No-Bake Cookies...Perfect for Summer!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookie Balls
1 cup peanut butter (I use Adams  100% Natural Crunchy)
1 1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon real salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup oats

Powder:
1/4 cup oats or oat flour
3 tablespoons sucanat

If you have a food processor, this can all be done by adding peanut butter, raisins, salt, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, nectar and 1 cup oats into food processor bowl and processing.  I do not have a food processor, so I blend the 1 cup oats, salt, and cocoa powder in a blender until it's a flour-like texture.  I then pour the flour mixture into a Kitchen-Aid mixer with the remaining ingredients, and stir until everything is well blended (I have also just mixed everything in the mixer without using the blender, and it still tastes delicious, it just doesn't have a smooth texture and the oats are a little chewy).  The powder is made by putting 1/4 cup oats and sucanat in a blender and blending until it's a fine powder.

I roll my cookie balls in approximately 1/2 tablespoon size balls, then roll in the powder.  I place them on a cookie sheet and freeze.  Once they are frozen, I put in a freezer ziploc bag and eat them straight from the freezer.  Chocolate, peanut butter, and cold...what's not to love?

Happy Kitchen Hint: To easily wipe up that spot of food that has now dried on your counter, squeeze some soapy water from your dishrag onto the spot and leave for a couple of minutes.  It should easily wipe up when you return.

Asian Sesame Salad Dressing

The top reasons I revise recipes is to make them healthier, cheaper, faster, to use less dishes, less ingredients, or because I'm out of something the recipe calls for.

The following was revised to make it faster.  The original recipe called for toasting sesame seeds, processing in the food processor, yada, yada... too many dishes and too many steps, and I didn't have any sesame seeds.

The following recipes is just a matter of measuring ingredients together and shaking.

Asian Sesame Salad Dressing
4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons Tamari low-sodium soy sauce (and yes, this makes a HUGE difference in the healthfulness of the recipe, and the taste)
2 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed*
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

Mix all ingredients together.  Shake. 
*Easy way to crush garlic...lay blade of knife flat on peeled clove and smack flat side of the blade with hand. 

I didn't even miss the toasted sesame seeds!  I'm loving this dressing over a spinach salad with finely sliced granny apple slices, finely sliced red onion, craisins, peeled bite-size sections of orange, and finely diced orange bell pepper.  YUM!

Happy Kitchen Hint: To get the 'stink' out of your washrags and sponges, fill a small bucket or bowl halway with water and add 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar.  Store the bowl or bucket under your sink and add your washrags at the end of the day.  On laundry day, dump the bowl or bucket (water and vinegar included) into the washer and wash as usual.

Bountiful Basket from Today

A few months ago, my mom invited me to participate in Bountiful Basket's cooperative effort to bring affordable fruits and vegetables to our area.  I didn't.  I was invited again by a friend, than again by a different friend.  With a huge sigh, I participated.  I was expecting to have to sign up for a repeat order (now I wish they had one so I didn't have to go in and order every week), I was expecting it to be a huge chunk of my time every week, and I was expecting to spend more than I wanted to.  I was so wrong!  I've been participating every week for a couple of months now and I LOVE it!

The variety is amazing, the quantity is great, the quality has been better than I expected, and even though I spend more on produce than I did before, I spend less on other stuff.  The variety gets me out of my comfort zone, makes me try new things, and keeps me from getting bored.  The quantity keeps me having to USE it at every meal, so we are eating so much healthier.  And the quality has surprised me!  I'm not saying that I don't have some waste, because I do.  I've had a bad batch of bananas that never did ripen.  I've had spinach that wilted too quickly and became chicken food.  However, with as much as bring in, I've been surprised at how little is thrown out.  Because I have to use it up so quickly, my meals are often made around the veggies so I don't have the opportunity to forget them, and I have less waste that way. 

I think my favorite part of participating is looking in my healthy fridge!