Ok, so I have to confess a little bit here. I totally forgot to post yesterday being Monday and all do to the holiday. My apologies for that. To make it up to you I think I have a pretty tasty recipe that you can try at home and I think you even may be impressed at the fact it is “HEALTHY“. Whole grain oatmeal raisin cookies with a couple of unique ingredients that I have been dying to try for a while now.  Agave nectar and apple juice in cookies really keeps them on the healthy and lighter side by avoiding the heaviness of the oil and the sugar.

Let me know what you think of the recipe but I think they turned out quite good. They are chewy in texture as well as being soft. They are nice right out of the oven or slightly warmed in the microwave.  I like 18 seconds of warming time depending on your microwave of course.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 Cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 Cup organic unbleached white flour
• 2 Tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 Tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 Cup raisins
• 1/4 Cup flax seeds
• 1/2 Cup low Fat Plain Yogurt
• 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
• 1/4 Cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
• 1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400°.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together oats, flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, raisins and nuts.
3. In another bowl or blender combine remaining liquid ingredients.
4. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons, about two inches apart, on to the baking sheets.
6. Press each cookie with moisten fingers or a spoon to flatten.
7. Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.
8. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.



9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: For an even softer cookie, I like to slightly under cook the cookie as it will continue to cook internally after you take them out.  The apple juice and yogurt will also aide in the moisture department.

So there you have it, a fun healthy recipe you can try at home.  I had to test the cookies out of course as I watched the Olympics.  They turned out just as I hoped.  Is anybody else following the Olympics closely?

Stay tuned for a post that you will not want to miss tomorrow.  It is all about Zesty and Opensky giving back to all of you.  Have a fantastic Monday Tuesday and I will talk to you bright and early in the morning.

Take care

zesty

Now for anyone concerned I know these are not brand new but this flavor is relatively new and I wanted to feature it as the grocery item of the week. With everyone scrambling for back to school lunches and day-time snacks the triscuit has been a staple since 1907.

Flavor: Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil – Can you believe how good these taste!

Triscuit crackers are made by a unique process that allows for a great tasting, hearty, crunchy cracker you can feel good about eating. Crunch to your health! Sensible snacking. Heart Healthy: Made with 100% whole grain, 0g of trans fat, low saturated fat (contains 4 g fat per serving), good source of dietary fiber, no cholesterol, and sugar-free (not a reduced calorie food) per serving.

Well, yeah, sure all of those great nibble highlights can only mean one thing! They have to taste awful. That is what I thought as well. Once you sink your taste buds into these little delights – your whole outlook on the cracker will be changed forever. Our family can not get enough of these babies. Whether they are on their own, with a little cheese on top or my all-time favorite red pepper jelly, these triscuits are a must have in our pantry.

Now, there is this great cracker that really tastes great. Triscuits Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Baked Whole Grain Cracker is as good as any bag of potato chips or bowl of Doritos. Eat 6 of them – 120 calories! There is even a cool recipe for a creamy bruschetta spread on the back of the box. And it is great!

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat, Soybean Oil, Maltodextrin, Salt, Onion and Garlic Powders, Black Pepper, Monoglycerides, Modified Cornstarch, Olive Oil, Citric Acid (for Tartness), Natural Flavor, Palm Oil.