Sunday 21 April 2013

Chewy Oat Bar

Hello Foodies,

Today I'm back with a comparable recipe to the Starbucks Oat Bar. This buttery, creamy and semi-sweet chewy goodness. Great for snacks and breakfast on the go. I don't necessarily make them into a bar form, sometimes I just roll them into 1" balls and call it a day.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup quick oats
1 cup quick oats, blended into a coarse flour in a food processor/blender
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp cinnamon (optional)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp golden cane sugar
2 tbsp hot water

In a saucepan melt butter at medium/high heat. Add salt, vanilla, honey, agave nectar, cane sugar and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down to low and cook for another minute. Make sure your liquid is not sticking to the saucepan, stir to melt the sugar.

In a large bowl mix 1 cup of quick oats with the other cup of blended quick oat flour. Mix well with cinnamon.

Pour the hot liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you've reached your desired consistency. NOTE: You may need more than 2 tbsps of hot water. Add more water if the mixture is too dry or if you like it to be more chewy.

In a greased rectangular pan, press the mixture into the pan and level off with your hands or a spatula. Or you can take a spoonful and roll it into a ball, repeat till you have a cookie sheet full of them.

Place in fridge for at least 1 hour to set. Remove from fridge and cut into squares. Store in an air tight container.

Hope you like my take on the delightful Starbuck's snack.

Enjoy!

Vivian
YourInnerGreek

Thursday 18 April 2013

Hoisin Sauce Recipe

Great for bbq, chicken and seafood. The term 'hoisin,' means seafood. But traditionally this sauce is used when serving Peking Duck as well as Crispy Suckling Pig in Chinese culture. In Vietnam, it is used as a dipping sauce for soup noodles and salad rolls.
Here is what you will need:

4 tbsps gluten free tamari sauce
2 tbsps nut butter
1½ tbsps agave nectar
2 tsps apple cider vinegar
⅛ tsp garlic powder
2 tsps sesame seed oil
2 tsps siracha sauce
⅛ tsp black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together and voila. Great for wraps and sandwiches. Use it as a bbq glaze instead of store bought bbq sauce. Brush onto salmon steaks and bake in the oven till it is done. Sprinkle with fresh cut green onions and thai chillies.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Gluten Free Oh So Garlic Bagels

Hello Foodies,

Today I'm going to share a successful test kitchen recipe with you. These are so chewy and delicious.

Ingredients

Makes approximately 12 bagels

2 cups of white rice flour
1 cup of brown rice flour
3/4 cup of tapioca starch
1 tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of guar gum or xanthum gum
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 cup of warm water
2 tbsps of warm water
2 1/2 tsps of active dry yeast
1 large organic egg or 1 tbsps of flax gel
3 tbsps of brown rice syrup
3 tbsps of garlic granules
2 tbsps of coconut oil
4L of water for boiling the dough rings
Different coloured Sea salt, sprinkle to your liking

Procedures

In a large bowl combine white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca starch, salt, xanthan gum, garlic granules and baking powder. Whisk to combine.

In small bowl, combine 1 cup warm water and active dry yeast. Stir. Allow to stand for three minutes.

Add water-yeast mixture, egg, brown rice syrup, and coconut oil to dry ingredients.

Mix until dough forms, approximately 5 minutes. The dough should be firm but not dry. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. If it is too dry add 2 tbsps of warm water.

Pour dough onto lightly floured counter or cutting board. Knead dough into a ball until smooth. Don't knead too hard as gluten free dough is very delicate.

Place dough to lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large pot bring 4L of water to a rolling boiling.

Pour dough out onto a very lightly floured countertop or cutting board. Punch down dough gently to deflate. Cut into 12 pieces.

Cover dough with plastic wrap. One at a time, knead each piece of dough until smooth. Then, roll out the dough pieces into 12" logs.

Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Working one log at a time, form the dough into an "O".

One at a time, boil the bagels. If the bagel floats, boil for about five seconds. If the bagel sinks, wait for it to float to the top of the water and then remove. Return boiled bagel to the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.

Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway during baking. Remove and allow bagels to cool. Bagels are best served the day they're made like any gluten free baked goods. These can be frozen and kept for up to 1 month.

Enjoy!

Monday 8 April 2013

Coconut Chilli

Hello Foodies,

Today I would like to share a creamy and delicious vegan hearty meal.

Ingredients:
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of green lentils
1/2 cup of buckwheat grouts
2L water
1 can of coconut milk
2 tbsps of tomato paste
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced bell peppers
1 diced jalapeno (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large size pot bring water to a boil. Add lentils, cook for 20 minutes or until tender occasionally stirring. After 10 minutes add buckwheat grouts. Drain the cooked lentils and buckwheat in a colander and place back into the large pot.

Add black beans, tomato paste, tomatoes, onion and bell peppers; jalapenos (optional). Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add coconut milk and cook for 10 more minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy :)

Tuesday 2 April 2013

How to Meatless...

Hello Foodies,

Today I bring you an 'no fail' meat alternative recipe. My mother has been doing this for over thirty years. Here's what you will need:

For meatless ground meat:

1 package Organic GMO Free Firm Tofu, drain and squeeze out all excess liquid. Break up the tofu with a fork, mash to the consistency you require.Marinate with your favourite spices for an hour or longer. Avoid adding liquid marinate if you want this in a dry dish like taco meat.

For meatless sliced meat:

This recipe requires a couple days of preparation. Again you will need 1 package Organic GMO Free Firm Tofu. This time you will leave it in the original package unopened and place in your freezer for at least three days.

Defrost. Drain. Squeeze out all excess liquid. Place the block(s) of tofu on a plate lined with paper towels. Let sit for about 20 minutes to soak up any remaining moisture.

Slice into 1/8" shreds or slices. Panfry until slightly crispy & golden on both sides. I use coconut oil or olive oil for this. Remove from pan and lay out the pieces over a plate lined with paper towels. This will drain the oils. Let cool.

Voila, you can now add these shreds or slices to any stirfry, curry or sandwich of your choice. For use as sandwich meat you can sprinkle it with salt and pepper and some herbs when they are still hot.

I really hope you enjoy these homemade meatless meat recipes I'm sharing. From my mommy's kitchen to yours.

Happy Meatless Days :)

Vivian