Baking Powder

You know those people who can just whip up things in the kitchen? Like, oh I have x, y and z so I’ll just pull together this incredibly delicious gourmet meal in matter of seconds. Yeah, I hate those people. Okay, hate may be a strong word. Envious of may be a better option. I’ve never been the best at navigating the treacherous roads of the kitchen. But what I lack in skill and ability, I more than make up for in appetite and enthusiasm.

When I moved in to my own charming place in Los Angeles, the kitchen proved to be one of the hardest obstacles. I mean, I had nothing. Have you ever tried to stock a kitchen from nothing? It’s harder than you may think. Once I had all of the appropriate utensils, I decided to start cooking and opted for a buy as you go philosophy. The very first thing I made were cookies. Obviously. So I guess that means I decided to start baking and not cooking? Tomato/Tomato. I googled “Healthy Cookies” (I know, who was I kidding?) and came across these essentially healthy chocolate chip cookies. They are butter-less, flour-less, egg-less, and sugar-less that call for what I like to refer to as a banana batter. And that sounded super delicious to me? So I skimmed the directions and headed to the store with a list. You guys, you absolutely c a n n o t skim when it comes to baking and allow me to tell you why. Did you know that baking soda and baking powder are not the same thing? Yeah, they’re not at all. The recipe called for powder, but while cruising the baking aisle I saw soda and thought Tomato/Tomato. No. It’s like tomato and whatever is so completely and utterly not tomato it’s not even funny. But of course I didn’t realize that until the first batch came out of the oven. Eating one tasted like swallowing a salt lick. And it wasn’t until I was so discouraged I called my mom and gave her the play by play, that I realized my mistake. But since I have realized the error of my ways and made the easy switch, these little nuggets have easily become one of my favorite treats. The oats give them texture, the coconut makes them sweet, and the banana keeps them tender. Use gluten free oats if you’re trendy, or have an allergy to gluten. And carob chips instead of chocolate if you’re vegan. And you guys, you don’t even have to feel guilty. In fact, they’re kind of good for you. So have at it. Just remember to use baking powder. Ugh, such a rookie mistake. 

Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe

recipe and image via 101 Cookbooks

You can use unsweetened carob, or grain sweetened chocolate chips. You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand - don't go too far or you'll end up with almond butter. Or you can buy it from Trader Joe's, as I obviously did. And lastly, be sure to warm the coconut oil a bit - enough that it is no longer solid, which makes it easier to incorporate into the bananas. If you have gluten allergies, seek out GF oats.

Ingredients

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)


2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon


1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder


6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes. I baked these as long as possible without burning the bottoms and they were perfect - just shy of 15 minutes seems to be about right in my oven.

Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies.

After the Final Rose

Okay, friends. So The Bachelor ended last night. Ben obviously didn’t hear me screaming through my television, and despite everyone’s advice, he proposed to Courtney as I cried into a glass of red wine and stuffed my face with chocolate covered pretzels. Oh, such is love. 

I must confess, I knew Ben picked Courtney long ago. And yeah, she was a nightmare, but let’s be honest, Lindzi had some red flags too. You guys, her only serious boyfriend broke up with her via text message. A text message that read Welcome to Dumpsville. Population YOU. Now, I don’t know this ex-boyfriend personally, but maybe he was on to something. And I hate to remind you, but her second serious boyfriend broke up with her on national television while she was expecting a proposal. So Lindzi, as history has shown and you’ll most likely be the next bachelorette, I have some advice for you. A heinous trashbag dress reminiscent of the black swan doesn’t exactly scream ASK ME TO MARRY YOU. And please to do not wait until what could potentially be one of the most incredible days of your life ever to try out a new hairstyle. Those two factors alone could have been your demise. And you guys, as Ben was kicking her to the curb she told him to call her if things don’t work out… I can’t even. I’m sure Ben and his center part are very happy with their choice.

In all seriousness, I really think I missed the boat this season. Ben is a winemaker from Sonoma. I am a wine drinker from Napa. Come on! But really, I’m kind of a Bachelor casting director’s dream. I fall in love in about 2.43 seconds. Parents are obsessed with me. I have zero commitment to my current job and a current passport. I’m a blast at cocktail parties. I have a great family. I drink champagne. I pretend to love adventure and athletic activities. I love a good cat fight. I have a killer eye roll. And most importantly, I’ve already purchased every rose ceremony dress I could ever possibly need for at least 17 seasons of The Bachelor. I’m not saying I’d receive the final rose, but I just hope I’d last long enough to score a segment on Good Day LA. Or at least a spot as a contestant on Bachelor Pad.

Shoot. I hope I didn’t just completely ruin any chance of being cast for next season. How well do castings directors research anyways? Probably not that well. I mean, we all remember Bentley.

Cupping

Confession. When I’m sick, I’m totally one of those woe is me, I’m just dying – but don’t worry about me I’m fine types of people. Maybe it’s because I’m a tad dramatic. Or maybe because I’m not the biggest fan of visiting the doctor. But most likely because I’m a tad dramatic. Like a few weeks ago, for example, I got a massive headache. One of those headaches where you can pinpoint the exact location of pain. For me, it was behind my left eye and at the base of my skull. Like my brain was cramping and my eyeball was retracting into my head. So naturally, instead of taking ibuprofen or something, I called my mom in hysterics because a brain tumor had emerged inside my skull over the course of .65 seconds and I wanted to tell her I loved her because I was certain this was the end. She suggested Excedrin migraine, I opted for cupping. You guys, sometimes I don’t even know. Cupping is an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine, and apparently I’m in to that type of thing? (Remember when I tried acupuncture?)

Yeah, so cupping, as I’ve come to understand it through Wikipedia, is where glass balls – err cups – are placed down your back, on either side of your spine. A little vacuum sucks the air out, creating a suction cup on your back – thus drawing blood flow to the area. This makes sense to me, as the spine is your central nervous system and increased circulation would promote healing and health throughout your internal organs and the rest of your body. Seems simple enough. Now, as for this suction action pulling toxins out of your body through your skin part, I’m not quite sold. But these cups did leave gnarly hickies down my back. Hickies that I proudly sported to yoga the next morning in an attempt to look more zen and worldly, obviously. The picture to the right was taken a few hours after my appointment when they were more like welts. Then they developed into weird spotted bruises, and finally faded away entirely over the course of a few days. And I haven’t had a headache since. With cups applied at the base of my neck and shoulders, the suction drew blood to the area and my muscles instantly started to relax, almost like a little ripple across my back. No joke, like my muscles siiiighed. I could literally feel my shoulders drop out of my ears and my neck grew at least 17 inches. Okay, so maybe not literally. But maybe it’s not a brain tumor after all?

Slutty Brownies

Yes, you read that correctly. These brownies are super slutty. Super slutty, and amazingly delicious. Oh so easy, and a little bit dirty, these brownies more than live up to their name. My friend Chloe was in LA for the weekend, and these were the first thing on our agenda after I picked her up from the airport. And wine. Brownies and wine. Our priorities could not be more in order. This layered treat is as simple as three easy steps. Chocolate chip cookie. Oreo. Brownie. In that order. As per the directions on their respective boxes. Yes boxes. Life’s too short. Start with the cookies. I’d advise adding an additional teaspoon of oil and water to the batter to keep them moist, as they will cook a little longer than usual. We forgot to do so – remember the wine? – and wished we had. Push the dough into a parchment lined baking dish, creating the bottom layer kind of like a crust. Next, place a single layer of Oreo’s over the dough. We used nearly a whole pack. Finally, make your brownie batter and pour over everything. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove. Slice immediately into generous squares and top with vanilla ice cream. You guys, this ooey-gooey-chocolatey orgy of flavors is sinful. Come on, they’re slutty brownies! I had to. For the complete play by play, pictures included, check out The Londoner.

Meanwhile, Chloe and I spent the rest of the weekend eating and drinking, generally getting in to trouble, and hanging out in Richard Castle’s living room on the set of Castle.