Cauliflower "Rice"

Found this recipe recently at Fast Paleo.  Last night was the first time I've tried making cauliflower "rice".  My household isn't big on cauliflower so we don't have it often.  We live in Japan so sticky rice is everywhere and I'm feeling a bit deprived never getting to eat my rice with my meals like everyone else.  That's one thing I miss since starting Paleo is my sticky rice.  So last night I made cauliflower "rice".  It really was pretty good.  It took me a few bites to get over the fact that it wasn't really rice but I ate it with some spicy coconut curry and really liked it.  I think it is something I will probably be making again in the near future.

Cauliflower "rice"

1 head of cauliflower
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. coconut oil

Remove most of the stalk of the cauliflower and leave them in florets.  Place them into a food processor and pulse until course and rice like.  Add coconut oil to a saute and add in garlic cloves and diced onion and saute until tender.  Dump in "rice" like cauliflower and saute for about 6-10 minutes or until just tender.  Add salt to taste and serve.  

Coconut Curry Chicken

I've never tried any version of coconut curry chicken before but have been trying to find new healthy meals for my family and I don't want to get in the habit of making the same dinner night after night.  So tonight I made this.  I'm not a big fan on Indian food but I really liked this.  I left the spice out of the kids but gave mine and my husband's some real heat that had me sweating by the time I was finished.  It was delicious and I definetly will be making this again.  It was a really quick and easy dinner to throw together too which is always nice.  I found this recipe at Fast Paleo though I did modify it a bit.  My family ate theirs over rice but I ate mine just as is.  Next time I'm going to try to make some cauliflower rice and see how that tastes. 

Coconut Curry Chicken 

1 lb. chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons Curry Powder
1 tbsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 tbsp. coconut flour
1 cup baby spinach, rough chopped 
Salt to taste

In a saucepan over medium high heat add the olive oil and chicken and sear chicken until golden brown.  Add in the onions and garlic and turn the temperature down to a medium heat.  Allow to cook for a few minutes.  Add in the curry powder, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt and stir to coat everything.  Now add in the coconut milk and chicken broth and allow to simmer covered for about 15 minutes.  Remove lid and allow to simmer another 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken.  Sprinkle in about 2 tbsp. of coconut flour to help thicken the sauce if needed.  Toss in chopped (or torn) spinach leaves and give a stir for about a minute to allow them to wilt.  Serve. 

No Oat Oatmeal

So I miss oatmeal.  I use to eat it quite often for breakfast but since switching to Paleo I don't get to eat it anymore since no grains allowed, including no oats.  So when I saw this recipe at 
PaleoPlan.com I knew that I had to try it. I was really shocked at how good it was.  I wasn't expecting it to be so creamy and delicious.  I didn't pulse the nuts to death so there was a nice texture left to them.  The banana made it the perfect sweetness without having to add any extra sweetness at all.  It's a bit high on the calorie side (being about 400 calories a serving and this makes 2 servings worth so if you eat the entire thing you've just eaten about 800 calories!) Though it has nothing but good for you things added into it.  You can really use any nuts you like in this dish, you don't have to use the ones I call for. 

No Oat Oatmeal 

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp. almond butter
1 banana, mashed
3 eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if desired)
1 handful of fresh berries (optional)

Add walnuts, pecans, flax seed and spices to a food processor and pulse mixture to a course grain (make sure to stop before it is ground into a powder). Set aside. On a medium heat stir together eggs and almond milk until the consistency starts to thickens and becomes a loose custard. Using a wooden spoon you will start to notice chunks of "custard" scraping off the bottom of the pan, keep stirring.  It'll thicken pretty quick once this starts to happen.  I like to then switch to a whisk to remove the lumps in the custard then once smooth adding ingredients.  Thoroughly blend the mashed banana and almond butter together and add it to the custard, mixing well. Stir in the course nut mixture. At this point remove from heat and stir until your desired consistency is reached.  Top with berries.  Thin out with almond milk if needed. 

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is Chicken Tortilla soup with no tortillas!  This soup is absolutely delicious and is definitely one of my new favorites!  This recipe is from PaleOMG.  My husband doesn't like chunky vegetables so my soup is a smooth soup whereas the original recipe is delightfully chunky.  The avocado mixed in when serving is so ridiculously creamy and amazing but then again I'm avocado obsessed these days and could just spend all day every day eating avocados.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken:

3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2.5lbs worth)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Soup Base:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced
1 (4oz) can diced green chiles
1 (14oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
32 oz fluid chicken stock (I used low sodium, no sugar added)
juice of 2 limes
chopped cilantro, to garnish
crushed plantain chips, to garnish
sliced avocado, to garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken on a parchment lined baking sheet. Pour on some olive oil and then sprinkle with cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt and pepper.  Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts). Once your chicken is done baking, use two fork to shred the chicken. While your chicken is baking, get your soup ready. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat then add your minced garlic. Add onions, red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and poblano pepper. Mix around to help coat. Once your onions begin to become translucent, pour in your green chiles and diced fire roasted tomatoes, along with the rest of your spices. Mix together. Then add your shredded chicken and chicken stock to the pot. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. When your soup has simmered, add in your lime juice and a bit more salt and pepper.
Add your soup to a bowl along with avocado, cilantro, and plantain chips.  YUM!

Paleo Almond Flour Biscuits

Say what?  Yup, that's right, grain-free biscuits.  These are Paleo friendly biscuits!  I was quite skeptical at first because, well I'm from South Carolina.  This Southern girl can make a rockin' biscuit!  I've  been making biscuits for years.  I thought this would be dense and terrible.  Surprisingly, it was really tasty!  I'd make this again for sure.  It is light and fluffy.  A bit crumbly but I mean come on, it's grain-free!  A definite must try for anyone doing Paleo or steering clear of dairy and/or grains.  

Oh and this is the last post I'm going to put the word Paleo in the title.  I think I've made enough Paleo recipes lately to stop saying it in the title and just label it and mention it here.  Until otherwise noted, I'm a Paleo girl and hope to stay that way. 

The original recipe is from Food Renegade. 

Grain-Free Biscuits
Yield: 4 breakfast sandwiches

1 cup almond flour
4 egg whites
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a mixer (or with a fork) combine the coconut oil and almond flour until you have little broken up, pea-sized bits of butter distributed into the flour.  Depending on the temperature, your coconut oil may just melt in and mix without it being pea sized.  Add the egg whites, salt, and baking powder. Mix to combine. If the batter doesn’t seem stiff enough to retain its shape while baking, add more almond flour a little at a time until it does. (Based on the comments below, this step is essential. Different almond flours are more absorbent than others.) The original recipe calls for 1 cup of almond flour so I suggest starting with that.  I used more like 1 1/2 cups when I made the recipe.  Scoop the batter into 4 even portions and place onto a greased or silicone-lined baking sheet. The dough should be scoopable by spoon but not an actual hands on type of dough.  Bake at 350F for about 20-22 minutes, until slightly golden.

(**Note - These biscuits are roughly 280 calories a piece)

Paleo Pizza Crust

I'm really not overly sure how many times I've attempt to do the Paleo diet and failed but yet again my husband and I have decided to try.  It is such a restrictive diet from the American "normal" diet that it is a bit difficult to adjust to.  BUT I've already given up dairy this year and I eat almost no bread or grains anymore with the exception of oats so I feel I'm better prepared to try this again.  It is how I would like to eat.  Lots of protein, vegetables, nuts, seeds and fruit.  You cannot have grains, so no flour, no corn, no oats.  No beans.  Nothing processed.  No sugar.  Sounds super healthy and I need to strive to eat better.  My kids LOVE pizza!!

This to me was like eating a pizza on top of a unsweetened, garlic flavored pancake.  I need it to be a bit thinner and more crisp for me to really get on board with it but it definitely has potential.  I just need to work with it a bit more to make it something more fitting for me.  My kids both loved it.  My ridiculously picky daughter ate 3 mini pizzas.  They ate it without any complaint.  We made homemade Paleo sausage to top our super veggie pizza which was amazing.  Granted after I made this I realized I think bell peppers are a nightshade vegetable and I've got to read up on that a bit but I don't think I'm suppose to be eating those, oops. 

Just to make things easier I opted to cook these on a griddle first (like pancakes) for easier flipping and so everyone could have there own mini pizzas then we topped them and baked them in the oven. 

Found the original recipe here - Caveman Strong.  We changed a few things from the original recipe.


Paleo Pizza Crust
 
3 eggs
1/2 cup of coconut flour
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp. of garlic powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. dried basil
1 crushed/minced garlic clove
 
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Prep cookie sheet or pizza pan by covering it with parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan.  Brush with coconut oil or olive oil to prevent sticking.

Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined.  Start pouring on your griddle immediately as the batter will thicken as time goes on. This will be more like a batter….not so much dough.  After 2-3 minutes flip the pancake sized mini pizza crusts and place finished ones on the baking sheet.  Bake an additional 6-10 minutes until toppings are heated through.  

You can pour the entire batter into any shape or size you want and bake for 20 minutes then flip in the oven (use parchment paper to prevent sticking) if you prefer to use that method iinstead of the griddle.  

Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls

I am soooo in love with these.  My kids beg for them.  My husband even eats them!  I've made these with peanut butter with pure maple syrup and almond butter with honey and I think the almond butter and honey are perfect and absolutely amazing!  They are so healthy but yet feel like a dessert cheat.  This time of year with Christmas fast approaching I always find I need cookies and desserts and these really hit the spot.  Of course, much like a cookie, you can't eat juts one so at almost 100 calories a ball the calories can add up quick but at least it is good for you, not stick to your hips and butt type of calories!

Now the version in the picture is minus the chocolate and I used vanilla protein powder just because the chocolate ones looked soooo unpleasant when it came picture time so you can totally make these vanilla or chocolate whatever you like best!   The original recipe as written below uses 1/4 c. of honey, I however prefer mine with 1/8 c. of honey so it all has to do with how sweet you like them you can add or subtract it to your preference.

Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls   

1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. honey
1 scoop chocolate (soy) protein powder (*or vanilla)
1/4 c. ground flax seed
2 tbsp. cocoa (*optional)
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
1 tbsp. coconut oil

Makes 18 large balls or 36 bite size balls.  I'm working on the exact calorie count and nutritional information for these but it is roughly 90 calories a tbsp. size ball.




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Not Your Ordinary Recipes

Protein Packed Banana Nut Oatmeal

Yum!  I just love oatmeal.  This oatmeal is one that I make quite often and it is super filling.  Lots of fiber, lots of protein and lots of flavor.  My son loves this too.

Protein Packed Banana Nut Oatmea

1 c. water
1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use soy)
1/4 c. almond milk (original)
1 ripened banana
1 tbsp. chopped almonds
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Start by cooking your oats in the water according to the directions.  Once the oats are fully cooked add in your protein powder.  It will get really thick really fast.  Then use your  almond milk to thin it out to the consistency you enjoy.  Mash in your banana or chop into chunks, add in the vanilla and top with nuts.  Yum! 

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

I'm in love with this oat bar recipe.  It has no added sugar and is an awesome post or after workout snack for me.  I wrap them in individual pieces of plastic wrap for a quick grab and go bar.  If you aren't use to eating your oatmeal plain you might want to add a bit of sugar to this recipe but I love it.  You get a perfect amount of sweetness from the dried fruit. I found this recipe on Kath Eats. 

To up the protein a bit I added a scoop of protein powder to this recipe that you could of course omit. 

Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars

1 1/2 c. rolled old fashioned oats
1 scoop vanilla soy protein powder
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. ground flax seeds (or any seeds you like)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. almond milk (original)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients.  Mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 40 minutes. Cut into 9 squares. 

Makes 9 servings

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION -  227 Calories * 13 g. Fat * 20 g. Carbohydrates * 31 mg. Sodium * 7 g. Sugar * 6.8 g. Protein * 4.6 g. Fiber

Apple Cinnamon Oat Waffles (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

I've been trying and trying to find the motivation to continue with my blog but I feel like I started strong doing so many of my favorite desserts and baked goods and then when I started dieting and losing weight I stopped all of that completely.  For a while I felt like there wasn't a point to continuing without cookies and cakes but I think I'm just going to revamp my blog to fit the new me.  Recipes that reflect all the healthy foods we eat in our house now.  The world of dairy-free and gluten-free is very new to me still so there are so many new recipes that I can't wait to try and share with you all.   Over the last 6 months of healthy eating and exercise I've lost 25lbs and feel stronger, healthier and more motivated than I ever have before.  The world of healthy food isn't nearly as terrible as I once thought it would be.  Not to mention I like having a place to store all of my favorite recipes since my husband seems to hate it when I leave browsers open with 15 different recipes I want to keep or try and have no where to put them! 

Anyways, this recipe is soooo good!  I love to make big batches of this and freeze them for my kids for weekday breakfasts.  This recipe has applesauce in that keeps the waffle moist.  Sometimes using oat flour in recipes the oats can get a bit dry so I like the addition of applesauce. This recipe is both gluten-free and dairy-free and my current favorite!

Just a quick note.  Coconut oil is temperamental to use so if you rather use butter or oil in it's place go ahead.  The coconut oil you have to melt since it is a solid at room temperature.  Then you add it into the cold milk and eggs mixture whisking very quickly to combine then quickly pour in your dry ingredients to try to not give the oil too much time to lump up and turn solid again, which it will do so you just need to move quickly with it.  

Apple Cinnamon Oat Waffles

3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 c. original almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. cinnamon


Place oats in your food processor and pulse until fine like regular flour.  To not waste an extra bowl go ahead and then add in your baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar into your ground oats and give a pulse or two to combine.  Beat eggs in a separate bowl just lightly, then add in your vanilla and almond milk. Melt the coconut oil and quickly whisk into the egg and milk mixture.  Then add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Allow to rest 5 minutes before scooping out about 1/2 c. mixture into a pre-heated waffle iron.  If freezing allow to cool completely before freezing or they will stick together.   

Makes 6-8 waffles.

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
6 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		257.8
Total Fat		9.8 g
	Saturated Fat	4.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.4 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.9 g
Cholesterol		61.7 mg
Sodium		61.2 mg
Potassium		83.7 mg
Total Carbohydrate		36.9 g
	Dietary Fiber	4.5 g
	Sugars	10.4 g
Protein		7.4 g

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		193.4
Total Fat		7.4 g
	Saturated Fat	3.7 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	1.4 g
Cholesterol		46.3 mg
Sodium		45.9 mg
Potassium		62.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate		27.7 g
	Dietary Fiber	3.4 g
	Sugars	7.8 g
Protein		5.5 g

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Blender Waffles

These blender waffles are awesome.   They contain no eggs, no dairy and no gluten.  Not to mention you just throw all the ingredients into the blender, allow to rest 10 minutes and a wonderful, tasty, healthy waffle is ready to eat.  My daughter doesn't really like oatmeal but I constantly try to find ways to get her to eat oats and usually grind them into a flour and use them.  The blender makes the oats in this ground well enough that she didn't even notice the oats were there.  I'm hiding from both gluten and dairy these days so these make me feel like I'm not missing out.  I played with the recipe a bit and added an egg and it really didn't make a difference so I opted to just keep it egg free.  I love the combination of oats and peanut butter for breakfast.  If you can just not dump a ton of syrup on it I feel it is really a healthy, great way to start your day. I found this recipe on Alisa Cooks.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Blender Waffles

2 c. plain almond milk
2 1/4 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. peanut butter (or favorite nut butter)
2 tbsp. sugar (or agave nectar or honey)
1/4 tsp. salt (omit if you are using salted nut butter)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Add all ingredients into your blender and let it go for about a minute.  Preheat your waffle iron while you allow your batter to rest about 10 minutes.  It will thicken quite a bit.  The thicker the batter the more bready the waffles.  If it gets too thick you can thin it out with a little bit of extra milk.

Chewy Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I don't think I've yet to be disappointment with an Alton Brown recipe.  I saw this gluten-free cookie recipe a while ago on Food Network but couldn't find tapioca flour in my one grocery store here on base and they certainly don't have it in one of the Japanese stores so I had to order it from Amazon and wait patiently until it arrived.  Seems slightly silly since you only use about 2 tbsp. of it, but I'm not use to not using flour in recipes so wasn't sure how important that one ingredient really was.  I did make some adjustments to the original recipe to make it not just gluten-free but dairy-free as well.  I substitute non-hydrogenated shortening for the butter, used soy milk for the whole milk, and used a 72% good quality dark chocolate that contained no dairy.  Most good quality dark chocolates don't contain dairy you just have to read the labels.  I wasn't sure what to expect with these cookies.  I certainly didn't expect to eat the entire pan of them myself, but I did, oops.   

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)

8 ounces non-hydrogenated shortening
11 ounces brown rice flour (or white rice flour), approximately 2 cups
1 1/4 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2-ounce tapioca flour, approximately 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
10 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 1/4 cups
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces 72% dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt and baking soda. Set aside.  Cream the shortening and sugar together in your standing mixer.  Add the whole egg, egg yolk, milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, approximately 1 hour. Shape the dough into 2-ounce balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans after 5 minutes for even baking. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on the pans for 2 minutes. Move the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cooked cookies in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is great.  I found it on Ann Arbor and decided the next time I got a sweet craving and was willing to cave I was going to make these.  This is a gluten-free and dairy-free recipe which is why I chose it.  You always think that if something is dairy-free or gluten-free then it probably doesn't taste very good.  Definitely not true.  This cookie really delivers, it gives you everything you want in a peanut butter cookie and you don't miss the butter or flour.   


Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp. non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats*
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts finally chopped (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
extra white sugar for coating

If you are truly sensitive to gluten make sure your oats are gluten-free because most oats are processed in facilities that process gluten products so just check your label.  I use regular quacker rolled oats because I just opt to limit my gluten. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a food processor grind the oats to a powder. In another bowl, mix together the ground oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl using an electric hand mixer, or in a stand mixer, cream the peanut butter, shortening, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and mix for another minute. Add the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture until combined.  Use a tablespoon to scoop the dough and make balls. Roll the balls in a little white sugar and place onto the baking sheet. Use a fork to press down on the balls in a criss-cross pattern.

Bake until the cookies until they are golden brown and the surfaces have cracked, about 7-9 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the pan completely before moving to avoid breaking.

Makes about 24 cookies.

You can also freeze these cookies.  Just roll into a ball and roll in sugar like you are going to bake them.  Even go ahead with the criss-cross pattern.  Place them on the baking sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Then place them in a freeze safe container or bag and freeze until ready to use.  

Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies

   

 

So this is the third time I've typed this now and it won't stop being in all caps and I'm about to just give up.  I was watching Food Network a day or two ago and Alton Brown was doing a show on oats, all oats.  Yum!  I love oats!  This is just one of the many recipes on there that I was excited to try.  This recipe requires absolutely no flour, just oats.  I also omitted the butter and substituted non-hydrogenated shortening to eliminate the dairy as well.  I actually made this recipe twice.  The first time I didn't have or use a scale and tried to just convert the weighed measurements to cups.  Totally didn't work. I had a big blob of a mess, a tasty mess, but not a cookie.  So I went out and bought a scale.  I needed one anyways especially since I just got the Good Eats 3 cookbook for Christmas and most of Alton Brown's recipes are done by weight.  This cookie was amazing.  I loved it, my kids loved it, and I didn't even feel bad indulging a bit since it was gluten-free and dairy-free.  This is a very thin, crispy cookie, but totally worth it.  Yum!   



This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown's Good eats.



16 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
10 ounces non-hydrogenated shortening
6 ounces dark brown sugar
3 1/2 ounces granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces raisins, optional (soaked in hot water for 10 minutes to rehydrate)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Start soaking your raisins in hot water to allow them to rehydrate while you make the cookies.  Spread oats into a single layer on a half sheet pan. Bake until lightly toasted, about 20 minutes . Cool the oats for 2 to 3 minutes on the pan.  Grind 8 ounces of toasted oats in a food processor until the consistency of whole wheat flour, about 3 minutes. Add the baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times to combine. Set aside.  Combine the shortening and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed using the paddle attachment until light in color, about 3 minutes. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to the lowest speed and add the egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Stop once to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining toasted oats and the (drained) raisins. Stir to combine.  Scoop the dough with a 1 1/2-ounce disher onto parchment-lined half sheet pans, leaving 2 inches between each mound. Bake until the cookies begin to brown around the edges, 12 to14 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking. Cool on the pans for 2 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.