napa mustard slaw with apple & walnuts

Winter is a busy time when you've got a craft business. There's craft fairs, holiday orders and a lot of extra work. Double it when you add in your own web business. Add in a blog or two, and things start to slide. But I'm not going to beat myself up. Instead, I'm going to celebrate because I've created a very tasty little salad in between coding, designing, folding, packaging and selling. In fact, I've made for than a few meals out of it and within the past 2 weeks, have probably made it more times than I'd care to admit. It's delicious and great and it's a perfect reminder to why salads are to be eaten year round.

And this slaw is perfectly seasonal. Cabbage? Totally available. Apples? Oh boy! And the vinaigrette? It's a delicate, powerful and sophisticated mouthful. I think it helps that the magic ingredient is a homemade vanilla meyer lemon marmalade gifted to me by a wonderful food blogger, but I'm sure any other marmalade will provide just the perfect touch. So hunker down this winter with a slaw and forgo the soup once in awhile.

Please take a peek over at Poppytalk where I've also gone slaw crazy! Over there I've posted a delicious Asian-inspired and super colourful vegetable slaw with pineapple, diakon and a ginger dressing. So let's just take some time in the coming month to remember vegetables alongside candy canes, chocolate and the like.

napa mustard slaw with apple & walnuts
1/2 head of napa cabbage, shredded
1 tart apple, julienned
1/2 c walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped

vinaigrette
1/4 c olive oil
1-2 T grainy mustard
1 T marmalade
2 T cider vinegar
1 t honey
salt & pepper

In a large bowl, add in the cabbage and apples and toss well. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, taste & adjust, if necessary and pour over salad. Scatter walnuts over top and serve.

chocolate chip maple walnut cookies

I think I have discovered my most favorite chocolate chip cookie ever. This one has it all: chocolate, nuts and that beloved chew and crisp that any true chocolate chip cookie worth its salt must have. It's perfect. Plus, it's got a nice chug of maple in there, so take that you old regular cookie! This one trumps all.

Okay, okay, I haven't made that most famous 36 hour cookie recipe yet from the New York Times, but I did try that exact cookie at a certain Seattle pizza restaurant (yup, that's the one) and still I liked this one more. Yes, really. Want to sprinkle some flaky Maldon salt over top before you bake it? Sure, go ahead because I'm going to do just that next time.

My husband claims that I am prone to exaggeration. Don't believe him. But if you doubt any of my claims, hear me out. A friend who tried these cookies on the weekend declared they were the best chocolate chip cookie she had ever had. And she said it out loud in a room full of people. So take that! If you need more convincing, they're also super easy to make. There's no fussing with sifting dry ingredients or adding in the flour at different times. Nope! No rubbish like that. If you can mix, you can have cookies in no time flat. I think I've set some weekend cookie baking in motion, haven't I? Make the people in your house happy, make yourself happy. Make a double batch.

chocolate chip maple walnut cookies
(adapted from Dinner with Julie)
1/4 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c pure maple syrup (the good stuff!!)
1 large egg
1 t maple extract
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c dark chocolate chips
3/4 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, extract and maple syrup together. Add in the egg and combine until fluffy. Dump in the flour, baking soda and salt and stir until just blended before adding the chocolate chips and walnuts and stirring again. Drop by tablespoon 2 inches apart onto a parchment or silpat covered cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 24 cookies.

coffee crunch bar cookies

Sometimes all it takes is just a bit of peer pressure and I'm done in. No turning back. When I spotted these tempting baked goods in my Flickr stream and I had to find out more. I was warned by the baker and by the comments on Bon Appetit about the screwy bake times, but I didn't let that deter me. I mean, c'mon, these bars have nuts, coffee and chocolate which are pretty much the holy trinity as far as I'm concerned. Plus, they are egg-free which was perfect since I was out of eggs (which makes them easily vegan).

Of course, I switched things up a bit. Added in walnuts since that is what I had on-hand and subbed in vanilla for the almond extract. I even did without the extra 2 tablespoons of butter, because, really, there's already a cup in there and that should be enough (it was). As for all those dire warnings about baking times, please do take caution! I used a 13x9 pan instead of a 12x12 pan which resulted in thicker bars so I was able to bake mine for about 35 minutes or so. If you do decide to go with a 12x12 pan, see how the bars are at 25 minutes in. If they need a bit longer, let 'em go, but keep a careful eye on them. Also, it's important to cut the bars right out of the oven, so if they do harden up considerably, you can still get at 'em.

Warnings aside, my bars were perfect. They were chewy and crisp all at once. And not only were they delicious warm out of the oven, they got better the longer they were around. And trust me, in the grand scheme of things, they weren't around too long. The espresso flavour just intensified which made these cookies extra amazing. Perfection had been attained!

coffee crunch bar cookies
(adapted from Molly Wizenberg)
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c (firmly packed) brown sugar
2 T instant espresso powder
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325F. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt together. In another bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, espresso and vanilla extract together. Add in the flour in 2 additions until well mixed. Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.

Press dough into an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. Use a fork to poke holes in the dough every inch or so. Bake for 35 minutes or so, but check after 25 minutes just to be sure it doesn't over-bake. Remove from oven and slice into bars right away. When they cool, they will crisp up.

bold green beans

When I get green beans, I usually end up making my usual snacking lemon-garlic beans. I LOVE them so much that I'm starting to see green beans in a one-track kind of light. When I got some beautiful, crazy long (but not Asian long) green beans in my CSA share, I tried something new. I still wanted that zing and that bite that my dream beans give me, but I wanted some new flavours. Let me introduce you to these bold babies. They are perfect. Crunchy from a quick steam and a toss of sauteed walnuts and they also have power, thanks to garlic and ginger. For the recipe, you'll have to head over to Poppytalk and get it there.

Want more green bean recipes from my archives?
Green Bean Bundles
Green Beans & Tofu in a Thai Coconut Sauce
Green Bean Quinoa Salad
Colourful Chopped Vegetable Salad
Pasta Primavera

be a better person: really easy chocolate fudge with toasted walnuts

I know, what am I doing posting another sugar-fueled recipe shortly after posting about this cake? Well, I tried to stay away from candy-making in January, I mean, this is the time for a bit of dietary restraint, whole grains and all of that I'm-going-to-be-a-better-person-than-the-kind-of-person-that-eats-fudge-in-mother f*cking-January! But then again, I didn't make this recipe for me. I made it to give to someone else, so making fudge in January is perfectly acceptable since I'm being totally selfless and isn't that part of every one's plan to be a better person in 2008?

And to set the record straight, I'm not really one of those people who get obsessed with fudge. I pretty much get my fill after 1 bite since it's sweeter than all get out. But then I made this fudge...and oh, boy, didn't a little part of me get a bit sad when I realized that I had to give away this delicious concoction of condensed milk, chocolate and butter. Yes, this fudge is so incredible and so easy to make that it's taking all my restraint not to whip up another batch. You see those fudgy bits in the photos? Those were the ugly corner and edge bits that didn't look good enough to give away. However, those were the nibbly bits that definitely made it into our mouths.


really easy chocolate fudge with toasted walnuts
300 ml can of condensed milk
2 T butter
350 g milk or dark chocolate chips (I combined a mix of the two)
1/2 c - 3/4 c walnuts, toasted* & roughly chopped

1. In a double boiler (bain marie or microwave is acceptable too), melt the chocolate chips, butter and condensed milk together, scraping the sides and stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, butter a 8x8 pan and lay in a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper.

3. When chocolate mixture is melted, remove from heat and add in walnuts. Mix to combine and then pour chocolate into prepared pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula. Let cool and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours until firm. Cut into 1 inch squares.

* To toast walnuts, simply spread out some halves onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven over low heat (200-250 degrees). Shake the pan every once in awhile to check on things, but they should be ready when the skins are golden and fragrant, about 20 minutes or so.

snackin' cake

As a kid, I used to hate the word "snack". I don't know what it was, but it always made me scowl and cringe with embarassment. Maybe because everyone who said "snack" ended up sounding like a big ol' whiner ("snnnaaaaaaaaaaaack") that it totally drove me up the wall. But times change and pretty much everything about "snack" just seems right. It's true that I love it for it's by-gone day notions...somehow it conjures up family rec rooms and wood paneling and the colours avocado and orange. Snack time and snack break and even "Snackin' Cake" (a commercial cake mix) totally makes me think of being a kid in the '70s.

Earlier this week, I was on a snack mission. I wanted something sweet (but not overly so) and easy to make with no muss or fuss. This square is very similar to a brownie in texture, so I guess this is what could be termed a "blondie"? It's dense and chewy and the edges got a bit crispy which is just how I like 'em. Cornelius couldn't get enough of them! And for my snack quota? Totally fulfilled.

chocolate chip walnut squares
1 c brown sugar (not packed)
1/4 c butter, softened
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnut pieces, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until combined. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts.

2. Grease up a square baking pan and add batter to the pan. Smooth out tops and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

veggie burgers & green fries

Last week I wanted burgers but I also wanted to use up stuff we had around our kitchen, so that meant no going to the grocery store for new items. I had to use what was around the house. Luckily I stumbled across this veggie burger recipe over at My Food Geek and with claims that this was the best veggie burger ever, I was definitely intrigued. The recipe originally comes from The New Laurel's Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition and while it seems strange to add broth to the cooking burgers, it works! The burgers are delicious and hearty and I might just have to second these as the best veggie burgers ever. We ate them on toasted hamburger buns spread with a dollop of homemade chipotle mayo, some organic ketchup, a slice of melted cheddar cheese and a few slices of cucumber. Delcious! We didn't server these with fries, but we ate them with my favorite lemony green beans which have bite, contain the perfect amount of salt and are the perfect summer substitute for hot and greasy fries.

walnut oatmeal burgers
burger mixture:
2 c walnut pieces
2 c rolled oats
½ c breadcrumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
½ c skim milk
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t sage
1 t salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 c vegetable stock*

1. Grind walnuts in blender and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients. Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.

2. Form the mixture into patties. The entire mixture will make 8-12 burgers depending on the size patty formed. It is recommended to use half of the mixture now, and reserve the rest for use in another recipe or for more burgers later.

3. Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Serve on buns with all your burger fixings.

* If you are only cooking up half the mixture now and half later, be sure to also half the amount of stock. So use 1 ½ c of stock per half batch.