Happy New Year: try my favorite recipes from the holiday season

My New Year's resolution is simple: update the blog more often. 

I last updated about a year-and-a-half ago. Time flies. 

I really have no excuse for it. What have I been doing? Everything and nothing. (On Facebook, I'd be accused of vague booking. Here, I guess it'd be vague blogging. 

The last two things I made are chocolate dipped Oreos (I dipped them in bittersweet melted chips and put on wax paper in freezer to harden; they weren't pretty, but hey, they were chocolate) and Braunschweiger liver pâté; it's similar to this recipe but with some major differences: 


I ditched the chili powder, used roasted garlic powder (1/4 tsp. and minced onion (1 tsp) instead of fresh. I also added ketchup and French's yellow mustard to taste (about 2 TBSP and 1 tsp., respectively - and it varies by brand, so you need to taste it) as well as about 1 TBSP of McCormick's Bac'n Bits. I had no bacon on hand, or I probably would have put a couple of slices of crumbled bacon in. I have since solved that problem. 

Aesthetically, it wasn't outstanding. For the first time ever, large chunks of cream cheese flecked the spread. I could not get them to completely blend in and that bothered me. I've made this several times, and that never happened before. I did leave it at room temperature for 45 minutes. Perhaps it needs to be colder to blend properly? Anyway, the pâté is gone, too, so I have no photos. 

My preferred chilling time is at least four hours, but overnight is even better. Another note: there's also a difference between the Jones and the Oscar Mayer brands of Braunschweiger. I feel the Oscar Mayer is more authentic, but both are good.

Bonus: I made a huge number of cookies for gifts and in doing so, discovered an awesome product. Krusteaz Bakery Style Gingerbread Cookie Mix was the best mix I used. (I was a bit crunched for time.)

Will make all three again soon for a belated holiday celebration. When I do, I'll take and post photos. 

LÄRABAR: The Demise of Cocoa Mole

My favorite LÄRABAR flavor recently was discontinued. It's a spicy chocolate bar made of all raw/natural ingredients that makes a good substitute for a small meal when on the run (it's even better washed down with a cup of soy milk). I am hugely disappointed that the company isn't making Cocoa Mole anymore.

Making my own version for my use is something I've meant to try for a while, but I've been putting it off. I will try to get some if they're still for sale anywhere to see how my version compares; otherwise, I'll have to go by memory.

Looking on the positive side, yet another company has given me an excuse to step away from the computer and attempt to reinvent a favorite. (The last one was Carob After Dinner Mint Tea, which had no satisfactory substitute for several years, but recently, I found a similar tea by Stash.)

I haven't hunted for other recipes yet, but anyone else has come up with a version of Cocoa Mole, feel free to let me know and I'll post the link to his or her recipe here. In the meantime, I'll keep you posted if I find one that's similar.

Product Review: Purely Decadent Dairy Free® Cherry Nirvana flavor

Want ice cream but can't eat it because milk doesn't agree with your system? Never fear, there is a solution. More than one, but I'll share my favorite.

I probably have mentioned this in passing, but Purely Decadent Dairy Free® Cherry Nirvana flavor ice cream is my favorite non-dairy frozen dessert. It even tastes like ice cream.

I discovered it in the frozen health food section at Kroger about a year ago. I've tried other products by Turtle Mountain, but so far, this is the best non-dairy frozen dessert I've had.

If you don't like cherries or chocolate, there's no accounting for it; however, I'm sure one of Turtle Mountain's numerous ice cream subsitutes (some made from coconut milk and some made with soy milk) will appeal to your taste.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter No-Bakes

Do you have any idea how many recipes there are for no-bake cookies (the chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal wonders)? It seemed as though there were hundreds when I did a search last winter for a no-bake recipe to use in a cookie exchange.

One thing I realized, though, is that these marvelous temptations have way too much fat and sugar in them. I wanted to make something for my parents' 45th wedding anniversary.

So I checked out vegan chocolate no-bake cookies, again coming up with nearly 50 versions. The one I chose is on the Go Dairy Free website. The recipe I linked to was a success, despite my not completely following the directions and, in the first test batch, in yet another happy accident, I left out the chocolate. (Those taste a bit like oatmeal scotchies. In the second batch, I used agave nectar, rather than maple syrup. I found them a bit sweet, but that may be because those are the ones without chocolate.)

In both instances, I made a half batch and used natural, unsalted peanut butter. A few additional tablespoons of oatmeal was needed. I also adapted the cooking timing, based on prior experience.

I'd like to try these using less maple syrup mixed with water to make up the remainder (1/4 C. maple syrup, adding water to make 1/3 C). I found it a bit too sweet for me. Add the 3 T. cocoa to this recipe with the liquids and cinnamon, if you prefer a more traditional no-bake recipe. That's what I did when I used the cocoa and agave nectar.

Anne's No-Bake Wonders aka 45th Anniversary Cookies

These are the ones that taste a bit like oatmeal scotchies. I bet adding a little butterscotch flavor would make this even better.

1/3 C. maple syrup
1/8 C. vegetable oil (I use olive oil, but if you don't care for the taste, canola oil would be fine)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 C. natural peanut butter (you probably can use another nut butter, but keep in mind that if it's runnier, like almond butter, you will need a bit more oatmeal)
3/4 C. rolled oats (if you need to avoid gluten, use Bob's Red Mill certified gluten-free oats)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine agave nectar, oil and cinnamon. Using a spoon, stir over medium heat until thoroughly combined; once it starts to boil, turn down to low heat and add the peanut butter and stir until thoroughly absorbed into the liquid, followed by the oats and vanilla. It should take about 3 minutes. It should be starting to be a bit hard to move the spoon; if not, add more oats, 1 T. at a time.

On a greased cookie sheet, drop rounded teaspoons of the cookie mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and cool in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 9-10 cookies, but can easily be doubled.

Product Review: Banana Nut VitaTops

Slightly crunchy and carmelized if it features a sugar or streusel over it, the top of the muffin is better than the rest of the muffin, which just crumbles merrily all over my clothing!

I've always thought Panera made the best muffin top, but hadn't really given any competitor a chance until now. I found one in the natural foods frozen section that runs a close second to their tasty muffin tops. The banana nut muffin VitaTops are darned delicious; they also have five grams of fiber.

I've heard other Weight Watcher members rave about various kinds of VitaTops for years, and never picked a package up until this week. They were on sale at Kroger for $3.99 (4 muffin tops per package), which is the best price I've seen in a grocery store. I grabbed the second-to-last package in the freezer.

Use the defrost function on your microwave to heat the VitaTop until the frost is removed and it is slightly heated (times will vary). I haven't tried the VitaTop Deep Chocolate flavor yet, but I hope to find it on sale soon in a store near me.

Stats:
100 Calories                                     
2 g fat                                               
0 g saturated fat                               
0 g trans fat                                      
0 mg cholesterol                               
5 g protein   
120 mg sodium
50 mg potassium
19 g total carbohydrate
5 g dietary fiber
3 g sugars
4 g sugar alcohol                                     

Product Review: The best snack bar

Nature Valley's Honey & Oats Granola Bar has been one of my favorite snacks since I was about 10. And to any smarty pants out there: yes, they did make it in the "dark ages," aka the 1970s, before MTV was a gleam in anyone's eye.  

As the years passed, I realized I wanted something with a little more protein. As a kid, I liked Carnation Breakfast Bars for that purpose. I was horrified years later to figure out that they were between five and six Weight Watchers Points. The Tiger's Milk bars that I ate in my 20s thinking carob was better for me than chocolate had corn syrup! (I go on about corn syrup a lot, mostly because due to studies that state is largely responsible for the obesity epidemic in this country. Supersizing played a part, too, I'm sure.

I've tried Clif Bars, chewy granola bars with nuts, NutraGrain bars, South Beach Bars and Luna bars in my search for a good snack bar with more protein. (Until a couple of years ago, the latter I felt was the best one I had found, fairly healthy and only about three to four Weight Watchers points, depending on the flavor.)


If you are seeking a healthy snack bar with a short list of understandable ingredients, I've found it. It's called a LaraBar, made by the Clif Bar people.

A LaraBar is not a low-calorie food. The bars I've tried are all right around four Weight Watchers points. They are made of dried fruits and raw nuts ground together and mixed with seasonings to make the different flavors. The LaraBar that blows the other ones away (mind you, all the ones I've tried are pretty darn good) is the Cocoa Mole bar. It's sweet, savory and spicy all at once. The chili powder with the chocolate has a little kick to it. And, of course, it's chocolate. The only place I can find Cocoa Mole is at Whole Foods. If it's available elsewhere, I definitely want to hear about it.

Many grocery stores, including Kroger and Trader Joe's, carry other kinds of LaraBars. Banana Bread, Gingersnap, and Cherry Pie are all good. You can even carry them around as an emergency meal substitute.

I'm not the only one who's tried finding the best snack bar. Elaine Magee, a registered dietitian, has a systematic approach to pick the best bar. My second choice, the Luna Bar, made the list. (Iced Oatmeal Raisin, my former favorite, tastes just like a great oatmeal cookie in snack bar form.) It is a little cheaper than the LaraBar (about $1.29 on average compared with $1.59 to $1.79 for the LaraBar). The LaraBar did not make Magee's list. (I'm guessing that the fat of the nuts and the dried fruit's natural sugars made it too high in those categories to meet her criteria.) I still stand by Cocoa Mole as being better for me than a candy bar! It gets a rating of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 in my book for a combination of taste and nutrition.