Strawberry Jam Tarts

Adapted from a recipe by Debra Lynn Dadd on her Sweet Savvy website.
Simple Solution
We're still weeks away from fresh strawberry heaven, but this charmingly simple recipe enlists the help of fruit-sweetened strawberry jam to make a mouthwatering dessert that foretells all the pleasures of late spring and early summer.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon xylitol (a form of sugar that occurs naturally in some foods)
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
5 tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
1/2 cup fruit-sweetened strawberry fruit spread
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the flour, xylitol, and lemon peel in a food processor or bowl. Add the butter and pulse or cut with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the salt. Add the water and continue to pulse or mix until the mixture forms clumps.
3. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about one hour.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and make whatever shape or shapes you like. Fill the crust with strawberry fruit spread and sprinkle chopped almonds over the top.
5. Bake until the crust is golden. Time will depend on size, about 15-30 minutes.
6. Allow to cool before serving. Dust with powdered evaporated cane juice (sold as "organic" powdered sugar), if you like.
Serves 2 to 4.
Helpful HintsFor more great naturally-sweetened recipes on Debra Lynn Dadd's Sweet Savvy website.

Renewing Spring Tonic

by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.com Producer, Green Living Channels
Simple Solution
Just as we see the first emergence of the bright green leaves and yellow flowers of dandelions in the spring, it is worth remembering an age-old tradition of drinking (organic) dandelion tea as a renewing tonic to wake us up with the land around us after a long winter. Try this regenerative dandelion tea to give yourself (and your kidneys and liver) a fresh start:
Dandelion Root Tea
Dandelion tea is rich in minerals and is known as a cleanser of the kidneys and liver, and a very healing herbal remedy that strengthens the entire system. As one of the gentlest and safest diuretics, so it is also a boon during premenstrual syndrome, and is traditionally a good addition to the diet of diabetics.
Buy dandelion root at the health food store.
Ingredients
4 cups pure water
6 tablespoons dried dandelion root (1 year old minimum)
6 tablespoons dried dandelion leaf (double amount if fresh) (optional)
Simmer the dandelion root in the water, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then strain the liquid over the dandelion leaf. Cover tightly and steep for another 20 minutes; strain the tea again.
Fresh Dandelion Leaves
You can also eat dandelion leaves, presuming they are organic. Eat them raw in a salad, or steamed. The leaves are very alkaline and purify and build the blood, cleanse and regenerate cells.

Five Favorite Cookies and Confections

By Annie Bond and Cait Johnson.
Simple Solution
These are our favorite holiday treats: Annie's Great-Grandmother's Ginger Cookies, Cait's Famous Rum or Bourbon Balls, Annie's incredibly delicious Chocolate Truffles, and more. We hope you and your loved ones enjoy them!
Annie’s Great-Grandmother’s Ginger Cookies
Annie’s Famous Chocolate Truffles
Cait’s Famous Rum or Bourbon Balls
Gingerbread Girls and Boys
Rolled Natural Sugar Cookies

Luscious Inexpensive Gift Basket Ideas

By Cait Johnson, author of Witch in the Kitchen (Inner Traditions, 2001).
Simple Solution
Everyone loves receiving pretty gift baskets filled with edible and drinkable goodies, so these ideas are sure to please, whether you make things from scratch or only have time to dash to the store.
We have something for everyone on your list--and we keep your budget in mind! Try some of these fun, inexpensive theme ideas for sumptuous food baskets:
Apple Delight Basket
A bottle of sparkling cider, a few choice heirloom apples, a jar of homemade or store-bought apple butter, and a Fresh Apple Coffee Cake.
Coffee Lover’s Basket
A pretty pottery mug, a bag or two of flavored coffee beans (see Naturally Flavored Coffees, homemade or store-bought cookies to go with the flavor you chose.
Yuletide Basket
Rolled sugar cookies cut into magical shapes (deer, suns, snowflakes) or with pentacle decorations, beeswax candles, and a sprig of holly.
Peace Basket
A tub of flavored hummus, pita bread, tahini, dried chickpeas, Middle Eastern spices, and Peace Cookies.
And here are our Ten Best Gourmet Gift Basket Ideas.
Happy holidays!

Irish Potato Soup

Inspired by Witch in the Kitchen, by Cait Johnson (Inner Traditions, 2001).
Simple Solution
It has been said that on St. Patrick’s Day, the whole world is Irish. Certainly we can admire the spirit of the Irish people, survivors deeply connected to the spirit of the land, and graced with true grit and verve.
This traditional Irish soup is a delightful blend of potatoes, iron-rich leeks, and antioxidant greens that will please your health, your purse, and your palate: inexpensive but nutritious, and filled with the flavors--and some of the wildness and poetry--of the Irish soul. Read the recipe here.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, rinsed well and thinly sliced
3 large potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
2 cups chopped kale, parsley, spinach, or turnip greens--or a combination
6 cups good-quality vegetable broth
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Optional toppings:Chopped fresh chives or scallionsShredded sharp Irish cheddar cheese
1. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot over low heat, melt the butter and add onion and leeks. Cover pot and allow vegetables to “sweat” for 20 minutes.
2. Add potato, stirring to mix, then cover again and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broth and salt and pepper to taste, and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer soup 20 minutes, or until potato is just tender. Add greens and continue cooking 10 minutes, or until they are well wilted.
3. Process soup in batches in a blender or food processor, or with a hand-held immersion blender. Return to soup pot and reheat.
4. Serve hot with optional toppings, if desired.
Serves 4 to 6.

Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal Cookies

Adapted from ExtraVeganZa, by Laura Matthias (New Society Publishers, 2006).
Simple Solution
Here is the perfect seasonal treat for the days that follow the carving of all those Halloween Jack-O’-Lanterns!
Pumpkin seeds, oats, and maple syrup make this a healthful and delicious cookie.
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup brown rice flour
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup dried shredded coconut
2/3 cup oats
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine oil, syrup, vanilla, vinegar, and coconut, whisking vigorously until emulsified.
3. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir together until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Fold in the oats until evenly combined.
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough onto oiled cookie sheet, spreading cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes.
5. Gently remove cookies from sheet and place on cooling rack.
Makes about 30 cookies.

Natural Light Indoors - Save Money Eight Ways

Simple Solution
Spending a lot of time indoors, like most of us do, can disconnect us from nature. This is where daylighting comes to the rescue! Daylighting is a means of using natural light from the sun to illuminate a room and lets us keep electric lights off during the day, saving energy and money. You too can reconnect with nature inside your home with these eight guidelines:
1. In Cold Climates, use fewer windows on the building’s colder north side. Use double-pane, low-e windows with a U-factor of 0.35 or below (to keep heat inside your home) and a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.60 or higher (to allow more of the sun’s heat to enter your home.)
2. In temperate climates, use fewer windows on the west side. On south-facing windows, a simple overhang or awning will allow plenty of natural light in while keeping out the summer’s heat.
3. In hot and arid climates with intense sunlight, such as the Southwest, avoid west-facing windows if possible. Design windows to let in indirect daylight rather than direct beams of sunlight. Consider shading options such as deep eaves, verandas, awnings, exterior shutters, and deciduous trees and vines. Use low-e windows specifically designed for hot climates, with a solar heat gain coefficient of 0.40 or less (U-factor is less important than SHGC in hot regions).
4. In hot and humid climates such as the Southeast, position windows on two sides of a room to improve cross ventilation. A skylight that opens or a window placed high on a wall can provide a path for hot air to flow out of your house. Use exterior shading strategies to keep direct sun off all windows.
5. Bring in light from above with clerestories or skylights. Clerestories, which are windows placed high on the wall, often above the main roofline, allow daylight to penetrate deep into a room. If you’re installing skylights, consider models with translucent or prismatic glazing so the light from above is diffuse rather than uncomfortably bright.
Also consider tubular skylights, which are small circular skylights at the end of a reflective tube. They’re less expensive to install than regular skylights, and they make a good retrofit solution for existing homes.
6. Reduce glare by daylighting rooms from more than one side. For example, if large view windows dominate one side of a room, placing a row of small clerestory windows high on the opposite wall will help balance the light.
7. Take advantage of indirect daylight by using light-colored interior surfaces, including walls ceilings, floor coverings, and furnishings. Light surfaces reflect daylight, making the room brighter. Splayed window reveals and splayed skylight wells, especially if they’re painted white, also help spread daylight farther into a room. A window located close to a room’s corner will also help spread daylight by illuminating the wall that’s perpendicular to the window.
8. Think of windows as holes in your wall. Even with high-performance glazing, skylights and windows act a bit like holes in your walls--they’re much less effective at keeping heat in or out of your home than insulated walls are. If you’re remodeling or building a new home, be judicious with the size, number, and placement of windows and skylights.

Pecan Chocolate Cake

Serves 18
Cake
2 cups unbleached flour
11/2cups unbleached cane sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks 365 unsalted butter
3 TB cocoa
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter
3 TB cocoa
6 TB milk
1 box powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift unbleached flour and unbleached cane sugar together in a large bowl. Bring to a boil butter and cocoa and pour over flour mixture, using a whisk to mix whole hot. Beat eggs, baking soda, buttermilk and vanilla together and add to flour/ cocoa mix. Bake for 35 minutes in a sprayed or buttered 9x13 pan. Cool the cake and let it stay in pan.
For the frosting:Melt butter, cocoa and milk in saucepan. Once butter is fully melted, remove saucepan from heat and whisk in powdered sugar, salt, vanilla and chopped pecans until smooth. Pour mixture over cake, spreading evenly.
If desired, the shortening called for in the original recipe can be replaced by natural, non-hydrogenated palm oil shortening, such as Spectrum Naturals brand. This shortening does not contain trans fatty acids.
Also, if desired, to lower fat content one of two sticks of butter used in making the cake can be replaced by 1/2 cup applesauce. This step, however, would likely lead to a denser cake.
Nutrition Info
Per Serving (3.3 oz-wt.): 370 calories (190 from fat), 21g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 2g dietary fiber, 4g protein, 44g carbohydrate, 65mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium

Sugar Pumpkin Spice Cake

Adapted from The Sustainable Kitchen, by Stu Stein (New Society Publishers, 2004).
Simple Solution
The aroma of this spicy pumpkin cake baking has to rank right up there on the Top Ten Fragrances of Fall list: it’s so mouth-watering and homey. And just wait until you taste it!
Serve this versatile treat for breakfast, dessert, or your coffee break snack: Sugar Pumpkin Spice Cake filled with plump juicy raisins and spices offers all the pleasures of fall. Pumpkins aren't just for pie anymore!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup water, boiling
1 tablespoon hazelnut liquor or brandy
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger root, peeled and freshly grated
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup toasted walnuts or almonds, roughly crushed
1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Place raisins in a bowl and pour the boiling water and liquor or brandy over them. Set aside and allow them to plump 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and reserve any excess liquid.
2. Spray a 9-inch cake pan (either round or square) with nonstick spray. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cardamom and pepper. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and honey until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, slowly beat in the oil. Beat in the dry ingredients, constantly scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the pumpkin puree and beat until smooth. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow cake to cool slightly, then unmold the cake, place on a cake rack and allow to cool completely.
Serves 12.

Decadent Chocolates with Dried Cherries and Nuts

Adapted from one of our favorite food blogs, Orangette
Simple Solution
Even though they taste decadent, every ingredient in these heavenly confections is good for us: dark chocolate, dried cherries, and nuts are all rich in antioxidants and/or healthy fat and vitamins. Plus the recipe is a cinch to make. May your New Year be utterly delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 lb very good-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
1 1/3 cup dried cherries, or cranberries, or raisins, or a combination1 1/3 cup roasted, shelled pistachios, salted (or pecans, peanuts, walnuts, or a combination)
1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. 2. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Brush foil lightly with vegetable oil.
3. Remove melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the cherries and nuts. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and chill in the fridge for an hour or so, until firm.
4. Using the foil overhang, lift out the chocolate mixture and place on a cutting board. Peel off the foil, and cut chocolate into rough cubes, about 1-inch square.
Helpful HintsYou can keep these chocolates in a sealed container in the fridge for two weeks.