Lactation Bars

Gifts for Asia and Donya, 2021.

These make enough for a half-sheet pan. If you're using a 1/4 sheet, either bake it in two shifts, or bake a half recipe.

A 1/4 sheet pan is enough to fill a jar.

Most lactation bars feature Brewers yeast, flax seed, oats, and other nutritious ingredients like wheat germ. I modified this by baking the dough in the Breville in a 1/4 sheet pan, which works well.

It's easy to slice into even portions. They're a nice gift to a new mama!

It makes about 5 dozen bars or cookies. 

Recipe By:kfwarden

2 T flax seed meal
¼ cup water
1 c butter, softened
1 c white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ t pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour (can be half whole wheat)
¼ cup brewers' yeast
1 T wheat germ
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
½ t cream of tartar
2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flaxseed with water in small bowl and let soak for 5 minutes.

Beat butter, white sugar, and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla extract; beat to incorporate. Stir flax seed mixture into the butter mixture.

Mix flour, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar in a separate bowl; add to butter mixture and stir until just combined. Fold oats and chocolate chips into the dough.

Press half the dough into the greased 1/4 sheet pan, using wet hands to spread the dough evenly. (Or bake the whole batch in a large jelly roll tin.)

Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool and slice. Repeat.

Presentation is important if you're baking these as a gift. I was pleased to find glass jars which are perfect and something, of course, that can be reused.

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Fundraiser Vegie Chili

We hosted a Sunday aft 1:00 J Street fundraiser featuring Rep. Dwight Evans. We are all experiencing political fundraiser fatigue - the menu is usually a beautiful spread of finger food and sweets. I thought at 1:00 on a chilly autumn Sunday, it would be nice for everyone to walk into a house smelling of chili and cornbread, and it was tremendously well-received. Food brings people together.
Thanks for the pot, Nomi and Micah!

This is modified from The Endless Meal. It's vegan and feeds about 16-20. David calls it a vegetable stew, not really chili. :-)  :-(

• 4 T oil
• 2 large onion, diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2–6 T chili powder (more will be spicier, of course)
• 4 T cumin 
• 2 t oregano
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely diced
• 1 lb. peeled, cubed butternut squash
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 6 celery stalks, diced
• 4  28-ounce cans whole tomatoes and their juice 
• 4 15-ounce cans beans, drained and rinsed (kidney and white beans give a nice color contrast)
• 4 c frozen corn (you could use fresh but frozen is easy and works great)*
• 1 pkg Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles (10 oz)
• Salt, to taste (about 2 teaspoons)
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• Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, diced avocados or green onion. (Obviously not vegan!)

Heat oil in a large pot (at least 8 quart) over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, and poblano and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add the squash, carrots, and celery and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they just start to soften. Add tomatoes and their juice and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low. You want the chili to be at a low simmer with the lid off.

Continue to cook the chili, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add beans, corn and the Beyond Meat Crumbles, and let the chili return to a simmer. Cook for 5 more minutes or until the corn and beans have heated through.
Generously salt to taste.

Serve on its own or topped with one (or all!) of the delicious toppings. It goes well with warm cornbread. It doesn't really need any rice or grain.

* If you make corn-on-the-cob, shell and freeze any leftover corn for this recipe.

And here is Zach and Becca's go-to Chili from Cook's Illustrated. Doubled, it still fits in a 6 quart pot.

Serves 4 to 6

We prefer to use a combination of pinto, black, and dark red kidney beans in this chili. The texture of the pureed diced tomatoes with their juice is very important here—do not substitute crushed tomatoes or tomato puree.

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 (15-ounce) cans beans, (see note) rinsed

2-3 t minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (this is a small fraction of the contents of even a small can)

2 t sugar 

Salt and ground black pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 onion , minced

3 T chili powder (this is correct!) 

2 t ground cumin

3 garlic cloves , minced

1.5 cups frozen corn , thawed

2 T minced fresh cilantro 

Optional: 1/2 bag Beyond Meat ground beef style, or Crumbles

Instructions

1. PUREE TOMATOES: Pulse tomatoes and their juice in food processor until slightly chunky, about 5 pulses.
2. HEAT TOMATOES WITH BEANS: Bring tomatoes, beans, chipotle chile, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil, covered, in large saucepan. Reduce to simmer and continue to cook until needed in step 5.
3. SAUTÉ AROMATICS: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, chili powder, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. COMBINE AND SIMMER: Stir in tomato-bean mixture, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
5. FINISH CHILI: Stir in corn and cilantro and the optional meat-substitute, and return to brief simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
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