I've done it.
I told myself I'd never let a week go by without a post, but I've gone an entire nine days without so much as a word on here. I should have some kind of explanation, right? Like I was in New York again, or swamped with work, or decided to go on a spontaneous trip to a far off land where WiFi is unheard of.
| I might have eaten that edge bar with my free hand while taking this picture |
But the truth is I've been at home this entire time, I've been cooking, and I've had plenty of internet access. Yes, in the time between "crisp oven baked garlic fries" and now, I've tried to make honey lavender ice cream, french bread, a ciabatta loaf, and earl grey macarons. "Tried" being the key word - they all failed in one way or another, which is why you haven't read about them. I used the wrong milk in the ice cream, making it too rich. The bread pretty much laughed in my face at the idea that I could get it right in one try. The macarons I was counting on to be my saving grace suffered from the humidity, which really shouldn't even be in LA in the first place.
| Proof that I haven't been 100% idle - appearances can be so deceiving |
So now that you know all about my failures, let's talk about the mild success I had today, shall we?
I've been obsessed with KIND bars for a while now. If you haven't had one, and you have a thing for nuts and/or fruits in bar form that aren't too sweet and have a short list of ingredients (sorry, I have high standards for my bars), then you're missing out. The great thing about KIND is that you can see, taste, and pronounce everything on their ingredient list. The sweetness, while definitely there, is nothing compared to the cloying sugar assault you get from so many other "healthy" bars (ahem, Nature Valley). They are also grain-free and come in pretty packaging - I'm a sucker for good packaging. The thing is, for all their greatness, KIND bars don't end up in my shopping cart very often because they go for about $1.50 each. For these little things:
| little luxuries. photo courtesy of vitanet |
So naturally, it's been a goal of mine to recreate them at home for some time now. My personal favorite is actually mango macadamia, which is also the first KIND bar I've ever tried, and is like a crazy tropical party in your mouth that you can eat between meals and tout as "healthy". But mangoes and macadamia nuts are the pretty much the priciest dried fruits and nuts respectively, so I'm probably saving money, or at least time, by buying those in stores. (Speaking of which, someone please tell me if you see them in stores anywhere. I haven't been able to find this elusive flavor since leaving UCSD, where the Sunshine Market almost always carried them!) So I decided to make another popular flavor, and I already had a couple of the ingredients on hand - almonds and apricots!
Before I give you this recipe, I have to admit that it's not perfect. What? I know. I'm not supposed to put anything up on here that I won't back 100%. But this is so much closer to perfect than anything else I've made this week, that I think it deserves a post for that alone. I also honestly think these are really tasty and a pretty close imitation of the real thing. I'm just a perfectionist when it comes to these things, so I'm going to keep working at it! I've already made a couple of minor changes so that yours will come out even better than mine did.
On the ingredients:
1. When I say unsweetened coconut flakes, I don't mean the sweetened shredded coconut you'd find next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle. These flakes are just pure, dried shavings of coconut - no sugar added. Although most major stores like Ralph's or Trader Joe's won't carry them, they're actually not too hard to find (I got mine at my local health store, Sprouts, that I found through Google), and also not too expensive. My fairly large 7 oz. bag (dried coconut is light) was $3.49.
2. Brown rice syrup is an gluten-free alternative sweetener. It's a light brown color with a mild molasses flavor and a consistency similar to that of honey. KIND bars actually use honey, but I bought brown rice syrup for this recipe (also at Sprouts) because it has a milder, more subtle sweetness that's great for bars - you can use the amount you need for the ingredients to stick together without the bars being too sweet. I actually first saw it on the ingredient list for another bar I really like, thinkThin, which is why I wanted to try it for this recipe. Needless to say, you can totally just use honey.
3. Ground flaxseed can be found in most markets now. Don't be weirded out; it's not just for health nuts! Flaxseed is so good for you - fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, all that good stuff - and you only need about 2 tablespoons a day to reap those benefits. I usually throw it into my smoothies (personal favorite: almond milk, frozen bananas, natural peanut butter, + a tablespoon of ground flaxseed) and I can't even tell it's there. It's pretty cheap ground, since it takes so long to get through a bag, and it's also the best way to eat it (our bodies can't break down whole flaxseed). So anyway, flaxseed isn't a traditional or necessary ingredient for this, but I threw it in just because of everything I've just said.
4. Lastly, if you're a little overwhelmed by the amount of ingredients for this recipe that you'll need to go out and buy, buying in bulk can be a very reasonable and affordable way to get everything you need. Stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods have bulk sections with nuts, dried fruits, grains, etc. that are priced by weight, and you can bag up the exact amount you need of each item instead of buying expensive bags of nuts and fruits you won't finish.
Ok, I think I talked enough. Here you go!
Almond and Apricot KIND Bars
adapted from enlightened cooking
Makes 8 bars
1/3 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup brown rice syrup or honey (honey will make sweeter bars)
1 1/4 cups roasted unsalted almonds
1/4 cup crisp rice cereal (like Rice Krispies)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp ground flaxseed, optional
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor, pulse apricots and brown rice syrup (or honey) together until they become a uniform paste. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and pulse only a few times - to give a rough chop to the dry ingredients and to help do some of the mixing. [Don't have a food processor? Chop up the apricots finely and heat gently over a double boiler until softened. Then add to syrup/honey, mix, and incorporate all the dried ingredients with a wooden spoon - you might want to mix the dry ingredients together beforehand. Just be prepared to get a little messy!] Using two strips of parchment paper or foil, completely line an 8x8 baking pan so that the edges hang over the sides - this will make it easy to take the bars out of the pan. If you're using foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Dump mixture into the pan, and, using a large piece of parchment paper of foil sprayed with cooking spray, press the mixture down firmly into an even, flat layer that covers the entirety of the pan. Bake for 18 minutes, then leave to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper or foil out of the pan (using those flaps) and cut into 8 even bars. Wait until bars are completely cooled (completely! or they will stick) to remove them from the parchment paper. The bars can be enjoyed immediately or individually wrapped an sealed in an airtight container for up to a week.
No comments:
Post a Comment