chai seeker

Recipes for homemade vegan energy bars/ granola bars have been circulating the blogosphere recently, and I finally got around to making my own.  I am very picky about energy bars- they are so packed with intense flavors and textures and at the same time can feel pretty homogenous.  I find some bars too fruity, some too nutty, some too sweet, and some not sweet enough.  Overall, though, I think the main problem is that I don’t find the ingredients fresh enough in taste.

I do want to briefly point out one glaring exception: Earnest Eats (http://earnesteats.com/our-foods/bars.php).  These bars are made locally in Solana Beach.  Our favorite is the almond trail mix bar:  almond butter, oats, dried apricots and cranberries, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.  Nutty but not too nutty (and without too many nut pieces), oat-y, sweet, and very fresh tasting.  Rachel is such a big fan that she signed up for an amazon subscription to these!  Each month we receive two packages of them.

Even at the discounted amazon price, however, these are not cheap- at least not nearly as cheap as making them yourself.  My next energy bar recipe will be to emulate the almond trail mix Earnest Eats bar (or Almond Eats, as I usually mistakenly refer to it).  In the mean time, several of my own bar creations:

Recipe #1: Cherry Molasses Energy Bars

1/2 cup dried bing cherries (mine came from Trader Joes)

1 1/3 cup rolled oats

1 cup nut butter ( I used half almond butter and half ground pecans)

1 heaping tbsp of coconut oil

1/2 cup molasses (this turned out to be very strong.  Start with 1/4 cup and add to taste)

1/4 cup ground flax seed

Instructions:  Mix it all together really well!  Then press into a pan, however thick you want your bars, and freeze.  Freezing helps the bars stick together and keeps them fresh until you want to cut one out and eat.  That’s it!

I froze recipes #1 and #2 side by side in a baking pan:

Is it just me, or is saran wrap not clingy AT ALL these days?

Cut into delicious bars:

That’s the molasses bar on the right.  In my opinion the molasses bar was the big winner.  Cherry, pecan, coconut, & molasses = yum.  The banana bar (recipe below) was good but because I used steel cut oats (I recommend rolled oats instead) they were a little too chewy.

Recipe #2: Banana peanut butter bars

1 banana, mashed

1 cup oats

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:  you know what to do!  (see Recipe #1)

My bars from recipes #1 and #2 are almost gone, and I am going hiking tonight, so I decided to make my third batch!  The banana in recipe #2 made the bars a little gooey when out of the freezer for long, so I decided to make a peanut butter/oat/honey bar with banana.

Peanut butter honey energy bars:

1 cup oats

1/3 cup peanut butter (because I ran out- I recommend more for better texture)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

maple syrup- drizzle in while mixing until desired texture is reached

My bars were slightly dry and crumbly since I was running out of peanut butter, but with a little extra maple syrup and getting firmly pressed into pan to freeze they came out perfectly: salty, sweet, nutty, oat-y, and a bit of pumpkin flavor.

I am soo excited to take these hiking tonight- I think they’ll taste even better halfway up a mountain!

I have been pleasantly surprised how easy and forgiving these bars are.  If they are too moist add more oats or flax- if to dry, add a banana or sweetener of your choice (honey, molasses, agave, etc).  For more texture add seeds or dried fruit.  Oats, peanut butter, and bananas are also inexpensive foods, and make a delicious bar with our without the more gourmet add-ins.  Verdict: totally sold!  More more ideas check out Gena’s raw and vegan dehydrated energy bars (http://www.choosingraw.com/dehydrator-free-raw-vegan-energy-bars/) and Averie’s “no-bake vegan peanut butter chocolate chip protein” bars (http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2010/01/vegan-peanut-butter-choc-chip-protein.html).

This post has been a long time in the writing… for some pretty stupid reasons.  My camera lens is still damaged from being dropped in the sand in Israel, and my cell phone is about to kick the bucket and having problems taking and sending pictures.  At long last I’ve recovered a few photos of my recent food ventures.

Recently, after a long walk in the sun, I wanted something refreshing- something like Israeli lemonana, but perhaps higher in electrolytes, and not requiring juicer clean-up.  I had just stockpiled some Thai coconuts to make cocogurt (recipe link and pictures below), so a twist on lemonana- “coco-nana”- seemed in order!

I started by hacking the top off one of the coconuts:

I have to say, I’m getting pretty good at this!  This was a cleaner cut than many I’ve made.  Unfortunately, the counter didn’t fare so well:

If I were using a decent camera, you’d be able to see the inch-long gash!

I poured the coconut water into the blender, then scooped out the coconut flesh and added it as well.

Next, a sprig of spearmint:

And lots of ice.

Then blend well…

… and enjoy!  I loved the milky bubbles that formed on top from the coconut meat.  Mighty refreshing on a hot day!

I used my other three coconuts to take a second stab at cocogurt- a vegan version of yogurt made by blending coconut meat and coconut water with probiotics and a bit of agave.  I followed Gena’s instructions (http://www.choosingraw.com/coco-nurt/), subbing agave for stevia, and added extra probiotic (I used 3 coconuts and the contents of 4 probiotic capsules).

Here are the contents pre-blending:

Since my yogurt had been too runny last time, I tried baking it overnight at my oven’s lowest temp- 180 F.

In the morning it was thick and tasty.  Honestly, it reminded me of coconut flavored oatmeal- thick and creamy, but not tangy or yogurty tasting.  I’m still hoping to perfect coconut yogurt, however, and I’ll report on my next batch when I make it.

If you aren’t in the mood for cocogurt or coconana, there are many other uses for coconut juice, coconut meat, and even coconut shells.  If you’re lucky, you might even find yourself some coconut shell real estate!   http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8408233.stm

Berry pie is one of my all-time favorite foods.  What to do if you’re on a health kick AND super lazy?  Make a delicious berry bake!

Start with some sliced apples and baked them for 10 minutes or so in a little water.  Then add tons of frozen berries.  On this occasion I used raspberries and blueberries from Trader Joes:

I mixed some agave into the fruit, sprinkled hemp protein powder on top, then baked until warm and juicy.  The hemp powder (simply ground hemp seeds) has a nutty, earthy taste.  I think it’s a perfect match for a berry bake, reminiscent of a flour crust.

A hot mess of berry, just my style:

The other day I had a craving for a cheddar cheese-avocado quesadilla.  This used to be a favorite in my household.  Since I eat mostly vegan foods at home, I wanted to create something just as finger-lickin good  without the cheese.  My inspiration came from an amazing new product I’ve been buying from People’s coop:

First ingredient?  I asked several people to try this blindly and while none were convinced that it was real cheese, no one guessed the first ingredient, either!  The first ingredient is oatmeal.  Luckily, even after knowing that, you won’t taste oatmeal.  This stuff is awesome and the closest taste to cheese I’ve found in the vegan world.

I started with a gently warmed sprouted grain tortilla spread with “We can’t say it’s cheese”:

Then I sauteed some zucchini and coated it ground flaxseed and Kal’s nutritional yeast (aka nooch, although after googling the definition of this word I’m hesitant to use it).  I’ve been making “fried zucchini” this way for a while- the flaxseed and nooch make a great “breading”!  I also sauteed some cherry tomatoes and added garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes:

Nothing in my kitchen is complete without avocado…

Yum!  The “cheese” is a soft spread so it seemed to “melt” right in with the cooked veggies.  I did not miss dairy cheese at all.

If you’re wondering whether it held together, of course it did not.  I’ve always overloaded tacos and burritos.  In my family if the tortilla closes, you’ve done something wrong!  A better plan would be to use two tortillas or eat the remaining veggies on the side.  I also feel like sprouted grain tortillas fall apart more easily than other kinds.  Regardless, this was a cheesy success!

Sometimes I like concocting salads without the green leaves, and this one worked out well!

-half acorn squash, baked and cut into pieces

-fresh corn off the cob

-chopped asparagus and sweet peas- or whatever veggies you have on hand

-chopped green onions

dressing:

olive oil (2 tbsp), apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp), agave (a good drizzle), hemp seeds (2 tbsp), nutritional yeast (2 tbsp), water (1-2 tbsp), curry (maybe 1 tsp), and a dash of salt and pepper.

Yum!

I have lots of food pics to share!  I’m a terrible blogger, but I hope this post will inspire!

Let’s start with zucchini guacanara (http://www.choosingraw.com/guacanara/), which makes a nice lunch-to-go:

Here’s a delicious raw wrap: coconut meat, pea shoots, avocado, kelp noodles, and cucumber (I think) wrapped in nori:

Next up, some latke-like veggie cakes made from carrot juice pulp, chopped onion, egg, and grated zucchini.  It’s great to be able to use that juice pulp!

Here I made some fresh vegan pesto out of basil leaves, pine nuts, and olive oil.  This made a great sauce for sauteed zucchini slices, with a side of tomato, kale and pea shoots:

A veggie burger taste test!  I tried a Sunshine burger breakfast patty next to a tex mex Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger.  I was expecting the Sunshine Burger to win, because I love sunshine burgers, but Dr. Praeger’s outshone it!  It was moister, more flavorful, and didn’t fall apart like the Sunshine burger:

I am getting lightning fast at opening young coconuts!

… and the best thing I know of to do with a young coconut is to make one of Gena’s spooky pumpkin smoothies (http://www.choosingraw.com/the-savory-and-the-sweet/).  Canned pumpkin works great:

Kale salad with pumpkin seeds and a tomato curry dressing is am-az-ing!  (recipe at http://www.choosingraw.com/vegetable-based-dressings/)

Here, a completely improved, tasty meal- Trader Joe’s whole grain naan topped with raw garlic spread and avocado, and a bowl of red lentils, kale, and avocado:

Hope you’re inspired!  I really wish I had better pics, but my camera is not functioning so my phone will have to do for now.