Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

 

 

  I have a knack for making up recipes that sometimes, somehow end up being successful. Problem? I rarely ever write down the exact recipe. So.. I end up with a one time wonder. This time, as I was dancing around the kitchen pouring ingredients and singing my newest muse, whatever it was at that moment, I was yelling the exact ingredients to my sister that happened to be writing nearby. This cookie is now an "every time wonder". There is something about cookies. I am willing to work and over work for a delicious cake, but cookies? If your anything like me, they are going to be finished faster than it took to make them. And no, I'm not going to refrigerate my dough for 45 minutes before shaping and baking. The reason I made the dough now, is because I want a cookie in 13 minutes. FLAT.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

What You'll Need:

• 2 Cups Crushed Oats
• 1 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1 1/4 Cup Oil
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Tsp Vanilla 
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/3 Cup Crushed Walnuts, or nut of choice (Optional)
• 1/2 -1 Cup Chocolate Chips (depending how chocolatey you like your cookies)
• A Dash of Salt

Preheat Oven to 350 F. 

In a large bowl, first combine your oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Once nice and smooth, add all your dry ingredients, combine. I like to line my baking sheets with parchment paper, so if you have some of that magic, go ahead and do that. Using two tablespoons or a small scooper make one Tbsp sized mounds leaving a two inch separation between each cookie, because they DO expand. Place into the oven for about 13 minutes, every oven is very different. Many ovens would need you to place your sheet on the bottom wrack for the first 5-6 minutes and then on the top wrack for the rest. Once they are nicely golden, they are ready. They harden once they are set and at room temperature. 

For a softer chewier cookie, take them out once they are slightly golden, for a crispy cookie, golden all the way, Kapish? Good. 

Moroccan Matboucha

  Let me start off by saying what I always say, in Moroccan Cuisine there are no actual recipes. There are ingredients and then you go with your heart. It's not a cliche. It's for realz. One of my favorite ingredients is prayer, it's as UP there as Salt. Try cooking without Salt. Especially when it comes to the soul foods of our culture, Schina (Chulent, Chamin, Dafina), Matboucha, Moroccan Friday night fish.. and many more, prayer is an actual ingredient. 
  Whenever we would travel to Israel for the holidays my grandmother would be cooking up a Tsunami, there is no room for argument, her food can easily compete with the big sharks of the culinary world. Yet, her utensils are so simple, using only the most basic of spices and no actual "recipes". How? If you looked closely enough, you would see her little mouth was wording Psalms-Tehilim. It does something, and like my Great Grandmother, Grandmother and Mother, my little lips move a lot in the kitchen. Another thing, I am a workaholic in the kitchen. If I had the choice of growing my own veggies and wheat, I would. But that's not practical and it goes against the century we live in. So, when I share recipes I try to cut corners when it comes to the actual work going into the dish, but HOPEFULLY ending up with the same delicious outcome. Normally Matboucha calls for 100 freshly peeled and seeded Tomatoes. Unless you have a crush on peeling Tomatoes, lets keep it simple and delicious.

What You'll Need:

• 7 Large Chopped Tomatoes
• 4 Charred Pealed and Sliced Green Bell Peppers
• 3 Charred Pealed and Sliced Red Bell Peppers
• 2 Charred Pealed and Sliced Orange or Yellow Bell Peppers
• 1 Small Green Jalapeño Chopped (For mild heat- If you are accustomed to using Jalapeño's, you can play around with the spiciness)
• 6-7 Cloves Garlic Sliced or Chopped
• 1 1/2 Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 3/4 Tbsp Paprika
• 1/4 - 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Canola Oil
• Salt & Black Pepper to Taste

Charring Bell Peppers

On a medium-low flame using a large flat pot, heat up Canola Oil. Add your Garlic slices and give them a little spin, allowing them to release their Garlicy LOVE. Add your sliced Bell Peppers and Jalapeño, giving them a few minutes to soak up some of the Garlic's flavor. Now add your chopped Tomatoes, Sauce and Sugar. On a low flame let it all simmer for about 1/2 an hour to 45 mins, showing some love once in while with a little stir. (Make sure the bottom doesn't burn) The Tomatoes will release a lot of water, so there is no need to add water, we are actually trying to release all that excess water, so no covering your pot. After simmering for 1/2 hour or once your mixture starts gaining shape (less excess water), add your Olive Oil, Paprika, Salt and Black Pepper. At this point you will gain a nice rich red color, using the same method as before, show some love with a stir once in a while, simmer for an additional 45 minutes. If your Matboucha seems to still have a lot of excess moisture let it simmer down until the only moisture you have left is the Olive Oil. 

Garnish with some chopped Parsley.