Lifting Thoughts posts have been few and far between since November 20, 2012, when our oldest granddaughter was whisked away to Sanford Children's Hospital to discern her specific blood disorder which came upon her suddenly. I am hoping to share more posts later about her Journey (click).
But for now, at this time, we are thanking God for His SON and His creation, thanking Him for the foods that heal and build strength into the body, thanking Him for a nutritious treat that can't be beat...a cookie that is tender yet strong. The batch of SON Chocolate Chip Cookies pictured at bottom is studded with organic dried cranberries and mulberries, while the previous batch was packed with powerful-ly good organic nuts. ...Plus a whole bag of organic 70% cacao chocolate chips!
Most of all we are thanking God for the young woman, our eighteen year old granddaughter, who had the courage and the joyful response to her good news (cancer-free and VSAA-free) to tell everyone, "Thank you Lord, Jesus my Savor for giving me this challenge, it truly changed my life." Her dyslexia gave us a new term for Jesus...Savor. Yes, let's savor Him!
· Search for organic representatives of all ingredients, when possible.
· Using organic ingredients is much more nutritious and far less toxic (non-GMO).
· Reputable brands that I use are in parentheses after ingredients...assume organic.
· These brands are normally available at health stores, some grocers or...
· We have no affiliation with SV other than being loyal fans of their service.
· Store your organic and natural ingredients in a manner that preserves freshness.
1/2 cup whole unrefined cane sugar (Rapunzel), or use 2/3 cup for added sweetness
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (Madhava or Wholesome Sweeteners)
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces (Organic Valley)
1/4 cup healthy oil, such as sunflower oil
1/4 cup coconut oil (Nutiva or Swanson Brand or Carrington Farms)
2 oz ripe banana (1/2 banana)
1/4 cup whey protein, plain unsweetened (Tera's Whey)
3 lg eggs (organic, free range)
1 T real vanilla extract (Simply Organic or Flavorganics or Frontier)
1 T ceylon cinnamon (Frontier)
1/2 tsp nutmeg spice (Frontier)
1/2 tsp almond extract (Simply Organic)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (Bragg)
2 packets dehydrated coconut water, optional (Swanson Brand)
4 single-serve packets stevia, optional (or to preferred added sweetness)
Begin mixing with whisk attachment all above ingredients (in bowl of counter mixer such as KitchenAid). When fluffy, continue beating on low and add:
(*Grind 4 oz red quinoa, 2 T chia seeds, 2 oz each buckwheat groats and wild rice)
(*If SB's Seedy-Grain Mix is not an option, use 1/2 cup any whole grain flour instead, but then mix with the dry ingredients below.)
Combine and reserve the dry ingredients listed below:
1-1/2 cups whole white wheat flour (Wheat Montana or Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup each brown rice protein, original (Growing Naturals) and pea protein powder
(May use all of one kind of protein powder, if preferred)
1-1/2 tsp baking powder (Rumford, low sodium or regular)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
Have ready:
1-1/2 cups nuts of choice, chopped (almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
or use:
1 cup dried cranberries (Eden)
1/2 cup dried wild blueberries (Eden)
Or use some of both, if your family likes both nuts and fruits.
When all is ready, beat the nuts/fruits into the batter, PLUS...
1 10-ounce bag 70% cacao chocolate chips (Equal Exchange), or equivalent.
Lastly, stir the combined and reserved dry ingredients into the batter.
Batter will appear quite moist.
Scoop, with a sprayed ice cream scoop that has a releasing tongue, a small-egg sized glob of batter (which is more than typically used for the average cookie size), level, and release it onto a rimless sprayed cookie sheet. (Or, release into a bowl of turbinado sugar crystals first, for results seen in first photo. The second photo shows cookies without the sugar dip.) The dough balls do not need to be placed far apart, maybe an inch. I can fit 15 on a sheet. Spray inside of the scoop as needed. (Spectrum Sunflower Oil Spray)
Try not to overbake these delicate cookies. The batter will be quite dark due to the 'brown' sugars. The cookies should just begin to show signs of browning on the surface.
For our altitude I bake at 370° for 14 minutes.
Near sea level you may be able to bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove tray from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
Remove cookies carefully to racks. Cool. Package. Freeze.
Makes about 35 nutritious tasty cookies!
SON Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Symphony Of Nature)
· Search for organic representatives of all ingredients, when possible.
· Using organic ingredients is much more nutritious and far less toxic (non-GMO).
· Reputable brands that I use are in parentheses after ingredients...assume organic.
· These brands are normally available at health stores, some grocers or...
· We have no affiliation with SV other than being loyal fans of their service.
· Store your organic and natural ingredients in a manner that preserves freshness.
1/2 cup whole unrefined cane sugar (Rapunzel), or use 2/3 cup for added sweetness
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar (Madhava or Wholesome Sweeteners)
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces (Organic Valley)
1/4 cup healthy oil, such as sunflower oil
1/4 cup coconut oil (Nutiva or Swanson Brand or Carrington Farms)
2 oz ripe banana (1/2 banana)
1/4 cup whey protein, plain unsweetened (Tera's Whey)
3 lg eggs (organic, free range)
1 T real vanilla extract (Simply Organic or Flavorganics or Frontier)
1 T ceylon cinnamon (Frontier)
1/2 tsp nutmeg spice (Frontier)
1/2 tsp almond extract (Simply Organic)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (Bragg)
2 packets dehydrated coconut water, optional (Swanson Brand)
4 single-serve packets stevia, optional (or to preferred added sweetness)
Begin mixing with whisk attachment all above ingredients (in bowl of counter mixer such as KitchenAid). When fluffy, continue beating on low and add:
1-2/3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1/4 cup oat bran
1/2 cup Smiling Bear's Seedy-Grain Mix*(*Grind 4 oz red quinoa, 2 T chia seeds, 2 oz each buckwheat groats and wild rice)
(*If SB's Seedy-Grain Mix is not an option, use 1/2 cup any whole grain flour instead, but then mix with the dry ingredients below.)
Combine and reserve the dry ingredients listed below:
1-1/2 cups whole white wheat flour (Wheat Montana or Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup each brown rice protein, original (Growing Naturals) and pea protein powder
(May use all of one kind of protein powder, if preferred)
1-1/2 tsp baking powder (Rumford, low sodium or regular)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
Have ready:
1-1/2 cups nuts of choice, chopped (almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
or use:
1 cup dried cranberries (Eden)
1/2 cup dried wild blueberries (Eden)
Or use some of both, if your family likes both nuts and fruits.
When all is ready, beat the nuts/fruits into the batter, PLUS...
1 10-ounce bag 70% cacao chocolate chips (Equal Exchange), or equivalent.
Lastly, stir the combined and reserved dry ingredients into the batter.
Batter will appear quite moist.
Scoop, with a sprayed ice cream scoop that has a releasing tongue, a small-egg sized glob of batter (which is more than typically used for the average cookie size), level, and release it onto a rimless sprayed cookie sheet. (Or, release into a bowl of turbinado sugar crystals first, for results seen in first photo. The second photo shows cookies without the sugar dip.) The dough balls do not need to be placed far apart, maybe an inch. I can fit 15 on a sheet. Spray inside of the scoop as needed. (Spectrum Sunflower Oil Spray)
Try not to overbake these delicate cookies. The batter will be quite dark due to the 'brown' sugars. The cookies should just begin to show signs of browning on the surface.
For our altitude I bake at 370° for 14 minutes.
Near sea level you may be able to bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes.
Remove tray from oven and let rest 5 minutes.
Remove cookies carefully to racks. Cool. Package. Freeze.
Makes about 35 nutritious tasty cookies!
(Click on the photo to enlarge)
(Click on the photo to enlarge)
About the cookies: Our younger granddaughter's recent intense campaign for Chocolate Chip Cookies finally wore me down; busy as I was, this is the recipe which inspired me to action, taken from a 10 oz bag of Equal Exchange organic 70% cacao chocolate chips.
(Click on the photo to enlarge)
Top of my personal list of ingredients was the determined concept that my husband and our young working girl should have a real cookie to enjoy without sacrificing overall nutrition...so I tweaked the recipe to build more nutrition and strength into it, based on our acquired preferences, while preserving the venerable status of real treat. The original recipe, I see, is courtesy of King Arthur Flour, which is another very fine flour. If I couldn't find organic or 'better-than-organic' flour, I would use King Arthur Flour, as I used to...as their whole wheat worked perfectly in my recipes.
Prayerfully, I set about re-creating...
Here it shall be noted:
God created everything using nothing.
We create by drawing upon His tangibles,
including our brains
and/or the brains of others.
and/or the brains of others.
Just as I was about to wrap things up per the original recipe's basic instructions, my husband wandered into the kitchen from his nap and asked if there were any nuts in the batter. "The recipe doesn't call for nuts," I said. Moving like a sleep-walker, he pulled the pecans out of the freezer and chopped a cup of those, then slipped quietly from the scene. Following his lead, I added another 2 oz of organic toasted and chopped mixed nuts.
My husband wanted crunchy, so the banana idea caused me a bit of pause. But, in view of the added oatmeal and other dry ingredients (the protein powders, primarily) which were not in the original recipe, I felt persuaded the extra moisture was needed to keep the batter cohesive. Pleasant and hoped for surprise!...the natural sugars in the banana contributed to no loss of crunch. Plus, the nutrients in the fruit were part and parcel to the nutrition-mission that I had set out upon. The banana flavor melded cooperatively into the other delectable flavors anticipated in a good chocolate chip cookie...only slightly detectable. And the proteins added muscle without muscling-in any undesirable flavors. All was so harmonious. So, we unanimously named these circles of delight...
SON Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Symphony Of Nature)
viva Organic!
Variations may emerge...
since the very word organic is innately seeded with creativity.
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