Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies...with Oreos

For those of you that know me, last year I made these cookies for St. Patrick's Day.  So, I converted my recipe and made them again this year, but I had to up the ante--I stuck a kinnitoo (gf oreo) in the middle of some of them....holy cow, yum! But, yeah, you shouldn't eat more than one of those, because each one is pretty much three cookies...just so you know. ;)  I also had a bunch that were just regular mint chocolate chip cookies and they are excellent that way as well. Here's also the Allergy Friendly Friday link to Cybele Pascal's blog, so you can view other fantastic finds as well.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup dairy-free margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg (I actually was out of eggs, so I used Ener-G egg replacer: 1 1/2 t mixed in 2 T water)
3/4 teaspoon mint extract
~14 drops food coloring
3 cups gf flour blend
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups dairy-free chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream margarine and sugars together. In a separate bowl mix egg, mint extract, and food coloring, then add it to the margarine mixture. In a medium bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt, then slowly add it to the cookie dough. Stir in chips and roll into 1-1 1/2" balls and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes. Yield: 3 dozen. :)

Note: If you want gf oreo centers, take two 1" balls and sandwich the oreo in the middle, and press the cookie dough together around the cookie until it is completely covered. I cooked mine for 13 minutes and they were done, so they don't need to be cooked that much longer, if at all.

Dairy-Free Shamrock Shakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! This year we didn't to a ton of things for St. Patty's Day, but we did do a few.  We of course had corned beef and potatoes, but we needed some fun things to eat, too.  So, I made Shamrock Shakes.  Below is the dairy-free version, if you don't have dairy issues you can of course use regular ice cream and milk.  It is rather thin, so if you want it thicker add in some ice cubes.

Shamrock Shakes

1 pint Purely Decadent (made with Coconut Milk) Vanilla Bean Icecream
1 1/2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk or other non dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
8 drops green food coloring

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy!

Banana, Mango and What!?! Smoothies

Okay, I love my smoothies and I love Bountiful Baskets, so my smoothies are always based on what is in my basket.  This week I had a lot of bananas and mangos for good smoothie ingredients.  But I also got a bunch of spinach, and so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try adding them into my smoothie.  It worked out amazingly well, you add enough to give a nutrient boost, but you don't taste it, especially with bananas and mangos present. :)  And it gives it an awesome green color, just in time for St. Patrick's Day, too. :) This is also on the Sumply Sugar and Gluten Free Slightly Indulgent Tuesday for March 22nd, here's the link back to that site. :)

Banana, Mango, and Spinach Smoothie

2 bananas, broken into chunks
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 handful of spinach leaves (I had ~6 medium sized leaves)
1 6oz container So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt (I actually had the Mango flavor, mmmm)
Extra dairy-free milk for thinning out, if needed

Blend all ingredients together in a blender and enjoy.

Bacon and Turnips

I had turnips for the first time last night.  I was quite worried I wouldn't like them, because they get a bad rap, but surprisingly I did enjoy them.  But it may have been because they were cooked with bacon and brown sugar...that combo makes everything taste good. :)  But really, these turnips were amazing.  This recipe would also work with potatoes, or a combo or potatoes, turnips, and even some apples thrown in there...mmm, I may have to try that out. I got the recipe for here and only did slight adjustments based on what I had.

Bacon and Turnips
2 turnips, peeled and chopped
2/3 lb bacon and bacon drippings
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add turnips and cook until tender but still firm (I cooked mine 4-5 minutes, I think).  Drain and set aside.

Cut bacon into 1" pieces and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Add brown sugar and turnips directly into skillet with bacon and drippings and mix together.

This post is featured on Real Sustenance's Seasonal Sunday.

Fried Green Beans

I really enjoy fresh green beans, however, fried changes things, I love, love, love them!  I think I pretty much feel that way about anything fried, but I really do love fried green beans, so I had to make a gluten-free version. :) I also had some asparagus in my fridge, and tossed those in as well, and discovered my absolute love for fried asparagus, as well.  So, I think you could coat about any veggie and it would taste fantastic! My recipe is adapted for this one, and is really so amazing.  And once again, from my lack of picture, you can tell I downed the plate before realizing I didn't take any pictures.  Sorry.

Fried Green Beans

Canola oil for frying

1 cup  all-purpose gluten free flour

1 cup  yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon  salt

1/2 tablespoon  ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon  ground cayenne pepper

1 pound  green beans, ends trimmed

1 cup  So Delicious Coconut Milk

 

Directions 

Heat 2-inched of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dip green beans into milk, then dredge wet beans in flour mixture to coat. Then dip in milk again, and dredge with the flour mixture again. (I found that double dipping helped keep the coating on when it was fried)

2. Fry beans in oil, in batches, until golden and crisp, approximately 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and serve warm with Fry Sauce.

 

Fry Sauce: equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together (you can experiment and add in garlic, relish, etc., but I'm lazy and just like my ketchup and mayo combo)