Hamburger Soup

This is a small tribute to my beautiful grandma who passed away on Saturday. Another one of her farm comfort foods. I love this soup because all the ingredients are always on hand. You can pretty much just throw in anything you want to, and it will still taste great.

Grandma Lill's Hamburger Soup

Recipe from Lillian Rydalch

1/4 c chopped onion

4 1/2 c water 

1 c diced carrot

1 c diced potato

1 c diced celery

1/2 Tbsp salt to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1 beef bouillon cube

1 bay leaf

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 28 ounce large can tomatoes (un-drained)

handful macaroni noodles (1-2 cups to your liking)

Brown hamburger with the onion and drain.

Add all ingredients except tomatoes, noodles and beans; cover and bring to boil.

Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add tomatoes, noodles, and beans and simmer until noodles are tender. If you use a lot of noodles you may need to add more water. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with cheddar cheese on top if you'd like! Enjoy!

Cereal Bars

I've been making these a bunch lately.  My kids love them. We like them better staying chilled until we eat. I have a bar mold, but you could also form them into bars or try pressing into a pan and cutting them once they are set. 

Cereal Bars

Recipe from Pampered Chef

2 1/4 cups cheerios

2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Combine the cereal and strawberries in a large mixing bowl.

Microwave the nut butter and honey in a  small microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute, or until bubbling. Pour over the cereal mixture and mix well to combine.

Scoop the mixture into wells of a  bar maker (or pan) and press down with a spatula. Chill the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or in the refrigerator until the bars are set.

Let the bars set in the refrigerator or on the counter. If you can find some dairy free white chocolate you can drizzle over the tops once they are chilled. Or some dairy free yogurt.

Chicken Stirfry with Teriyaki Sauce

I have been on the search for a yummy sauce for stirfry, since the ones you buy with frozen veggies are pretty gross if you ask me. This teriyaki is by far the best I have made from scratch and bonus, its gluten free too! 

Teriyaki Chicken Stirfry

Recipe adapted slightly from cleanmondaymeals.com

3 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
Ground black pepper
1 medium zucchini, diced into half moons and quartered
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
2 1/2 cups small diced broccoli florets
1 1/2 - 2 cups white or brown rice, cooked

Teriyaki Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce OR coconut aminos/GF soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
3 Tbsp honey
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

For the chicken-

Brush both sides of chicken with 1 1/2 Tbsp of the olive oil and season pepper. Preheat oven to over 350 degrees. Cook chicken until center registers 160 - 165 degrees on a thermometer, about 20 min. Remove and let rest 5 minutes then dice into cubes.

For the teriyaki-

In a small saucepan whisk together low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp of the water, the brown sugar, honey, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. Bring mixture to a light boil over medium-high heat. Whisk together cornstarch with remaining 2 Tbsp water, then add to sauce mixture in saucepan. Reduce heat slightly and allow to boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, set aside.

For the veggies:

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, broccoli, and carrots and saute 4 - 5 minutes until crisp-tender. 

Throw in the sauce along with the chicken and give it a good stir and serve over rice.

Or you can assemble into bowls instead and even put them in the fridge for later in the week: Layer rice into 4 bowls then top each with 1/4 of the chicken and 1/4 of the veggies. Drizzle desired amount of teriyaki sauce over tops.

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

This dish is super easy to throw together. Just brown the chicken for 5 minutes and then you get to throw it in the oven and forget about it! (Just make sure it's a cast iron skillet!). I love how healthy it is too, but flavorful enough that the kids love it!

Lemon Rosemary Chicken

recipe from www.bravoforpaleo.com

1/4 cup olive oil

4 chicken breasts

1 1/2 sweet potatoes, cubed

1 large lemon, squeezed

1 large lemon, sliced

2 Tablespoons rosemary

5 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add olive oil to a large cast iron skillet, and heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper over chicken breasts then place the chicken breast sides down in the pan. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, and cook in pan/skillet for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is browned. Turn the chicken over and pour lemon, rosemary, and garlic over the chicken and potatoes. Top with sliced lemons. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until the chicken is done. This varies for each oven.

Simple Baked Salmon with Avocado Salsa

This has been my favorite way to cook salmon lately. My go-to recipe is my teriyaki salmon , but our family has been doing the whole 30 challenge this month and so sugar is out for us. This salmon is super easy and versatile. You can put whatever veggies you want, even frozen! We have been doing tons of zucchini and summer squash from our garden. Another obsession lately for my kids survival over this month (especially my almost 5 year old) is anything with avocados. Guacamole is the new ketchup around here! lol. This salmon is yummy just with a squeeze of lemon, but even better if you top it with this "avocado pico" as we called it tonight. Y-U-M!

Simple Baked Salmon

Salmon Fillet (about 1 1/2 pounds or as much as you need)

any veggies, fresh and cut up or frozen

garlic salt

pepper

olive oil

lemon slices

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon, skin side down, on prepared baking sheet. Season the salmon with garlic salt and pepper. Arrange veggies around the salmon. Drizzle some olive oil over the veggies and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon slices over the salmon and cover entire baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven until salmon and veggies are done, about 15-20 minutes. (The salmon will flake easily with a fork when it's done). Top it with the salsa below for extra flavor

Optional Avocado Salsa

1-2 avocados, diced

1/2 small red onion, chopped fine

juice from 2 limes (about 2-3 Tbsp)

3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to use. Grill or broil the salmon to your preference. Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

Simple Steak Kabobs

These steak kabobs we made last night were heavenly and so simple to throw together too! Definitely going to be on our regular rotation. I might even have to throw my snow boots on in the winter to grill outside in the dead of winter. It will be worth it though! Use whatever veggies you have on hand. We did zucchini, red onion and mushrooms.

Steak Kabobs

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

Veggies (Choose what you like!)

summer squash

zucchini

red onion

mushrooms

anything!

Thick cuts of steak, cubed (I used petite sirloin and some tenderloin I had)

Marinade the steak for 1 hour in a large ziplock bag. Cube up your veggies and add them to the steak bag and marinade 1 more hour. Grill on a preheated grill (about 350-400 degrees) for 5 minutes. Flip over and grill 3-5 more minutes. Enjoy!

Serve with some cauliflower rice for added nutrition! Separate a head of cauliflower and blend batches using a food processor (you could probably use a blender too). Heat up a large skillet over medium heat and heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil or coconut butter. Throw the cauliflower "rice" into the skillet and saute for 5 or so minutes. Flavor with lots of salt and pepper. My family likes minced garlic and green onions in ours. I just saute those quickly before adding the "rice".

Slow Cooker Chili

I love chili, especially here in cold country! My kids love it too as long as some sort of chips accompany it, since that's our favorite way to eat chili around our house.  You can also serve it with some cornbread, cornbread muffins, or serve it over a baked potato too. (That's how I ate chili growing up since we had potatoes with almost every meal!)

Slow Cooker Chili

1 pound ground beef

1/4 cup onions, chopped (or 1 Tbsp onion flakes), optional

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans mild chili beans, keep juices

1 can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (or 2- 14.5 ounce cans)

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp cumin

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup water

Brown the beef with the onion and minced garlic. Drain any grease and put into a slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low 6-8 hours, or high for 3 hours. You can also do this in a big pot the same way with browning the beef and then adding everything and simmering until everything is heated through.

My Mom's Fried Rice

Here is a super easy fried rice recipe from my mom. It does call for minute rice, but don't judge. My family swears that's what makes it so amazing! (Plus how do you think it has the easy title right?) But if you have regular rice leftover in your fridge- try it out and let me know how it turns out- I'm sure great! This recipe is very adaptable: use white or brown minute rice, add in green onions, regular onions or both. You can throw in some peas if you want some veggies! Just whatever your family likes. I actually had this leftover rice twice for breakfast this week with an additional egg. Yum!

Mom's Fried Rice

Makes around 3 cups 

2 cups minute rice, white or brown

onion, chopped (1/2 cup-1 cup to your preference)

green onions, chopped (to your preference again)

2-3 Tbsp dairy free butter or margarine

2-3 eggs

salt and pepper, to taste

soy sauce, to taste

Cook the minute rice as directed. While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a big frying pan and saute the chopped onions until they are about done. Scoot them over to the corner of your pan and scramble 3 eggs. Once the eggs are done mix them up with the onions and add the cooked rice. If you need to add more butter go ahead and do so (I won't tell). Mix everything all together and add lots of salt and pepper. Then drizzle soy sauce over it but don't overkill. You don't want the rice to be brown unless it's brown rice. :) Less is usually more and you can always add later if you need to. And it's done! Enjoy! 

Japanese Chicken

Yes I'm still alive! Even though I don't post as often as I use to, I promise to share when I find a wonderful recipe. I'm not about just posting recipes to post them- so you will know when I do that it's a tried and true recipe- just like this one! This chicken is so fabulous! I checked this cookbook out from the library and so far all the recipes I have tried were wonderful. I shared this Japanese chicken with my sister last week and she said, "Ummm...I think you undersold that chicken!" 

If you are a fan of the sweet and sour chicken this one is just as tasty but less than half of the work. If you want the extra effort, I'm sure you can fry the chicken up first before you put it into the oven to make it more crisp. But to me what makes it so great is that you can throw it right into the oven with minimal prep work.

Japanese Chicken

Recipe from Worldwide Ward Cookbook by Deanna Buxton

Note: This is halved from what the recipe says. I made 2 chicken breasts and 1 pound of chicken thighs with the below amounts. Even with this halved the sauce is plentiful. I even saved the leftover sauce and used it with some frozen popcorn chicken another night.

1 egg

1/2 cup flour

3 Tbsp sesame seeds

4 chicken breasts (or thighs worked wonderful for me!)

1/4 + 2 Tbsp soy sauce (or 6 Tbsp)

1 cup vinegar

half of a 1/3 cup water (just eyeball it)

2 cups sugar

Whip egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour and sesame seeds. Dip each chicken breast in the egg , then roll evenly and heavily in the flour mixture. Arrange chicken breasts in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, water, and sugar; pour over chicken breasts. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve with rice.

Frosting

Finally I found a great dairy free frosting that holds it's shape for decorating and tastes great too! Yeah for that!

Easy "Butter"-cream Frosting

1 cup dairy free butter/margarine, softened to room temperature

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp almond milk, vanilla (but regular works too)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8th salt

In a mixing bowl or your stand-up mixer cream the butter/shortening. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Lastly add in the almond milk, vanilla and salt and mix until nice and smooth. (I don't recommend refrigerating this frosting before using it. If you do need to refrigerate it, you will need to let it come to room temperature before being able to spread it ;)

Teriyaki Grilled Salmon

My Mom has been making this grilled salmon for years and years and years, but she always sprinkles hers with lemon pepper seasoning before. I decided to ditch the lemon pepper seasoning, and add some sesame seeds and it has now become one of my family's favorites. You can even reduce the marinade over the stove if you'd like for some drizzle. Soooo yummy!

Teriyaki Grilled Salmon

Salmon Fillets (as many as you need)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (or you could use vegetable oil)

Mix the brown sugar, soy sauce, water and olive oil together and pour over the salmon in either a bowl or a big zip-lock bag. I like a big zip-lock because it's easy to flip in the fridge. Marinade for at least 4 hours. When you are ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium high heat (if you have a temperature dial set it to about 350) When the grill is heated, throw down a piece of tinfoil and spray with nonstick spray. Put your salmon fillets on the foil. Grill about 4 minutes and then flip, pour some of the marinade over and grill another 4-6 minutes until it's done to your liking. Remove from the grill and serve with sesame seeds if desired.

Pico De Gallo

I LOVE pico! So does my 7 year old daughter. In fact when I made steak fajitas last week, we ate all of the pico before dinner was served and ended up having to make another batch! lol For that reason I doubled my original recipe so that you will have plenty for the family. But you could also half it to serve 2-3 people. Super simple. You can also add a chopped garlic clove if you'd like. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. 

Simple Pico de Gallo
makes about 3 cups 

6 medium Roma tomatoes
1 small white onion (or red)
1 jalapeno pepper
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup or so of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tomatoes in half and take out the seeds under running water. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces, and add to a mixing bowl. Finely dice the onion and the jalapeno (remove the seeds if desired). Toss the onion and jalapeno in the bowl with the tomatoes. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well finishing up with the lime juice and salt and pepper. It's better if you can refrigerate it for about 15-20 minutes so the flavors will settle. 

Note: When I want a "kicked up" guacamole, I will make a half a batch of this pico and mix it with 3-4 mashed avocados. Heavenly.

Chili Lime Steak

I have been looking for new recipes, and this one was a winner! I served mine Mexican style with fresh cooked tortillas, pico de gallo and guacamole, but the steak had amazing flavor all alone and would be outstanding by itself or in a salad! Definitely going to be baking this one time and time again! :) 

Chili Lime Steak
Recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites

1-2 pounds flank steak (boneless)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lime, juiced (about 2 Tbsp juice)
1 Tbsp olive oil

To make the rub, combine the spices in a small bowl and add the lime juice and olive oil. Stir to combine. Place the steak in a shallow dish (like a 9X13). Pour the spice mixture over the steak and then use your hands to rub it in. Let the steak stand for 15 minutes. While the meat is standing, preheat your grill. Place the steak on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes per side or until desired doneness is reached. (I recommend flipping at 5 minutes, and then checking at the next 5 minute mark) Remove from grill and allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak against the grain into strips about 1/4 inch thick. 

Note: If you are pressed for time, you can make the rub ahead of time. I rubbed mine on the steak and left it in the fridge all day, but you don't have to do that. If you do refrigerate it, just make sure you let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (with a hint of coconut)

Although my picture didn't come out quite as great as the one in Daphne's cookbook, these cookies are AMAZING! I have never thought to put coconut flakes in oatmeal cookies, but it adds such a great burst of flavor (without being too much). More flavorful then any oatmeal cookie I have eaten. Make sure you read her note at the bottom of the recipe, and take them out just when the edges start to brown.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe adapted from Daphne Oz

2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)

2/3 cups whole-wheat flour

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

8 Tbsp/1 stick cold dairy free margarine, cut into pieces (or unsalted butter)

½ cup coconut oil, softened

2/3 cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

½ cup chopped pecans 

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup dairy free chocolate chips (or milk or semi sweet)

In a food processor, pulse 1 cup of the rolled oats to a grainy powder. Add the processed oats to a large bowl along with both flours, baking soda, and salt and combine.

In a standing mixer or hand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and both sugars. Then beat in the vanilla, eggs (one at a time) and beat. Add a third of the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating to incorporate after each addition. Fold in the remaining oats, nuts, coconut, and chocolate chips. Roll into 2 inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375for 12-15 minutes or until the rims are golden brown and the center is still slightly moist (they will continue baking as they cool).

*Daphne says to always freeze the cookie dough balls before baking to help them cook evenly and limit spread. To do this, just line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, add the cookie balls, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours or overnight. Don’t use the frozen pan to bake! Transfer them to another cookie sheet and into the preheated oven. You can also save the frozen dough balls in a freezer bag in the freezer. 

Roasted Veggies

 One goal I have for my family this year is to eat more veggies! I only have 1 of my 4 children who love veggies and so I'm trying to find new ways to cook them to appeal to those other 3. I liked this version of roasted veggies because it had a little zing with the vinegar. A splash of vinegar- who would have thought? (Sorry I can't remember where the recipe came from. It was one of those google it and write it down on scratch paper kind of things!) 

Roasted Vegetables

serves 4-6 (4 if you love veggies, 6 as a small side)

2 red bell peppers, cut into triangle bite size pieces
1 zucchini, cut in half twice lengthwise then into bite size pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into circular bit size pieces
1 vidalia onion, cut up
1-2 cups asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp basil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat the oven to 450. Put all the veggies into a big bowl. Add the olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper and toss to coat them all. Turn onto a greased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes at 450.

Kalua Pork

My sister in law Kelli made a version of this for us this summer and we loved it! It can't get any simpler, only uses 4 ingredients, and is really really yummy!  We ate it too fast for a picture, so I borrowed the above pic from the same place I adapted the recipe from here. We had ours over rice and I used a 4 pound roast. I think I did about 5 ounces of spinach but that could have easily been doubled-just depends on how much you like spinach. ;)

Kalua Pork

Serving size varies (4 pound roast will feed 4-6)

1 4-6 pound pork Butt roast

1 Tbsp liquid smoke, hickory flavored

2-3 tsp red Hawaiian sea salt (or just sea salt if you can't find Hawaiian)

Bag of washed spinach (5 + more ounces depending on your liking)

Pat the roast dry (and you can trim some of the fat if you feel like you need to, but really that's what gives it the flavor). Pierce all over with a fork and rub it liberally with sea salt. Place it in a slow cooker and pour the liquid smoke evenly over the roast. Cook on low for 8-12 hours (I did mine for 10 hours). 

Once it's done shred the entire thing up right in the crockpot (this is where you could trim some of the fat you notice too as you are shredding), add a bag of spinach and stir it all together. Cover and cook 5-10 more minutes or until the spinach is wilted. 

Serve over rice.

Green Smoothie

My sister made me this smoothie while my kids and I were visiting over Spring Break and I fell in love. I know green smoothies are not "new" by any means, but all the ones I have tried taste like straight veggies. The secret ingredient she uses is unfiltered apple juice. I have to make it at least 3 times a week, so yummy!

Green Smoothie

Recipe from my sister Brooke

makes 2 servings (for 1 just cut it in half)

1 1/2 cups raw unfiltered apple juice

2 BIG (heaping over) handfuls of spinach 

1 BIG handful of kale

1-1 1/2 cups of frozen fruit mix (strawberries, pineapple, mango, peaches) 

Start with your apple juice in the blender followed by the spinach. Mix until it's pureed, then add the kale. Mix until pureed really well. Then add your frozen fruit mix and blend until smooth. If you like it more liquid, use 1 cup of fruit. If you like it really thick use 1 1/2 or more cups of the fruit. Enjoy!

Egg and Dairy Free Pudding

This is not my recipe, but since I have made it twice in the past week I figured I better share it with you all....I couldn't resist the urge :)

Absolutely delish! My kids can't get enough. (me either!)

Incredible Chocolate Pudding

Recipe from Mel @ melskitchencafe

Makes 5 (1/2 cup each) servings

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tbsp cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural, unsweetened

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 cups dark chocolate almond milk 

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (see note)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

sliced bananas for serving, optional

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Slowly pour in the almond milk and whisk to combine.
Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the pudding begins to bubble. Cook two minutes longer (while it boils and bubbles). The mixture will be thick but pourable and will set up more while it chills.
Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla.
Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly to the surface to avoid a skin forming. Refrigerate until well-chilled, 3-4 hours.
Serve with sliced bananas (optional).

Note from Melanie:

"The pudding is already egg-, dairy- and gluten-free. For my peanut-free friends, try subbing in soy butter or sun butter for the peanut butter. As noted above in the post, I couldn't resist trying a non-peanut butter version today (2/22/14) since many of you asked about it. Here's the result: the cooked and chilled pudding without the peanut butter was really good! It was definitely missing that element of creaminess the peanut butter gives, but honestly, I loved it. It wasn't quite as thick as the peanut butter version so I would suggest upping the cornstarch to 2 1/2 or 3 tablespoons if you are leaving out the peanut butter. Remember to let it boil and bubble (stirring constantly!) for a good 2-3 minutes to help it get as thick as possible. It will still be slightly runny when pouring into a bowl but will thicken up considerably upon chilling."

• 
  

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These really are the best oatmeal cookies ever! Just make sure you don't cook them too long....like as in take them out when they still look a bit undercooked rather than getting brown or you will end up with the traditional super thin crunchy oatmeal cookie. Mine take exactly 12 minutes at which point the edges are just barely starting to look golden. After they sit on the cooling rack for a few minutes on the baking sheet they are perfect. These are soft and DELICIOUS! My favorite is that the dough keeps in the fridge for a week, so I can make some each day during the week fresh- yum :)

Another note- I have been experimenting with coconut oil and have been using it exclusively in these chocolate chip cookies although I haven't tried it with this recipe yet. I will update it when I do, but definately comment if you do try that!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe from Sept 2011 Family Circle Magazine

2 sticks dairy free margarine (or butter), at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light-brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned rolled oats (I use old fashioned)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2-2 cups diary free chocolate chips (or milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Heat oven to 325. Place margarine and sugars in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, one at a time, beating well between additions.

Place flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a seperate bowl; mix well and add to the butter mixture. Beat until everything is well incorprated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the chocolate chips and beat again. You can cover and refrigerate up to one week.

Form the dough into about tablespoon size round balls and place them about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Transfer to 325 degree oven and bake until the cookies begin to brown at the edges, around 12 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet.