Hiking Snacks!

Although the rainy season has set in and the mountains are dusted with snow at the tops, I'm still trying to get outside for a couple of last hiking flings. The last "fling" was like being stood up for a date? (I'm not sure as that's never happened to me personally). After much research identifying an appropriate trail of suitable length for a rainy day hike, we arrived only to find that the trail was closed for area conservation!  Fortunately it was a large marsh area so there was another stretch of dyke to walk along that was not closed so we trudged along in rain gear and umbrellas enjoying the outdoors, but enjoying even more the return to the city for americanos and doughnuts :) I cannot say enough about Lucky's doughnuts inside 49th parallel at main and 13th. Spectacular! 5 stars for every doughnut I've tried there, except the salted caramel.

Yes, you can hike with umbrellas

A little Austen or Bronte to lighten the mood?

Just beautiful landscape...

But back to the healthy hiking snacks! Here are two I've made within the last week:
(1) chewy no-bake granola bars - excellent taste - a bit salty for me, perfect for wife as the recipe goes. BUT, they only stay as a solid bar while they are cold (in the fridge or freezer) due to the coconut oil so honestly they seem quite impractical as a hiking snack. I would keep them around for house snacks or winter snowshoeing, but not for summer trails.

Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted 3/4 c. dried cranberries for the dried cherries - personal preference (2) replaced pecans with walnuts - what was on hand (3) did not use vanilla or almond extract - not convinced I want to taste vanilla extract in my granola bars - I want to taste the nuts, oats and cinnamon! (4) IF I made it again, and used fine grain salt, I would reduce to 1/4 tsp.

(2) happy trail adventure cookies - a much more practical hiking snack that stays together at room temperature. Mine did not look anything like the original photograph, so I'm wondering if she actually flattened her cookie dough balls before baking. I did not and as you can see from the photo, they don't "melt" much on their own during baking.  They are a touch on the sweet side for me, but pretty close to perfect so I wouldn't fiddle too much with the recipe.

Things I changed in the recipe: (1) substituted walnuts for pecans - again what I had on hand (2) subbed honey for brown rice syrup  and (3) included the 1/3 c. sweetened cranberries. Actually if I bake these again (which I will), I would include 1/4 c. CHOPPED dried cranberries in addition to the 3 Tbs salted roasted pumpkin seeds.

Don't you love my fancy little fade out border around the edges??

Sweet and salty

My new favorite dessert - caramel corn with almonds and pretzels - served alongside a cup of dark roast decaf coffee.  Playful, fun, but almost classy - almost since you do end up with sticky caramel on your fingertips ...  Surprisingly, this turned up on Thanksgiving weekend and my mom was the one who became fixated on the idea of making this treat (unusual since I'm the one with the sweet tooth and she's not). While the first batch was an 80% success, the second batch I later tried turned out sooo much better and I saved one dish worth of washing - a huge improvement in my mind.

The nice part is you can make up a big batch ahead of time! I'm not 100% certain that the marshmallows are needed in the caramel sauce. I used them since I had old marshmallows that I couldn't come up with any other purpose for. This recipe came from everybody likes sandwiches' blog but I doubled the sauce to make sure I had enough.... the leftover sauce was great on apple slices!

Salted Caramel Almond Pretzel Popcorn

6-8 c. plain popped popcorn
~1 1/2 c. coarsely chopped salted pretzels (I bought regular pretzels, but pretzel rods would have been easier to work with) - you can use more or less as desired
3/4 - 1 c. toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 + 1/6 c. heavy cream
1 c. marshmallows (regular or mini. If regular, chop into quarters)
sea salt or coarse salt

1. Pop your popcorn and set aside in a LARGE bowl (if it's lightly greased, it might help, but it could also not be greased). You can stir the almonds through also. Leave the pretzels aside for now.
2. In a medium sized saucepan (high walls are good), combine the sugar, almost a 1/2 tsp of kosher (regular) salt and 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and let boil uncovered for 8-12 minutes. It should turn a deep golden caramel shade. (You want beyond a pale yellow!) Remove from the heat and pour in the heavy cream in thirds, possibly stirring while doing so. It will foam up and/or splatter (hence the medium sized saucepan and adding in portions). Once it settles down, stir in the marshmallows and let sit (stirring occasionally) until melted.
3. Pour caramel over the popcorn and almond mixture, stirring to combine. After a minute, stir the pretzels through. At this point you can taste and add some coarse seas salt to taste. Let sit until cool and then nosh away! (or store it in a plastic bag for later).

Granola Bars with Chickpea Flour

Chickpea flour lesson #1: NEVER EVER eat raw batter containing chickpea flour. Disgusting tasting! Sometimes even disgusting smelling! To the point where you consider that potentially your final product is already ruined but don't despair - baking somehow transforms this magical ingredient into something innocuous tasting that then lets the other flavors shine through while still providing a hearty protein boost!

I found this recipe on this blog: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2012/04/12/vegan-gluten-free-granola-bars/  and used it pretty much as is with a couple of extra dried fruit/nuts. Great to have a granola bar higher in protein for hiking trips!

Oatmeal Chickpea Flour Granola Bars:

• 2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp warm water
• 1 3/4 c. rolled oats
• 1 c. chickpea flour
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries (or raisins/cherries)
• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts 
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. dried coconut (unsweetened)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (omit if you use salted nut butter)
• 1/2 c. almond butter (or peanut butter)
• 1/2 c. pure maple syrup 

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk ground flax with water and set aside for 5 minutes
2) Mix oats, chickpea flour, cranberries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and sea salt.
3) In a smaller bowl, mix almond butter, maple syrup, and flax/water mixture.
4) Mix wet ingredients into dry. Pour into a greased baking dish (11×7") and bake 15 to 18 minutes, until top is golden brown.
5) Allow to cool, then cut into bars.

Snack Bites

Snacks - the essential item for making it through the seemingly huge afternoon gap between lunch and dinner. Also key as an energy booster for hiking, snowshoeing and the like. I love having raw fruit, veggies, or a handful of nuts for a snack but sometimes I want something a little bit more exciting that might almost make me think I'm having a treat (read "dessert"). I found two recipes for snack bites that I made this weekend that were healthy and delicious! And pretty minimal time involved. In fact it could be a fun activity with a small child as you roll the snack bites in various toppings.  The Carrot Date Snack Bites came from Daily Bites and the Almond Butter Oatmeal Bites were adapted from Alida's Kitchen.

Carrot Date Bites

 Carrot Date Snack Bites (yield 18-20 1" sized bites)

• 3/4 c chopped carrot (I probably used closer to 1 c.)
• 3/4 c. pitted dates
• 1/2 c. walnuts
• 1/4 c. sliced almonds (or cashews)
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
• 1tsp - 1 Tbs grated ginger (this makes a pretty spicy snack bite at the upper endso you might want to tone it down for kids...)
• Shredded unsweetened coconut 
• Sesame seeds

1. Put the carrot in the food processor and pulse into finely ground. Scoop the carrot out and set outside
2. Place the nuts in the food processor and grind until finely ground (but not to paste or nut butter!).
3. Add in dates to food processor and pulse until combined.
4. Add carrot and spices to mixture, pulse just until combined.
5. Scoop 1/2 - 1 Tbs sized balls out and roll in the coconut or sesame seeds (or a combo of the two). Refrigerate.

Almond Butter Oatmeal Bites (blurry)

Almond Butter Oatmeal Bites (yield 16-18 1" sized bites)

• 3/4 c. almond butter + 1/4 c. peanut butter  (or all almond butter or all peanut butter)
• 1 c. rolled oats (not instant)
• 2- 3 Tbs. wheat germ or ground flax
• 3 Tbs shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 1/2 Tbs honey
• Carob powder or cocoa powder + sesame seeds for rolling

1. Mix oats, wheat germ, and coconut in a bowl.
2. Heat nut butters and honey in the microwave about 15-20 seconds in a separate bowl.  Stir until blended.  3. Add nut butter mixture to oat mixture and stir until incorporated.  (I noticed that using almond butter, the mix seemed a bit wet so I added 1 - 2 extra Tbs of soy flour - use wheat germ or more flax as desired).
4. Form rounded tablespoonfuls of the mixture into ~ 1" diam balls and set aside on a plate.
5. Roll each ball in a mixture of carob powder and sesame seeds (or whatever you want) and then chill for at least an hour. 

Almond Mocha Granola Bars

We recently went to Manning Park for a whole weekend of snowshoeing, and I decided to have another go at granola bars to try and create something like my favorite kashi bar flavor that has coconut, almonds, coffee and chocolate. I went back to my successful crunchy granola bar recipe from the NYTimes and started modifying it. It was pretty successful except I left out the brown sugar when I made it and I think I needed a bit more liquid binder to hold them together. If I made it again, I think I would try reducing the flaxseed meal a bit to compensate for the additional dried ingredients. Part of my aim in using half cacao nibs this time in place of the chocolate chips was to cut down the sweetness, which was pretty successful but there still is a little ways to go.

Coconut Mocha Almond Granola Bars 

• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 2 c. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. flaxseed meal
• 1 Tbs instant coffee
• 2-3 Tbs unsweetened dried coconut
• 1-2 Tbs sliced almonds
• 1/4 c. cacao nibs
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/3 c. honey 
• 2 Tbs brown sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 1/4 c. chopped bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

1. Butter a 9x9 baking dish. Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the oats and stir until the oats are lightly toasted, ~ 6-7min.
3. Combine the flaxseed, coffee, coconut, almonds, cacao nibs, salt, and oats in a bowl.
4. Bring the honey, vanilla, and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
5. Pour over the dry mixture and stir well.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in chocolate.
7. Press into pan and bake for 20 min. Let cool and slice into squares.
Photo to come

What conversations in my house sound like...

At 7:30am, as wife emerges sleepily from the bedroom: "What's that smell?"
Me: "Spiced pumpkin gingerbread loaf?"
Wife: "Can I eat it when it's done?"
Me: "No, it's for ____ (insert event here). But you can have some then"

At 8:00am,
Me: "So, do you think rice flour or soy flour would taste better with cauliflower?"
Wife: (suspicious tone), slowly asks, "Which one is in the recipe?"
Me, averting eyes: "Well, neither, but one whole cup of parmesan doesn't seem that healthy so I thought I would substitute some nutritional yeast and rice or soy flour for half of the parmesan"
Wife: "If the recipe turns out bad, you can't complain, because you're not following it!"
Me: "What could go wrong with a little rice or soy flour??"
Wife: "They could turn out gummy..."
Me: "It's a whole head of cauliflower, surely the cauliflower tater tots can survive 1/4 c. of rice flour....
so, do you think rice or soy flour would taste better with cauliflower?"
Wife: SIGH. "Fine, rice flour"
Me: Turn around and use 1/8 c. soy flour and 1/8 c. rice flour.

End Result: Successful adaptation of a cauliflower tater tot recipe by Suzanne Summers (never thought I would be writing that name in association with my life ever...)

Cauliflower Tater Tots

• 1 lb cauliflower (a whole head! I didn't actually weigh mine) 
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 c. parmesan
• 1/4 c. nutritional yeast 
• 1/8 c. rice flour 
• 1/8 c. soy flour 
• 1- 2 Tbs cajun spice seasoning 
• 2-3 Tbs margarine
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Steam the cauliflower for 10-15 minutes until tender
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients.
4. Puree the cauliflower in food processor briefly to break it down, then add dry ingredients, egg yolk and margarine. Puree until smooth.
5. Spoon into piping bag or plastic bag, snip the corner, and squeeze out onto oiled baking trays in ~ 1" long strips. (Supposedly they keep their shape better if you freeze them for 10-15 minutes before baking but I didn't do this).
6. If you spray the top with a bit of oil, they will probably get crispier. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Broil briefly at the end to crisp up the top sides of the tater tots.

Banana Almond Butter Granola Bars

Success! I have at last found a recipe for granola bars that does not use honey or sugar. Thanks to Anja for posting this recipe. Almond butter and banana serve as a binder and the bar is filled with oats, nuts, and dried fruit. I substituted walnuts for the almonds, dried cranberries for the cherries, and used a combination of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in the 1/4 c. mixed seeds. The only change I would make is including dried coconut (instead of the cranberries) and adding some salt. It was actually quite sweet with the banana, the natural almond butter, and dried fruit.

Before baking

In terms of baking - I used a 9x5" loaf pan. This produces a very thick granola bar - it's probably more accurate to describe it as a baked oat bar (not so much crunchy), but I suspect if you cooked it in an 8x8" pan, it might get much crunchier. The thickness of the bars is about 1 1/4" or a bit more. I also baked it for about 35 minutes to get a bit of a crunchy crust on the top.

Cut into squares!

So excited to take these for snacks!

Indian Eggplant Dip

This was one of the many recipes used for our party and was a lovely change from baba ghanoush in terms of other eggplant dips. I only burned the first batch of eggplant I attempted to roast, so not too bad :) The recipe is from Bon Appetit, but I added lime for a nice (and seemingly needed) acid note.  Serve cold!

Eggplant Dip
1.25 - 1.5 lbs eggplant, quartered lengthwise
2 c. chopped onions
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
1/2 - 1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
4 Tbs chopped fresh mint
4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1-2 fresh limes
 
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place eggplant skin side down on glass baking dish and brush with olive oil.
2. Toss unions and unpeeled garlic cloves with some olive oil (not too much), and place in same baking dish as eggplant.
3. Roast vegetables until browned and tender, about 30 minutes.
4. In food processor, combine eggplant pulp, onions, peeled garlic cloves, and garam masala until almost smooth.
5. Scrape dip into bowl and stir in mint, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Let sit for a couple of hours, taste and adjust as needed for herbs, lime, and salt.
6. Serve cold with pita, bread, or crackers.

Raisin-Sunflower Seed Crackers (RainCoast Crisp Attempt Two)

Second version of raincoast crisps! This one is a sweeter cracker with raisins (and optionally apricots), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and a hint of molasses giving the cracker a rich brown colour. The downside is these crackers have more of a tendency to taste burnt if overcooked (due to the burning raisins).

After first baking...

After second baking!

Raisin-Sunflower Seed Crackers
4 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbs baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. raisins
1 c. toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
1 Tbs molasses
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted (cool slightly)
1 egg white (for brushing)

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Once the melted butter has cooled slightly, beat in the buttermilk and molasses.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
4. Scoop onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dough comes together.
5. Shape into four loaves about 3" wide by 10-12" long.
6. Brush tops with egg white and place loaves on parchment paper- lined baking sheet.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F.  for 35 minutes until golden brown and sounding hollow when tapped.
8. Let cool completely, then slice into 1/4" thick slices.
9. Lay flat on parchment paper and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes until golden and crisp.

Once cooled, store in an air tight container or freeze until you want to use them.

Oatmeal Soda Crackers

I adore Rain Coast crisps. Every time I attend a social function where these crackers are present, I make a beeline for the plate containing them and devotedly, faithfully, do not leave its side until I've had my fill. Thin, delicate, simultaneously crunchy and chewy, full of nuts, dried fruit and herbs, there really is no comparable cracker on the market. But the price always gives me sticker shock when I see it and I can't convince myself to shell out the money for it....

On a whim, I picked up a recent edition of the BC Liquor Stores Taste Magazine and saw a recipe for oatmeal soda crackers that looked fairly similar to Rain Coast crisps so I decided to try it out on the off-chance that they might be a homemade and cheaper replacement for my luxury crackers.

Not only was making them fairly easy, but they froze incredibly well. In fact, when defrosted, I couldn't even tell that they had been frozen!  Everyone who tried the crackers loved them!

Oatmeal Soda Crackers
1/4 c. unsalted butter
3 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rolled oats (not instant)
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped  [I used dried]
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 c. walnuts, chopped
1 3/4 c. buttermilk
1 egg white, whisked

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan (or microwave).
3. Combine all dry ingredients and walnuts in a large bowl, stirring to blend.
4. Beat melted butter into buttermilk, then pour wet ingredients into dry dry ingredients. Stir until moistened.
5. Knead dough gently on a floured surface until it just comes together.
6. Divide dough into four logs about 7 x 2 inches and place on parchment lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" between each log. 
7. Brush with egg white and bake for about 40 minutes until golden-brown.
8. Let cool. Once the loaves are cooled, make thin slices (1/8-1/4 " thick) using a serrated knife (my cheese knife was actually the best tool for this job) and place in a single layer back on the parchment lined baking sheet.
9. Bake crackers at 350 degrees F about 15-18 minutes until golden and crisp.
10. Store in an air-tight container once cooled, or freeze until you're ready to eat them.

Granola Bars

This recipe produces a crunchy, cinnamon-chocolatey experience for those of you tired of those chewy homemade versions of granola bars. Thanks to the NYTimes health section, Martha Shulman, for providing such a tasty snack for hiking trips!

The ground squirrel that wanted my granola bar

The view from the Sulphur Skyline trail peak

Chocolate Granola Bars 
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. honey
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c. chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips

1. Butter a 9x9 baking dish. Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the oats and stir until the oats are lightly toasted, ~ 6-7min.
3. Combine the flaxseed, cinnamon, salt, and oats in a bowl.
4. Bring the honey, vanilla, and brown sugar to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
5. Pour over the dry mixture and stir well.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes, then stir in chocolate.
7. Press into pan and bake for 20 min. Let cool and slice into squares.

Larabars

Even though I only had about 7 hours to spend at home with my parents, my mom was gung-ho to try this recipe with me when she realized it would let her use up all the dates she had sitting in the pantry (hmmm, I'm sensing some genetic similarities here!) so we pulled out the food processor and had a go at this basic larabar recipe. Fairly simple to make but I would suggest some changes to it. Although the original recipe used raw unsalted cashews, I think toasted salted cashews would be a far better balance to the sweetness of the dates. Also I might try substituting a quarter of the dates with dried apricots, and adding in a bit of shredded coconut.

• 16 oz Seedless/Pitted whole Dates
• 1 cup whole toasted salted cashews

Pulse the cashews in the food processor until they are crushed into small pieces, but be careful not to make cashew butter! Remove the cashews and put the dates in the food processor, pulsing until they become small chunks. Pour the cashews back in and pulse some more until they are well mixed. You may need to pull it out and knead the mixture a bit (it will be stiff) to ensure that nuts/dates/etc are uniformly distributed. 

Place on a large piece of saran wrap and press into a square or rectangle about 1/2" thick. Wrap up tightly and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes cut into single size servings (I did bars about 4" x 1"). Wrap individually and store in the fridge. Makes about 14 bars.

And just because it was such a beautiful drive down to the Willamette Valley...

Energy Bar Fail

We're going on a road trip this summer! To Saskatchewan! When I say this to most Canadians, they look at me kind of oddly, but I am excited. We already have our full route east planned out; now we just need to get the route home finalized. And as I envisioned other long weekends of camping and hiking over the summer which WILL start at some point (I BELIEVE! I BELIEVE! The continual rain in the middle of May will not stop the seasons from progressing to sunshine and heat and beach days and other recognizable characteristics of summer), I had a hankering to make some energy/granola bars that are far cheaper than buying a bunch of PowerBars.

Unfortunately, it was one of those times where it was late at night and I really should have followed the recipe more closely and I didn't and now I regret it ... Instead of energy bars that have a consistent amount of almond butter and honey holding them together into recognizable, easy to handle and consume squares of goodness, I have clumps of energy bars surrounded by granola. Oh well. I will give you the recipe as it SHOULD have been done.

Mom's Energy Bars
2/3 c. honey
1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. spelt, oat, or whole wheat flour (flour for all three!) 
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. other dried fruit (apricots, currants, coconut, etc.)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1 c. walnuts, almonds, or pecans etc. chopped
 optional: flax meal or flax seeds

Heat the honey and almond butter together. Mix well! Then stir in all the other ingredients. Press into a greased 9x13" pan (I'm going to recommend pam or canola oil to grease as butter did not work too well for me). Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 min. Let cool for a bit and cut into squares before fully hardened.