Orange Carrot Cookies

The second dessert I've made in the last couple of weeks where the main flavor was a vegetable, and again I was overly happy with the end result.  These cookies also have an orange flavor due to the frosting.  I will warn you they are very addicting and don't take the place of eating an actual carrot.  It is easy to convince yourself it's better than chocolate though, because it is! 

The day before I made the cookies, I cooked and mashed two cups of carrots.  I used around a full bag of carrots, and had just the right amount.  If you do the right before making the actual cookies, make sure the mashed carrots are completely cooled.

Cream the sugar, butter and eggs together.

Add the cooled carrots and mix well.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.

Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of orange extract and stir until well combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, put balls of dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees F.  Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

While the cookies are baking, start the frosting.  Cream powdered sugar, butter and milk together.  Start with a small amount of milk and work your way up to your desired consistency. Add the orange extract and the orange food coloring and mix well.

Frost the cooled cookies.  These were so delicious, and different.  I'm always looking for unique cookie recipes so I can have a change on my pallet every once and while and these definitely did the trick.  Holiday treat time is upon us, and these would be a great addition to your lineup.

Orange Carrot Cookies

Adapted from Tablespoon

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups butter

2 eggs

2 cups mashed cooked carrots

4 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 teaspoons orange extract, divided

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter (softened)

4 tablespoons milk

orange food coloring 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Cream sugar, butter and eggs together.

Add cooled carrots and mix well.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the vanilla extract and 2 teaspoons of the orange extract and combine well.

Spoon onto cookie sheet, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

For frosting: cream powdered sugar, butter and milk together.  

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon orange extract and orange food coloring and mix well.

Frost cooled cookies and enjoy.

Spaghetti Squash

My friend Arran first introduced me to spaghetti squash.  I eat as the side veggie with a lot of meals I make in the fall.  It can also be used as a pasta substitute, but that's for another time!  It's so simple to cook, and tastes little to no preparation.

I  bought this from the farmers market by my apartment, and it was delicious.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Slice the squash in half and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.  I put a tablespoon of butter, cut in half, on each half before baking.

Bake for around 30 minutes, until soft in the center.

Pull the inside apart with a fork.  I also usually sprinkle some pepper on the squash before serving.

I made this as a side with steak, and it was perfect.  It's jam packed with flavor, and doesn't require hardly any additional ingredients.  This is definitely a vegetable you need to try this fall, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Spaghetti Squash

Serves 6

1 whole spaghetti squash

2 tablespoons butter

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut the squash in half, length wise.

Place one tablespoon of butter in each half.

Bake for around 30 minutes, until the middle is tender.

When finished baking, scrape out the middle with a fork.

Serve with pepper to taste and enjoy!



Pizza for 2...or 3.

One of the great things about being a food blogger is the feedback I get from all of you.  I get many ideas for recipes, different ways to cook, or bake food every day, and I love it.  Keep the feedback coming, because I really do read all of it, and use the information as I continue to work on my kitchen skills.  After I posted my best meal for one  pizza recipe,  I got a lot of feedback on how everyone makes their own pizza.  One of my friends told me about the Boboli crust in whole wheat, and I decided to try it. Since they only had the large crust, it was perfect dinner for C and I, instead of just one.  Then after a visit to a local farmers market, and the purchase of way too many tomatoes, I got the idea via twitter for this fresh tomato sauce.  I decided to put the two together, and it was a hit! 

Again I want to discuss the fresh tomato sauce, it is so simple to make at home, and you will be hooked after tasting the first bite.  It tastes so fresh and light, perfect for any pasta or pizza!  I made a huge batch a couple weeks ago, and froze half of it so I can use it at later date, and it worked out perfect for the pizza.  Spread the sauce on the crust, use as much or as little as you like.

Chop up around a half a cup of onion.

Cut up 1/2 red pepper, or green pepper, which ever you prefer.  Using both always tastes great too!

I sliced around 6 mushrooms to add as well.

Garlic goes well in anything, and pizza is no different.  I minced two cloves of garlic.

I had extra basil from another recipe that I needed to use, so I chopped around 4 basil leaves to add.

Layer all the veggies on top of the tomato sauce, try and distribute evenly.

I wanted to try a couple different cheeses this time, so I grated around a half cup of Parmesan cheese on top of the veggies.

Then I added another half cup of Colby Jack cheese.  Sprinkle a little pepper on top to taste.  Then cook at 350 degrees for around 12 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

It was very yummy, and I believe I've become addicted to another creation :)  I served with a small side salad and had enough pizza for probably three people.  This is a great week night dinner because it's quick and healthy.  

Pizza with Fresh Tomato Sauce

tomato sauce - see recipe here

6 sliced mushrooms

1/2 chopped red or green pepper

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 Boboli whole wheat pizza crust

1 tablespoon chopped basil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup Colby jack cheese

Spread the tomato sauce on top of the pizza crust.

Add the veggies on top of the sauce, and spread evenly.

Grate Parmesan and Colby jack cheese on top of veggies.

Sprinkle with pepper to taste.

Cook at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Serve and enjoy! 

Fresh Tomato Sauce

As I said in this post a couple days ago, I had a lot of fresh tomatoes and wasn't sure what to do with them.  I knew I wouldn't eat that many salads by the time they had gone bad, so I used the wonderful world of twitter to see if anyone had any great ideas.  Traci (find her on twitter @heytrace) had a great recipe for fresh tomato sauce. Not a lot of ingredients, and wouldn't take long to make, so I thought it was perfect.  We both agree once you taste this sauce it will be very difficult to go back to canned store bought tomato sauce.

I had five tomatoes, but one took a fall on the way into my apartment, so I only used four, but that was plenty.  It turned out to be around three cups, and I had around 4-5 servings. 

Now, to all you stress-cases out there that are looking for an avenue to get some relief, this recipe will help.  Put your wine/beer down and smash up tomatoes with your hands, it's fun, messy, and sort of liberating.

Little messy, like I said, but totally worth it.  This was a really FUN recipe to make, because you get to get down and dirty!  I cut the tomatoes into four pieces and then squished them with my hands into a large pan that was coated with EVOO on the stove.

Then I added around three cloves of garlic minced to the sauce.

Plus a couple teaspoons of oregano, and some salt - to your taste.

Then simply let the sauce simmer for around 30 minutes. 

Ahh perfection!  I made whole wheat pasta to go with the sauce and added a little Parmesan on top, and it was so tasty!  It's light but full of flavor, and tastes so fresh.  I felt awesome after eating this.  Full, but not "ick" full.  Because it's a healthy dinner you feel great after eating it. 

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!  Talk to you next week :)

Fresh Tomato Sauce

Adapted from Traci @heytrace

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

~4 tomatoes, squashed up around 3 cups

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons salt

Squash up the tomatoes with your hands.

In a large pan on the stove heat the EVOO, then add the tomatoes.

Add the garlic, oregano and salt and stir to combine well.

Simmer for around 30 minutes.

Serve hot over pasta, and enjoy!