Month: October 2014 (Page 2 of 3)

Heartwarming Orange and a Recipe for Pumpkin Cookies

October 14, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 2 Comments

Orange seems to be one of the most popular and celebrated colors during the fall. We are drawn to orange foods, such as pumpkins, carrots, and squash in the fall. I have always loved orange–according to many sources, it is the color of joy and creativity. When I eat orange foods, I feel like I am infusing my body with the energy of orange, and with it giving myself more vitality and inspiration. Pumpkins are full of vitamin A, iron, potassium, and phosphorous. Sometimes when I am feeling too blue, orange is a good balance, since orange and blue are complementary colors in the color spectrum. While orange is bright and inspiring, blue is calming and relaxing. According to the talented artist Vincent Van Gogh, “There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” Nothing exists completely on its own–we feel what we feel, or see what we see, in relation to everything else around ourselves. It is good to try to maintain a healthy balance between the two opposite ends of the spectrum, because too much of anything can be detrimental, and I must say, sometimes the beautiful fall weather brings on the bittersweet, wistful blues. To add some orange to my life, and just because I like pumpkin cookies and I know my husband and kids like them too, I often turn to the following recipe in the fall. The recipe I posted below is easy, tasty, and quite healthy (cookies with a vegetable in them!). The pumpkin puree keeps them nice and moist and the spices give them the great flavor. The chocolate chips are optional, but I personally like to add chocolate to as many things as I can, and the chocolate tastes great in these cookies. They are a perfect snack, and easy to pack in lunches.

Pumpkin Cookies

Servings: approximately 3 dozen cookies
Time: about one hour
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Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose, unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 Tablespoon softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 to 1 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the vanilla, butter, sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, and eggs. Stir vigorously until completely combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir until the batter is well-combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips, if using. Drop the batter onto a cookie sheet in rounded teaspoons, and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are puffy and golden, but not too brown. Continue until all the batter is used. Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Applesauce for the Vagabond Soul

October 7, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 0 Comments

Around this time of year, every year, I feel the old familiar stirring, the wistful yearning to be out rambling through the woods, among the golden and crimson trees. The third stanza of a poem by Canadian poet Bliss Carman captures this feeling well for me: “There is something in October / Sets the gypsy blood astir; / We must rise and follow her, / When from every hill of flame / She calls and calls / Each vagabond by name.” The trees and bushes are turning colors before our very eyes, and the beautiful changes are irresistible to the vagabond in our blood. Right along with this desire to wander in the woods is a heightened appreciation for the comforts of home. After walking outside in the chilly (and sometimes wet) elements, we savor the warmth of something simmering in a pot on the stove. Especially when it smells as good as homemade applesauce. The recipe I have posted below is one of my mom’s recipes–it is very simple, and it makes a hearty, chunky applesauce that tastes delicious and makes your kitchen smell amazing. I have great memories of returning from a long walk to her warm, fragrant kitchen with apple sauce bubbling on the stove, and I enjoy making it in my own kitchen too. It creates instant autumn coziness and warms the chilly wanderer. It’s also a good way to use apples that have gone a little soft. You can serve it warm and steaming, or use it as a healthy topping for waffles or oatmeal. Also, if you have any left over, you can store it in the refrigerator and serve it cold.

Easy Homemade Applesauce

Servings: 4-6
Time: approximately 5-10 minutes for preparation, and about 30 minutes for cooking
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Ingredients:

6 medium-sized apples, any variety–I like Empire, Cortland, or Macintosh best
1 Tablespoon water
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions: Wash, peel, and slice the apples into eighths. Place them in a medium or large pot. Add the tablespoon of water (you may need another tablespoon of water, depending on how juicy the apples are as they cook). Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir. Heat the apple mixture over medium heat until the apples cook down a little and the sauce begins to bubble. Then reduce the heat to medium-low. As the apples cook and soften, stir them and break them with a wooden spoon periodically. After about 30 minutes of simmering, the apples should be very soft and as you break/mash them with the wooden spoon, they should be forming a sauce. The sauce is done when the apples are soft enough to be mashed into a chunky, hearty sauce. Serve warm in a bowl or as a topping for waffles or oatmeal, or refrigerate and serve cold. Enjoy!

Soothing Beetroot and Banana Smoothie

October 3, 2014 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 4 Comments

As I was picking basil in our garden yesterday, I noticed that there were some beets we had not pulled up yet. I had been craving something nourishing, so I pulled them and brought them into the house. Since just my daughter and I were home for the evening, I decided to make us a smoothie. It was a rainy evening–perfect for a bright, cheerful, nutrient-rich smoothie. Because I do not have a vitamix or the equivalent, I needed to soften the beets before I blended them, so I simmered them on the stove (washed but unpeeled) for about 15 minutes. When the beets were fork-tender, I was able to easily peel them and put them in the blender with a banana, some yogurt, and a splash of cranberry juice. (The amounts of the ingredients are included in the recipe posted below.) This smoothie was just what we needed: creamy, soothing, and nutritious. Beets are well-known for their abundance of vitamin C, folate (a form of vitamin B), and minerals such as manganese, potassium, and magnesium. And anything that is naturally such a beautiful, bright color has to be good for your body and your soul. If you have some beets and are wondering what to do with them, this smoothie is a delicious option.