ChocoSun Oat Bars

Ok, so this was yesterday's experiment.  Didn't turn out bad at all.  Just VERY different from the original....I'm assuming.  It at least looks very different than the original.  And since I left out half the ingredients, probably tastes pretty different too!

I based this recipe on the No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars from the Buns In My Oven blog.

So here's my version:

Tanya's ChocoSun Oat Bars:


3 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp agave nectar
~1 1/4 cups water
1 cup chocolate chips

1/4-1/2 cup Sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds)

Put the oats in a pot with the water.  Cook for a couple of minutes until thick, but moist.  Add the vanilla extract and agave.  Mix well.  It WILL be sticky.  Take the pot off the stove and let cool....this way it won't be as sticky when you press it into the pan.  Grease an 8x8 pan.  Put the chocolate chips and Sunbutter in a bowl and microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so.  Mix well and make sure it's a nice creamy consistency.  Once cooled, press half the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Pour most of the chocolate on top, leaving some for the very top.  Now press the rest of the oat mixture on top of the chocolate.  It's ok if there are holes where the chocolate comes through.  Now pour the rest of the chocolate mixture on top, spread evenly.  Put in fridge for a few hours. I imagine the original version hardens much more.  This one turned out a bit soft.  Still able to cut it into squares, but the oat part is a little soft, probably because there was no butter or anything to harden it.  

Let me know how yours turns out and if you've changed the recipe too!  I'm interested in experimental baking, for my health :)

I don't think this is on the McDougall plan, since it's made with sunflower seeds, well, and chocolate chips, which probably have oil and stuff in them.  But at least I left out butter and oil! And used very little sweetener.

That's probably the only post for today, since I think I'll make my Broccoli Cauliflower a la Lemon tonight.

So glad it's finally Fall.
Eat smart,
T.

Golden Zucchini Bread

So I'm sitting here eating a slice of this golden zucchini bread with a glass of Riesling.  I wonder if there's a good beer that would go with it??  Any suggestions? Hmmmm, maybe I should start a beer and food pairing blog.

I got this recipe from the Hungry Vegan blog.  It's really good.  I changed a couple of things around.  I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of whole spelt flour.  I also used 1/2 cup of agave nectar instead of 1/3 cup maple syrup.  However, it's not very sweet, which is ok.  But perhaps next time I'll add a bit more agave.  Now I can have jam on it to add sweetness!  Or have a Riesling with it, like I'm doing now.  I only used 1/2 of one of my golden zucchinis!!! (or is zucchini already plural??)  The zucchinis are so big, that 1 cup was only a half of one.  Now whatever shall I do with the other 1 1/2 golden zucchinis?  I should've made a double batch.  Actually, I think I spotted a recipe for zucchini spelt muffins somewhere......let me go flip through my cookbooks again (I do this every day).

And I guess that's it.  Had my Potato Salad Oregano for lunch.....was tasty.
I'm going to go back to eating my zucchini bread and drinking my wine, so goodnight for now!

Eat smart,
T.

Happy Birthday to me!

Ok, the title sounded kind of pompous, no?  Sorry. Well you see, every time my birthday rolls around, I always end up making myself a birthday cake.  So here's this year's version.....kind of an experimental version that turned out pretty well, even with whole wheat flour!

Tanya's 2009 Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Birthday Cake:
(inspired by Rich Chocolate Cake in Vegetarian Cooking & Vegetable Classics by Denny & Ingram)

Almost 1 cup of whole wheat flour, plus a couple of Tbsp of high gluten white flour (to fill the cup)
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
~7 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking powder
~1/2 small jar of raspberry jam/preserves

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  You can add a little more agave if you want it sweeter.  For me, the jam and frosting made it sweet enough.  Pour into an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan and bake about 40-45 minutes at 300 degrees.  Let cool on rack.  When cool, slice in half to make 2 layers.  Spread the jam on the bottom layer.  Put the other half on top, and frost.


Frosting:
~3 cups organic powdered sugar
~3 tbsp instant coffee granules, plus a little water

Mix the coffee and water together to dissolve.  Put sugar in a bowl, add the coffee mixture.  If too thick, add a little more water.  If too thin, add more sugar.  You want it firm, but mixable (if that's a word).

Not too many ingredients.....very simple.  The outcome?  Well, it's not fluffy like a regular white flour, eggy, buttery cake.  A little more dry and with the agave nectar it wasn't very sweet.  That's ok, because the jam and the frosting are quite sweet and make up for it.  Again, you can adjust the ingredients to your liking too!  That's what I did.  Maybe next time I try this recipe, I'll replace something else.  Who knows??

And my husband bought me Sunflowers (my favorite)!!  He gave them to me at the stroke of midnight last night! :)

Anyway, sorry no blog post yesterday.  Too busy.  And I went back to work today (on my birthday nonetheless) so only the cake today.  Tomorrow is busy too....I'll see what I can do!  Stay tuned.

Happy cake eating!
Eat smart,
T.