Apple pastries (pateuri cu mere)

I love pastries! And I especially love that I don't have to make the dough from scratch! Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets are just perfect! While this is a desert recipe, keep in mind that you can get as creative as you want with these,: change up the filling (for a different desert) or just turn them into appetizers altogether with a spinach and (soy or cow) cheese, ground meat filling, or anything your heart desires!

Ingredients:

-1 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
(2 sheets)

-5-6 medium freshly grated apples

-1/2 cup raisins

-1 tsp vanilla essence

-1/3 cup margarine (or butter if you prefer)

-1/2 cup dark brown sugar

-1 lightly beaten egg (or egg beaters)

Preparation:

Follow thawing instructions for the pastry sheets. Cook grated apples in margarine and brown sugar on medium heat until soft (about 10 mins or less), then add raisins and vanilla, mix well and set to cool.  Preheat oven to 400F.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry sheets. Brush the sheet with the egg wash and gently spread the apple mixture  to cover the whole surface of the sheet. Carefully roll the sheet and cut 1/2-1 in slices. Place slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 30 mins or so until the pastries are flaky and golden.

Hrishi's Yummy Banana Bread

Another all-time favorite around here and a recipe only Hrishi has found a long time ago and kept adapting to perfection.

Ingredients:

-1 3/4 cup unbleached or whole wheat flour (he uses half unbleached and half whole wheat)

-1 1/2 cup sugar

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp salt

-2 eggs

-1 cup mashed banana (1 or 2 bananas)

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/3 cup water
-1/2 tsp flax seeds milled (optional, when I make it I add the flax)
-1 tsp vanilla essence
-1/2 cup (non-dairy) chocolate chips or shaved baking chocolate  (optional)

Preparation:
Easy, peasy: mix all the ingredients in your CuisineArt or KitchenAid mixer and bake at 350 F for 30-40 mins.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These are so yummy, a bit crunchy but still moist and surprisingly very healthy! This is inspired by Divvies' after trying a couple of my own variations on their recipe. You can add pretty much anything you want: chocolate chips, coconut flakes, any kind of dried fruit, or freshly grated apple. I may even try grated carrots and zuchinni.



Ingredients:
-1 cup all-purpose non-bleached flour
-1/2 cup whole wheat unbleached flour
-1/2 quick or traditional oats
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 egg
-1 cup dairy-free margarine
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup packed, dark brown sugar (we used light brown)
-1/4 cup silken tofu, pureéd
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-2 cups  semisweet Chocolate Chips (non-dairy) or if you have no food allergies, you can use any chocolate chips.

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat margarine, egg, piureed tofu and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed until just fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and continue to mix. Add vanilla.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Fold in 1-3/4 cups of the chocolate chips by hand, and be certain not to over-mix the dough.
Scoop the cookie dough with a tablespoon and place the scoops 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Flatten each scoop slightly with your hand.
Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time, until the edges begin to turn golden. Depending on your oven you may need to bake them longer.  Cool the cookies directly on the baking sheets.

Here's the Valentine's Day version to which we added red food coloring and heart-shaped the dough.

Enjoy!