Organic Monster Eyeballs

This is a very simple recipe. My son brought a Halloween cookbook home from the library last week so we could make some treats. I adapted this from a recipe in that book. Easy, fun, the kids love to roll and dip these!!!

Blend following ingredients together well until nice and creamy. Roll into 1” balls and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour:

1 C. Organic Creamy Peanut Butter 

4 T. Organic Butter at Room Temperature

2 C. Organic Powdered Sugar

1 t. Organic Vanilla Extract

Melt the following in a double boiler until melted, stir often.

1 C. Chocolate Chips (I love Enjoy Life® brand)

1 T. Raw Organic Cacao Butter

Remove chilled balls and dip in melted chocolate. I used a fondue stick and rocked the ball side to side to leave an uncovered spot on the top. Place in a pan on wax paper. Place eyeball colored candy on the part not covered by chocolate and press. But gently, or you’ll crack the ball. I used Wonka® Mini Chewy SweeTarts®, but you could also use something like M&M’s® MINIS®. It just needs to be small enough to fit in the space. Place back in the frig for a couple hours to make sure the chocolate hardens nicely.

Makes approximately 40 eyeballs.



 

 

Organic Gluten Free Banana Bread

Grease Pans. Bake at 350° for 35-40 min, or until knife inserted comes out clean.

 2 C. Organic Rice or Quinoa Flour

1 ½ t. Aluminum Free Baking Powder
½ t. Aluminum Free Baking Soda
1 t. Ground Organic Cinnamon
½ t. Ground Organic Nutmeg
2 Free Range Eggs, Beaten
2 C. Mashed Organic Bananas
1 C. Organic Sucanat
½ C. Organic Applesauce
¼ C. Chopped Raw Organic Walnuts (optional)

(Frosting optional, see below)

Combine dry ingredients except the sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Mix eggs well. Add applesauce, bananas and sugar and mix well.

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture. Mix just enough so flour is moistened. Pour into greased pans*.

 *I like to use a few small pans of different shapes and sizes instead of one large bread sized pan. It’s more fun and you can freeze some for later. I used 4-5 small tins and baking dishes of different shapes. It averaged out to be 5 dishes. Banana bread thaws out nicely, but just be sure to wrap it good so there isn’t freezer burn. And don't forget to label it!

Frosting:

Blend 8 oz. softened Organic Cream Cheese with 1 t. Organic Vanilla and 1 C. Organic Powdered Sugar**. Spread on top of loaves after they have cooled completely. This is my husband’s absolute favorite cake: “Banana nut bread with cream cheese frosting”.

** I made my own powdered sugar by blending 2 C. Organic Evaporated Cane Juice ‘til powdered and then adding ½ C. Tapioca Flour and blending a little more. It turned out pretty good. A lot less expensive than buying it outright.  

Organic No Bakes

 My cousins made these when I was a kid and now as an adult I’ve re-visited their chocolaty peanut buttery-ness. My daughter begs for them. But then again, she’s easy to please and loves all kinds of food.

Bring to a boil and stir just until sugar is dissolved:

2 C. Organic Evaporated Cane Juice

3 T. Raw Cacao Powder

½ C. Organic Butter

½ C. Raw Milk

Pinch of Sea Salt 

Add In:

3 C. Organic Rolled Oats

½ C. Organic Raw Peanut Butter (I blend my own*)

1 t. Organic Vanilla 

Drop onto wax paper by the spoonful. Put in refrigerator and cool 'til hard.

*I buy roasted salted peanuts from the Nutty Guys through a local vendor. I prefer these to the peanut butter stock type of peanuts. It has a much better flavor.

 

Enjoy! Happy Baking!

 

Organic Vegetable Cheddar Quiche

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8” x 8” glass casserole dish.

5 oz. Organic Fresh Spinach, Chopped
4 T. Organic Butter
2 Small Organic Potatoes, Diced
4-5 Mushrooms Cut up
1-1/2 C. Raw Cheddar Cheese
1 Large Organic Green Onion, Chopped
8 Range Free Eggs, Beaten

Heat 3 T. butter in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes first and let cook on medium high heat approx. five minutes. Add the mushrooms and onions and cook a few more minutes until mushrooms reduce. Remove to a small dish.

Add the last T. butter and spinach all at once and stir just until the spinach is wilted. Transfer spinach to the glass dish, spreading it around so the entire bottom of the dish is covered. Layer the grated cheese (I like Sonnet Farms brand) and potato mixture on top of the spinach.

Beat the eggs and pour in the glass dish. Use a fork to gently stir so everything is just combined.

Bake about 35 minutes or until the mixture is completely set and starting to lightly brown. Let cool a few minutes before cutting. The quiche will settle down some as it cools. Serve hot.

This is good with plain greek yogurt and fresh salsa! (I suggest Fage Total yogurt.)

Makes 6 servings

Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies With Quinoa

 I really love quinoa. It is actually a seed and is gluten free. It is also a great source of protein. Besides making quinoa as a side dish like I would as with rice, I grind it into flour to use in baking. If I use it in breads, my husband thinks it tastes bitter. I've heard that about quinoa, but I never taste the bitter flavor. But, when I use it in cookies, I get no complaints! Just substitute regular white flour in your cookies with quinoa flour. It has a nice consistency and kind of a nutty flavor, something maybe a little like a granola bar.

·       Blend together: 1 C. Softened Organic Butter, 1 C. Organic Evaporated Cane Juice (white sugar) and 1/2 C. Organic Brown Sugar (I use *sucanat).

 

·       Add: 2 Free Range Eggs and 2 t. Organic Vanilla. 

·       Mix and add: 3 C. Organic Quinoa Flour, 1 t. Sea Salt, 1 t. Aluminum Free Baking Soda. 

·       After dough is blended, stir in: 1/2 C. Raw Chopped Nuts (optional), 1-1/2 C. Organic Rolled Oats, 6 oz. Chocolate Chips (I use **Enjoy Life® brand). 

I actually prefer raisins instead of chocolate chips so I'll half the batter adding chips to one half and raisins to the other. They make for a richer, sweet salty flavor in the cookies.  

·       Drop by spoonfuls on a baking stone and bake at 350° for about ten minutes. 

*I like using sucanat because it hasn’t been processed as much as brown sugar. And, you can substitute it for white or brown sugar. I do blend it though first before using or it doesn’t mix in or dissolve as quickly. I’ll buy a bag and blend the whole thing and then store it in the cupboard.

**I use Enjoy Life® baking chips or chunks. These are the only chocolate chips I have found, or any chocolate for that matter except raw cacao powder, that does not contain soy/soy lecithin. (They are also gluten and dairy free.) Soy is in so many foods we purchase, especially anything containing chocolate, and most baked goods. Soy in our diets can make us estrogen dominant which can lead to breast issues for women (maybe for men also, I’ve never looked into that). Soy is safe in a fermented state. Ancient cultures only used fermented soy.

I love baking stones. I'd love to have my pantry full of stone baking dishes. I have ones from Pampered Chef, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Organic Chocolate Graham Cracker Cookies

I remember my Mom would make these when I was a kid. I still love them and now so do my kids. They are so easy to make and keep nicely in the frig for over a week.

Ingredients:
Graham Crackers (I use Erewhon Organic Honey Grahams)
3 C. Organic Powdered Sugar
1 C. Raw Cacao Powder
4 T. Organic Butter
Approx ½ C. Raw Milk, added a tablespoon at a time
1 t. Organic Vanilla

I start with the powdered sugar, cacao powder and butter and get them mixed together nicely. Then I add a tablespoon or two of milk and the vanilla. I work it all together for a consistency I like, then I go for taste. If it’s not sweet enough or not chocolaty enough I add more powdered sugar or cacao powder. If it’s way too thick I add more milk, etc. until I like the end product. You’re looking for a creamy, moist  spreadability.

Break graham crackers in half, spread on a gob of frosting, top with the other half and you’re done.

I keep them in the refrigerator. This helps the frosting set up a bit and makes the crackers a little soft.

˜˜˜For a vanilla version that tastes like Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies, you know the pink and white ones? Omit the cacao powder and add more powdered sugar. SO YUMMY!

 

**All ingredient quantities are approximates. I really don’t have hard fast amounts for the ingredients in this recipe.  I mix and blend, mix and blend until I get the consistency and taste I want. I’ve only ever used Erewhon brand graham crackers. I haven’t seen other organic brands in the stores near where I live.