Let’s Go Chicago!!!
Happy First Day of Fall! It’s about 80 degrees here today, but I’m celebrating with pumpkin chocolate chip cookies anyway! The cookies are for my good friend Sara who had a birthday on Thursday, and we’re having a belated BBQ/party for her, with the Chicago Bears game on in the background for Andy.
Happy Birthday Sara!
Oh! Look what my thoughtful husband brought home for me yesterday… some cute Halloween themed cookie-cutters!
Love them!
I also bought myself a little something something yesterday. I’ve outgrown the homemade recipe book I made using construction paper and ribbon (I’m crafty!) and I replaced it with a fancy, journal-like book, where I can write all my recipes down in the future. It’s the little things, really! The pumpkin cookies are my first entry, and I’m sharing them with you too. I created the recipe this morning and it is yummy! If you are gluten-free, you can substitute whole-wheat flour with almond flour.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and Chia Seed Cookies- makes 22 cookies
The dark chocolate chips MAKE this cookie!
Ingredients:
-1 can pumpkin puree (I love Libby’s)
-2 cups whole wheat flour (If you are gluten-free, use 2 1/2 cups almond flour)
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-1/2 cup Niccola’s apple butter or almond butter
-1 egg
-2 T chia seeds
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp each of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg
-1 tsp baking soda
-1 T vanilla
-1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine the pumpkin, egg, vanilla, brown sugar and apple butter together.
2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, powder, soda and spices.
3. Fold the flour mixture into the pumpkin mix.
4. Add chia seeds and chocolate chips at the end.
5. Scoop spoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and enjoy!
Corduroy and Sugar always lick the bowl!
My summer garden is coming to an end, so we used all of our tomatoes and chili peppers for a homemade salsa that we can serve at the BBQ today. It’s simple, fresh and super fun to make.. especially if you have a gas stove to roast the veggies on! Get your apron out though, this is a messy one!
All from our garden! This is how we stretch our budget!
End of the Summer Salsa- makes one tupperware
Ingredients:
-5 pounds of tomatoes
-1 whole bulb of garlic
-2 large white onions
-1 bunch cilantro
-2 chili peppers
-2 Anaheim peppers
-2 Fresno peppers
-salt and pepper
-olive oil
Directions:
1. On your gas stove, set burners on high and blacken the peppers and tomatoes. This is a messy process! Should take 5-8 minutes.
2. In a pan, sauté the onions and garlic in some olive oil and salt and pepper.
3. Take the stems off the peppers and toss in the food processor with the onions and garlic. Pulse until you have a thick consistency, adding cilantro at the end.
4. Let the salsa cool and then place in a tupperware and refrigerate! Get some chips and you are ready to dip!
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Even after the salsa, we still had peppers leftover so we decided to pickle them with fresh radishes. Another easy process, you can literally pickle anything with this recipe from onions and cucumbers to plain ole pickles!
Pickled Peppers and Radishes- makes one tupperware
Ingredients:
-15 chili peppers (your favorites and red hot ones too)
-1 bunch radishes, quartered
-1 cup red wine vinegar
-1 cup white vinegar
-1 bay leaf
-1/4 stick of cinnamon
-3 T sugar
-3 T salt
Directions:
1. Bring the vinegars, sugar, salt, bay leaf and cinnamon stick to a boil.
2. Place the chili peppers in a tupperware and pour the liquid on top.
Pour the vinegar mixture on top and store!
3. Refrigerate and enjoy on pizza, salads, sandwiches, stir-fry and more!
Have a beautiful Sunday and check back this week for a spicy potato salad recipe, homemade enchiladas and more baked goodies from the Yummy Yogini! I’ll leave you with an inside look at my Saturday Ashtanga and Vinyasa class at the Yoga Centre. Did you know you can take my class online anytime, anyplace?
I am getting pretty sneaky with my camera in class!
