oatmeal cookies with dates, cranberries and walnuts

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup organic spelt flour
1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup solid non-hydrogenated (earth balance or spectrum brand) vegetable shortening, room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup organic natural brown sugar
1/4 cup organic grade b maple syrup
2 large organic eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups organic multi-grain oats
1/4 cup raisins naturally dried
1/4 cup dried blueberries no preservatives
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F.
combine flours thu sea salt in a medium bowl.

beat butter, vegetable shortening, unsweetened applesauce and brown sugar in mixer until fluffy.
beat in maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla.
slowly and on low add flour mixture until combined.
add in oats, raisins, dried blueberries,dates, and walnuts.
drop by heaping tbls onto baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes. cool

fruit and nut quinoa bars

unfortunatley i have no pictures of these as i sent them right over to a friend of ours but they are cake like. the taste is very earthy but if you enjoy quinoa you will love trying something a little different like this. i used a combination of red quinoa and regular...we are hooked on the red now and i use it almost daily it seems.
quinoa is such an amazing grain. for one it has far more protein than any other grain..for people watching their meat intake or vegans it is an excellent benefit for them. not only does it contain a large amount of protein it is also a complete protein..containing essential amino acids. pair it with black beans for a wonderfully complete healthy meal! it is also high in iron. give it a try!

enjoy!


1 cup quinoa (i used a mix of regular quinoa and red quinoa)
2 cups water
1/2 cup organic natural brown sugar
1 cup whole whate flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup organic raisins, naturally dried and preservative free..no sulphur
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots, naturally dried and preservative free...no sulphur
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs

preheat oven to 350F. grease 13x9 in pan.

bring water to boil. add quinoa and bring back to a boil. turn down to a simmer and cover until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. remove and set aside.

combine brown sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, spices, raisins, aprictos and sunflower seeds.

in a small bowl combine quinoa, butter, oj, vanilla and eggs. add to dry mix and stir to combine.

pour into pan; sprinkle with some toasted wheat germ and bake for 45 minutes.

cool and eat.