A Light & Crispy Quinoa Cookie? Yes, Please!

My family LOVES peanut butter. Loves it so much, they have it on toast in the morning, on crackers or in PB & J at lunch and will still ask for more. So when I found a cookie recipe with peanut butter and Quinoa, I had to give it a try. Although this blog is about tea, peace and unique crafts I've made, I find my creativity extends deep into the foods I prepare too.  A big part of the peace and love we show our children comes from the foods we prepare for them, so I will occasionally share them with you as well. 

Below is a modified crispy cookie recipe using Quinoa flakes from Ancient Quinoa Harvest. These cookies are light, crispy and very addicting. Similar to a shortbread cookie, these little lovelies are quick and easy to make and can be made gluten free (if you choose).  To add some variety, chocolate or peanut butter chips, dried fruit or even nuts can be added.

Peanut Butter Quinoa Crispies

¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (can use ½ cup honey + 1/3 cup brown sugar to substitute)

1 stick Butter (1/2 cup)

½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter

½ tsp Vanilla extract

1 cup Flour (can use Rice flour for wheat-free option)

¾ cup Quinoa Flakes

1 tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

½ cup nuts or chocolate & peanut butter chips (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugar (or honey + brown sugar), butter, peanut butter and vanilla in medium bowl until creamy.  Combine flour, quinoa flakes, baking soda and salt in small bowl.  Add to mixture and beat until well blended. If desired, add nuts.  Roll cookie dough into small balls the size of a ping pong ball and flattened with a fork on onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.  Cool a few minutes before adding them to a wire rack to cool. Wait until they are completely cool before putting them into an airtight container.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Quinoa flakes are a great staple to add to your kitchen.  An important grain for people in the Andes Mountains of South America, the tiny Quinoa seeds have been used for thousands of years. From hot cereal, cookies, pancakes, muffins and breads this amazing and quick cooked grain is a wonderful source of balanced protein and contains calcium and iron while being low in sodium. Easy to digest and a mild taste make it a terrific food for children or those on restricted diets. Magnesium, copper and phosphorous found in Quinoa are also very beneficial for those struggling with Diabetes and migraine headaches.

It’s great how many nutritional grains besides wheat Nature provides us, and I hope the above cookie recipe will inspire you to see how Quinoa can benefit you and your loved ones.

The tiny hole in the top of the crust was my husband, Dominic's accidental crust test. Nice & crispy!

My Proud Mama Moment:

My son Dimitri, helped me make our first loaf of bread in our new bread machine from Breadman,  and he loved the bread so much this morning that he wanted 3 pieces with peanut butter! I can’t wait to make a loaf with the Quinoa flakes, dried currants and dried pear next!   

A Polite Hat for a Polite Mind.

Grief. Not something you may want to encounter, but just like love, it’s an emotion we all experience at some point. At 98 years old, my Great Grama was a pillar of joy and strength. She inspired me from an early age through her love for color, costume jewelry and even jewel-encrusted sandals. But what she passed down to me was a deep reverence for faith and humanity. Her firm, yet polite ways of reminding my sister and I to be nice when we were kicking each other under the table during lunch as children were (although probably a huge reason I tend to err on the side of being overly polite), such a clear message to me about how interconnected we all are. We all deserve respect. We all have something unique to offer.  So in my grief over my Great Grama’s exit from this physical world, I found myself honoring her through my craft, creating a soft wool hat that I know she would have politely said, “Well done, Angela. I love it.”

My Great Grama & Grampa Leuppie.

Sweet Energy from Blue People

When Dominic showed me this tea, I initially thought the beauty of the “moss colored stones” was enough to entice me to try this unique jade oolong. Then he told me the tea leaves are coated in Ginseng powder and Stevia, and my nose scrunched up and a few doubting comments came out of my mouth. I will admit I am not a fan of Stevia Leaf. Years ago, when we first started carrying Stevia Leaf in our shop, I had one too many unfortunately strong brewed sample cups as we tested it out to get the steeping time right. As much as I loved providing it as an alternative to sugar for our customers, I swore it off personally after that. But fate had other plans for my taste buds when these tiny little matte green pebbles arrived and I just can’t turn down a chance to try something new. 

Why Blue People? No ties to any of the different Blue People you may be thinking of, rather, this high mountain jade oolong tea from Taiwan is pressed tightly into little mounds, then coated in a blend of Ginseng and Stevia powders to give its blue pebble like appearance and memorable name. But the Ginseng and Stevia bring something far greater to this oolong than just a unique look. Upon first infusion (steeped 3 minutes with 180ºwater), this tea has a crisp, slightly cooling (almost minty fresh) flavor with a strong and sweet stevia leaf aftertaste. The first few sips yield an energizing and uplifting feeling while the last few leave a sweet and fulfilled taste in the back of your throat. Not one to waste the opportunity to re-steep tea leaves, I found the second infusion really brought out the best in this lovely jade oolong as the tea leaves completely unfolded, and the sweet aftertaste became more subdued. The third infusion is far more mellow, but still has a nice aroma to it.

Blue People tea is energizing, sweet and uplifting- a terrific way to start off any morning or to drink as an early afternoon pick-me-up.

Now available in our tea shops and online.

Rosy Ring Around My Neck

Not to be confused with the nursery rhyme, "Ring a Ring o' Roses" or "Ring Around the Rosie" by Kate Greenaway from the 1790's, this necklace was created to beautify my wardrobe and not ward off black plague as some historians may attest.

In need of something pretty for a fantastic dinner engagement with some new friends, I pulled a heap of yarn scraps together and was inspired by the warm rainbow of bark, burgundy, red, orange and coral colors. At first attempt, this necklace started out shorter, but as I worked on it, I came to see the folly of having a scalloped petal collar around my neck. 

A clown, was not the impression I wanted to portray (although, my goofiness still shined through out the night as I challenged a new pal to a "Running Man Off". Yes, there is video evidence, and no, you may not see it.). So, I lengthened it by adding a burgundy single stitch chain that weaved through the top of each petal. The fringe, was a fun afterthought, as I liked the idea of incorporating more of the rose bud colors into it.

The yarns I used were Michael's Loops & Threads Charisma 100% acrylic yarn in Mountain Majesty and a super soft acrylic/wool blend from Bernat Roving Collection in the color bark.  
 

Who Says a Kid Can't Safely Rock a Scarf?

Inspired by repeated requests from my son, Dimitri, to dress like his Daddy, I dedicated a few hours this  week to crochet a safe scarf he could wear that matched his new favorite beanie. A major fan of Yo Gabba Gabba, I had special ordered Dimitri a Muno beanie (& Solbug a Brobee beanie) from an awesome Etsy shop in Indiana back in the fall. With winter in full stream right now, it became apparent how uncomfortable a traditional scarf was for our little boys as they found it more fun to drag on the ground in puddles rather than try to wrap it around their little necks.

Using some acrylic black yarn with vibrant all cotton red yarn, I created this simple cowl neck scarf using single crochet stitches and a larger crochet hook.  The scarf took less than an hour, and Dimitri was happily parading around the house wearing it over his pajamas. His excited smile & repeated "thank you Mama" comments through out the rest of the day has been a reminder to me of the simple joys and comforts we all need and deserve to enjoy the winter time. Now, when Dimitri goes to play outside, he's happy to be warmer, I'm happy to see him unhindered in his outdoor adventures and also grateful that it's one less thing poor Dominic has to wash. ;)

Sen Cha Fukamushi: When Only a Deep Steam Will Do.

Amazing illustrations like the one of the mystical Asian mountain escape above can be found at AppWill, a great iPod wallpaper application.

 A new sencha I have been enjoying for a nice flavor and caffeine burst is our Sen Cha Fukamushi. This deep-steamed style of sencha was developed 35 years ago and is rarely seen outside of Japan.  The deep steaming of the tea leaves creates a vivid emerald green infusion that is strong and full bodied, without bitterness.  The terroir (or combination of soil, climate and environmental factors) of the Shizuoka tea region of Japan gives this sencha a sweet, rich marine taste.  Like walking in a rainy forest in Southern Japan, this tea is quickly become a new favorite for me. 

This tea can be found now both on our website & in our tea shops. 

Cold Nose but Cozy Toes!

The weather is cold, crisp & clear here in the Northwest and I have been in need of replacing my worn out slippers. As I warmed up with my favorite morning brew, Velvet Oolong, a Taiwanese milk oolong we sell at our shop, I thought about the lovely shade of soft grass green suede with lavender leather bow ties. They were a Christmas present that treated my feet well for almost 3 years, but the time had come to branch out into trying to make my own.

Using Michael's Loops & Threads Charisma 100% acrylic yarn in Electric Blue and Lion Brand Homespun acrylic blend yarn in Lagoon, I decided to crochet myself some slippers. They have three ankle straps with wood burned Iris flowers and a reinforced double yarn sole layer.  I didn't follow a pattern, but choose instead to let my imagination guide my stitches. Using mostly single crochet stitches with a variation of longer stitches for the toe sunburst designs, I came up with a style that was both unique and yet simple enough to finish in an afternoon.

My creative & inspired 3 year old son, Dimitri, took these photographs for me.

These slippers definitely suit every need I have for warmth, comfort & breathe-ability while having some rich colored Angelbaby flare to them. Now my little boys each want some new slippers... looks like a few new inspiring projects just got added into the mix!