Review: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes

Kati Chevaux — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:00:22 +0000

Cookies are a universal delight, no? As much as everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, though, it makes sense to have a resource that covers all the possible shapes, sizes and flavors of cookies.

101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes, by Lucinda Wallace and Heather Wallace, is just that resource.

Purely recipes, the cookbook offers none of the frills so popular in cookbooks today. You won’t find glossy color photos (or any photos for that matter) or clever recipe intros. That didn’t bother me, but it made it a little hard to figure out where to start!

You will get what’s promised - 101 easy cookie recipes. The authors cover a wide spectrum of cookies, including bar, drop, no-bake, rolled and shaped. I won’t be at a loss for everyday snacks, holiday treats or classroom party ideas ever again.

We’ve tried two recipes so far. Both used favorite flavor combinations of mine. The first was for Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. These were chewy and chocolaty with a perfect hint of mint that made us want to come back for more:

The second recipe we tried was for Oranges and Cream Cookies. Before I made them, all I could picture were the dreamsicles I loved as a child, and the flavor delivered as promised. These were creamy and, like the mint cookies, had the perfect touch of flavor:

Oranges and Cream Cookies

Makes about 3 ½ dozen cookies

2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2-3 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 package (12 ounces) white chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg and orange peel. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in white chips. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

All in all, a great resource I will turn to again and again. For more information visit the cookbook’s website.

The F-Factor Diet - the Recipes

Kati Chevaux — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:00:17 +0000

The F-Factor Diet, by Tanya Zuckerbrot, is a weight loss plan built around high-fiber foods paired with lean proteins plus food journaling to track carbohydrate and fiber intake. The book’s so-called magic bullet, fiber, helps one feel full, lose weight, and achieve a lower risk of developing heart disease and certain cancers.

In addition to a detailed diet plan complete with exchange lists, sample menus, and food logging, the F-Factor Diet book contains over 80 recipes to help put the plan in practice. In general, the recipes are basic and, as Ms. Zuckerbrot admits, “extremely simple, require few ingredients, and are easy to follow.”

You won’t find oat bran and wheat germ sprinkled throughout the recipes, although many recipes do make use of typical “diet” ingredients like Splenda artificial sweetener, low-fat and fat-free cheeses, and reduced calorie or reduced carbohydrate foods.

All in all, you will find a nice assortment of simple, healthy recipes for salads, soups, vegetable dishes, meat and fish dishes, breakfast, and a few sweets.

I decided to try the F-Factor Diet recipe - Applesauce Pancakes. I am always looking for healthier breakfast alternatives to add variety to the usual plate or bowl of wheat.

First of all, my three year old liked these pancakes. He asked for seconds, then thirds. While I agree that the taste was nice - fruity and nutty, I had some problems with the preparation and texture. These pancakes didn’t really set during cooking. Because of that, they were difficult to flip and had quite a mushy texture, nothing at all like the traditional pancake. Next time, I’ll use chopped apple pieces and whole eggs to see if that helps.

Applesauce Pancakes

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 egg whites
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup applesauce, no sugar added
1/4 cup raisins

1. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.

2. In another bowl, beat together egg whites, oil, milk, and applesauce; pour over dry ingredients. Add raisins and stir until just blended.

3. Using a ladle, scoop approximately 1/2 cup of batter onto a hot skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook until set and bubbly, and then turn over for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 267 calories, 43 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 9 g protein, 4 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 81 mg sodium

Paper Palate

Review: 101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes

The F-Factor Diet - the Recipes