Semi-Homemade: Black & White Cookies

I have an embarrassing confession. As I sit here preparing this post, on one tab I have open the recipe page for the Paleo diet and on the other tab, the wiki page for black and white cookies. I guess this perfectly exemplifies the dichotomy that is my diet. 

Prior to becoming a resident New Yorker, and one who can now tell you we have Jerry Seinfeld to thank in part for making thse cookies famous, I spent a summer soaking up my final weeks of freedom. Naturally, this allowed for plenty of down time, so in between trips to ikea, I discovered that Betty knows the secret for transforming a plain jane bag of sugar cookie mix into a mean Black and White cookie.

So whether you eat the chocolate or vanilla side first, or head straight to the middle to get the best of both worlds, these treats don't disappoint. The sweetest part about it - the simplicity of the batter.

The recipe (Thanks Betty)

Cookie
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 eggs

Icing
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (2 oz)
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie ingredients until batter-like dough forms.

With medium cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, scoop dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Place powdered sugar in large bowl; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/4 cup cream and 2 tablespoons butter on High about 1 minute; stir until butter is melted. Add butter mixture and vanilla to powdered sugar; stir until mixture is smooth.

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon cream on High 1 minute; or until melted. Stir half of vanilla icing into melted chocolate mixture until smooth and well blended. If necessary, add additional cream to thin both vanilla and chocolate icing.

For each cookie, turn cookie flat side up; spread chocolate icing in thin layer on half of cookie. Spread other half with white icing. Store covered at room temperature.

Green Dream Smoothie

Well, before the season for refreshing smoothies is officially replaced by the season for warming soups, I feel compelled to share this palate pleasing blend. I first tasted the combination at a little vegan cafe called Terri that is connected to my gym. Quite honestly, it now takes just about all the will power I have to not fork over $6 on a daily basis for this green treat.  

I think my rendition and the resulting ingredient proportions replicated the flavor of the Terri smoothie very well, so give it a try, you won't be disappointed. You also won't be disappointed in the simplicity of the preparation.

The recipe (serves 1):

1 c. almond milk
3/4 c. frozen kale (they now sell at Trader Joes!)
1/4 pear, skin removed and sliced (I used Bartlett)
1/2 banana, sliced
1 tsp. almond butter

Add to blender in the order above. Blend. Add a few ice cubes. Blend again. Enjoy!

Baked Plantain Chips & Guac

Whenever I am in need of some cooking inspiration, a visit to a new restaurant or at the very least, studying the menu, usually does the trick. So, no, I can't claim to be the mastermind behind this tasty snack - truth be told, even vending machines these days boast their own (far less fresh) versions of plantain chips. 

I first really started to enjoy plantains after a trip to Costa Rica on a self-declared  spring break during my first year of working in the real world. Often times for lunch or dinner, I would order a dish called "Casado", which included rice, beans, sweet plantains, meat, and veggies - quite a meal packed on a plate! Anyhow, sweet plantains are delicious, but interestingly enough require using overripe (yellow or black) plantains, as opposed to the underripe (green) plantains used for making chips.

I have included some loose guidelines below in the quest to execute the recipe to perfection! There is no exact science to making the chips and guac so get in there and taste test as you go. 

The "Recipe"... if you can call it that
Green Plantains, peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt (Jane's Crazy Salt if you can get your hands on it)
Pepper
Seasonings: I used - Cumin, Paprika, Garlic powder, Cayenne (I would warn against being too heavy handed on this one)

Guacamole:
2-3 medium RIPE avocados, reserve at least one pit
1/2 lime
2 cloves garlic (use more if you wish!)
salt (about 1 tsp as a starting point)
pepper (about 1 tsp as a starting point)
cumin (about 1/2 tsp is a good starting point)
red pepper flakes (depends how much kick you want, try starting with 1/4 tsp)

1/2 tomato, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice off the skin of the plantain (peeling does not work particularly well). Then I would recommend cutting in half horizontally so you can stand the plantain up and ultimately have a better shot at achieving the desired thing slices. 

Toss the thinly sliced plantains in some olive oil and desired seasonings then placed on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes to start (might require more time to crisp depending on how thin the slices are), remove from oven and turn over, return to oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. If this doesn't achieve a desired crispy-ness, continue baking for additional time. 

While the chips are baking, begin on the guac by slicing each avocado in half vertically and scooping out the avocado (reserve one pit). Add the juice of half a lime and then mash into the desired consistency. Mix in garlic and spices, then fold in  tomato and onion. Taste test and add additional spices as necessary.

If by chance you find yourself with leftover guac, use the reserved pit to store and prevent the guac from browning.