Books and Cookies 2013

There is no better way that I can think of to spend an afternoon during the holiday season than to be surrounded by the amazing women in my life, enjoying delicious treats and discussing great books! I wanted to share the titles that were exchanged this year and I figured I'd list the titles from last year as well, for anyone who is interested.  

2013 Books

And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Housseini

Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

Style 101: What Every Stylish Woman Should Know - InStyle

On the Chocolate Trail - Deborah R. Prinz

The China Study - T. Collin Campbell

Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul

Real Life Stories - Alice Munro

Cold Tangerines - Shauna Neiquist

Bittersweet - Shauna Neiguist

Veil of Roses - Laura Fitzgerald

Tracks - Louise Erdich

Bless Me Ultima - Rudolfo Onaya

Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl

Baby's First Tattoo - Jim Mullen (baby book)

Good Night Moon - Margaret Wise Brown (children's book)

The Candymakers - Wendy Bass (children's book)

The Day the Crayons Quit - Drew Daywalt (children's book)

2012 Books
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni
What is the What by Dave Eggers
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
The Invitation by Oriah
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Stuff Every Man Should Know by Brett Cohen
Stuff Every Woman Should Know by Alanna Kalb
And, if anyone has kids or pre-teens to shop for, we had Fated by Alyson Noel for a pre-teen and Smile by Raina Telgemeier for 8-12.

Homemade Energy Bars

This recipe came directly from Eating Rules which got it from Krista and Jeff Roche of Rambling Roches.

They are delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup peanut or almond butter
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 8 medjool dates (pitted)
• 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. (Oh, the irony of October Unprocessed!)
2. Mix thoroughly.
3. Roll into balls.
4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

1. Make sure all of your ingredients pass the Kitchen Test. Not all nut butters pass. For the chocolate chips, we use Enjoy Life.
2. Use organic ingredients if you can. 
3. We prefer Bob’s Red Mill for the oats and flax.

Lentil, Kale and Sausage Soup

This is one of our all-time favorite soups. We eat it pretty much all year long in Los Angeles. The recipe comes from the original Whole Foods Cookbook. I've included the original recipe below, and added my notes on changes/substitutions so you can decide for yourself. I'm sure you can swap out other things, make it vegetarian, etc. but the one thing I would say is the fennel seeds are imperative! And using the hot sausage gives it all a nice kick.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 pound sweet or hot Italian chicken or turkey sausage, removed from casing
2 bay leaves
12 cups chicken stock
1 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice
10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and stemmed

Notes:
1. I use a mirepoix pre-chopped mix of onion, carrot and celery from Trader Joe's.  Sometimes I also add chopped parsnips.
2. I use the jar of minced garlic
3. I use the Sicilian chicken sausage from TJ
4. I prefer kale to the spinach, pre cut package from TJ - I use about half a package and make sure to cut out the stems.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat; add the onion, garlic, carrots and fennel; cook until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.

Add the raw sausage and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, breaking up the sausage with a spatula.

Add the bay leaves and stock.

Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer.

Add the lentils and rice. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils and rice soften.

Add the spinach (or kale) during the last 5 minutes of cooking. My note: I actually add it right as I turn off the burner. Enjoy!