Festival for Isis: Lady of Ten Thousand Names

Isis

Isis of the winged arms was the first daughter of the Nut, the overarching sky, and the little earth-god Geb...From the beginning, Isis turned a kind eye on the pople of earth, teaching women to grind corn, spin flax. weave cloth and tame me sufficiently to live with them

-Patricia Monaghan, The Book of Goddesses & Heroines 

     Though a traditional fiber herb of Ancient Egypt, flax is also amazing for heart health and has been reported to help certain types of cancer.  They are commonly used as a source of Omega-3 fatty acids as well.  Remember if you pre-grind your flax seeds for ease of use, refridgerate them. 

     To add a pick me up to your daily diet, you can toss a handful or two into your salad for texture. (I like to add sunflower seeds too!) You can add flaxseed flour to breads and cakes as well. 

     In celebration of the day, I wanted to share a sweet treat recipe to help beat the winter blues!

Oatmeal-Flax Chocolate Chip Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 0 min.

Prep: 48 min.

Cook: 12 min.

Yield: about 32 cookies .



Level: Easy



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup flaxseed,

finely ground in a spice grinder, or pre-ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,

softened 1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips



Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, oats, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.



Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer

on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time,

beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low;

add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 3 minutes on the baking

sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.



Per Cookie: Calories: 151; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Total carbohydrates: 21 grams; Sugar: 14 grams; Fiber: 1 grams; Cholesterol: 25 milligrams; Sodium: 83 milligrams



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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup flaxseed, finely ground in a spice grinder, or pre-ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.



Whisk the flour, oats, flaxseed, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.



Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Stir in the chocolate chips.



Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool 3 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.



Per Cookie: Calories: 151; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat: 4 grams; Protein: 2 grams; Total carbohydrates: 21 grams; Sugar: 14 grams; Fiber: 1 grams; Cholesterol: 25 milligrams; Sodium: 83 milligrams

For the bakers in my life: Make your own Vanilla Extract!

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is so flavorful and fragrant that it's hard to imagine dessert without it. And in its native Mexico, it was so valuable that the Totonac Indians (the first to cultivate it) thought that it sprang from the blood of a princess, who was captured and slain when she fled with her lover. When the Totonac were conquered by the Aztecs, they were required to pay taxes and tributes with vanilla beans. It's fair to say that vanilla was literally worth its weight in silver.

The Spanish first became acquainted with vanilla as an ingredient in the bitter Aztec aphrodisiac drink, xocolatl, which was brewed with cacao beans and chile peppers. The tropical plant, a member of the orchid family could only be cultivated in Mexico, for the tubular flowers could be pollinated only by a tiny bee and a humming bird. In 1836, a 12-year-old African slave in Madagascar figured out how to hand-pollinate the blossoms with a bamboo splinter, a method that is still used today.

Vanilla is widely grown throughout the tropics, but it is still highly valuable. Some two thousand tons are produced each year, but that is still not enough to satisfy people's desire for it, and many have to be satisfied with synthetic vanillin. For more about the culinary uses of real vanilla, go here.

You can make your own vanilla extract, using vanilla beans. Here's a recipe from China Bayles. (Thanks to Susan Wittig Albert)

China's Favorite Vanilla Extract

Using a funnel, pour 1 cup brandy or rum into a small-diameter bottle. Split 2-3 vanilla beans lengthwise, then cut the split pieces into halves, retaining the aromatic seeds. Drop pieces and seeds into the bottle and cap it tightly. Set on a dark shelf for several weeks, shaking frequently (and sniffing deeply whenever possible). Use when the flavor suits you, topping off each time you remove some. Every now and then add a piece or two of split vanilla bean, to enrich the flavor.

Read more about vanilla:

* Vanilla: Travels in Search of the Ice Cream Orchid, by Tim Ecott
* Simply Vanilla: Recipes for Everyday Use, by Patty Elsberry