Welcome, 2014! How about a new recipe!

Welcome, 2014! How about a new recipe!

First off, we wish our friends in the East the very best in all this extreme weather. I couldn’t imagine what -40° feels like, and I really hope everyone is warm and safe. Getting back to normal after such intense weather must be very challenging. Our hopes and thoughts are with you all at this frightening time.

Sometimes wonderful recipes come to us in the strangest ways. For instance, this recipe came from a friend who works in Vernon, BC as a social worker, with an organization that helps to encourage and empower young mothers in the community. My friend sent me a message asking what the ingredients are in Rancho’s Own Organic Breakfast Mix. I sent back the list of ingredients, then asked why she needed them. She informed me that one of her clients had received the mix in her Christmas hamper and had no idea what to do with it. So they baked cookies! The result was delicious, and my friend wanted to recreate the mix and bake the cookies again.

She sent me the recipe to share with everyone. What comes to mind is that old adage: “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Learning to use ingredients in a way that increases the yield of food and nutrition is much easier said than done. If people don’t have the knowledge or tools to work with these ingredients, they are nothing more than that… ingredients! I love that we have compassionate people dedicating their lives to helping others survive, and survive well, in our community. They take the time to recognize people’s needs, without judgement, and help them accomplish so much more than what is expected.

It warms my heart on a cold January day.

Breakfast Mix Energy Cookies

• 2 cups of Rancho’s Own Breakfast Mix
• 2 eggs
• ¹⁄₃ cup coconut oil
• ¹⁄₃ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup rye flakes
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• ½ tsp of cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream the coconut oil and the sugar together, then add the eggs and beat until creamy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and spoon dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes.