My Coffee Cravings is now Studio Cuisine, and can be found at http://studiocuisineblog.com
If you’d resubscribe over there it would mean the world to me, thanks for following along!
Hello Loyal Readers!
After giving it some serious thought, I have made the decision (very early on, I know) to change the name of this blog. I figure it’s best to make this decision in the beginning, so the transition can be made relatively smoothly when I have very little content on my blog. The title I had chosen wasn’t exactly resonating with readers, so I have picked something new! I’m not going to give away the name just yet, but stay tuned and you will find out soon enough. Unfortunately, this means a pause in my posting of recipes, but rest assured I am developing them and will be saving them for when my new blog is ready, in about 3-4 weeks. I know this is a long time to wait, but I can promise it will be worthwhile. Thank you so much for following along thus far. I sincerely hope you’ll follow me in this transition. I am so grateful for your readership!
Rachel
Any guesses as to what the best part of these cookies is?
If you said butter, you were spot on! I apologize in advance if I fooled you with all that toasty coconut hanging out in the background, but I had to put my leftovers to good use! The best part about these cookies, in my opinion, is all the butter. That, and the fact that the recipe is egg-free, so they’re just slightly under-cooked and gooey on the inside with no fear of food poisoning. This recipe came out with an even twelve cookies, but it could easily be doubled if you’re baking for more than just one person. Now for the recipe:
Toasted Coconut Butter Cookies (makes 1 dozen cookies)
- 1/3 cup coconut flakes
- 1 and 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp almond flour*
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 5 tbsp butter, melted in saucepan over low heat
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Spread coconut flakes out on baking sheet, and bake for 2-3 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove from oven.
- Mix almond flour, baking, soda, and sea salt in a medium-sized bowl.
- Combine melted butter, agave nectar, and vanilla extract.
- Add wet ingredients into dry and mix together.
- Fold in toasted coconut (I find it works well to use your hands – be prepared to get greasy from all that butter!)
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.**
- Try not to eat all 12 in one sitting
*If your mixture seems a little too liquidy, feel free to increase this amount by a tablespoon or two.
**Keep in mind that I have a gas oven that tends to take longer to bake things than most ovens. Be sure to keep an eye on your baked goods, and always choose the lower end of the recommended baking time, extending time in the oven as necessary!
Congratulations lucky readers, you’re getting more than one post today!
I saw this post today from Tidy Mom and knew I had to run home to make a salad and photograph it while I still had some good light left (a rare occurrence in my apartment in the first place)! If there was one meal I had to eat for the rest of my life, it’d probably be a salad. The options are endless when it comes to salads, and I love almost any and all salad toppings (except cucumbers – ick!).
If there is any one person who reads this post, I really hope it’s my Mom. She’ll be in for a huge surprise when she finds out that…I LIKE TOMATOES! I was a tomato-hater for the majority of my life, but I warmed up to them slowly in the form of sun dried or oven roasted tomatoes. It wasn’t until very recently that I actually started to like straight-up raw tomatoes, but I think I’m finally there! You won’t find me biting into a tomato like an apple, but I can happily report that I actually enjoy the fruit now.
When I saw these multi-colored cherry tomatoes at the store during my post-work grocery trip, I knew I had to include them in this salad. Come join The Salad Social at TidyMom sponsored by The International Olive Council’s Add Some Life”
Avocado, Tomato, and Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette (makes about 3/4 cup dressing)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice)
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/4 tsp rosemary
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- Combine all ingredients and give them a whiz in the blender, or whisk by hand.
- Set aside.
Avocado, Tomato, and Roasted Red Pepper Salad (serves 4-6)
- 1 package (5 oz) baby spring mix
- 1 pint multi-colored (or regular) cherry tomatoes
- 1 7.5 oz jar roasted red peppers
- 1 small avocado
- Pour lettuce mix into large bowl.
- Cut cherry tomatoes into halves, or leave whole, if desired, and add to lettuce.
- Cut up roasted red peppers (mine came whole) to desired size and add to salad.
- Cut one small avocado into slices or chunks, and add to mix.
- Pour desired amount of dressing over salad, and mix!
- Consume
Again, to my fellow bloggers, if you’re interested in joining in on the salad party, you can find out more by clicking on the button below!
Hello, lovers!
I spent the past weekend in Arizona for my friend Lauren‘s college graduation. I could not be prouder to see her graduate (from my alma mater – the University of Arizona, Go Wildcats!) with a great job at a law firm in Tucson. It was so much fun getting to re-live some of those college memories, with alcohol (can you say fishbowl?) and plenty of Mexican food. Seriously, I ate it for 2 out of my 3 meals one day. While I definitely missed that good quality Mexican food you just can’t get in DC, the highlight of the trip had to be Mother’s Day brunch at a restaurant at a resort overlooking Phoenix. It was buffet style and it’s safe to say I ate enough to keep me full for the rest of the day. Just check out the menu. Oh, and the view wasn’t too shabby either. I owe Lauren’s dad my first born child, or something equally valuable, for treating me to that fantastic meal. My only regret is not being able to spend Mother’s Day with my own Mom. Luckily, I will be able to spend next weekend with her. Now, promise me you won’t be thoroughly disappointed with this recipe after checking out that brunch menu!
Spicy Chicken Meatballs (Serves 3-4)
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2-3 tbsp fat of choice: olive oil, coconut oil, or bacon fat (what I used)
- Mix all ingredients (except oil) in bowl.
- Roll mixture into golf-sized balls.
- Fry meatballs in fat of choice at medium heat until cooked through.
- Top with your favorite sauce (I used OrganicVille Pizza Sauce - seen in the photo above)
- Devour!
Naked Meatballs…just as tasty (yep, that’s what she said)
Welcome to my brand new food blog, My Coffee Cravings! My name is Rachel, and I’m a 24 year-old graduate student living and working in Washington, DC. I wasn’t always a coffee lover, and resisted becoming “one of them” for a very long time. This resistance lasted right up until I was 22, when I started my first full-time job working for the State Department. Those early morning hours became increasingly difficult to manage without some kind of caffeine boost, and the free coffee my office provided became more and more enticing. As you can probably guess, I succumbed to the coffee that I had resisted for so long.
While my coffee consumption is not nearly as large as it might seem (I drink one, or maybe two cups in a day), it was the inspiration for the title of this blog. I find comfort in drinking coffee, and in my book, there is no better feeling than sitting down to enjoy a steaming hot, giant mug of the stuff. As you might guess, the recipes you’ll find here will contain so much more than coffee (although many of them pair well with it)! My only hope is that you get that comforting feeling from my creations, and take the time to enjoy each and every meal you prepare.
In keeping with the name of my blog, I figured I had to get you started with a coffee-related recipe. So without further ado, a banana crumb coffee cake!
Banana Crumb Coffee Cake – serves 12
Topping
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pulse walnuts in food processor until just broken apart (or chop by hand into small pieces).
- Stir in coconut oil, agave, and vanilla extract by hand. Set aside.
Cake
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 medium bananas
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp walnut oil (coconut oil could also work here)
- Combine almond flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside.
- In your food processor, pulse bananas for about 30 seconds until broken apart.
- Add honey, eggs, vanilla extract, and walnut oil to food processor and mix until completely combined.
- Add wet ingredients to your dry ingredients and stir.
- Place cake mixture in an 8×8 greased pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes.**
- After 15-20 minutes, remove cake from oven and sprinkle topping over cake.
- Sprinkle cinnamon over cake (optional).
- Bake for another 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Enjoy!!
**Keep in mind that I have a gas oven that tends to take longer to bake things than most ovens. Be sure to keep an eye on your baked goods, and always choose the lower end of the recommended baking time, extending time in the oven as necessary!
