CSA Recipe # 6 - Spiced Sweet Potato Cookies (Vegan and GF)

This is for all my new friends at the West End at Vine Farmer's Market that asked for the recipe so they could make their own.  If you'd like to save time and buy them, I will have them for sale at the Farmer's Market this coming Saturday by popular request!

I had some wicked GINORMOUS sweet taters in my first 2 CSA boxes.  I think I gave away four of them and still had a cool half dozen.  And what to do?  They are kind of a fall veggie and you can only eat so many oven fries or baked sweet potato…  So I looked around and found a recipe that I modified and VOILA sweet potato cookies! GLUTEN FREE!

And may I say, I love that I can cook and teach vocal lessons at the same time when it involves roasting things (i.e.: squashes and sweet potatoes) b/c they take about an hour and if I throw the squash or potato in at the beginning of a lesson it’s done by the time my student is ready to leave…but like last night, my one student kept asking, “What is that I smell?”  I say, “Sweet potato”.  And then they look longingly at my kitchen and say, “Oh I love sweet potato.  I am getting McDonalds on the way home…(sigh)”  I told her to drop by the Farmer’s Market Saturday if she wanted to try one of these cookies I was making with the sweet potatoes.

Anyway – here we go..

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Gluten Free Oat Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (1 large) mashed Sweet Potato
• 1/2 cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
• 3/4 cup Light Unsweetened Coconut Milk
• 1 ½ T coconut sugar
• 1/4 C Agave Maple Syrup

 

To deal with your Sweet Potato:

Preheat the oven to 400.  Wash and clean your sweet potato(s).  Then poke it a bunch of times with a fork (just like you do with a regular potato.)  Then line a cookie sheet with foil, place the potato(s) on there and bake for 45-60mins – until you can easily piece the potato with a fork.  Once done, let cool for 30mins.  Then peel and mash.  I will do a couple potatoes at a time and then freeze the mash for later use.

 

For the cookies:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or the bowl you will do the most work in) – mix together all dry ingredients.  In a 2^nd bowl blend together the wet ingredients.  Add wet to dry and then blend on low with your electric stand mixer (or a handheld) for about 2-3minutes.  Make sure it is mixed well.

 

Then using a cookie scoop or 2 teaspoons drop batter on to parchment lined or well grease baking sheets or a cooking stone.  Bake for 20mins and check.  If still wet bake in 2 min intervals until done.  Cool on foil or bakers racks.

I resolve in 2013 to be a healthier version of me!

Well, 2012 was a great food year for sure!  I even attended Disney's Epcot Food and Wine Festival back in October.  A must go if you are a foodie.  I ate and drank in pure unadulterated foodieness for 7 whole days and it was fantastic....and I would do it again.  It was great break from eating healthy and doing all the right things.

Then I realized in November, that at 40yrs and 2months...I was not getting any younger and I needed to take care of myself better.  One day I was watching PBS and JJ Virgin, a nutritionist, was on there explaining her new Virgin Diet method.  She said, “Are you doing everything right and still not losing an ounce?”  I answered – yes...as if she was talking to me.  “Are you feeling draggy, or sicky or achey and your doctor tells you – you're over 40, deal with it.  Here are some pills?”  Yes, I said again....

For the next hour I let her tell me that everything I had been told was working against me.  There were seven foods I needed to give up – just for three weeks to see if she was right...and boy was she!

That dairy stuff that the advert said – “women who drink milk lose more weight.”  I found out, it just made me have sinus infections, bad skin and in some cases hives....  all those soy protein bars that the adverts and labels told me were good for me...Soy is the 2nd most genetically modified food (found in nearly everything) and mimics estrogen and throws off your hormones.  Well that might be causing the hormone issues I've had – well if not it didn't help – that's for sure.  And then eggs – I found out the hard way – when I cheated – eggs were not my friend either.  Sugar because it converts immediately to fat, not to mention spiking insulin leading to insulin resistance but also sugar substitutes which cause more cravings AND have shown to cause serious health problems.  Then there was gluten, which I thought was a fad.  I gave it up because it was a processed carb and the doc said it had to go.  However, Darren being the good boyfriend that he is, was following the diet with me and gave it up too.  His arthritis went away in three days.  He thought he could cheat – went and had a fast food fried chicken sandwich and by 6pm that night he was aching so bad he said he felt 80.  Since then he hasn't touched the stuff and he's pain free and sleeping like a baby!  I must say I am too – plus with out the gluten, the only choice is a complex carb and those are good for you.  Then there was corn.  It's out, according to JJ because it is the most genetically modified vegetable on the list.  Also, again – a starchy grain (think of it as a grain – not a veggie and this will help).  I thought this would be easy but I love tortilla chips.  Well, I found a company that makes them out of lentils and pinto beans and they aren't half bad.  The last forbidden food on JJ's plan are peanuts for two reasons.  First, a lot of people have sensitivity on varying scales to them and you maybe and not even know.  Then there is a mold that can grow in the peanuts that studies have shown to be carcinogenic.

So the above bolded items are your 7 no-no foods but not forever...just for three weeks.  After that you can add one back one week at a time and see if it has any affect.  IF it does – then it's a no-no food.  If not go with God.  

She encourages you to make a shake according to her recipe – which you can get in the book or online.  I had never done shakes or smoothies before and I thought – this can't be satisfying.  Again – I was wrong.  I LOVE THEM!  In fact, I make one for Darren every morning too and for the first time in the 15years that I hav known him – he eats breakfast.

What were our results?  Well – I lost three pounds and Darren lost seven.  I found out the root of my health issues come from dairy, eggs, soy and possibly gluten.  Darren found his come from gluten and sugars.  Now that we know we have slowly began to modify our life styles and eating habits.  We feel a ton better and when you fall off the wagon – boy do you know it. You get right back on again because the only medicine you need is real food.

JJ Virgin's book, The Virgin Diet, goes into way more detail with explanation much more detailed than this, with recipes, menu plans and encouraging stories from other folks that have seen it help.  

I am finally on a path based around health rather than vanity.  So you will see healthier recipes here and some other resources if you want to check them out too.

I highly recommend JJ Virgin's book – The Virgin Diet.  Maybe it can help you like it helped us.  I am not saying I follow it every day to a T but it is a good guide.

Happy New Year Friends – I hope for you good eats, good lucky and good health!