Almond flax flapjacks

This week was spent trying to adapt to a new schedule and carving out a routine. We acquired furniture, made daily trips to the grocery store, and I think I still have boxes and bags to unpack. We scouted for the best deals, negotiated closet space, tried to be organized, and spent a great deal of time stumbling into each other on dark weekday mornings as Elliott started the coffee pot and I got the tea water boiling.

What I’ve done twice now is take the 20-minute walk to the farmer’s market on Saturday morning. I’m making it a tradition. I’m so glad we’re close enough to do this, as I like nothing more than fresh produce, eggs and flowers from local growers. For me, it’s the perfect way to start the weekend. Last week I found a small thyme plant that now sits on the kitchen windowsill; yesterday I splurged on some impossibly fragrant lavender salt and rich, decadent olive oil, both of which topped last night’s roasted baby artichokes. But that’s another post.

 

My mom was nice enough to come up on Tuesday to take me kitchen shopping. Without the basic necessities like sharp knives and saucepans, our meals for the first few nights included garlic smashed with the back of a spoon, and whole vegetables roasted with fish in my beloved cast-iron pan. And with only one fork in our silverware drawer, we took turns between stabbing and scooping until our collection was complete.

There have been a few noteworthy meals this week that I can’t wait to share, but I think I’ll start with some high protein pancakes I threw together on Thursday afternoon (and again Saturday morning). Besides peeling myself off the couch to make this quick snack, I didn’t do much that day in between popping vitamin C pills and napping. I’m not the best at adapting to new situations, and I guess my immune system took a hard hit with the stress of it all. Despite this, my appetite was still intact and a few of these dense-but-light cakes were delicious mid-afternoon. Smeared with a little almond butter or coconut cream, they’re perfect.

 

Almond Flax Flapjacks :: Makes 6 

3 eggs
1 tablespoon water + 1/3 cup or so
a few liberal shakes of ground cinnamon and ginger
1 tablespoon raw honey (or more to taste)
1 cup almond meal (you can use store-bought almond flour, but I used a coarse meal that I had ground myself)
1/2 cup finely-ground flaxseed meal
generous pinch of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
coconut oil for cooking

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon water, the spices and honey. Add almond meal, flaxseed, salt and baking soda and stir to combine. At this point, start adding water in modest splashes until your desired consistency is reached. The flax will absorb quite a bit of liquid, but you also don’t want to go overboard. My batter was thick enough so that they didn’t spread much in the pan, but thin enough so that they weren’t too dense. 

On a large, flat griddle (cast-iron pan didn’t work well for me on Saturday; uneven browning), melt a tablespoon or two of coconut oil over medium heat. Drop batter by the 1/4 cup and cook until bubbles start to form and you can see browning around the edges. Flip and cook a few minutes more. 

Serve with nut butter, coconut cream, or a drizzle of honey.

Meals for two

I’ve prided myself on maintaining a slight veil of anonymity here on The Chocolate Fig. Few mentions of family and friends, only a picture here and there and sparse personal details, not wanting to compromise anyone’s privacy (including my own). I’m sure many of you fellow bloggers can relate, as certain risks come with writing in such a public forum. I’m a very discreet person by nature, and so I tend to over-worry about things like this.

All of that is changing though. Those of you who know me personally probably realize that my boyfriend and I are now roommates in a spacious studio apartment in San Francisco, making life much easier for me, giving us the autonomy we so desperately crave, and making social isolation obsolete. As such, most of the meals I’ll be making are meals for two; most of my cooking will be done for and with him. And since accounts of my cooking are what appear here, it’s only natural that I finally and formally introduce you to one another.

Readers, meet Elliott. My muse, my inspiration, my sounding board and reality-checker. Born and raised in the same town as I, on the same street as some of my best friends. We didn’t meet until ages 19 and 23, when I guess you could say we had settled into ourselves. Over the time we’ve known each other, he and his family have been the patron saints of recipe-tasting, never hesitating to offer suggestions and inspirations. Even when I preface a batch of cookies with, I tried something new, I didn’t follow a recipe, I have no idea how they’ll taste, please don’t hate me... Hands are reaching into the bag with enthusiasm. For this, I am endlessly grateful.

So, with this post, the veil I had drawn over my personal life has been lifted slightly and now you know a bit more about us. Along with this big life transition, the content of this blog will shift accordingly as I navigate a new kitchen and learn how to grocery shop and cook for a grown (and hungry!) man. Any tips you have on this will be welcomed with gratitude.

Instead of my own solo adventure on this blog, you can now expect to hear about these two youngin’s trying to weave our way through life’s complexities, one meal at a time. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

When it’s been raining for weeks, your mind is exhausted, you barely have time to think and you’ve just signed the lease on your first apartment, there’s really only one thing to do: bake cookies. 

How does one preface the chocolate chip cookie? There’s no real way that hasn’t been done before, so I’ll just jump right in and say that the occasion for these cookies is that I’m in need of some good, old-fashioned comfort food. The past few weeks have been pure insanity, and like I said before, I’m in the middle of a few rather monumental transitions. I need all the help I can get, and what better place to find it than in the kitchen?

 

Show me a childhood that isn’t accented by the sweet, chewy crumb of a perfect chocolate chip cookie and I’ll be baffled. Whether store-bought or lovingly homemade, they have soothed and comforted me in times of distress, come oatmeal-flecked and wrapped in shoeboxes to my Freshman dorm to remind me I have a mother who cares, replaced birthday cake when baked into squares, and somehow taste just as magical no matter how many culinary spins put on them (cranberries, white chocolate, walnuts...).

But because I’m slightly nostalgic for simpler times, the simplest version of cookie it was. The recipe for these cookies came about after I took a cruise around Elana’s Pantry in search of almond flour recipes. Mine is entirely different than hers, but she provided the inspiration I needed to dive into baking with almond flour. Full of protein, healthy fat, vitamins and minerals, blanched almond flour will not only please grain-haters, but will keep you satisfied with fewer cookies. 

At once strong and sweet and delicate, I doubt you’ll miss the all-purpose flour in these gooey treats. Once again, I find solace in the chocolate chip cookie... At least until Monday.

 

Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies :: Makes 24

2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand) 
1/2 teaspoon sea salt 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (measure after melting. Do not use microwave; double-boiler method does the trick) 
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
3 Tablespoons raw honey 
1/3 cup water 
1 bar dark chocolate, chopped 
2 Tablespoons milled golden flaxseed 

1. Preheat oven to 350’. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine almond flour, salt and baking soda in a large bowl.
3. Stir together the melted oil, almond extract, honey and water until thoroughly combined.
4. Mix wet ingredients and chocolate chunks into the dry ingredients, folding a few times with a spatula. Batter will slightly runny.
5. Add milled flaxseed and incorporate. I did this to get the batter to thicken up a bit, so if 2 tablespoons isn’t enough for you, just keep adding a little at a time until batter has reached desired consistency.
6. Drop by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 25 minutes or more, until cookies have spread slightly and are golden on top. Bake longer than you think you need to! Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then serve. Please store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (I actually liked them better after they firmed up in the fridge). 

Cupcakes and coconut palm sugar

There’s nothing like a trip to Napa to remind me what I love about food, life and friends. This charming valley is full to the brim with culinary excellence, winemaking passion, the friendliest people and the freshest ingredients. Lustful eating is what I do there, usually throwing dietary precautions to the wind and chowing down with the best of them. It was a wonderful two days, to say the least. 

Our trip was a welcome relief from the insanity that is my brain these days. In the midst of the usual tasks consuming my time, a I spent a great deal of energy last week on a few rather large decisions that will determine my life for the next few years. I’m one of those people who just can’t sit still: Tell me to be patient and I’ll have a panic attack; hold me back and I’ll develop anxiety; tell me to slow down and I’ll feel lost. I love speculation, I love planning, I love knowing what I want and when I want it to happen. But sometimes, it really is so much more useful to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride of life. I’ve been trying to do a lot of this lately, because I know myself and I know better. It’s hard, but I’m riding on the belief that everything will work out for the best. Not knowing can be very, very exciting.

So, feeling rested, rejuvenated, well-hydrated and anxious to leap and bound into the future, I decided that cupcakes were in order. Celebration-of-life cupcakes. I recently became owner of the BabycakesNYC cookbook (by Erin McKenna) and I’ve been so excited to try my hand at one of her vegan and gluten-free confections. In an attempt to avoid a $100 grocery bill, I purchased just the unusual essentials called for and otherwise used what I had on hand, paying close attention to Erin’s substitution guidelines. The best part? With an egg-free batter, licking the bowl is almost mandatory. Enjoyed with a good glass of bubbly wine, they’re perfect.

But because I have yet to modify the recipe to suit my own tastes, I regrettably cannot share the exact recipe here. For now, I will tell you about Coconut Palm Sugar, which I used in place of the agave and/or cane sugar that are staples in the BabycakesNYC cookbook.

 

:: Coconut Palm Sugar ::

While browsing the bulk bins at Whole Foods the other day, I came upon a peculiar looking substance with a deep caramel color and rough, coarse-crystal texture. Coconut Palm Sugar, the label read. Eager to try some, I grabbed a scoop and continued on my way. After returning home and doing some research, I discovered that this sweetener is of a unique breed*. 

Relative to most other sweeteners on the market, coconut palm sugar has a lower GI (glycemic index) value of 35. The glycemic index is a tool that measures how quickly the sugar content of foods is absorbed into our blood stream. Agave nectar is said to have a low GI value, but at 42 it’s still higher than my new coconut-derived friend. 

Also, coconut palm sugar is 70-79% sucrose. Having followed Sarah Wilson’s recent sugar-free adventure, I know that fructose is the type of sugar we should watch out for. Both agave nectar and raw honey are pure fructose, as is the sugar found in fruit; so logically-speaking, can I feel a bit better about sweetening my treats with sucrose? I like to think so...

Finally, I learned that coconut palm sugar is extremely rich in nutrients, trace minerals and vitamins of the B and C variety, making it nutritionally superior to all other sweeteners on the market. We have to be careful these days to make well-educated choices amidst all the media’s diet hype, with “natural corn sugar” claiming to be “great in moderation.” Please. Although sweetened treats aren’t a regular occurrence for me, I plan to explore coconut palm sugar’s potential as a replacement for maple syrup and honey, my usual dessert suspects. If you try it, let me know what you think!

What are your sweeteners of choice? What’s your view on sugar?

*Source: Big Tree Farms

This month, time is of the essence

If you’ve ever skipped breakfast due to time constraints, this post is for you.

Last semester, I used to get up at 4:30 a.m. out of necessity. See, I really like getting up early; 5:00 is no big deal for me, even when I don’t have to be anywhere until 10. The morning hours are my absolute favorite time of day, and I savor them. But when I had to get up at 4:30 and rush like a madwoman just to stuff a bite or two of quinoa porridge in my mouth, I had issues. 

I watch my dad leave the house between 6:15 and 6:30 every morning, sometimes taking the time to sit down and eat, unless he’s running late, when he’ll scurry out the door with some sort of portable breakfast in hand. And this works fine for him. But if you ask me, breakfast should not only be mandatory, it should be enjoyed. Somehow I don’t think that many of us remember the importance of nutrition when we’re trying to be speedy. So I took it upon myself to teach us all how.

This month’s column focuses on easy breakfast ideas to make ahead on Sunday and enjoy all week long. You’re going to feel like such a star when you wake up Monday morning and... breakfast is already waiting for you! Read the column here. 

Remember this baked oatmeal recipe? It’s perfect for the new organized and efficient you. I’m sure it would be a hit with kids, too!