Guava Bars

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup butter, softened
14 oz. guava paste (more or less, depending on how thick you like your fruit layer)


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 13x9-inch pan, and line with foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease paper/foil.

Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly.

Press 2/3 of the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Slice the guava paste into enough pieces to cover the crust within 1/4 inch of the edge, and place in pan. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over guava paste layer.

Bake for 35-40 minutes in preheated oven, or until crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool in pan on wire rack before cutting into pieces and serving.

Kahlua Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup prunes
enough warm water to make a cup
2 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup corn starch or tapioca starch
1 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup roughly chopped pecans


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square pan.

Fill measuring cup to the 1 cup mark with prunes. Next, pour warm
water in in over fruit to the 1 cup mark. Puree in a food processor. Add eggs, melted butter, Kahlúa and sugar into food processor and mix until everything is well combined.

In a bowl, sift together flour, starch, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Blend wet and dry ingredients together and then fold in the nuts.

Spread into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 30-35 min - until the sides start to pull away from the pan, and center springs back when touched.

Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Prick top of brownies all over
with a toothpick, then sprinkle another 1-3 Tbsp of Kahlúa on top.

Enjoy!

Falafel

Ingredients

2 - 15 oz cans of chick peas
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
6 minced scallions
large handful of parsley
1 egg
1 Tbsp lemon juice
A few dashes of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup rice flour
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying


Directions

Place the drained, chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and mash as much as possible. Add the garlic, cumin, turmeric, scallions, parsley, egg, lemon juice and cayenne. Process until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. Continue to add gradually, you want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts, or use a falafel scoop, available in Middle-Eastern markets.

Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Very yummy with some yogurt-dill sauce (2 Tbsp dill in a cup of plain, low-fat yogurt) in a pita or on the side or as an alternative protein.


This recipe is also linked on...

This Week's Cravings: Special Diets (GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY-FREE, NUT FREE and MORE)

Honey Coconut Quinoa with Pomegranate

Ingredients

1/3 cup quinoa
1/3 cup milk or milk substitute
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground ginger
1 Tbsp flaxseed, ground
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup shredded coconut, fine
handful of chopped, toasted almonds
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate


Directions

Quinoa has a natural bitter coating called saponin. If you are buying quinoa in bulk, you will need to soak it for a few minutes and then rinse it in cold clear water until the “soapy” residue is gone. Some boxed brands may be pre-rinsed, but they still retain the nutritional goodness.

Combine rinsed quinoa, milk, water, cinnamon and pinch of ginger. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 min. At this point the quinoa should have a slight crunch when you bite it. Remove from heat and drain any remaining liquid, if any.

Stir in the flaxseed, honey and coconut. Mix well and then top with pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds.


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Homemade Granola Bars

Dry ingredients:

3 cups whole grain flakes (I used a combination of oat and spelt flakes, but you can also choose a variety of other grains such as rice, barley or kamut)
1/2 cup currants or raisins
2/3 cup chopped almonds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 tbsp sunflower seeds
4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
4 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tbsp molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven at 350 F. Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat oil and add the other wet ingredients. Stir until smooth and pour over dry ingredients. Mix well to combine.

Turn the mixture into the baking pan, and press to form an even layer. Bake for 25 minutes, and allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Keep refrigerated (also freezes well).

Note: You can adapt this recipe to your own taste, by replacing the currants with other dried fruits such as apricots or cranberries, and by using nuts instead of seeds. Use your imagination!


This recipe is also linked to...

This Week's Cravings: Honey

Smoked Salmon Rolls

Ingredients

12 oz.(350 g) smoked salmon slices
1 cucumber
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp chopped dill
1 tsp horseradish
lemon wedges and dill sprigs, to serve


Directions

Cut the smoked salmon into 16 strips measuring 5" x 1 1/2" (12cm × 4cm). Cut the cucumber into batons measuring 1 1/2" x 1/4" (4cm x 5mm). Set both aside.

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and stir in the dill, mayonnaise, and horseradish until evenly combined.

Lay the smoked salmon strips on a board and spread with the cheese mixture, leaving 1" (2.5cm) clear at one short end. Lay a cucumber baton across each strip and roll up tightly from the short end where the cheese mixture comes to the edge.

Arrange the rolls on a serving platter, garnished with lemon wedges and sprigs of dill.

Jiffy Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup hard margarine
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 1/3 cups water


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder, seasoning, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in margarine with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add cheese and water. Stir until just moistened.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 24 biscuits.

Saskatchewan Corn Chowder

When I went to school in Saskatchewan, Marni, the head cook, made a phenomenal Corn Chowder. Although I haven't been able to duplicate it, my friend, Kim, has developed this recipe which is pretty darn close.


Ingredients

1 lb. farmer sausage, cut up into bite-sized pieces
4 cups water (or chicken broth)
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 - 4 medium-sized carrots, either sliced thin or shredded
6 - 8 medium potatoes, cubed
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 - 2 cups frozen corn


Directions

In a large pot, boil water with the meat, onions, garlic, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper and cook for 8 - 10 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and more water if necessary in order to cook the vegetables properly. Continue to cook on medium heat until the peppers, carrots and potatoes are tender.

In a bowl, combine milk and flour to create a paste. Add to the pot of meat/vegetables and bring to a slow boil, stirring often to prevent sticking. As the soup thickens, more milk may be added, depending on the consistency you prefer your soup to be.

Add corn approximately 7 minutes prior to serving and bring the soup to a boil, allowing the corn to cook in the broth. Serve with cheese biscuits.

NOTE: Add more salt or pepper according to your taste preference.


This recipe is also linked to...

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Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
4 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup powdered sugar


Directions

Mix granulated sugar, oil, vanilla and chocolate in large bowl. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease cookie sheets. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll in sugar to coat. Shape dough into balls. Place about 2 in. apart on baking sheet. Bake 10 - 12 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool completely.


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Italian Almond Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups ground almonds
2/3 cup sugar
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 maraschino cherries, cut into 1/4s
OR 30 blanched whole almonds


Directions

Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 2 large baking sheets, then line with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine ground almonds and 1/3 cup sugar. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Return speed to high and beat mixture until stiff, shiny peaks form. Gently fold in ground almond mixture and almond and vanilla extracts.

Roll mixture into 1-inch balls, place 2 inches apart on baking sheets, and flatten slightly. Top each with a 1/4 maraschino cherry or almond. Bake until cookies are golden, switching positions of pans halfway through, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.


This recipe is also linked on...

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Food on Friday: Cherries and Almonds