Olive Oil Chocolate Cookies

Oven 350

2 1/4 c flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c olive oil
1/2 c white sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

One or a mix of the following is optional:
One bag of chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts
3/4 c rice crispies.

Combine flour, cocoa, soda, and salt and set aside.
Combine oil, sugars, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy (about 3 minutes), add eggs and beat for another minute or so.  Add dry ingredients and mix until blended.  Stir in optional ingredients.

Chill the dough unless you want super huge and flat pancake looking cookies.  The dough can keep nicely in the fridge for at least 6 days (it's never made it longer than that, so I can't vouch for it past then).

Drop batter onto well greased cookie sheet, or one covered in parchment paper, and bake for 8-12 minutes.

If you make golf-ball sized dough balls it should make about 3 dozen, that is if you can keep your hands off the dough.  That stuff tastes like a mix between chocolate pudding and brownie batter, seriously the best cookie dough ever!


The cookies are a little cake-like and the extra texture of chocolate or something crunchy really makes them awesome when cooked.

Low-Carb Beef Stew

1-1.5 lbs beef for stew
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic
2 carrots, grated
2 c cabbage, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped

Olive oil for sauteing
1.5 c water
Splash of red wine vinegar
1 lb frozen veggies

Sautee chopped onion, celery, and garlic until soft. Then add beef.
When beef is mostly browned add the water, vinegar, cabbage, carrot, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil and then lower to simmering for 3-ish hours. Make sure the cabbage is mostly dissolved or gooey.
Cook in veggies and, voila! low-carb stew that passed the picky eater test and the toddler test.

Feeds 2-4 depending on appetite, size of persons, and availability of side dishes.

I know it's really simple but it filled the allergy needs, fits a hypoglycemic diet, and was okayed all around. So therefore it is worth saving.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Oven 350
Bake 45 minutes in 13x9 pan, 60-65 minutes in Bundt

Mix:
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c oil
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c milk (or substitute)

Sift, or mix:
1 1/4 c white flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Grate:
2 c zucchini

Mix wet ingredients thoroughly and alternate adding dry ingredients and zucchini until well mixed.

Bake in greased and floured bundt or 13x9.

For best results do not frost the cake. If you want extra something sift a little powdered sugar on top while the cake is still warm.

Most Dangerous Chocolate Cake

4T flour
3T sugar
2T baking cocoa
1 egg
3T milk (or substitute)
3T oil

Optional:
3T chocolate chips
Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a microwaveable coffee mug or cereal bowl.
Add in egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in milk and oil (and any optional ingredients), mix well.

Microwave 3 minutes on high.

Excellent evening treat with some powdered sugar and sprinkles on top.

Gluten Free Cornbread

Oven 425 Bake 20-25 minutes
Preheat cast iron and season

2 c milk (or substitute)
2T vinegar
1 3/4 c cornmeal
2 eggs
2T oil or butter
1T honey or sugar
1t salt
1t baking soda
1t baking powder

Sour the milk and set aside.
Beat eggs, add fat and sweetener, then add soured milk.

Mix cornmeal, salt, soda, and baking powder. Add to wet ingredients.

Good by itself or on top of a tamale pie.

Tomatoes in "Cream"

Now this could be made with real cream, or with bovine milk, but I made it with rice milk and it turned out awesome!

1 onion - chopped
4-8 cloves garlic - chopped, grated, or pressed
3 tbsp of olive oil (or butter)

Saute until the onions are nice and squishy.

Add:
2 - 2.5 c chopped tomatoes
(following are to *my* taste, do to yours)
1-2 tbsp dried basil
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1-2 tbsp parsley

Cook on low until tomatoes are well done.

This is when you get some variety, pick one of the following:
1.5 c cream
1.5 c milk + 2.5 tbsp flour
1.5 c rice/almond milk + 4 tbsp flour
(cornstarch can be substituted for the flour to make it gluten free)

Keep cooking on low until you have a nice orange sauce of a thick white sauce consistency.

I know it's pretty simple, but it's the kind of creamy decadency that I miss being dairy free.

Served with chicken and noodles.