Fudgy Chocolate Zucchini Cookies- Veganized!

During my recent search for recipes utilizing the rather large pile of shredded zucchini I have on hand, I came across this recipe from An Oregon Cottage for Fudgy Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cookies. As yummy as they looked, you know I couldn't pass up an opportunity to veganize them!

Ingredients:

• 5 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup carob or cocoa powder
• 1/3 c. granulated sugar (I used vegan evaporated cane juice crystals)
• 1/3 c. coconut palm sugar (or Sucanat)
• 1 flax seed "egg"
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/4 c. spelt or whole spelt (or combination of both for low gluten option)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
• 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (drained of moisture)
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips, (We like Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, Gluten, Dairy, nut & Soy Free, Mini Chips, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 6))

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. If coconut oil is not already softened, then heat briefly. If you needed to heat it , let it cool off a bit. Place oil in mixing bowl. Stir in sugars and carob or cocoa powder until combined. Add flax seed "egg" and vanilla.
3. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt until smooth and then add the zucchini and chocolate chips. Stir until well combined.
4. Drop by tablespoon sized scoops onto cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before sliding parchment over to cooling rack.

Notes of things I learned about this recipe:

*You can use up to 1/2 cup or carob or cocoa if you want a stronger chocolate flavor. 1/4 cup carob was enough for me as it has a distinct taste to it.

*We were out of vanilla, and didn't miss it.

*Like the original, you can use wheat flour instead of spelt if gluten isn't a concern.

*My batter was very thick. If you opt for whole wheat or whole spelt flour only, I would suggest making at least part of your sweeteners either honey, maple syrup or agave. You can google conversion ratios to granulated sugar.

*If your zucchini still has a lot of moisture in it, disregard the previous note.

These cookies are delicious. They even received my picky son's seal of approval!

Enjoy!

Lemon Zucchini Cookies (Vegan)

I love lemon. Since I also happen to have a large zucchini on hand, I decided to look at Pinterest for some tasty desserts. Not only is there a plethora of zucchini available this time of year, the zucchini recipes also abound.

Enter my vegan version of lemon zucchini cookies. You can find the original recipe here. I made very few changes. The most complicated part of the recipe is to get the ratio of flours correct, if you are not concerned about gluten, this recipe will be very easy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar (any combination of natural sweeteners)
1 flaxseed egg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 cups flour (I used spelt, whole spelt and gluten-free mix, combined)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

*And because I love lemon, I added a splash of lemon juice.

Step one: in a large bowl, cream coconut oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in flaxseed egg, zucchini and lemon peel. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in raisins and walnuts if desired.

Step two: drop by tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. I simply slide off the parchment paper onto the cooling.

Step three: you can easily make a glaze for these as well. I chose instead to sprinkle them with rapadura sugar in order to reduce the amount of sugar from the original recipe.

Enjoy!

Planting With the Moon

Years ago, my parents taught me to plant a garden according to the phases of the moon. If it is a root vegetable, plant it from just after the full moon until the new moon. For crops that are above ground, you do the opposite...just after the new moon until the full.

This has always worked for me and made complete sense if you know anything about tidal pulls and how intricately woven all of nature is with the moon's influence. But a few months ago, I wanted to find an online calendar that would give me the specifics of when it was best to plant. I've come across such a site in the past, but lost track of it over the years.

My googling paid off. There is this great site, http://www.rhythmofnature.net/ where you can not only find garden planting instruction, but also watering, when to pull weeds, mow your grass, use fertilizers and harvest...all according to the phases of the moon.

But there's more. Rhythm of Nature also includes a health and beauty chart, plus a home one that shows the best days to dust or even streak free clean your windows.

Interestingly enough, I'd just come across another website from a company that I'm going to start purchasing my hair color. The Moroccan method site also included a lunar hair chart for when to cut your hair depending upon if you want to strengthen, lengthen or even impede growth.

I admit, all of this fascinates me because one of my heart's desires for many years has been to get back to living the way God intended us to live...closer to the land and living in the flow and rhythm of nature. My kids have taken to calling me a hippie. I may be wrong...but when they get their wisdom teeth pulled, I think they'll be glad their mom scheduled the appointment on an appropriately timed surgery day.

If living seasonally and with the ebb and flow of nature makes me a hippie, then I say, "Peace!"

On the Sixth (& Fifth) Day of Christmas- Source Naturals Vitamin D3; Pet Pal

 

I knew when I started this series about My Favorite Things that I most likely couldn't keep up a post a day pace throughout the 12 Days of Christmas. Alas, yesterday I missed completing Day 5...so here it is along with the highly anticipated (I'm certain!) Day 6.

 

Day 5: Source Naturals Vitamin D-3 Liquid, 4 Fluid Ounce

Thanks to Rawganic Vegan, I stumbled across this treasure and purchased it on Amazon. From my limited research, apparently, if you live north of Atlanta, Georgia, it is impossible to get enough Vitamin D from natural sunlight for the months of September through March. I can readily believe this. I also know that most of us aren't outside enough even during the warm months to get adequate supplies.

 

This liquid supplement can easily be used in a cup of water, juice or a smoothie. I've done all three and only noticed a minimal taste in water. It's not unpleasant or bitter, just different. I don't even know how to describe it.

 

For information about Vitamin D deficiency, I found this informative article at Natural News. I hope you read the article because odds are you, or one of the people you know, suffer from one of the Top 10 maladies from a Vitamin D deficiency. It's also almost impossible to get this much-needed vitamin from food alone. It is synthetically added to milk and other products, but that form is not well metabolized by your body. You would have to eat two portions of fatty fish (salmon or mackerel) per day to get enough. Thus, my option became purchasing this supplement instead.

 

 

Day 6: This cute little elephant Pet Pal that my husband gave me for Christmas. He purchased it at It's Only Fair in Newport. I love that he knows me so well. He could have bought just about anything he wanted...and he chose to get me a meaningful gift that has a huge impact on the life of the lady who made it.

 

*I hope you'll indulge me for a moment longer as I became a bit overwhelmed at something God just did in the moment as I type this. This was not how I was expecting my simple blog post to end.*

 

Christmas morning when I opened this animal I was delighted and blessed to be joined to a man that cares about the things that matter to me. I immediately treasured this gift.

 

There were also three cards attached and a brochure that explained more about the purchase. (Yet another reason why I will continue to shop at It's Only Fair.) But that morning I didn't have my reading glasses on and told myself I'd read them later when I could give the information my full attention.

 

Life has been hectic since then with three days of travelling to see families and then catching up here at home. As I sat down to write this post, I grabbed the cards with the intention of reading them before writing about the gift. Here's what the first card says: "Anyango Anjella- Anjella is 36 years old with 4 children and 1 child that she takes care of for a total of 5. She was abandoned by her husband over 5 years ago and has been struggling to feed her children. Since being in the BU (Beyond Uganda) program, she has been able to send her children to school and her dream is to move out of the one room they live in and purchase a home. Your purchase today has helped Anjella get closer to that goal."

 

The second card says this: "Meet Awori Abigail. She is 13 years old & in Grade 4. Your animal is Handmade by Women in Uganda And This Beautiful Stuffed Animal will Provide A Brand New School Uniform for Awori Abigail At Mt.Zion Orphanage in Bugiri, Uganda."

 

Do you see it? Do you know me and know that my name is also Anjella (Angela)? Do you see that this orphan who will now have a new school uniform because of this little animal is named Abigail? ...the same name as my oldest daughter?

 

So while my husband bought me a cute little animal to give his Angela and also bought Haitian hand painted magnets for his Abigail and other three children...he was in turn providing food, clothing and shelter for another Anjella and Abigail half a world away that he may never meet this side of the fulfilled Kingdom.

 

Have I mentioned to you how much I absolutely LOVE Fair Trade?!!!

 

On the First Day of Christmas- Ancient Minerals Magnesium Spray

I explained in this post why I am sharing my favorite things. But these are also just really great products that I know you will enjoy. The product featured prominently in the photo above is where I'll start.

Ancient Minerals Ultra Pure Magnesium Oil 8 oz. is a great natural resource I first learned about from the Rawganic Vegan lady. She had mentioned that a magnesium deficit can affect sleep and, my life-long issue, restless leg syndrome. I have since done a little more research and discovered that a magnesium deficiency affects most of us because of soil depletion. And a lack of magnesium can disrupt blood pressure, insulin production, cause muscle twitches, and on and on and on. Many consider magnesium to be the most necessary mineral for the body.

I only know my own experience...and here's what I have learned: within two nights of spraying it on the bottom of my feet, I began to sleep better. Magnesium stimulates natural melatonin production. So if you're concerned about giving your child a synthetic supplement of melatonin, this spray is a natural alternative.

My restless leg has also improved. I didn't recognize just how much until I forgot to use this spray two days this week. The first night I had trouble getting to sleep because of the restlessness. Not putting two and two together, the second night, my thigh muscle was twitching so badly that I could not get to sleep. My legs continued to be restless and I estimate it took an hour longer to get to sleep than usual.

Do your own research, but this article is a great place to start.

Next up...Urban Farm Magazine

My Favorite Things

For some strange reason, every Christmas, The Sound of Music's song, "My Favorite Things" seems to get a lot of play. I guess it has something to do with the one line about "brown paper packages tied up with string." Regardless of why, it set me to thinking about a few of my own favorite things. I also thought maybe I could do a bit of a "Twelve Days of Christmas" series with it. Although I'm uncertain as to whether I can keep a blog a day pace for twelve straight...I do have at least a few items I've been wanting to share with you. 

Pictured above are the five that I didn't even have to think twice about. So...we'll see if I can do this. First post will follow shortly.

Homemade Natural Toothpaste

For the better part of two plus years, I have been making and using my own toothpaste. Recipes abound on the internet and I don't recall where I found this one. The first dentist appointment I had after I'd been using this for several months, I admittedly was worried about the condition of my teeth, but phrases like, "Your teeth look great," "You have very little tartar," and "Keep doing what you're doing," have been repeated every six months without fail.

I confess I am not a consistent flosser and my gums do get irritated as the hygienist cleans, but when my gums are "measured" and the dentist peaks in, I am always told, "Well, you could pick up on your flossing a little to keep the irritation down, but other than that...it all looks great."

I'll take it!

And my homemade version is cheaper than anything you can buy in the store. It's a win-win.

There are only three ingredients: coconut oil (I use organic, extra-virgin), baking soda, and peppermint essential oil. In a glass container with a lid, place 2 Tablespoons oil, 3 Tablespoons soda and 20-25 drops of essential oils (your flavor preference of course) and stir. That's it. The whole thing takes five minutes tops.

My only words of caution are these: the oil will be soft, almost liquid in warm weather and your sink will have oil in it and will need cleaned frequently. But the oil cleans easily with a scrubbing cloth or sponge. And don't talk to me about fluoride. Don't swallow what you've been told by dentists and an industry that attempts to unload hazardous waste on unsuspecting people. Do your own research and decide for yourself if toxic waste is something you want placed in your body.

Health benefits of coconut oil include anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties. Baking soda scrubs and gives your teeth that "fresh from the dentist feeling."

Indian Healing Clay

I don't often promote products with this blog, but I feel remiss not sharing this one. Now, I'm not a connoisseur of clay products so I can't do a comparative analysis, but what this product advertises it will do...it does...and more. I purchased it on Amazon.com with just a little skepticism, but from the first usage have been greatly impressed with how well it works.

Just one tablespoon of this Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Deep Pore Cleansing, 16 Ounce combined with one tablespoon of Bragg - Apple Cider Vinegar, 32 oz liquid (which is a raw product that I need to review in a separate post), slop it on your face for 15 minutes and you not only have a clay that draws impurities from deep within your pores...you also get a mini-chemical peel that over consecutive usage (only once a week) reduces the size of pores. Honest...it works!

Be forewarned though, if you have a lot of impurities below the surface of the skin, you will experience some blemishes a day or so after using. The cider does make the mask tingle and you may experience some redness after washing off the mask. But you can begin with only five minutes and gradually increase the length of time each week it should become tolerable. The only complaint I have is not mine...it's from my kids...the vinegar smells.

The package says you'll only get 10-15 facials with the one pound jar, which is the one I purchased. I've been using this weekly since April and still have about half a jar left. Additional uses are listed such as applying to bug bites and that's finally why I decided to write this post and promote the product. I'd tried it on the occasional mosquito bites I've had this summer, but about two weeks ago I stood outside for almost three hours chatting with friends one night and came home with 52 bug bites. You read that right...52. Sometimes, I don't react well to bites. Apparently,  it sets off an allergic reaction. Then, I have more than your normal amount of swelling at the site of the bite and they can almost appear to be infected. This was one of those times.

24 hours after I received the bites, I was miserable and constantly itching and scratching with no relief. I decided to give the clay a try and pretty much coated my legs, using only water to mix it instead of the vinegar. I slept with it on (which I learned the next day I really didn't need to do) and had relief to get through the night. I washed it off the next morning and  I experienced no itching until late afternoon. I applied the clay to my legs again and had instant relief. This time I washed it off after about an hour.

Now here's the interesting thing and I apologize if this is too much information...but the clay literally pulled the venom to the surface of the bites, which hardened (yes, it was crusty and clear) and as it dried I was able to wipe, scratch or rub it off. I was fine for the next almost 24 hours and that night did decide to try Benedryl, but that was more because I didn't want to clean clay out my sheets. The next day, after just a little over 72 hours, I had absolutely no more itching.

I'm certain the Benedryl assisted, but I still attribute most of my relief to the Aztec Indian Healing Clay. Why? Because my daughter and friends with whom I had been chatting for so long were still itching four days later and they had a significantly fewer number of bites than I did.

The link I've provided above is for the one pound jar which I purchased. The one below is for the two pound which is a much better bargain. If you're in the market for a product like this, check it out. At about $8.00 for up to 20 or so facial mask, plus an itch relief product, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better deal!

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