Maple Pecan Cookies

Posted on May 23, 2013 by mgking76

I have had it on my mind to make these cookies and I finally got around to it. They came out really tasty! Maple and pecans are two of my favorite things, so why not throw them together.

These are made with whole grains and no refined sugar. I also added extra crushed vanilla bean and cinnamon to make the cookie appear sweeter than it actually is. Did you know that spices can do that? I was pretty surprised to first read that, but now I swear by those vanilla beans. They are amazing! This is a great recipe to do with your kids as well. Since my daughter is only 3 1/2, her job is to push the pecans into the middle of the cookie. I used raw pecans for my recipe, but they would be equally delicious with my Candied Pecans as well.

Maple Pecan Cookies

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup ground pecans + more for garnishing the tops
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg (I used a flax egg replacer)
2 tsp ground vanilla beans or extract would work too
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 T coconut oil
1 T milk (I used almond milk)
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, grind up the 1/2 cup pecans (measure before grinding.) Add the pecans to a bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. Add all the wet ingredients into another bowl. Add dry to wet and mix only until combined. The dough will be a bit thick and sticky. Roll into balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Press the cookies down flat with the palm of your hand. Press a pecan into the middle of each cookie. Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes. I got about 20 cookies out of my batch. They should last at least a week, but you can refrigerate or even freeze to make them last longer. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

Posted on May 21, 2013 by mgking76

Who doesn’t like pesto? I actually prefer it over a tomato sauce any day. We have basil growing in our backyard, so I thought I would use some of it to create a pesto sauce. I could seriously sit there and smell it all day! Seriously, if you don’t have basil growing in your house or yard, you need to get some. That stuff grows like a weed! You can save so much money by growing your own herbs. Plus, you can freeze them and have herbs all year round. This recipe makes more of a paste than a sauce, so if you want to turn it into a sauce, you need to add a bit more oil or some water.

I love using this recipe for making pizza. It’s great with a cherry tomatoes as well. If you are not familiar with nutritional yeast, it comes in flake form and gives a nutty and cheesy taste. It is often used in place of cheese. Nutritional yeast is a great source of protein, fiber and B vitamins. You can find it at most health stores. I used almonds when making this pesto, since pine nuts are so expensive. Almonds make a great substitute.

Dairy Free Spinach Pesto

10-15 basil leaves
1 cup almonds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup spinach
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder or 2-3 cloves
salt to taste

Throw everything in the food processor and mix until combined. Since my food processor’s lid broke and I am waiting for a new one to arrive, I had to use my Vitamix for this. I can tell you it was a bit harder in the Vitamix than the food processor. This recipe made about 1 1/2 cups and should last a couple weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for longer storage. Enjoy!