Three-Seed Biscuits

I love biscuits! And I love that these ones have lots of good things in them - whole wheat flour, sunflower seeds (which are one of my favourite things yet I don't eat them very often, must fix that), flaxseeds, wheat germ, sesame seeds. That's some exciting stuff. These are good fresh, but they're also really good heated up in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes, which seems to really bring out their flakiness.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Oatmeal & Wheat Germ Raspberry Scones
Blackberry Whole Wheat Scones
Cheddar and Black Pepper Scones
Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Biscuits

Three-Seed Biscuits
Adapted from Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection

Makes 12

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
Water, for brushing
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Whisk together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingers to cut in butter until in coarse crumbs. Stir in milk to form soft slightly sticky dough.

With floured hands, turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead gently 10 times. Pat out to 7-inch (18 cm) square. Cut into quarters; cut each quarter into 3 strips. Place, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart, on ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with water; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in centre of 425F oven until golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool on pan on rack.

Cocoa-Coconut Chili

I've been trying to update my blog everyday to get through the backlog of food I have to blog about, but I should realize that I won't really have time to update on weekends. I need to save the posts and space them out so as not to overwhelm people during the week! So my trip to Trader Joe's was a success of course. I wish I could say I came home with a virtuous bunch of food but I wasn't comfortable bringing back refrigerated or frozen stuff, since I didn't know how long it would take to cross the border. And they have so many different fun treats so I had to try some!

Mostly I bought junkfood and trail mix (which I guess the kinds I bought are kind of junkfood). I'm really looking forward to trying the garlic basil pasta and lemon pepper papparadelle! The box mac & cheese is for E as he loves trying different ones. The Blenheim California apricots are not good. I'm sticking with the Turkish ones from now on. I don't love dried apricots (or fruit) to begin with but want to start eating them more often for a small source of iron.

Onto the recipe! I've mentioned before that Eat, Drink & Be Vegan is one of my new favourite cookbooks right? It's an outstanding cookbook. I have so many new favourite dishes from it. One of them is this cocoa-coconut chili. I was super intrigued by it - cocoa + coconut in a chili?? Sounded weird but also so interesting. And it turned out really delicious. I'm not a big chili fan but really loved this.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Split Pea Soup
Thai Coconut Corn Stew
White Bean & Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Cocoa-Coconut Chili
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes 7-8 servings

1 tsp oil
2 cups onion, diced
1 1/2 cups celery, diced (I used about 8 ribs)
1/2 cup red or yellow bell peppers, diced
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
3 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 cans (796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (398 mL) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (398 mL) light coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup frozen corn kernels

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, and allspice and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally; reduce heat if onions or garlic starts to burn. When onions start to soften, add cocoa and stir for 1-2 minutes, then add tomatoes, beans, coconut milk, and coconut, and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn kernels, and cook another 5 minutes to heat through. Remove cover to let liquid reduce if desired.

Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not only did I foist another pumpkin recipe on you guys, but now I'm sharing another chocolate chip cookie recipe! I'm sure you all have your favourites, but I still wanted to show you this new favourite of mine. They're very soft and a bit chewy, and I need to make them again very very soon.

I'm going to the states tomorrow for the day and am very much looking forward to a visit to Trader Joe's!!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate Chunk Vanilla Muffins
Chunky Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Chocolate Chipsters
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies & Toblerone Cookies

Thick, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Sunset, November 2003

Makes about 28 cookies

1 cup (1/2 lb) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and brown sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

2. In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir or beat into butter mixture until well incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough in 2-tablespoon (1/8-cup) portions, 2 inches apart, onto buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

4. Bake in a 400F oven until cookies are lightly browned and no longer wet in the center (break one open to check), 6 to 8 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.

5. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to racks to cool. If hot cookies start to break, slide a thin spatula under them to release; let stand on pan to firm up, 2 to 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Tracy’s Lentil Loaf

I've never tried making a lentil loaf, but I love lentils, especially red lentils, and I love vegetarian loaves like this so thought I must find a recipe and try it out! Plus vegetarian loaves are so much easier to make than burgers, which tend to fall apart. I liked this loaf and would make it again, but also want to try out some other versions to see what else is out there. (Please share if you have a favourite!) This lentil loaf was super easy to make and very versatile. I love how there are so many options for each thing, like you can use oats, rice, millet or bulgur. And for the sauce - barbecue sauce, tomato sauce or salsa.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Mushroom Pecan Burger
Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad
Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon, Rosemary and Feta Cheese
Sweet Potato Badi

Tracy’s Lentil Loaf
Adapted from Whipped

Makes 4-6 servings

3/4 cup dry red split lentils, cooked
1 cup oats (or leftover rice, millet or bulgur)
1 cup grated organic cheddar cheese
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (tomato sauce or salsa)
2 organic eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (parsley, scallions, chives or mix)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

(The options I chose: oats, tomato sauce, 1/2 cup green onions + 1/3 cup parsley)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour mixture into oiled loaf pan or casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Tomato Rosemary Scones

I love savoury baked goods so it's no surprise that I really liked these tomato rosemary scones. And I was really happy to see a vegan savoury scone - whenever I think of savoury scones, they always include cheese. One of the coolest things about them is that you use a 14 oz can of tomato sauce as part of the liquid component! Fresh rosemary would be better as the dried rosemary can be a little too twiggy and hard, but I used dried as it's easier. I also used all whole wheat flour, and while I really liked the scones, next time I'd try using maybe half all purpose flour just to give them some lightness.

I'm looking forward to seeing our wedding photos tonight!! (From the official photographer.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cheddar and Black Pepper Scones
Apple Cheddar Scones
Sun Dried Tomato, Feta and Oregano Muffins
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins

Tomato Rosemary Scones
Adapted from Vegan Brunch

3 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of all purpose and whole wheat)
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
14 oz can tomato sauce (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk the oil, tomato sauce, vinegar and rosemary together.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add the wet ingredients. Gently mix, using a wooden spoon. Once the batter is loosely holding together, lightly flour a clean work surface and turn your dough onto it. Gently knead until a soft dough forms; it's important not to overmix or it will become gummy. (You should see some patches of flour.) If the dough seems sticky, add a little flour as you knead so it's easier to work with.

Divide dough in two and form each section into a 6 inch disk. Slice each disk into six pieces. Place scones on a baking sheet and bake for 14 to 16 minutes; the tops should be firm. Remove the scones from the oven and move to cooling rack.

(My dough was really sticky, and honestly if this happens to you, I would just make these drop scone style and save yourself the hassle of trying to add more flour and pat them out, cut them and move them to the baking sheet.)