No sugar Oat Drops

Another desert recipe for the family health blog!  Ha!  These are basically nuts and fruit and oats, though.  My kids lovem (we do too). Here's the link to the original recipe.

And here's my version (sorry no pic - they get eaten too fast):

No Sugar Oat Drops

1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats (I chopped in food processer but recipe doesn’t call for that)
1 cup coconut flakes (I’ve omitted this before with good results)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (the recipe calls for allspice)
1/4 cup of almond meal (process in food processor)
1/2 cup mixed nuts, finely chopped (hazelnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, whatever)
1 cup dried fruit (could use craisins, dates, raisins)

3 ripe bananas, mashed OR  (?)½ c. pumpkin puree (still need to try this variation)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or whatever oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (almond extract was really good in its place)

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease baking sheet.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, almond meal, mixed nuts and coconut flakes. Stir in spices. Add dried fruit and stir until well and evenly mixed. Make sure the dried fruit does not stick together in big clumps.
In another bowl, combine oil, mashed banana and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until well combined (I let the batter sit an hour or however long I want to let the oats absorb the liquids).

I put packed tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet, but the recipe says:  Take a large cookie cutter and press spoonfuls of the batter into it. Remove cookie cutter. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Peanut Butter Lentil Bars

I tried these Peanut Butter Lentil Bars that are protein packed.  The kids liked them mostly for the raisins.  We didnt have vanilla so I substituted almond extract which gave a pleasant cherry taste to the dried fruit.  Very filling.  I plan on making them again.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Lentil Granola Bars

Makes 10 granola bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried red lentils
1-3/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter, such as almond butter)
1/2 cup finely chopped dates (or other dried fruit, such as cranberries or raisins)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (or other nut, such as pecans or peanuts)
1 tablespoon honey (or other sweetener, such as agave or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract)

Directions:

Pick through lentils to remove any debris, then place in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly in cold running water. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 1 to 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the water has absorbed and lentils are cooked through. Transfer lentils to a bowl and mash with a fork (they may already be slightly mushy as red lentils don’t hold their shape as well when cooked). Let cool slightly.

Add oats, peanut butter, dates, almonds, honey, and vanilla to the bowl. Mix thoroughly until well combined (you may find it easier to use your hands). If you like sweeter granola bars, you may wish to taste the mixture and add more sweetener if desired.

Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper. Transfer lentil mixture to the pan and press with your hands into an even layer. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then slice into bars (cut in half, then cut each half into 5 bars). Keep bars wrapped in the refrigerator.

Happy Birthdayt to ME!

For my birthday I made a cake that I had wanted to make for Will's birthday but it didnt happen because it was a little intimidating and time consuming.  Will said he had tried making one before but the flan didnt set for some reason.  We both had this kind of cake on our missions.  Will remembered it with chocolate cake, but I remembered it with yellow, so I made it this way.  The cook in my first area was from Brazil, so kudos to Brazil for the amazing flan cake - it stays super moist.  Behold - I give you- the flan cake!

Flan Cake

• 1 yellow cake mix (prepared according to directions on the box – check to see if you need extra eggs or oil for this.)
• 1/4 cup caramel topping (Cajeta de Leche if you can find it at a Mexican market)
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. almond extract 
• Ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.put your bain marie vessel in the oven while it is preheating.

2. Grease and flour a large Bundt pan.

3. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

4. Pour the caramel topping around the bottom of the Bundt pan.

5. Pour cake mix over caramel.

6. In a blender, mix together well: eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla extract.

7. Pour the flan mix gently down one side of the pan.The flan will go to the bottom and the cake mix will raise up a bit as the flan mixture fills the bottom of the pan.

8. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

9. Place your cake in the bain marie pan (i used a 9×13 pan) and add hot water about 1 to 1 1/2 inches up the side of the Bundt pan.

10. Bake (in the water bath) 45 min, then cover with foil and bake about 20 min more.. It should be slightly golden brown. Test for doneness by inserting toothpick in the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done.

11. Remove from water bath and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

12. Invert onto a cake plate. The caramel will still be runny – it’s supposed to be to melt over the cake, so be careful when inverting! Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

I tried to make my own carmel sauce but it turned into candy so my cake had no carmel, but was plenty sweet and tasty.  

Veggie Plates, Cornbread, and Brussels Sprouts

I need to make up veggie plates like this more often. They really are a lifesaver for those last few minutes when I'm making dinner, and the boys are bugging me because they're ready to eat RIGHT NOW! We got some purple carrots and mini sweet peppers in our Bountiful Basket the other week, the boys loved them. As well as the grape tomatoes that were on sale at the store. They grab handfuls of them and stuff their cheeks.

I adapted Mom's Sweetest Cornbread recipe to make it 100% whole grain. I also reduced the sugar a little. The cornbread was a little darker and a little denser, but other than that I could hardly tell the difference. I'll probably keep tweaking it to see how little sugar and oil I can get away with.

SWheatest Cornbread

Combine in medium bowl:
3/4 c. corn meal
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 Tbl. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine in small bowl:
1/3 c. oil
3 Tbl. melted butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk

Combine all above ingredients.
Pour into greased 8-inch square pan.
Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 35 minutes.

For muffins: Spoon batter into 18 to 20 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.
Fill 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 18 to 20 minutes.

We also got Brussels sprouts in our Bountiful Basket. I've tried roasting them before, and we didn't care for it. This time I roasted with bacon, because everything tastes better with bacon! It did taste better, but still not good enough to convince me to buy Brussels sprouts again. Anyone have any tips for preparing Brussels sprouts or a favorite way to cook them?