Sunday, October 19, 2008

Kitchen Sink Blender Cookies/Autumn Root and Greens Soup

It finally got cool here tonight. Autumn has begun.

I'm sitting here looking at the table after dinner has been eaten by myself, Snackboy, Little Moo and Mother of Snackboy. There were several things to eat, all portioned out onto plates in smallish amounts. It was colorful...everything from rich red soup with greens to raw carrots and late tomatoes, to pastured chicken stirfried with leftover rice pasta and mushrooms. There were green beans, wine for Snackboy and his mother, and sauerkraut. Finally there were the most amazing cookies. As usual, they were a complete accident. They are, I think, late-week GAPS-friendly, although I have to check on all the ingredients.

Kitchen Sink Blender Cookies

1 cup cooked squash (I used butternut)
1 cup pitted dates
about 1" piece of ripe banana
1 hachiya persimmon, removed from skin, very ripe and gooey!
1 cup coconut oil (butter would also be fine here.)
1 egg and 1 yolk
2 ts guar gum
1 cup-2 tb coconut flour
1 ts baking powder
1/2 ts baking soda
1/2 ts cinnamon
1 ts vanilla
1/2 c raisins and/or nuts (optional)

In a strong blender, thoroughly blend the squash, dates, banana and persimmon and coconut oil until creamy. It was so tasty and appetizing at this point that I thought it might be nice to simply stop there and call it fruit pudding, but I had my heart set on autumnal cookies...if you'd like it as a pudding, then go for it. If you'd like to make cookies, keep reading.

At this point, I took the batter from the blender, but you could continue in the blender if it's more convenient.

Partially beat the egg and yolk. Mix into batter.
Add vanilla and cinnamon. Blend baking powder, soda and guar gum. Mix into wet ingredients.
Add coconut flour a little at a time until nicely creamy and somewhat stiff.
Add raisins and mix.

Grease a cookie pan well and drop by spoonfuls. Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes or a bit more. Tops should be brown. Insides spongy and moist.

Autumn Root and Greens Soup

1 red beet, chopped coarsely
1 carrot, chopped coarsely
about 1/3 skinned, cubed squash
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 ts butter, beef tallow or coconut oil
3 leaves kale or other greens, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
4 ts homemade coconut milk kefir
lime slices

In saucepan saute the onions in fat until half-cooked and sweet-smelling. Add beet, carrot, squash and broth. Bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer covered. Add greens. Simmer 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly in order to keep the kefir's probiotic organisms alive. Add kefir and squeezes of lime juice to taste. Serve with lime slices floating on top.

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