Sweets — Personal Chef — Kinship Cooking

I have been consuming Cara Cara oranges and walnuts like water over the last month and a half. When my cravings are so healthy and whole, I happily oblige. So, it makes sense that my nearly weekly batch of "Mommy's Healthy Cookies" (which really originates from a throw-together-whatever-you've-got, no recipe kind of "recipe") took an orange-walnut turn. Happily, this proved to be just as awesome as other versions; in fact, my family clamored for more and ate their way through batch after batch as I experimented with gluten free and gluten free/vegan versions!

As it turns out, the vegan version is just shy of something I want to share with you, but I will persist. I am really pleased with this final gluten free version which combines the single mellow sweetness of dates, bright orange, silky olive oil, and lots of walnuts. I feel really good about handing off a couple of these little gems to my kindergartener every day after school because they are lightly sweet, full of fiber, and full of healthy fats. He always wants more, and I can confirm they are a great snack anytime.

If you have a severe gluten reaction or celiac disease, make sure you grab a bag of oats that are CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE. While oats are naturally gluten free, they can be contaminated by other grains from the field or from processing. Gluten free oats are becoming more widely available so just ask your grocer or call around to see who carries them.

If you have a ribbon zester this may be a good time to use it if you don't mind slightly more prominent bits of orange peel. Zest the fruit in long ribbons and then mince finely. Blending the wet ingredients with the dates and zest ensures that the zest and dates incorporate better. If you want a finer orange zest, use a microplane on the fruit and blend the zest into the wet ingredients in the same way.

If you haven't been baking with olive oil, I hope these cookies can be a gateway experience for you. Olive oil has a surprisingly unobtrusive flavor when baked and a lends a soft, tender mouthfeel to treats from the oven. Orange, olive oil, walnuts, and dates compliment each other wonderfully in a kid-friendly way too. If the orange zest is too overwhelming (for kiddos or even adults), just reduce by 1 Tbsp and give it a try again. To me, the orange peel is essential.

Make sure you have a processor or blender with a nice sharp blade. The oats and walnuts make a nicer, more tender cookie when they can be ground fine. The oats should be a rough flour consistency, and the walnuts should be like rough sand. The nuts that each ball of dough is rolled in should be chopped to a pebbly consistency with a knife or in the processor.

If you want variety, try leaving some cookies without the extra chopped walnuts or add a single half walnut pressed into the top for a nice look too. I can't get enough walnuts so I recommend rolling them in the chopped nuts, which gives them a nice crunchy outside too. You choose! Enjoy.

Orange, Walnut, Date, and Olive Oil Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C Rolled Oats, certified gluten free, not quick oats
1 1/2 C Walnuts, I used large pieces, not chopped, not whole
2 Tsp Ground flax seed
1 Tsp Baking soda
1 Tsp Baking powder
1/4 Tsp Sea salt
8 Dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/3 C Extra virgin olive oil
2 Large egg
3 Tbsp Orange zest
2 Tbsp Orange juice
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
2 C Walnuts, chopped small for coating the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare two cookies sheets with parchment paper.

Separately grind the oats and the 1 1/2 C walnuts very fine in a food processor or blender. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, flax, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Mix the dry ingredients well.

In the same processor or blender, combine the dates, olive oil, egg, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Puree this mixture as smooth as possible.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir until completely incorporated into a wet dough. Place the 2 C of small chopped walnuts in a bowl and use a Tablespoon measure to make heaping Tablespoon balls of dough. Each time you make a ball of dough, roll each completely in the chopped walnuts and press to 1/2 inch thickness on the parchment.

When all the dough is rolled, pressed, and evenly spaced on the sheet pans, bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. Check the bottoms of the cookies for light browning to determine when the cookies are done. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet pans and store in an airtight container at room temperature or simply place them on a lightly covered plate.

The cookies will keep best for 1 week at room temperature. Refrigerate them after one week.

Happy December! I hope there was plenty of joy and gratitude at your Thanksgiving gathering. As we slide into December and all that is brings to our plates and tables to share, I find my sweet tooth going into overdrive while at the same time craving simplicity and whole, nourishing foods. I cooked a little brown rice last weekend and my body let me know in no uncertain terms that this was something it needed. I am still pining for a little bite of something sweet during the day but I want to avoid burning out on too many empty calories so I can enjoy holiday treats and cookie making as something special.

One thing I like to do is continually bring seasonal fruit into the house. Putting fruit out during dinner is an even better practice and balances the meal with wholesome sweetness. Lately persimmons have been calling to me from their little corner of the produce section. Shocking orange, pretty little jewels. Thus the marriage of persimmon and sweet brown rice was made. In the spirit of full disclosure I have to admit I've been eating this for breakfast. Yup.

Varieties of persimmon are native to both parts of Asia and North America. Once, while hiking in Virginia near Great Falls, I was surprised by a tree with funny, small light-orange fruit. When I investigated, I found that it was clearly a persimmon. I learned that day that persimmons are among the native foods of the southern states. The persimmons we have available in stores in the U.S. are Asian varieties that have been cultivated and improved by the Japanese. I found Fuyu, a smaller squat variety, and Hachiya, a slightly heart shaped variety about the size of a peach. I decided on the Hachiya as I am more familiar with this variety and it's taste and texture when ripe. It may seem odd, but this variety is fully ripe when it feels nearly liquid inside it's skin. When it is cut, peeled and roughly chopped, the consistency is exactly that of a soft fruit jam as you can see in the picture above.

Different varieties of persimmons have different characteristics that you need to be aware of in order to know when they are ripe. Some are unpleasantly astringent when they are not ripe. Hachiya are like this, but Fuyu are ripe when still firm. Follow the link below for a little info on four common varieties or simply search a particular variety online that your grocer carries to make sure you are choosing the right one at the correct ripeness.

http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/introducing-4-persimmon-varieties/

When looking for sweet brown rice, you will find that it is also called "glutinous brown rice". This in no way, shape, or form means that this type of rice has GLUTEN in it. Gluten is a protein only found in grains belonging to the wheat family. All of my GF friends can breathe easy and enjoy this wonderful grain. The term "glutinous rice" refers to the fact that this type of rice is sticky and is therefore also called sticky rice. Sticky rice is often found in Thai restaurants in it's white, milled form. So, technically the rice I am using here can also be referred to as "sticky brown rice". When shopping though, ask for "sweet brown rice" or "glutinous brown rice".

I much prefer brown sticky rice to white because of it's hearty, chewy texture and sweet nutty flavor. Enjoy this rice with thick curries, as a side to broth based soups, or as rice balls rolled in toasted sesame seeds.

With your sweet brown rice in hand, some good local honey, coconut milk, ripe persimmon, and a pinch of cardamom, this recipe comes together easily. The process is nothing more than cooking the rice, mixing in honey, coconut milk, and persimmon, and then cooking this down to the desired consistency. Notice in the recipe that I cook the rice at a less than 1:2 ratio. I prefer the pudding to be a little more on the firm side. When the honey, coconut milk and especially the amount of persimmon is added, the rice becomes quite loose before it is cooked down. If the brown rice is initially cooked over low flame with a tight fitting lid and allowed to steam about 10 minutes after removed from the heat it will be cooked perfectly for a chewy, soft, but not mushy pudding. If you prefer to add a little more water to the cooking of the brown rice, please do, but do not exceed the 1:2 ratio of rice to water as your pudding may be soupy.

The rice will be quite firm after refrigeration so be sure to warm the pudding before serving again. Enjoy!

Sweet Brown Rice and Persimmon Pudding

Ingredients:

1 C sweet brown rice
1 3/4 C water
1/8 Tsp sea salt
2 Hachiya persimmons, ripe
1, 14 Oz can coconut milk, thoroughly mixed if separated
2 Tbsp honey
Ground cardamom (optional)

Combine the rice, water, and salt in a small, heavy bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to stand 10 minutes covered.

Peel the persimmons and reserve 6 small slices to use as garnish before roughly chopping the rest of the flesh. The chopped flesh should measure plus or minus 3/4 C. You may also choose to use the peel, chopped fine, in the pudding, or use thin strips of the peel as garnish. I simply ate the peels as I cooked!

Combine the chopped persimmon, 1/4 C of the coconut milk, and honey in the pot with the cooked rice. Mix thoroughly and cook the pudding down over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until it has thickened. If you like your pudding a little more loose, cook just until you reach your desired consistency. Remove the pudding from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before dishing it up. I find it is best warm, not hot.

Make sure the remaining coconut milk is at room temperature and drizzle each serving with the milk, or serve each portion over a pool coconut milk. Garnish with the reserved persimmon meat or thinly sliced peel (or both!). Finish with a pinch of ground cardamom per serving. Enjoy!

Yield: approximately 2 1/2 C. or six servings.