Mediterranean White Bean Tuna Salad

I recently received the first issue of an attractive coupon and recipe booklet from Kroger called My Magazine and was drawn to several of the recipes inside. One was this Mediterranean White Bean Salad. With radishes, tuna, and white beans dressed brightly with fresh lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, it was a welcome change to my menu. I changed the recipe a bit with what I had on hand.

Mediterranean White Bean Tuna Salad
adapted from a Kroger recipe

1 - 5 oz can solid white tuna in water, drained
1 - 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 radishes cleaned, trimmed and chopped
2 green onions, diced
6 green olives, diced
1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and gently mix until incorporated. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.

banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies

My second flourless cooking experiment was this healthy banana breakfast cookie recipe. This one features almond meal as the binder, and I like the texture and flavor it added to the cookies. I purchased mine at Trader Joe's, and the price was far less than other brands I've seen on the internet. I can't wait to try it in other recipes.

The original recipe is from the blog of 101 Cookbooks, but I liked the inclusion of maple syrup that I found on eat, live, run blog. I used a combination of both recipes and made it my own by adding freshly ground nutmeg, Mexican vanilla, ground flaxseed, and sunflower seeds.

These were nutmeg-scented, delicious, and filling - the bananas, maple syrup, and chocolate chips provided the perfect amount of sweetness. My kitchen smelled wonderful while they were baking. I ate two for breakfast and froze the rest.


Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
Makes 12 large cookies or 18 smaller ones

3 large ripe bananas, completely mashed
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
1/4 cup coconut oil, slightly warmed
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together oats, almond meal, flaxseed, coconut, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt; set aside. In another bowl combine bananas, vanilla , coconut oil, and maple syrup. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in sunflower seeds and chocolate chips. Drop dough about an inch apart, and flatten slightly. Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, or until starting to brown on edges.

flourless chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

A recent interest in flourless cooking prompted me to try a cookie that has been labeled various names on the internet, from "amazing" to "3-ingredient" to "gluten-free". I looked at several recipes before deciding on King Arthur Flour's version, which includes chocolate chips.

Although the recipe specifies smooth peanut butter, I used chunky because I prefer the crunch it lends. I made some without chocolate chips for my husband, who is a peanut butter cookie "purist", and he declared them "excellent". I thought they were surprisingly good, chewy with lightly crisp edges. Although I will eat peanut butter straight from the jar, the peanut butter flavor in the cookies was a bit too pronounced for me. I will probably tweak this recipe a bit with some oat flour to see if that mellows the strong peanut butter flavor. A friend suggested I might try it with almond butter for a more delicate flavor.

Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from King Arthur Flour
Makes about 18 cookies

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips or mini chips
Granulated sugar to sprinkle tops of cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix peanut butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt at medium speed of mixer. Add egg and vanilla and blend at low speed until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough by tablespoonful onto baking sheet and gently flatten top of dough; sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until tops are slightly cracked and edges have just started to brown. Cool completely on baking sheet.