Teff Flour Peanut Butter Cookies

Cookies without sugar, eggs, butter, oil or wheat flour? I was skeptic! So skeptic in fact that I dusted half the batch with sugar as a precaution in case the others weren't edible.

I'm happy to report that the extra sugar was totally unnecessary. These bad boys are really good and stay moist and chewy for at least a week..and counting.

The only ingredients you need are peanut butter, teff flour (an Ethiopian grain available widely now), maple syrup, apple sauce and vanilla.
http://melshealthykitchen.com/2011/06/03/teff-flour-peanut-butter-cookies/

It's a decent amount of maple syrup so I wouldn't say these are like eating carrots sticks but they are healthy enough to have for breakfast in my book.

Slow Cooker Moroccan Lamb Tagine

For the first time in my life, I’m looking forward to fall. I think because dealing with a toddler who won’t wear a hat or sunglasses, acts like sunscreen is liquid acid and is too young to realize it’s cooler in the shade is a bit exhausting. Lazy summer days reading on the beach with a cold beer are behind me….for now.

So I welcomed the first bit of chill in the air. To celebrate, I got down my slow cooker and poked through some Moroccan lamb recipes. I ended up going for one with garbanzo beans, dried apricots and my entire spice cabinet. I didn’t have eggplant on hand but that would have been a good addition. Olives would be good too. I skipped the prunes as they sounded too sweet. I served it with cilantro and toasted almonds over millet.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=558120

It was incredibly tasty with a glass of red wine on a fall evening. I know that come February I will despise stews and heavy red wines but for now I’m loving the change!

Spicy Baked Shrimp

Shrimp are off limits these days but it didn’t stop me from whipping up my favorite recipe the other day for Mamita, Amie and Heather.  It’s my “go to” shrimp recipe as it just involves tossing all the ingredients together and popping them in the oven. It’s ideal if you are hosting (that’s code for gossiping and drinking wine with friends) and don’t feel like stir frying or grilling those juicy little critters. Although in this case I think we opted for baking because none of us could figure out the grill. Not exactly feminism at its best.

Combine ½ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a handful of chopped cilantro. Toss with 1 pound of uncooked shelled shrimp and marinate for one hour (if you have time). Cook for 10 minutes in the oven at 450. Serve with French bread to mop up the yumminess.