baking for japan

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The weather in the Bay Area has been rainy, with a side of hail and wind.

I'm convinced that the sky is sad, and acting out over all of the crazy things happening in the world lately.   It makes me sad too.

I am participating in the Bakesale for Japan, on April 2nd 2011, organized by Bay Area chef, Samin Nosrat.  Last year, Samin raised $23K to help relief efforts for Haiti's earthquake by holding bake sales in the Bay Area.  The Bakesale for Japan is turning out to be a nationwide event with participating locations all over California, as well as in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Austin, Portland- even Maui! Proceeds will be donated to Peace Winds Japan, a disaster preparedness and response organization that improves connectivity, coordination and collaboration among various disaster responders.  100% of the money will go towards relief related items - like medical and sanitary supplies, blankets, clothing, or applied towards long-term reconstruction.

I have been thinking about what my contribution will be for the bakesale.  Since I am a self-professed "tinker-er" in the kitchen, not everything I bake turns out like it is supposed to.  I really want to contribute something delicious.  So I am testing out some recipes before I decide on what my contribution or contributions will be.

Since it has been so rainy, I was hoping to make something using the ingredients I had on hand.  So I did a search for: banana, almond meal, oatmeal - I came across a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson for Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe.  I have had success with many of Heidi's recipes.  I thought I would give it a try.

The only change I made to this recipe was to add a couple shavings of fresh nutmeg - which I feel makes bananas even more banana-y.

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I can't stop eating these cookies.  There's no butter and no added sweetener of any type.  That said, these are NOT low fat - with almond meal, oil, coconut, and chocolate chips, but they ARE full of fiber and delicious goodness.  Maybe this will be my contribution for the bakesale.....

To find a location or more information about the Bakesale for Japan, check out Samin's blog, Ciao Samin, or email Samin directly at bakesaleforjapan@gmail.com.  

If you are not donating baked goods, come purchase something, donate cash, or just stop by to support the event.  At each location, they will be giving demonstrations on how to fold cranes with origami paper.  Senbazuru is a Japanese tradition based on the belief that folding a thousand origami cranes will make your wish come true.

Hang in there Japan!  We love you!!!

 

Above logo created by very talented artist, James Baker