Nutty Seedy Breakfast Cookies

 

Ingredients

· 3/4 cup/90 grams walnuts, roughly chopped

· 1 cup/2 sticks/225 grams unsalted butter

· 1/2 cup/170 grams maple syrup

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· 3 large eggs (about 150 grams), at room temperature

· 1 ripe banana, thoroughly mashed (about 1/3 cup/100 grams)

· 3/4 cup/100 grams raw unsalted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

· 3/4 cup/40 grams unsweetened flaked coconut

· 1/2 cup/45 grams raw shelled sunflower seeds

· 1/2 cup/50 grams flaxseeds

· 1/4 cup/50 grams millet

· 11/2 cups/150 grams rolled oats

· 1 cup/120 grams dried cranberries

· 2/3 cup/100 grams whole wheat flour

· 1/2 cup/100 grams dried cherries

· 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

 

Steps

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F and place a rack in the center of the oven. Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 6 to 8 minutes, until they are light golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

2) Melt the butter, then place it in a medium bowl. Whisk in the maple syrup and vanilla until well combined. Whisk in the eggs and banana until the mixture is totally homogeneous. (The banana needs to be completely mashed so it whisks in smoothly.)

3) In a large bowl, stir together the pepitas, coconut, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and millet. Remove 1/2 cup/about 50 grams of the mixture and set it aside for topping the cookies. Add the walnuts, oats, cranberries, flour, cherries, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the bowl and stir well to combine. Make a well in the center and pour in the butter mixture. Stir well to combine — the dough will be more like a soft batter than a stiff cookie dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, to allow the grains to absorb the liquid and firm up the batter.

4) When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter it.

5) Wet your hands and use them to scoop about 1/4 cup of the dough from the bowl. Roll the dough into a rough ball, dip the top of the ball into the reserved seed mixture, and plop it seed side up on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat to form the remaining dough. Press the cookies down with the palm of your hand to make them flat. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheet midway through the baking time, until the cookies are golden brown on the edges and firm when you press them in the middle.

6) Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

7) Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

 

 

From: Pastry Love: A Baker’s Journal of Favorite Recipes

By: Joanne Chang

 

World Milk Day

With World Milk Day being on June first, it’s the perfect time to highlight two of our favorite cookbook authors that also share a love for milk: Christina Tosi, owner of the brand – Milk Bar, and Christopher Kimball, owner of the brand - Milk Street. BPL has several titles from each of these well-known brands in our in-house collection. From Tosi, the titles Milk Bar: Kids Only, Milk Bar Life: Recipes & Stories, and All About Cake can be found on both levels of the library. From Kimball, the titles Tuesday Nights Mediterranean, and Milk Street Instant Pot: Bold, Fast, Fresh – A Revolution of Flavor in an Instant, are both located in the Adult Department. Milk Bar also has a TV series that can be viewed for free through Hoopla. If you happen to be a fan of either author, and are interested in more books by them, you can find a dozen more on our digital resource – Libby. If you have any questions about these titles, or want additional recommendations, see a librarian.

Peanut Butter & Coconut Cookies

 

*Recipe intended for babies*

 

Ingredients

· One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

· 1 banana, peeled and sliced

· 1/2 cup peanut butter

· 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, plus more to decorate

· 2 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

· 2 tbsp. milk of your choice

 

Steps

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment paper (you need about 1 1/2 tablespoons per cookie, to make 24). Use a fork to flatten and shape each cookie (they don’t spread when cooking so try to get them to the shape you want now). Sprinkle a little more desiccated coconut on top.

3) Bake for about 30 minutes until the cookies are crisp and golden on top.

4) The cookies are best (and crunchiest when they are first cooked. They become softer as you leave them. They’ll keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

 

From: Veggie from the Start: Easy Vegan and Vegetarian Foods for Babies and Up

By: Rachel Boyett

 

Pork Chuleta

 

Ingredients

· 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

· 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, toasted and ground

· 1/4 teaspoon ground canela (or pinch of ground cinnamon)

· 2 teaspoons kosher salt

· 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

· 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

· 8 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

· Garnish: Avocado slices dressed with a squeeze of fresh lime juice

 

Steps

1) In a large bowl, place the pork slices and sprinkle with the coriander, canela, salt, and pepper, being sure to coat the pork evenly. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork slices and sear on both sides until the meat is barely cooked through, about 6 minutes. Dice the pork into bite-sized pieces and serve immediately.

2) To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with avocado and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with avocado and salsa, fold, and eat right away.

 

From: Tacos: 75 Authentic and Inspired Recipes

By: Mark Miller

 

National Salad Month

Cobb, Caesar, macaroni, fruit – the list goes on; whatever kind of salad you prefer, make sure you enjoy some this May for National Salad Month. If you like to start your meal with a quick salad, BPL has just the thing for you! Not only do we have hundreds of cookbooks with yummy salad recipes, but we have books specifically dedicated to them. We recommend the titles:

• Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season, by Patricia Wells

• 500 Salads: The Only Salad Compendium You'll Ever Need, by Susannah Blake

• Super Salads: More Than 250 Fresh Recipes From Classic to Contemporary

There’s something for everyone and there’s all five types of salads to choose from: green, bound, dinner, fruit, and dessert. If you’re looking to try something new for National Salad Month, all the titles above can be found in our in-house collection under the call number “641.” For our patrons that utilize our digital resources, Hoopla and Libby have a more vast collection to choose from. Some of our favorites include: 

• Food52 Mighty Salads: 60 New Ways to Turn Salad into Dinner

• Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy Obsession, by Jess Damuck and Martha Stewart

• The Complete Salad Cookbook: A Fresh Guide to 200+ Vibrant Dishes Using Greens, Vegetables, Grains, Proteins, and More, by America's Test Kitchen

Let us know some of your favorites and how you choose to spice up your salads!

Basic Vinaigrette Dressing

 

Ingredients

· 1/2 Tbsp. finely minced shallot or scallion

· 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon-type mustard

· 1/4 Tsp. salt

· 1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

· 1/2 Tbsp. wine vinegar

· 1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil

· Freshly ground pepper

 

Steps

1) This is a bare-bones recipe for the simple all-purpose vinaigrette, which you will vary as you wish. Its beauty lies solely in the quality of your ingredients. Note that you will so often see proportions of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, but that can make a very acid, very vinegary vinaigrette. I use the proportions of a very dry martini, since you can always add more vinegar or lemon but you can't take it out.

From: Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and recipes from a lifetime of cooking

By: Julia Child