this evening and the light was too poor for good photos, so those will wait until tomorrow.
Tuna Sandwich
Image by simplerich
I took tuna salad to work today with a recipe from SparkPeople.com's recipe site.
recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=189818
It's got Cranberries, apples, tuna, and it's supposed to have a green onion chopped into it but I didn't have any. I served it on a bed of baby romaine and sliced Roma tomatoes. I peppered it a little after I took the picture.
You can see my pocket knife that I used to cut the tomatoes in the picture. Oops. You can also see why I'm not a food-photog. I left the spoon in it too. Bah!
It was good. I recommend it. I think some sunflower seeds would add to it. I'll try that next time.
I had it on a sandwich and as a salad... it made a lot.
Pies
Image by Flооd
Larger picture of recipe.
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Lunch - 17 March 2010
Image by essgee51
Banana not pictured. Details in notes.
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