cherry chia banana oat cookies

maybe i just need a cherry pitter, but right now, cherry season, i find it super messy to give my toddler cherries ;) strange, huh? i don't want her to have to navigate the pit, yet after cutting or biting off pieces to give her, there is juice everywhere. so... it's been cherry smoothies and cookies over here!

ingredients:
3/4 cup soaked almonds
1/4 cup mix of sprouted brown rice flour and coconut flour
1 cup shredded coconut
2 tb maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fresh cherries (pitted please! hehe)
2 tb chia seeds
1/2 cup rolled oats (gf if you require)

steps:
preheat oven at 350 degrees. throw everything into the food processor and process until you are pleased :) i wanted the almonds to be super processed so i watched for that. i used a spoon to scoop out small parts of dough and flattened and sort of rounded them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. i baked for about 10 minutes (until edges are golden brown) and then let them cool before storing them. they were a hit with the toddlers (and adults) who tried them! yay!
ps. this is the post that inspired this recipe.

miso into sweet potatoes and gravy!

this past year, i have become so in love with baked sweet potato slices, i don't know how i wasn't before! they are the best!
the other night, i surprised paul by making a miso gravy to go with them.
next level stuff.
my attempts at gravy have never been very well-executed, but this time, i followed a recipe (well, as much as i can follow a recipe) and it was GLORIOUS.

my tweaked version as follows:

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp unrefined sweetener (i used maple syrup)
• 2 large cloves garlic pressed
• 1 Tbsp shredded ginger
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup sprouted brown rice flour
• 4 Tbsp amano miso paste 

mix all ingredients (except miso) together in a pot, boiling to thicken. pour into blender (you may need to wait for it to cool a bit!) to make sure it is completely smooth (i.e. no ginger shreds!) and then mix in the miso paste. YUM!

• 
  

it's so easy being (slightly) green... cookies

i'm always looking for easy to eat (and pack up) toddler snacks! tonight, while debating going to the store to get some snacks for the continuously-eating-when-not-running-around toddlers i'm watching in the morning but knowing going to the store really just means i want an excuse to buy ice cream, i remembered some 3 ingredient cookies i made (though with dried cranberry) with one of my kindergarten classes that the kids loved (though some moms were disappointed with! i.e. no chocolate. ha).
i figured i could do something similar to try out on the girls tomorrow.
well, they came out of the oven and since my daughter was snacking on shredded coconut already (hurrah for extra vacuuming tonight), we did a quick taste test. she is onto her third cookie as i type this.

here is approximately what i did/what you're welcome to do!

preheat oven to 350.

mash one banana (the riper, the better tasting and easier this is!)
add a sprinkle of cinnamon and spirulina
add oats (gf ones if you need to be careful) and shredded coconut until you have a firm, moist mixture of something!

i used basically an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture but then ended up splitting the little mounds and flattening them to make them an easier size for trying and less of a loss if dropped while walking to the park ;) i baked them for about 10 minutes - when the coconut started to brown.

looking forward to testing these on my daughter's friend tomorrow and see if she asks for more too!