A CoLoRfUl PaLaTe

I know, yes. If you’re anything like me you just went through about four stages of emotion in order to cope with the news of a healthy chocolate chip cookie pie:

Thrill, followed by Immediate Doubt, then Guarded Hopefulness, and finally a decision to say screw it and eat it regardless of whether it’s actually healthy (it is) because it looks super tasty and involves chocolate.

Well, don’t worry. Thrill was the right reaction (always trust your instincts!). This cookie pie not only is healthy, but it’s gluten free AND one of the ingredients is quinoa – and I always feel like I’m doing the right thing in life whenever I eat quinoa.

One small disclaimer is that it will resemble cookie slop if you try to eat it before it has a chance to spend a few hours in the fridge. But I say slop in the nicest way possible and with a little *nudge nudge* *wink wink* to let you know it’s perfectly fine to eat it that way. It improves the taste too, I think, if you’re hunched over the dish shoveling it into your mouth with your bare hands.

…Not that I would know.

Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie’s Healthy Deep Dish Cookie Pie.

Preheat Oven to 350F

What You Need:

2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar (This pie is fairly sweet so this can be adjusted down to 1/2 cup for less sweetness)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Blend all ingredients except for chocolate chips in a food processor until smooth and cookie dough-like. Mix in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a well-greased pie dish or brownie pan for a square shaped pie.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until crust begins to brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before eating. Refrigerate to really firm up the cookie pie.

I do this too, so I’m not being critical, but I love how people ask if you feel differently after you have a birthday. I turned 30 in October, which everyone has informed me is a “big number” (still 2 digits though, people), and the first question I got was if I felt any different. Well, I literally didn’t. The transition from 29 to 30 was seamless and involved just as much alcohol as any other night that I’ve found an excuse to go out. I had a great time with my friends and was reminded that dancing like a crazy person while others look on in amazement (not awe – that’s something different) is an activity I am committed to for the rest of my life along with other, lesser essentials like eating and sleeping.

So I don’t feel different. I feel happy, really. And proud. I’ve lived for 30 years and haven’t managed to significantly ruin anything, which is a pretty long track record considering my relationship with red sauces and light colored clothing. I do, however, have a gnawing sensation similar to teenage angst about the passage of time and fleeting memories and all that, which (in short) led to the birth of this blog. I am a writer after all. What kind of writer doesn’t even keep a journal? David Sedaris, who is hands down one of my all-time favorite authors, writes in his latest book Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls about how he carries around a notebook at all times to record for inspiration things he sees and hears – sometimes at the expense of enjoying his own life. I’m not really at that level, and also never seem to have a pen handy, but this seems like a good start.

So here’s to being 30, and continuing to do everything I did when I was 29. Because, you know. That was basically yesterday.