My friend Regina made over the traditional oatmeal no-bake cookie recipe to be more healthy. I called her the other day and begged for it — my kids were desperate for a snack and I was short on time. These cookies fit the bill, deliciously!

Regina makes her cookies with natural peanut butter and carob powder. I used almond butter and cocoa powder. Either way… yummy! Next time I make them, I am going to try to boil just the Rapadura, water, cocoa powder and vanilla, but leave adding the coconut oil to the very end, so it won’t be cooked at all. I’ll come back and update this recipe then, if it works — if the coconut oil will sufficiently melt from the heat of the chocolate syrup mixture.

Update: The cookies did not stiffen up sufficiently for finger grabbing when I did not boil the coconut oil along with the chocolate syrup mixture. So, follow the recipe as written for best results.

Update 12/1/09: Since oats have a high amount of phytic acid (which blocks mineral absorption), I now recommend a soaking to neutralize the phytic acid. It takes a bit of time, but it is not hard or time-consuming overall. The nutrition boost this provides is worth it! My Haniya, who is sensitive to both gluten and unsoaked grains, is able to eat oats, as long as they’re soaked. For this recipe, you’ll take the soaked oats and then dehydrate them back to the crispy state before mixing them with the liquid ingredients. I also soak and dehydrate the almonds that I use to make the almond butter – because unsoaked nuts contain high amounts of enzyme inhibitors.

*A few days before making these cookies, soak 10 cups of thick rolled oats overnight in water to cover (and then some) along with 1/2 cup of raw apple cider vinegar, Kombucha, kefir, yogurt or other acidic liquid. Drain and rinse. Then spread in layers on dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit until dry and crisp. Then proceed with the recipe.

In a large pot, combine:

• 3 cups Rapadura (reduce to lessen the sweetness-I have gotten this down to 2 cups and think I can still reduce more, they’re plenty sweet)
• 1 cup pure water
• 3/4 cup carob powder or 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 cup unrefined, virgin, raw coconut oil

Place pot on a burner over medium heat. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2 minutes, whisking the entire time to prevent burning and to ensure the coconut oil melts and mixes in well. Remove from heat and add:

• 6 to 7 cups soaked, then dehydrated rolled oats* (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free cookies)
• 1 cup natural peanut butter or natural (soaked) almond butter
• 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)
• 1-1/2 cups raisins (optional)
  

Mix well. Mixture should be thick but stirrable. It will harden as it cools. Drop by heaping spoonfuls on cookie sheets. This is a double batch and makes about 4 dozen+ huge cookies. They will cool quickly and can be eaten in just a few minutes. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container.

• 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• 1 medium onion or 2 small onions, diced
• 4 cups cooked and cooled quinoa*
• 2 to 3 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Brown the ground beef in a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Leave it pretty chunky (that’s our preference; you can chop it up to smithereens if you want).

Add the diced onions and let them saute in all the yummy beef juices.

Add the cooked quinoa, salt, pepper, and basil. Mix without smushing up the quinoa. Let it all come to a warm temperature.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

To add a yummy touch, put a bit of shredded goat cheese on top of each person’s serving.

*To cook quinoa: Rinse 2 cups of quinoa grain in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water for 2 minutes. Put the grain, 4 cups of water, and a dash of extra virgin olive oil in an 8-cup capacity pot. Bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer while covered. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. After about 15 minutes, fluff with a fork.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.

The irons come coated with paraffin wax to prevent rust. This must be removed. My method of choice was to smoke up the entire house by putting a half of an iron on each burner (2 irons, 4 halves, all 4 burners) and letting the wax burn off over medium heat. The exhaust couldn’t keep up with it all, thus the smoky house. Caution: Don’t assume I’m recommending this method; try it at your own peril. Paraffin wax is extremely flammable!

Then I seasoned the irons right on the four burners, too. For about fifteen minutes, and while over medium heat, I brushed each half over and over with coconut oil until they turned dark.

The recipe: a thick four grain flatbread batter, with an addition: 1/4 cup of organic, extra-virgin olive oil. Each waffle took 4 minutes. I flipped the entire waffle iron over on the burner after 2 minutes to brown both sides.

Result: crispy, delicious (really delicious). Drizzled with agave. That’s it, simple! Jeff ate his with two fried eggs and sans the agave. The recipe works as either savory or sweet. I know I’m going to have to make some tomorrow ASAP, otherwise I will have to listen to very polite beggars all day.

Tumeric is known to be a beneficial spice, and among its properties is a lending of anti-inflammatory benefits to persons who eat it.

I used about two teaspoons in a full pot of chicken soup. The main ingredients in the soup: chicken stock, onions, red potatoes, black beans, cooked chicken, turmeric, sage, cumin, salt and pepper. Fabulous. Thank you, Tata Wardeh.

She brought the waffle iron. Using my four-grain flatbread recipe, we made a thicker batter (by using a little less water). We oiled the waffle iron with a little extra-virgin, unrefined coconot oil. I was concerned that the waffles would be gooey inside, but they really weren’t too bad. The iron steamed all that water out. Literally. For the first 4 minutes of cooking, the steam poured out. A set of waffles would cook in about 4.5 minutes with this waffle iron.

We ate the waffles dipped into a delicious bean soup Jami brought — spiced up with her home-grown hot peppers. The breads were really savory and tasty. The organic corn flour gives them an awesome flavor. And we ate sprout salads topped with other of her garden veggies — bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

What I wonder is, does anyone know of a cast-iron waffle iron? Or stainless steel? The one we used was a non-stick, which we all know is not the ideal solution. I have a little cast-iron waffle iron that is meant for campfires, and it is fun to use, but unwieldy on the stovetop. I’d love to find something for household use made of safe materials. So please let me know if you know of anything!

• 4 cups of dried mulukhiyyah (comfrey)
• 2 pounds lamb meat (boneless preferred)
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 6 cups water or lamb broth
• salt and lemon juice to taste
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• prepared, cooked brown rice

Brown the garlic with pine nuts in the butter. Add the meat; brown it and add spices.

Rinse the mulukhiyyah (comfrey) well, picking out the little stems. Add to the meat.

Stir for 5 minutes on low fire. Add the water or lamb broth. Let boil and add the lemon juice.

Cook for 1-1/2 hours until lamb is tender. Serve over cooked brown rice.

Note: If you use the meat with bones, boil meat, strain, and then brown with garlic and pine nuts.

The recipe is flexible; a couple of the ingredients are optional. Can’t beat that! I’m sure it could be livened up with cilantro or cayenne pepper.

• 4 cups cooked black beans (see How to Cook Dry Beans)
• 1/2 cup pure water
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional, but recommended)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Blend until well mixed, but leave a little chunky. Refrigerate.

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon

I am so thankful to Sonya, a friend and commenter, for sharing a gluten-free tortilla recipe with me! I didn’t follow it exactly, so here follows my modified recipe. The original is Living Without’s Gluten-Free Flour Tortillas.

We enjoyed these today as wraps with shredded chicken and shredded goat cheese. We all agreed they were the best tortillas ever! Who needs gluten? These are just as good, if not better!

This recipe makes about 8 tortillas.

• 1-1/4 cup corn flour*
• 3/4 cup brown rice flour*
• 1/3 cup potato flour
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 1-1/4 cups pure water, room temperature

*Flour Tortilla Variation: Increase the brown rice flour to 1 cup. Use 1 cup of buckwheat flour instead of the corn flour. No other changes are necessary. This is a very yummy variation!

Combine all the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add the oil and cut it in with a whisk or a fork. Add 1/2 cup water. Mix well. Add more until the dough becomes soft and hangs together when made into a ball.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

Generously flour a clean counter-top with corn flour, for rolling. Form a 2-inch ball of dough, then flatten it.

Using natural wax paper (from Natural Value) between the dough and a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle, about 8 inches in diameter. Rotate the dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking to the counter; dust with more flour as necessary. If the tortilla does stick to the counter, release it by sliding a spatula between it and the counter.

Transfer the tortilla to the heated cast-iron skillet. Oiling is not necessary if the skillet is well seasoned. Allow to cook on the first side until big and puffy, about 1 minute.

The underside with have spots of browning. Flip over and let the second side brown. Transfer cooked tortilla to a dinner plate and cover with a towel to keep soft and warm.

Begin the process again with a new tortilla — shaping it and baking it. Once you develop a rythmn, you’ll be able to roll one out while another is cooking.

Unfortunately, this is one of those foods for which I can’t figure out a plastic-free method of storage. So, store them in a zipper-seal plastic bag in the fridge or in the freezer for future use.

In addition to being gluten-free, these muffins are also egg-free and dairy-free. Makes 18 muffins.

• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• 1 cup grapeseed oil
• 1-1/2 cups date sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon*
• 1 teaspoon ginger*
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup ground nuts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In mixing bowl, mix flax seed meal and coconut milk. Let sit for a few minutes. Add grapeseed oil, date sugar, vanilla and spices. Blend well, until smooth.

Add baking powder, salt, flours and quinoa flakes. Mix lightly, until smooth. Add raisins, coconut and nuts. Mix lightly, to incorporate.

Fill greased muffin tin or muffin paper liners three-fourths full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer muffins to cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container.

*Instead of cinnamon & ginger, use 1 teaspoon Five-Spice Powder. Yumm!

© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon.