Gingerbread cookies

Active: 10 minutes; Total: 2 hours 10 minutes; Drinks: 10 to 11

Honey	255 grams
Maple syrup	2 tablespoons
Water	¼ cup
Ginger, peeled, chopped	3-inch piece
Scotch, blended	1 ½ ounces
Lemon juice, fresh	¾ ounce
Ice

1. Combine the honey, maple syrup, water, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until almost boiling. 
2. Remove the pan from heat, and let the flavors infuse for 2 hours. 
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the solids; makes 1 cup. 
4. Combine the scotch, ¾-ounce gingerbread syrup, lemon juice in a shaker filled with ice. 
5. Shake vigorously, and strain into a coupe or stemmed cocktail glass. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Shape magazine.

Healthy peanut butter cookies

Active: 10 minutes; Total 25 minutes; Serves: 15

Peanut butter, creamy	1 cup
Maple syrup or honey	½ cup
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon
Flour, almond	1 cup
Salt, flaked sea	Optional

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F; line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, maple syrup or honey, and vanilla; stir in the flour. 
3. Roll into 1-inch balls and arrange on a prepared baking sheet. 
4. Flatten each dough ball with a fork, making a crisscross pattern, and sprinkle with a little salt, if desired. 
5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown. 
6. Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. 

Recipe from Eating Bird Food, September 2021

Baked sweet potatoes with maple dressing

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 55 minutes; Serves: 4

Sweet potatoes, preferably yellow	4 medium
Butter, unsalted; room temperature	2 tablespoons
Salt, fine sea
Crème fraîche	½ cup
Maple syrup	1 tablespoon
Lime juice, freshly squeezed	1 tablespoon
Fish sauce	2 teaspoons
Black pepper, freshly ground	½ teaspoon
Scallions, thinly sliced, both green and white parts	2 tablespoons
Pinenuts, roasted	2 tablespoons
Red chile flakes	1 teaspoon
Lime zest	½ teaspoon

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F. 
2. Rinse and scrub the potatoes under running tap water. 
3. Slice them lengthwise, and place them in a roasting pan, cut side facing up. 
4. Brush or smear with butter, and season with salt. 
5. Cover the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil and press around the edges to seal snugly. 
6. Bake for 20 minutes, remove the foil, flip the potatoes, and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes more, until the potatoes are cooked thoroughly and are tender. 
7. Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. 
8. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, maple syrup, lime juice, fish sauce, and pepper; season to taste with salt.
9. In another small bowl, combine the scallions, pine nuts, chile flakes, and lime zest.
10. To serve, top the warm roasted potatoes with a few tablespoons of the dressing, and sprinkle with the scallion-nut mixture. 

Recipe adapted from Food52.

Peanut butter bourbon milkshake

Active: 10 minutes; Serves: 1

Bourbon	2 ounces
Maple syrup	½ ounce
Peanut butter, crunchy	¼ cup
Ice cream, vanilla	1 cup
Ice cubes	1 cup

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until fully incorporated and frothy. 
2. Pour into a chilled glass and enjoy! 

Recipe by Todd Coleman and posted at Saveur.

High-flying turkey & black bean chili

Beans, black, cooked, rinsed	30 ounces
Lime juice, freshly squeezed
Salt, sea
Oil, extra-virgin olive	3 tablespoons
Onion, yellow, chopped	1 large
Garlic, minced	1 clove
Jalapeño, deribbed, chopped	1
Chili powder	2 teaspoons
Ancho chili powder	1 teaspoon
Paprika, smoked	1 teaspoon
Cumin, ground	1 teaspoon
Oregano, dried, gently crushed in your hand	1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground	½ teaspoon
Turkey, ground	1 pound
Tomatoes, fire roasted, crushed	28 ounces
Piquillo peppers, roasted, chopped	2
Maple syrup, grade B	1 tablespoon
Lime juice, freshly squeezed
Cilantro avocado cream
Avocado, halved, flesh scooped out	1
Water	2 tablespoons
Lime juice	¾ teaspoon
Cilantro, coarsely chopped	2 teaspoons
Salt	¼ teaspoon

1. In a bowl, combine the beans with a spritz of juice and a pinch of salt; set aside. In a 6-quart pot, heat the oil over medium heat. 
2. Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté for 3 minutes, until the onions are translucent. 
3. Add the garlic, jalapeño, chili powder, ancho powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon, and sauté for another minute. 
4. Add the turkey, and break up the meat with a wooden spoon, and brown for about 3 minutes. 
5. If the pan is too dry or the spices stick, pour in a little juice from the tomatoes to deglaze the pan, stirring with the wooden spoon to loosen any bits stuck to the pan. 
6. Add the tomatoes and another pinch of salt, then the peppers and beans; stir to combine. 
7. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
8. Remove the cover and simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. 
9. Stir in the maple syrup. 
10. Taste, and add the lime juice and salt, as needed. 
11. Place the avocado, water, juice, cilantro, and salt in a blender, and process until smooth, about 1 minute; transfer to a small bowl. 
12. Serve the soup in bowls garnished with a dollop of the cilantro avocado cream. 

Recipe mildly adapted from The Healthy Mind Cookbook by Rebecca Katz.

Raw frozen layered banana cake

Tools
Blender or food processor
Springform pan, tall sided
Squeeze bottles, large
Q-tips
Frosting knife, small
Toothpicks
Patience
Crust
Raw flour, such as buckwheat	1 cup
Dates or prunes	1 cup
Chocolate layer
Bananas	3
Cacao	¼ cup
Salt, fine	½ teaspoon
Vanilla	1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground	1 teaspoon
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	1 tablespoon
Water	If needed
Vanilla layer
Cashews, raw	1 ½ cups
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	3 tablespoons
Vanilla bean, seed scraped	1
Water	1/3 cup, scant
Lemon juice, fresh	1
Beet layer
Beet juice, fresh	½ cup
Bananas	2
Pine nuts	½ cup
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	1 ½ tablespoons
Coconut oil, melted	2 tablespoons
Mint layer
Mint leaves, fresh	2 cups
Avocado	½
Honey, maple syrup, or agave	¼ cup
Salt, fine	½ teaspoon
Lemon juice, fresh	1
Nut milk	¼ cup, scant
Bananas	2
Drizzle
Coconut oil, melted	1 tablespoon
Maple syrup	1 tablespoon

1. In a blender, process the flour and dates or prunes until the mixture starts to stick together somewhat.
2. Press into the bottom of a lined springform pan; set aside. 
3. Rinse out the blender bowl. 
4. Process each layer of ingredients until smooth, and transfer to a squeeze bottle; rinse and use the same blender bowl for each layer. 
5. You may order the layers as desired. I started with a thin layer of chocolate. 
6. Freeze until the layer hardens, and then pour on another layer; repeat until you use all the layer mixtures. 
7. Freeze the cake overnight. 
8. Prepare a hot water bath to dunk the pan into so that the cake releases from the sides. 
9. Transfer to a serving plate. 
10. Whisk together the drizzle ingredients, and then drizzle over the cake. 

Recipe from One Green Planet.