Octane Energy Bars

I've been dragging lately...my energy level is down because of this ridiculous heat. So, I blame the heat for my unproductivity--unfortunately, it's one of the busiest times of the year for me. I could either do this:

Or...try something healthier. After having my mother in law visit recently to help us out (my husband had his 4th weekend home since 2011 started this weekend), I was inspired by her energy and pulled out an energy bar recipe I've been meaning to try since college (yes, since COLLEGE). It was featured in the local paper outside of Chattanooga, TN. I didn't name them 'Octane Energy Bars'--so I realize the term 'octane' doesn't scientifically apply. It's been a while since chemistry has been on my radar, but according to Wikipedia (no, it's not my only source!), 'By the mid-nineties, the phrase [octane] was commonly being used as an intensifier and has apparently found a place in modern English vernacular.'  Now, let's hope these bars act like rocket fuel. I've adapted the recipe to suit my needs and make it somewhat easier to follow directions after some trial and error.

Am I ever glad that I made these!!! These energy bars are absolutely phenomenal. WAY better than your grocery store granola bars. Decently healthy recipe, in fact. The only other time I used brown rice syrup was for the crunchy brown rice crispy espresso nut bars from Heidi Swanson (she calls them 'Big Sur' power bars). I really like cooking with it now! It's not cheap though...you can find it Whole Foods or online--Heidi Swanson says that it doesn't give you that jolt of sweetness that other sweeteners do and has a more rounded flavor. The bars are chewy, sweet, nutty, and sort of creamy.

Reasons to make these:

1. Your kids will love them.
2. They taste like a treat. You're forced to eat healthier.
3. It's a great snack when in a hurry.
4. They have a ton of fiber. At least the fat is a 'good fat.'

 Cons: You have to go to the health food store to buy the ingredients. If you saw how annoying it was to shop at my small Whole Foods,  you'd understand. But, it was worth it. Enjoy!


OCTANE ENERGY BARS

 Makes ~18-24 bars

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup crunchy grain cereal (I used crispy brown rice cereal, but you can use 'Rice Krispies'--just not 'puffed' rice cereal)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, chopped (I used 1 cup dried apricots + 1/2 cup dried cherries)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup protein powder (I used vanilla-flavored soy protein powder)
• 1 tsp. butter or olive oil (I used Smart Balance spread)
• 3/4 cup brown rice syrup
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

 TIP: Get all your ingredients together and read through the entire directions because you need to move sort of quickly--it really helps.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9X13 inch pan and set aside.

Toast the first 3 ingredients (oats, cereal, sesame seeds) for about 10 minutes (I used a shallow edge-rimmed cookie sheet), stirring once, about halfway. Do NOT let the mixture brown. (You can turn your oven off at this point as you will no longer need it.)

Meanwhile, in a separate smaller bowl, mix the wheat germ with the protein powder and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, spoon in the toasted oat-cereal-sesame seed mixture. Mix in the dried fruits, trying to separate the pieces. Then, add the wheat germ-protein powder mixture to this and stir until incorporated as best you can.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil, and add rice syrup until bubbly. Mix in the peanut butter and cinnamon (I just put all of these in a pan and heated them until they were incorporated, melted, and more liquid like).

Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and QUICKLY mix together and transfer to the 9X13 inch pan (Come clean moment: I had to use my hands to fully incorporate everything and it was much easier because it's not like mixing sticky rice crispy treats). Pat mixture with your hands to spread it out evenly.

Refrigerate the bars for at least 4 hours. Cut into about 24 bars and wrap each bar in wax paper.

Store in refrigerator.

Easy Oat (& Molasses) Bread

Before I continue with these bread recipes...I want to clarify something...there may be a lot of words in the recipes, but these bread recipes are EASY & REQUIRE MINIMAL WORK!!!!

Since we have been sick...carbs have been our good friends. Good thing I tried this wonderful bread. Another winner from Nancy Baggett. Unlike the previous posts, this recipe makes two loaves. So freeze one loaf or give it to your neighbor/friend.

You can use honey or molasses in the loaf. I used molasses which resulted in a darker colored loaf. Also, I tried to use some white whole wheat flour in this recipe. I hadn't tried it before. White whole wheat flour is NOT like all purpose flour because it still retains all the nutrition of whole wheat--think of it as 'albino' wheat. It's a different type of wheat. The results end up being lighter colored and milder in flavor. You will love it! I am a real fan now.

EAST OAT BREAD
Adapted from Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett

*5 1/2 cups (27.5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour or white bread flour, plus more as needed
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking (not instant) oats, plus 4 tablespoons for garnish
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Scant 2 3/4 teaspoons table salt
1 tsp. instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1/4 cup clover honey or light (mild) molasses (I only had regular molasses)
1/4 cup corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil, plus extra for coating dough tops and baking pans (I used canola oil)
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

First rise: In a very large bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and yeast. In a large measuring cup, thoroughly whisk the honey and oil into the water. Thoroughly stir the mixture into the bowl, scraping down the sides until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients; don’t over-moisten, as the dough should be slightly stiff. Brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3-10 hours; this is optional. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12-18 hours.

Second rise: Vigorously stir the dough. If necessary, stir in enough more flour to yield a hard-to-stir consistency. Generously oil two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle a tablespoon of oats in each; tip the pans back and forth to spread the oats over the bottom and sides. Use well oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife to cut the dough into 2 equal portions. Put the portions in the pans. Brush or spray the tops with oil. Press and smooth the dough evenly into the pans with an oiled rubber spatula or fingertips. Sprinkle a tablespoon of oats over each loaf; press down to imbed. Make a 1/2-inch deep slash lengthwise down the center of each loaf using oiled kitchen shears or a serrated knife. Tightly cover the pans with nonstick spray-coated plastic wrap.

Let rise using any of these methods: for a 2- to 3-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 45-minute to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue the rise until the dough nears the plastic. Remove it and continue until the dough extends 1/2 inch above the pan rims.

Baking: 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375 degree F.Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 60 minutes, until the tops are well-browned. Cover the tops with foil. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom portion (or until the center registers 208 to 210 degree F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 minutes longer to be sure the centers are done. Let cool in the pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Turn out the loaves onto racks and cool thoroughly.

Yield: 2 medium loaves, about 12 slices each

*I used 3 cups white whole wheat flour & 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

This recipe makes the BEST sandwich bread....try it with a BLT-(Turkey) Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Sandwich when you don't feel like making dinner.

The Recipe I've Made the Most Often for 7 Years: Harvest Apple Crisp

Which is probably part of the reason why I never lost those first year 'happy newlywed' pounds :) I'm not a big pie fan....unless it's a graham cracker crust with a chocolate filling...but, I LOVE baked fruit desserts--especially crumbs/crips. This is the most amazing homey apple crisp recipe--by far the best apple crisp I've ever had. I prefer to use salted butter and yes, I have huge success using light butter. I've probably made it 15-20 times over the last 7 years. No joke.

In order to really appreciate this dessert...there's no denying it, you MUST MUST MUST serve it with vanilla bean ice-cream. Edy's makes a fantastic reduced fat version.....thank you to the Corpening sisters for one of my favorite recipes EVER! Sometimes, the best recipes are the traditional ones....

HARVEST APPLE CRISP  

adapted from Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook, by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford

Serves about 6-8

Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces (I substituted a couple Honey Crisp)

½ cup sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
contents ot 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
½ tsp. kosher salt

Streusel Topping:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened or melted
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup rolled oats or quick-cooking oats

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

 
Combine the apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, contents of 1 vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt in an 8-inch square glass baking dish and mix well. Set aside.

Mix the melted butter with the brown sugar and kosher salt. Add the flour and oatmeal and stir until just incorporated. Do not overwork. Crumble the mixture evenly over the apple filling.

Put the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes.

Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.

Baked Oatmeal (Vegan & Non-Vegan)

I've always had a pretty negative attitude towards vegan eating...(it's just weird, right?), but then I tasted some really good vegan recipes & started thinking differently about vegan food (haven't really thought much about the reasons to eat vegan, but I plan to since I just purchased "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch").

Baked Oatmeal can be turned into a vegan recipe (as I've done below). You can make it with milk or soymilk. Also, my good friend, Betsy, taught me that a good egg replacer is 1 Tbsp. of flax meal mixed with 3 Tbsp. of water--let sit for a few minutes. It was awesome in this recipe!

This is a really good breakfast--healthy, relatively quick, and can be prepared the night before.

There are many variations to be tried with this recipe. You can try apple-pear, banana-walnut, cranberry-orange zest-ginger, any mixed berry, or strawberry-banana-nut as I've tried below.

BAKED OATMEAL

Serves ~ 5-6

1 1/2 cups to 1 3/4 cups of oats (did not use quick oats)
2 cups skim milk (or for vegan version: soymilk)
1 egg (or for vegan version: 1 Tbsp. flax seed+3 Tbsp. water--mix & let sit a few minutes)
2-3 Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your oatmeal)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (4 oz)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking powder (I used aluminum-free baking powder)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 banana, thinly sliced

6-8 strawberries, diced

Spray an 8X8 inch pan with some non-stick cooking spray (canola oil spray)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (with the exception of the strawberries) & pour into the baking dish. Sprinkle the strawberries over the top.

Dish can be prepared ahead ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator overnight before baking in the morning. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with a light pouring of maple syrup. Especially good with sliced oranges and some breakfast meat.