From Chef Lesley Stiles:
Fresh Apple and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
This is a great cookie for breakfast as well as snacks or dessert. Half of the butter is replaced with apple sauce and yogurt and I use whole wheat flour along with the oats. Add turbinado sugar, apples and fresh current crop nuts and raisins and this is no ordinary cookie. Barely even any empty calories!
Makes about 40 cookies
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons of apple sauce
2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 cup turbinado sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups old fashioned uncooked oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons of freshly toasted and ground cinnamon
¾ cup of chopped fresh apples
1 cup current local raisins
1 cup fresh local walnuts, toasted and chopped
Preheat oven to 350°.
Spray a couple of cookie sheets with pan release.
Cream butter, apple sauce, yogurt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the eggs and vanilla mixes well, stir in oats.
Sift the flour, salt, soda, powder and cinnamon onto a sheet of waxed paper, stir into wet ingredients.
Add apples, raisins and nuts, stir well.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies
may look a little underdone but will be fine as they cool and not dry out from
over baking.
Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container between waxed paper.
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From Laurie Laduzinsky:
Laurie's Muffins
Preheat oven at 350°
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat bran
21/4 double acting baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 to 2 t pumpkin pie spice or
1/4 of each of the following: ground
ginger, ground clove, ground cinnamon,
ground cardamom, ground coriander
Mix dry ingredients well.
Blend until creamy in separate
bowl: (warm ingredients in microwave
a bit before adding eggs)
1/2 cup butter or canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin (cooked and
mashed)
1 t vanilla
Add wet ingredients to dry and gently
mix. Spoon into muffin cups and bake
for 30 mins. Or put batter into an
8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan
and bake for 1 hr.
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Walnut Creek:
Music: Jump In
Manager: Keith Farley. E-mail: wmarket@cccfm.org
Market Hours:
Winter hours 9 am to 1 pm
thru April.
Programs:
The Frequent Shopper Card (from Nov. thru April);
Year-Round Parking Validation;
The Veggie Valet booth.
From Keith Farley, Manager:
What a wonderful Sunday we had this past weekend. Sure
it started off cold but by 9:30 the temps had soared into
to high 40's and the sun beat down warming all but
the most cold-blooded of us and by 10:30 the winter coats
were off and I for one was wandering around in a short sleeve
shirt and a smile. It was good to see a lot of you
that had been hibernating get out to the market. The
lack of rain has been a bit of a concern this winter and
I hate to complain, but, we need it to start soon or we
are going to have a problem come spring. We are dependent
on the snow-pack and the winter storms to fill our reservoirs
and irrigation systems... I know most farmers are
already preparing their fields for the next planting and
the spring crops. Let's hope for rain and not
on Sundays!
Ok, let me clear a few things up. Judging from the
number of emails I received concerning the thought of paying
admission to attend a farmers' market. Many thought
I was feeling you out as to whether or not you would mind
an admission charge, I was not. There are some markets
in the world that DO charge an entrance fee for shoppers,
they are all overseas, as in not here, we do not nor will
we consider charging admission even if you begged us and
that isn't likely is it? Oddly, there were a
few who thought it a great idea, these were the same folks
who thought I was funny too... Go
figure.
 Remember a few weeks ago I wrote about the Artichoke problem?
Globe vs. The Seeded artichoke. The cold snap we
had has solved most of the problem. It seems the new
seeded variety can't take the cold and withers away
where the hardy Globe hangs in there. Go Globe! Globes
taste better and are better for you. Here is the whole
story, Hooray
for the 'Chokes!
You Jelly buyers need to know that Cottage Kitchen (Barbara
Kobsar) will be out until February 25th. Bakesale
Betty will be back this Sunday all rested and ready to delight
us with tales from down under and maybe some cookies too.
The weather guessers say it may sprinkle on Saturday but
Sunday should be a repeat of last week so no excuses. I'll
see you Sunday!
More
info.
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Martinez, Orinda
& Pleasant Hill:
Markets closed for the season |
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FROM
OUR MARKETS by
Chef Leslie Stiles |
Gazing upon the food landscape of Contra Costa
County you are going to encounter some not
so green patches. A new study sponsored by
the California
Center for Public Health Advocacy shows us that there are
not a lot of healthy food choices staring us
down in the Golden State, particularly in our
own and neighboring counties. Findings conclude
that there are five fast food or convenience
store food shopping choices to one grocery,
farm stand or farmers' market choice in Contra
Costa and Alameda Counties. This is of course
variable. For those in Walnut Creek there are a Whole Foods, three
weekly farmers' markets, two Trader Joes and numerous grocery chains
within a short distance of each other to be used any day of the
week. On the other end of the spectrum in the more impoverished
areas of Richmond there may be a liquor store and a fried chicken
outlet within a few mile radius of a whole lot of houses. I will
say that Richmond does have two weekly farmers' markets and a county
sponsored produce stand but very few grocery stores and definitely
not a Whole Foods or Trader Joes to be found. It is a lot bigger
city too.
Other cities in the county fall in between the two ranges but the fact remains
that if we have 5 to 1 junk food versus healthy food choices staring us down,
we are destined to maybe not make such a great choice for dinner. I imagine that
if the tables were turned 5 to 1 farmers' markets and produce stands, people
would have far less health problems and much happier taste buds. There remains
a daunting food security issue in Contra Costa County too. Sometimes it is easy
to forget that the people being forced to buy their food at a liquor store a
lot of times do not have a kitchen, sink or stove to even prepare fresh food
in to begin with or the single greatest issue, funds at the end of the month
to purchase any fresh food. The fact remains that in Contra Costa County a lot
of the time fresh food costs more to buy than prepared junk food.
What we can do to help change the daunting facts and figures is to continue shopping locally at your farmers' market. The number counters are taking note of your actions. This is apparent with the amount of false organics being offered by Wal-Mart and family. When the numbers show a demand by money dropping consumers, things change. You can also if you are so inclined drop a line or a call to your local civic representatives and voice your concerns. Obesity and diabetes affect everyone whether or not you have the problem by increased health care costs etc...
A perfect segue way into my "move it or lose it" or gain it as the case may be section. Have ya gotten out on a walk, ride or hike lately? I know we need the water but man is it ever nice not to be covered in mud descending from our local ridges. We are fortunate indeed to call this area home.
After talking with citrus growers at the Walnut Creek Sunday farmers' market, they all seem to be in ok shape, I do not foresee a huge price jump at the farmers' market like you will see at the grocery store. But then you can not get a Hamada or Tapley
Cara Cara at the grocery store so you won't be affected by gouging anyway!
Lesley Stiles can be reached at chef@cccfm.org or
on the market hotline 925 431-8361
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DID YOU KNOW? by
Manager Keith Farley |
What the Farm Bill is about? Take a moment
to read this article The
2007 Farm Bill and this one too SF
Chronicle Farm Bill 2007.
I hope you found this as interesting as I did. I hope it sparks
a need to Google it and learn more. If it didn't Click
Here. |
 Parents, here are some tips for "Getting
Kids Healthy".
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine -site:
www.kidsgethealthy.org
and
"Childhood Obesity and understanding the Conservation of Energy Laws."
SF Chronicle, "Between Meals" Editor Michael Bauer recently wrote about focusing on understanding the huge amount of energy that is packed in food and the importance of eating fruits and vegetables by getting the optimum nutritional value of fresh food and not eating processed food.
Carmel, CA, science educator Judy Wilken helps us understand this new approach through her site: www.starchildscience.org
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