Energy Bars

Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Husband-Tested in Marimar’s Kitchen (Alice’s daughter-in-law)

Makes 24 bars

Back when our son first got married, I was delighted to find that he had chosen an excellent cook for his lifetime mate.  She and I enjoy cooking and baking very much and have shared recipes over the years.  This recipe came from a cookbook that I had given her (I own a copy too).  She made these bars for us to snack on during a recent visit to their home in Mexico.  I love that they are not too sweet.  They are chewy and slightly crunchy and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea and a piece of whole fruit for a mid-day pick-me-up. 

Cooking spray

1 cup quick-cooking oats

½ cup shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds

½ cup toasted wheat germ

¼ cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour

½ cup dried apricots

½ cup raw almonds

½ cup raisins

½ cup pitted dried dates

½ cup nonfat dry milk

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Coat a 9” X 13” baking pan with cooking spray.  Place the ingredients, except the maple syrup and the eggs, in a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped.  Add the syrup and the eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined.  It will resemble a coarse paste.  Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom.  Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 24 bars (each about 3” x 1½”.)  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Info: (per bar) 133 calories; fat 5 grams (1.8 g mono; 2 g poly; 0.6 g sat.); protein 5 grams; carbs 20 grams; fiber 2.5 grams; cholesterol 21 mg; sodium 19 mg.  Each bar is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of fiber, phosphorus, protein, and thiamin.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

Recipe from King Arthur Flour

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 1 (9” x 5”) Loaf

This bread makes delicious toast.  We loved the texture and the slightly sweet flavor from the bit of maple syrup and honey. 

1¼ cups boiling water

¼ cup rolled oats

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1¼ teaspoon Kosher salt

2 Tablespoons maple syrup or molasses

2 Tablespoons honey

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast

3 to 3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup dry milk

¾ cup almond flour

In a large mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the oats, butter, salt, maple syrup (or molasses) and honey.  Let the mixture cool to lukewarm (90°F to 100°F).

Add the yeast, 3 cups of the flour, the dry milk and the almond flour and mix until a soft dough forms.

Knead the dough, adding the remaining ¼ cup flour if needed, until smooth and elastic, 8 minutes or so.  Cover and let rise for 1 hour, until puffy.

Deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 9” x 5” loaf pan.  Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes or until it’s crowned about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.

Halfway through the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

When the bread has risen, sprinkle the top with flour or oats and slash in a decorative pattern.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the center reads 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before tilting out of the pan and returning to the rack to finish cooling completely.

Store, covered for up to 5 days at room temperature.  Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Info: (1 or 16 slices) 145 calories; 4 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fats; 4 mg cholesterol; 184 mg sodium; 24 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 4 g sugars; 4 g protein

No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Batter Bread

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No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Batter Bread
served along side Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Recipe from King Arthur Flour
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 1 (8½” X 4½”) Loaf

This is a quick and easy homemade bread to make, especially for beginner bakers.  It’s got a tight crumb, making it easy to slice for sandwiches, toast, French toast or grilled cheese. 

1 cup water

¼ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup unsalted butter or vegetable oil

3 Tablespoons molasses or maple syrup

2 teaspoons instant yeast

¼ cup nonfat dry milk*

1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups white whole-wheat flour

Heavily grease an 8½” X 4½” loaf pan.  (l lined the loaf pan with parchment paper and then used oil spray to coat.)

Place the water, orange juice, butter and molasses in a saucepan.  Heat until it reaches lukewarm temperature, about 100 to 110 F.  Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the liquid ingredients.  Beat the mixture vigorously for about 3 minutes.  Using a mixer with paddle attachment on high speed for 3 minutes works well.  The batter will be very thick and sticky.  Scoop the dough into the prepared pan.  Wet your fingers and smooth out the top of the dough.  Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap; or better yet, an elastic shower cap, “poofing” up the top to give the rising loaf plenty of room.  Let the loaf rise for 60 to 90 minutes.  It should just about rise to the rim of the pan, perhaps just barely cresting over the rim.  While the dough is rising, preheat he oven to 350F.  Uncover the bread, and bake it for 40-45 minutes, tenting it with foil about halfway through the baking to prevent over browning.  The bread is done when it it gold brown on the top and a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers between 190-195F.  Remove the pan from the oven.  Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.  Then turn it out onto a cooling rack.  Brush with melted butter for a softer crust.  Cool the bread completely before slicing.  Store the bread, tightly wrapped in plastic at cool room temperature for 2-3 days.  Freeze for longer storage.

*If you don’t have nonfat dry milk, you can substitute 1 cup milk for the 1 cup water and ¼ cup dry milk.