cooking ala mel

healthy recipes and the occasional craft

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Apple Crisp (Gluten Free)

It isn’t fall without lots of apple desserts.  I picked up my first jug of apple cider last night after coming home from work, and now all I want are comforting fall treats.  I decided to start off with apple crisp – an apple crisp that is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast.

I decided to make this totally gluten free, for no reason other than the fact that doing it this way made it much, much healthier.  I used almond flour, golden flax meal, ground up oats, and ground walnuts for the base of the crisp.  The burst of flavor in your mouth from that combination is absolutely fantastic, and you don’t have to feel awful about it, with all of the protein, fiber, and good fats you’re getting out of it.
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Espresso Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

I recently made the purchase (an investment, really) of a digital SLR camera.  I made a special trip home the weekend of Rosh Hashanah (we get all Jewish holidays off here at UB) to pick up my camera, close an old savings account, and pick up new glasses.  The weekend was filled with shopping for more professional clothes for school, catching up with my best friend, and lots of family time.  I barely had a moment to figure out my new camera, other than a few shots of my cat at home, which didn’t quite work out with me trying to figure out settings as she tried to crawl onto my lap, rendering it all completely pointless with her too close to me to aim the camera at her without knocking her in the face.

When I got back to Buffalo, I took a few pictures of our kitties (which are now peppering the About section of this blog), but with all of the studying I had to do, I didn’t have much time to really play around.  After finishing up with class at 11 on Friday and getting some much needed Doctor Who time in before having to study more, I got a craving for chocolate chip cookies.  I whipped some up, of course, and then got to play around a little bit with my camera.  I’ve decided that getting this camera is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  It could definitely be dangerous, though, as a distraction..

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Zucchini Muffins

I’ve been battling a nasty cold this week.  Tea has been my best friend.  I’ve been especially enjoying this chamomile mango tea that I’ve had stashed away in my cupboard for a while.  Considering how often I’m drinking tea, I’m glad I found something that’s caffeine free that I really enjoy, or I’d be totally wired.  Which actually probably wouldn’t be a bad thing, considering how exhausted this cold has made me..

These muffins are the last of the zucchini recipes before autumn really hits, and there’s no zucchini to be seen anywhere.  I’m quite looking forward to the loads of apples and pumpkin treats along with the cool weather.  These muffins, though, are perfect with a cuppa.  So of course, this week, I’ve had quite a few of them.
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