Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites - Grain free

Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Who doesn't like chocolate? This is a grain free recipe that is delicious. We also love Chocolate Peanut Treats from Tastes & Treasures cookbook page 162.
Ingredients:
1¼ cups canned chickpeas, well-rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup + 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, SunButter Natural or almond butter - room temperature
¼ cup honey or agave or maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have salt in it
½ cup  chocolate chips (use vegan and dairy-free chocolate chips, if needed)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C. Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a food processor and process until very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides and the top to get the little chunks of chickpeas and process again until they're combined.
Put in the chocolate chips and stir it if you can, or pulse it once or twice. The mixture will be very thick and sticky.
With wet hands, form into 1½" balls. Place onto a piece of parchment paper. If you want them to look more like normal cookies, press down slightly on the balls. They don't do much rising. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Notes:
Don't even try with regular peanut butter! They'll come out oily. You MUST use natural peanut butter.
If you need grain-free baking powder, you can use 1 part cream of tartar + 1 part baking soda + 2 parts arrowroot.

Chickpea cookies! Chickpea cookies with no flour, no oil, no white sugar. These are just full of chickpeas. And they’re my very favorite healthy cookie so far! I don’t know if they really classify as cookies so I’ll go with cookie dough bites. And as a bonus, they’re grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. Just in case that matters to anyone out there! And if you’re worried about the chickpeas, don’t be. I don’t like chickpeas and won’t eat them but that didn’t prevent me from inhaling these.

These need the chocolate. Don’t go making them without the chocolate and then tell me that they weren’t sweet or gooey enough! These would be incredibly boring without the chocolate. And for some weird reason, these cookie dough bites do not taste yummy in dough form. Baking them somehow brings out the sweetness and peanut butter flavor. Or maybe it’s just all that melted chocolate.

These aren’t the most beautiful cookie dough bites, but fresh out of the oven, with all that gooey chocolate, I bet you can’t tell that these are made with chickpeas. Or are grain-free. But cold? Yuck. These need to be warm! You can either freeze the balls and pop a few in the oven whenever it’s on, or simply put them in the microwave until they’re warm and gooey again.
Please read the following before asking a question! It will probably answer your question.
Tons of people have posted the nutritional analysis for these. They’re supposedly anywhere between 80-130 calories, which seems like a huge range to me. Please use a recipe analyzer like on CalorieCount if you need more information.
You can use almond butter, sun butter, or whatever nut butter like you.
The peanut butter should be the kind with only peanuts and salt. No added fat or sugar. Be careful because there are some “natural” brands out there which aren’t really natural. I find that this peanut butter is usually expensive so I make my own. You can make your own in only 5 minutes with a food processor. Check that out here.
Chickpea flour won’t work. I don’t think plain hummus will either.
I haven’t tried anything other than chickpeas but others have used butter beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, great northern beans, and lentils with success. I generally don’t like goodies made with those types of beans but I love these cookies made with chickpeas. Please use chickpeas unless you have an allergy!
Doing this in a blender (unless it’s a Blendtec blender or something equally powerful) won’t work and might kill the blender.
For a totally sugar free version, use 30 drops of Stevia and cacao nibs.
For a vegan version, you can’t use honey. Use agave. Also be sure to check your chocolate chips! I’ve used these Enjoy Life chocolate chips and they are amazing!

Thanks to Texanerin.com for this recipe.
Prep Time: 8 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Ready in: 18 min
Yield: 14 1" cookies

One Pot Pasta

It's all in one dish - Pasta, Tomatoes, Veggie Broth, Olive Oil. Fast and easy.

Throw it all in the pot, INCLUDING the uncooked Pasta, and cook! - Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. The starch leaches out of the pasta and makes a rich, warm sauce for the noodles. The other ingredients cook right along with the pasta.

Tastes & Treasures cookbook also has a delicious Penne with Basil Pesto on page 89 from historic Four Peaks Brewing company.

Ingredients:
12 ounces pasta (Linguine is a favorite)
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with liquid (any flavor)
1 large sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
2 large sprigs basil, chopped
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth (regular broth and NOT low sodium)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:
Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.

Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all liquid has evaporated – I left about an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pot – but you can reduce as desired .

Season to taste with salt and pepper , stirring pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot. Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.

Thanks to Simply The Best You...Healthy and Happy for the recipe.

Sassy Melon Salad

Sassy Melon Salad
Melons, pear and cucumber, together in one delicious yogurt salad. Like a Yogurt Parfait in a salad. We also love the recipe on page 52 of Tastes & Treasures for Yogurt Parfait from historic Hassayampa Inn in Prescott.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt

2 tsp. lime juice

2 cups diced (seedless or seeded) watermelon

1 1/2 cups diced cantaloupe

1 1/2 cups diced cucumber

1 cup diced pear



Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine yogurt, lime juice, and 1/4 cup watermelon. Blend until smooth.

 In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, cucumber, pear, and remaining 1 3/4 cups watermelon. Add yogurt mixture and toss.


MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1/4th of recipe (about 1 1/3 cups): 91 calories, 0.25g fat, 30mg sodium, 22g carbs, 2g fiber, 17g sugars, 2.5g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3*



Thanks to Hungry Girl for recipe.

2003 Historymaker Calvin Goode

Always involved, former City Councilman and Educator

Calvin Goode marched in the Arizona Capitol rally on Saturday, August 24. Participating in "Keeping King's Dream Alive" and honoring Martin Luther King, Mr Goode is shown here with Executive Director Petra Falcon of Promise Arizona.

Calvin Goode was honored as a Historymaker by the Historical League in February 2003. He is best known for his twenty-two years as a Phoenix city councilman. He is equally proud of his many years dedicated to education. In retirement, Goode works to restore the old Carver High School to a place of pride in the community as the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, showcasing the achievements of African Americans in Phoenix and Arizona.

Betsy Davis' Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie from Betsy Davis was a mouth-watering dessert served at the June Historical League meeting.

Try this recipe as well as Chocolate Lovers Delight Pie on page 152 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
5 Tbs butter
2/3 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cream


Directions:
Crust: Melt butter in a microwave safe dish.  Mix with the cookie crumbs until well blended.  Reserve 1 Tbs of crust mixture for topping later.  Press the rest into a 9" pie plate to form the crust and place in the refrigerator.

Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.
Whisk in the milk, stirring well. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Whisk in chocolate chips and vanilla until melted and well blended. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
Pour cooled mixture into the pie shell. Cool to room temperature and then chill for several hours.
Prior to serving, whip the cream and the remaining tablespoon of sugar in a medium bowl until soft peaks are formed. Spoon over the chocolate to form the topping.  Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
It's the evaporated milk that makes it killer :)

2005 Historymaker Alberto Rios named AZ Poet Laureate

The Historical League recognized his commitment to Arizona when they honored Albert Rios in 2005 as a Historymaker.

The following article was in Arizona Republic August 19, 2013.

One of Arizona’s best-known writers and a 2002 finalist for the National Book Award, he has been named the state’s inaugural poet laureate.
Gov. Jan Brewer made the announcement Monday, Aug. 19, after an extensive selection process overseen by the Arizona Commission on the Arts. “Ríos demonstrates an unmatched dedication and love for the art of poetry,” Brewer said in a press release. “For more than four decades, his poetry and literary works have touched our communities and kept Arizona’s culture and heritage alive.”
The Legislature voted to create the post last year, passing a bill sponsored by Sen. Al Melvin (R-Tucson) to make Arizona the 43rd state with a poet or writer laureate.
Ríos will serve a two-year term, during which his official duties will include traveling throughout the state and giving at least four public readings per year. He is also to “undertake a major literary project with the goal of educating residents about poetry and literary arts.”
“It does feel like a job I’ve been doing all my life,” Ríos said.
“The best thing I can do is help people slow down. Privilege the fragment. Stop and, not smell the roses, but understand that moments count, too.”
A regents professor at Arizona State University, Ríos has published 10 collections of poems and three of short stories. His 1999 memoir about growing up on the U.S.-Mexico border, “Capirotada,” was selected for the OneBookAZ reading program in 2009.
In 2003, he composed the inauguration poem for Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, which included the lines, “Speak to the animal in us / And the animal will answer. / Speak to the human in us / And a voice in song will rise. … We are, / As things turn out, the answer and the problem both. / Every day we must choose our suit of clothes.

Pizza Balls

Looking for a quick idea for dinner? The kids will LOVE IT and love helping to make it!
More delicious appetizer recipes in Tastes & Treasures cookbook.

PIZZA BALLS

Ingredients:
3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 ct)
60 pepperoni slices (2 per biscuit)
Block of cheese (Colby/Monterey Jack or Chedder)
1 beaten egg
Parmesan Cheese
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
1 jar pizza sauce

Directions:
Slice cheese into approx. 28 squares. Flatten each biscuit and stack pepperoni and cheese on top (Like in the picture) Gather edges of biscuit and secure on top of the roll. Line rolls in greased 9x13 pan Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 18 to 20 mins. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping. ENJOY!!

Thanks to Shirley’s weight loss support group for recipe.