Persimmon ... Cookies!!

In one of my CSA boxes from Abundant Harvest Organics, I received persimmons. Hmmm. What to do with persimmons? With every foreign item in my CSA box, I will search the internet for recipes. I've eaten dehydrated persimmons before but I didn't do the drying. So, here's to what I found... and the best part of it all was that my son and I prepared this recipe in the kitchen of Cooking and Kids'!


Recipe adapted from All Recipes, Persimmon Cookies II. These are our changes:

Ingredients:

4-5 Hachiya persimmons pureed (see note 1 below)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (room temp)
1 egg
1 tsp real vanilla
2 cups 100% whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: sliced almonds, crushed walnuts, ground cloves (see note 2 below)

Note 1: The best way to prepare persimmons is freezing them then letting them thaw. You can also let them (over) ripen on the counter. This may take a few days so if you're in a hurry, freeze them! Use a pairing knife and peel the skin, throw the persimmons in the blender and puree. Bring the puree to room temperature, if cold, before using them in this recipe. 

Preparation:
1. After prepping the persimmons, mix the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 

2. Add in the pureed persimmons. 

3. In a separate bowl, prepare the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir until combined.

4. Add the dry mixture a half cup in at a time. 

5. Fold in the optional ingredients.

6. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop the batter using an ice cream scoop about an inch apart. The cookie batter will not spread but they'll be big so you may be able to fit 9 cookies to a sheet. 

7. Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes.

Yields 2 dozen. 


Note 2: We omitted the ground cloves and the walnuts from the original recipe. The cookies were absolutely delicious! We thought afterwards since we added a couple extra persimmons than what the recipe called for that we could have decreased the sugar content even lower (original recipe called for 1 cup)! Persimmons are not overly sweet on their own but with the hints of cinnamon and nutmeg they really did shine in this recipe.

Note 3: I made these again subbing the butter for applesauce to try a dairy free version of the cookies. Applesauce is a 1:1 for oil and butter. It cuts down on calories (but who's counting? -- when you're eating healthy fats in balance with each other, focus instead on quality not quantity (or calories in this case)). I would not recommend subbing applesauce. It makes the batter way too runny to set as cookies. I should have tried the batter as muffins but I am not sure they would have held out. 

Maybe you're a baker and have a recommendation on how I could have changed the recipe when it came out too runny when using applesauce instead of butter. Feel free to leave a suggestion below. 

What is your favorite recipe using this type of persimmon? 

Buon Appetito! 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

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Pasta with Tomatoes and Feta

Fantastic, easy, nutritious pasta & tomato dish!

I modified the following recipe with what I had on hand. The first bite reminded of the fresh pasta I made while we lived in Italy! Yes, my modifications were that good!

Original recipe by Chow: click here. 

I had on hand dried herbs - Italian dried herbs - rosemary, oregano, and basil. I also substituted the cheese called for in the recipe with feta and fresh Romano cheese. 

Everything else in the recipe I followed. If you like tomatoes, I think you'll like Chow's recipe or my rendition. Buon Appetito!! 

Photo Credit: Conveying Awareness

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Apple #Fig Muffins #recipe - complements of #AHO

Complements of Abundant Harvest Organics (AHO), I'm sharing their recipe for Apple Fig Muffins that my son and I made (modifications are annotated by an asterisk).

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour 
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup * coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup * organic vanilla yogurt 
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup melted butter 
1 1/2 cups of chopped figs 
2 cups of shredded (or thinly sliced) apples 

Topping:
1 T melted butter
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup * coconut sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine egg, yogurt, and butter in a small bowl. Beat together until all is moist. Stir in apples and figs. 

Spoon batter into baking cups using an ice cream scoop to fill. Combine the topping ingredients and spoon over muffins, pressing down in batter a bit.

It makes 18 regular sized muffins. 

Bake in 375 degree oven for 22-25 minutes depending on the size or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

Download my free eGuide when you subscribe to my monthly newsletters for free.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

#Recipes compliments of #BuenaLomaGardens

Here is a quick way to make salsa and guacamole. And you'll see from the images, you don't need a fancy blender! I spent an afternoon with Elvie from Buena Loma Gardens where she showed me some quick recipes using whole foods!


For the salsa base: fresh squeezed lemon juice about 1/4 cup, 1/2 of a large white onion, 5 medium tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic and one pepper (choose your desired heat level). Blend but not 'til smooth. 

Pour into a bowl and add 1/2 cup fresh cilantro. Stir. Salsa is ready!




Guacamole: Prepare 6 avocados, pour 1/2 cup of salsa and mix. 

For another healthy, easy dish - roasted organic vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and zucchini). We grilled them with sea salt. Yep - that's it. No oils! 



We served the salsa and guacamole with organic blue corn chips and the roasted veggies with a side of basmati rice. Simple, nutritious, and delicious! 

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

Subscribe to my blog here to never miss a post. 
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Download my free eGuide when you subscribe to my monthly newsletters for free.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)