Trail Cookies

“Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
- Mary Oliver

We lost a friend to cancer in late July. She was an all around beautiful person that we saw nearly every week for the past two years over dinner among friends. She was way too young, but from it, I found myself taking away an even greater appreciation of life. I yearned to spend real time with my husband, friends and family. I actively decided that every moment is a chance to greater not just myself, but the people around me I care so much about. Online life exhausts me more than anything and taking the time to step away is so good for me personally.

Every weekend we seemed to find ourselves hiking or camping, with a couple mid-week surf sessions thrown in. The challenges in life always fade into the background when I’m in the outdoors. Each step I take towards the top of a steep trail or paddle into the next wave is met with that perfect wholeness I feel when given one solitary task. The outside world holds such great treasures; I can never resist taking them on.

To make up for my absence I decided to entice you with cookies and take you along with us up the Tatoosh Ridge Trail in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. The wildflowers and views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams were incredible, a must see if you are ever in WA during August. Making this video was new to us, but also very fun, so I’m hoping to take you all on more of our life’s little adventures in the future. It’s also my sneaky way of maybe teaching Scott a thing or two about how to cook, we’ll see.
Music by Loch Lomond

These could also be called one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” cookies. I’m still trying to get zucchini into everything, but shredded carrots or apples would be a great substitute as well (they’ll also make them a touch sweeter too), now that summer squash season is coming to an end. The cookies themselves are like homemade granola or granola bars; relatively healthy, oaty, lightly sweet, and something with a lot of staying power. They get a little softer after a day or two, but on the first day they have a great outer crust that gives way to a softer center, the almonds keep them crunchy.

And even though I haven’t posted lately, I’ve still been filling up on a lot of good food! Here’s a few tasty things from around the web I’ve been eating and enjoying this month:

This spicy little green bean number.
A ridiculously good lemon cucumber tofu salad, that is so refreshing.
Granola that tastes like banana bread. You definitely want to make this.
Sara and Hugh’s beautiful masterpiece.
I’ve been experimenting more with buckwheat flour after enjoying these buckwheat chocolate chip cookies.
Kimberly’s eating well on the road series seems to have summed up my summer. Minus the rice cooker, that was a new tip for me!
Gave myself the challenge of making my own sourdough starter after being inspired by Tara. Let’s just say I’m going to have to start round two next week…

Trail Cookies / makes about 2 dozen
You need 2 cups oat flour for this recipe, I’ve made the oat flour myself using a food processor, but you can buy pre-maid as well. And these are gluten free if you use rolled oats that are marked gluten free.

1/2 cup almonds
3 cups rolled oats, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 400F.

Place almonds on a lined baking sheet and roast for about 10-12 minutes, until fragrant and roasted smelling. Allow to cool, then roughly chop. Turn oven down to 350F.

Meanwhile, place 2 cups of the rolled oats into a food processor (if using oat flour you can skip this step) and process until the oats become oat flour. Toss together with the other 1 cup rolled oats, baking powder, sea salt, coconut, and roasted almonds.

In another bowl combine the coconut oil, honey and egg, stirring well, then add in the zucchini. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until everything is just moistened. Stir in the dried cherries and chocolate chips. The mixture will be very moist and sticky, place in the fridge for about 30 minutes if you’d like it to firm up a bit, but it’s not necessary.

Using your hands form the dough into rounded mounds and place on a lined cookie sheet. The cookies don’t spread so you can get about 12 to a pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are just slightly golden. Cool cookies on a wire wrack until completely cool. Store tightly covered and enjoy on your next adventure.

Desserts + Sweets, Gluten-Free, Grains, Vegetables, Video

Spicy Blackened Green Beans & Corn

Summer has taken hold of me, as is usually does, and because it’s always so short here in the Pacific NW, I’m enjoying it while I can. This explains my lack of posting here (among a very busy work schedule), but I just had to share this recipe while corn is still in season.

I love just about any vegetable slightly charred, but I had never cooked green beans this way before, so I pulled out my favorite cast iron pan and gave it a go. I’ve made this dish at least five times by now and I still haven’t tired of it. It may remain in rotation up until the green beans get pulled from the garden and I can no longer get corn at the market. I love fresh corn on the cob this time of year and it adds the perfect slightly sweet balance to the heat here.

Hope you all are having a great Summer! Can you believe that September is only a few short weeks away? That means it’s almost Fall!

Spicy Blackened Green Beans & Corn / serves 4
Jalapeño’s can really vary in heat. Start with one and if you want something spicier, add another. If you dislike cilantro or want a different flavor, I’ve tried this with basil too and it’s just as good. Also, everything cooks relatively quickly here, so you’ll want to make sure your prep work is finished before starting.

2 tablespoons ghee or high heat oil if you’re vegan
1 1/2 lbs. green beans, washed and ends trimmed
2 cloves garlic, sliced or finely chopped
1-2 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
juice of one small lime
big handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
salt to taste

Place a heavy pan over medium-high heat, once hot add the ghee. Add the green beans along with a pinch of salt and give everything a good toss. Cook stirring occasionally until the beans get blistered and blackened skin and they turn a vibrant green, about 10 minutes.

Once the beans look nice and charred, lower the heat to medium and toss in the garlic. Cook for another minute, then add in the corn, jalapeño, and red onion, give everything a good stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, squeeze lime juice over everything, stir in the cilantro, and season with salt to taste.

Bread, Gluten-Free, Sides, Summer, Vegan, Vegetables

Mini Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Mousse

Scott and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary this past week. We didn’t have anything special planned; after being on the road and eating out for over a week, all we wanted to do was be home. I did however manage to keep our tradition of eating bundt cake going. Last year’s was a Peach Maple and this year I came home to quite a lot of large zucchini, so I went with chocolate and zucchini bundt cakes in mini form and topped them off with a decadent chocolate mousse and a few raspberries I froze before leaving.

The cake is simple and not very sweet, but the chocolate mousse topping is what really makes these into a decadent treat. It’s actually a very strange technique I’ve been wanting to try for awhile now, so when Green & Black’s sent me a few of their chocolate bars I couldn’t hold back any longer. When making this version of mousse it’s very important that you use a high quality chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids. There is no cream or eggs in the recipe and actually, other than water, there is nothing else you need but the chocolate, so you can see why quality is really important. Green & Black’s harvests organic and fair trade cocoa beans that provide the perfect intense and pure chocolate flavor I was looking for in this mousse.

I used a giant zucchini when I made this. Two cups went into the cake batter and the rest was made into zucchini butter (a must make for anyone who has a lot of zucchini on their hands). I spread it on top of toast, sprinkle on a bit of basil and top it with fresh tomato slices; makes the perfect lunch. I also have already made 2 loafs of zucchini bread and plan on making brown butter zucchini corn bread again too. Not to mention I’ve already given or made plans to give a ton away soon. This is my first year growing squash in a raised bed, before I always had them in large pots, but now I’m coming to know the true meaning of having too much zucchini on your hands!

Mini Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Mousse / serves 6
Mousse adapted from Herve This via Cafe Fernando

You can add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar to the mousse recipe if you want your chocolate to be a little sweeter. Add it in when you’re melting the chocolate.

cake
2 1/2 cup light spelt flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup muscavado or brown sugar
1/2 cup melted coconut oil or neutral oil of choice
1/2 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons flax meal mixed with 9T. water (or 3 eggs if non vegan)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini, drained

mousse
3.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
1/4 cup water
raspberries for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 6 serving mini bundt cake pan and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the brown sugar, oil, almond milk, flax eggs, and vanilla. Stir in zucchini until well incorporated. Gently stir in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated.

Pour even amounts into each budnt form, it should come up to about 3/4 of the way, and smooth it all around.

Bake for about 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes before inverting and cooling completely on a wire rack.

Just before serving, prepare the chocolate mousse.
Fill a small bowl with ice and cold water and set a large bowl on top, making sure the bottom of the larger bowl touches the ice.

Place the chocolate and water in a small saucepan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Pour the melted chocolate into the reserved mixing bowl and start whisking with a wire whisk until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If it does become grainy, transfer it back to the saucepan, reheat until half of it has melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.

Divide evenly into the center of each cooled cake, top with raspberries (if using) and serve. Best eaten immediately after mousse is finished because the texture is perfect. However, we didn’t mind eating them cool from the fridge the next day, the mouse hardens up a little, but still maintains it’s airy and light consistency.

*Full Disclosure: Green & Black’s provided me with samples of their chocolate. All opinions, text, and images are my own.

Desserts + Sweets, Grains, Summer, Vegan, Vegetables

Arugula, Wild Rice & Apricot Salad

We got back late last night from our week and a half road trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles. We had such a great time and I’ll share a few highlights once we’ve settled back into a routine. I’m currently enjoying how good it feels just to be home.

Before leaving, I created a salad recipe for Free People’s BLDG 25 blog. It’s full of things I’m craving right now (since road trips don’t always include as much fresh produce as I like) and I can’t wait to get back into the kitchen. I think my garden can hardly wait too, it’s looking like a jungle out there!

Arugula, Wild Rice & Apricot Salad / serves 4

2/3 cups wild rice
1 bunch arugula
3-4 fresh apricots (2-3 nectarines or peaches would also work)
1 avocado
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1/3 cup roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped

dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons raw honey (use sugar if making vegan)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste

Rinse the rice. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add the rice, then turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook until the water has been absorbed and the rice becomes tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together all ingredients for the dressing, set aside.

Place the wild rice, arugula, apricots, avocado, and cilantro in a large bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Toss in the almonds just before serving.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables

Tomato Salsa

For me, having a food blog is sometimes more than just sharing new recipes, techniques, and pretty pictures. Ultimately, I started writing and posting here as a way to explore my other creative passions (photography and food) aside from strictly designing all day. It has proved to be a great outlet and place for me to share and network with an amazing community. It has also become a place for me to tell stories that intertwine with my life. I love that I can look back and I’ve basically documented what I was doing at the time. So, before you pass this recipe up as just another salsa recipe, I invite you to read what this salsa really means to me and let me tell you a story about how I met my husband and became a little more confidant in the kitchen.

It starts with the first time I tasted this salsa. It was Summer and my Mexican-American aunt who lives in California was up for a visit. I had to of been in junior high at the time, so food was probably the last thing on my mind, but she made this salsa and brought it to my parent’s place and I could not for the life of me stop eating it. It was the freshest salsa I had ever eaten; chunky, with just the right amount of flavor and spiciness to every bite. I remember my mom and I declaring that she had to give us the recipe and teach us how to make it. She is seriously one of the kindest women in my family and quickly obliged.

I was already relatively comfortable baking in the kitchen, it was one of the first things my mom taught me, but cooking was still relatively new to me. So when my aunt set out all the ingredients and started to prepare the salsa, I was baffled. Where’s the recipe? How do you know how much to put in? She laughed at this, she never used a recipe when she made salsa, it was all about taste, memory, and just going for it. It was probably the best advise I learned about cooking and something I strongly encourage others to do as well.

Fast forward to my collage years. It was the Summer of 2004 when I took a seat in my public speaking class (a required class, seriously) while attending art school. In walked Scott and it may have been love at first sight, I’m not really sure, I just remember wanting him to sit next to me so badly. He didn’t by the way, but later claimed he wanted to, but was a bit shy. It was an 11 week class, 1 class per week and I don’t think it was until week 9 that either one of us had gotten up enough courage to even utter our first words to each other. Although, by now we had both given several speeches to the class about ourselves.

Week 9 however, was our “how to” speech. We had to explain something we knew how to do really well in front of the class and of all things I choose this salsa. It was perfect. By now my 19 year old self had made salsa enough times to have that memory and I was excited to have something to share with the class where everyone could be a part of what I made. The teachers critique was that I had to many moments of silence while I was chopping everything, I wasn’t planning on becoming the next cooking show sensation, so I was fine with that. What I was most excited about was Scott telling me it was the best salsa he had ever tasted. I swear the salsa sealed the deal and got us to start talking, as food should and usually does. We spent the rest of the Summer inseparable, we got our first apartment together that Winter, and we are celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary on the 1st of August.

Slave Free Tomatoes
I’ve been a pretty conscious eater for most of my mid to late twenties. I shop at my farmers market, joined a CSA, I’m a member at my local coop, and now I have my own garden. These aren’t always choices everyone can make, but when I hear that the US is still using slavery to grow tomatoes, it gets me fired up. Honestly, I didn’t even know about this until several weeks ago and I’m guessing many of you didn’t know either. This can change though.

When Nicole put together an event to raise awareness of slave free tomatoes, I instantly connected. Reaching out to people, gathering ideas, and listening can be the first step in the direction of change. If you would like to get involved the first step is to send letters to supermarket CEOs using this link. It takes less than a minute to do. You can also shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joes, two large grocery stores that encourage slave free tomatoes. Without pressure from consumers, policies will not change. Let’s do this! And again, thank you to Nicole for organizing and reaching out.

Tomato Salsa

This is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion based on taste. Use it as your guide, not your recipe. I now make my version of this without the tomato sauce most of the time, but have included it because it’s the way my aunt makes it. It’s maybe more like a pico de gallo, but I still love it. Adding more tomatoes and/or sauce will help cool down the heat if you get a little crazy with the jalapeño. I recommend Roma’s when making salsa because they have less liquid than the bigger guys, which keeps the salsa less watery.

5 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
1 jalepeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2-3 green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
juice of 1 lime
2-4 tablespoon tomato sauce (optional)
salt to taste

Combine everything in a large bowl, seasoning to taste with salt. Adding more or less based on your preference.

Eat at room temperature or if you want to make ahead, cover and place in the fridge. Give it a good stir before serving, as some of the tomato liquid will have settled at the bottom.

Gluten-Free, Sides, Summer, Vegan, Vegetables

Good Things Grow

healthy recipes & photography

Trail Cookies

Spicy Blackened Green Beans & Corn

Mini Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cakes with Chocolate Mousse

Arugula, Wild Rice & Apricot Salad

Tomato Salsa