Tag Archives: vegan

Chewy Granola Bars

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When September and back-to-school time rolls around I always think of these bars.  That’s because my children loved them and I always made them to have as after school snacks, or to pack in lunch boxes.  I still make them because Mr. D. likes them a lot and I like to have them around for a healthy snack.

These bars can be customized to your taste by the addition of your favorite fruits and nuts or chips.  They are a great way to use up small amounts of fruits, or chips left over from another recipe.  They also freeze well and pack well so you can have them available all the time.  They can easily go along on a hike, a car trip, or camping.  What I like to do is wrap each square individually in plastic wrap, place in a covered container in the freezer, and take out the desired number as needed.  Last weekend Mr. D, and his friend went fishing for the day, and took some of these bars along to munch on.  His friend called to thank me and tell me how much he liked them.

These bars smell wonderful as they are baking, and eating one leads to wanting  another one, so they don’t last long.  It’s good to make a double recipe if you want to have a quantity on hand;  some to eat, and some to freeze.

CHEWY GRANOLA BARS

YIELD:  about 1 dozen bars, cut 2″ x 4 1/2″

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/3 cups oat flour  (or 1/3 cup quick oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2-3 cups mixed dried fruit and nuts (example: cranberries, apricots, dates, raisins, coconut, almonds, walnuts, chocolate chips)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or corn syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13″ x 9 ” pan.

2.  Stir together all the dry ingredients including fruits and nuts.

3.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter, syrup or honey and water.

4.  Toss the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

5.  Spread in prepared pan to evenly cover the bottom and pat down gently.

6.  Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.  Remove from oven, loosen the edges and let cool for 5 minutes.

7.  Use a knife ( or bench knife) to cut bars while still warm.  Cool on rack.  Wrap individually to store or with parchment paper between the layers in an air tight container.  These bars freeze well.

SOURCE:   King Arthur Flour

Soft Oatmeal Cookies with Biscoff Glaze

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Bars and Cookies and tagged with , , , , , ,

These cookies are so seriously good that I have to give them away. Yes, I do, because I could eat the whole batch all by myself.

Am I the only person who did not know about Biscoff Spread until now? I really hope its a new product on the market, otherwise I’ve been missing out on something so good I don’t have words to describe it. Its thick and spreadable like peanut butter, but made from Biscoff cookies, so there are no nuts in it—great for folks with nut allergies. It’s all natural and vegan, and it can be used just like peanut butter. Where to find it? Check your grocery store in the section where peanut butter and Nutella are located, or I’ve heard it can be found at Walmart, or at Amazon.com.

I learned about Biscoff Spread from another blogger that I follow and from whom I got this recipe. Ordinarily I’m not overly fond of oatmeal cookies, but these are the best I’ve ever had. Soft and moist, they melt in your mouth, and the glaze on top—oh my, its sooooo good. If you’re a little tired of run-of-the-mill chocolate chip cookies, give these a try. In the words of my favorite taste tester, “these cookies offer a new experience for your taste buds”.

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH BISCOFF GLAZE

The recipe says it will make 18 cookies, but I got 28. I guess my cookie scoop is smaller than what is specified in the directions but that’s OK, ‘cuz then I can have two.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups quick oats You can use regular oats, but the flakes in the cookies will be larger.
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 & 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 stick unsalted butter ( 4 oz.)
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 6 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup Biscoff Spread
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 & 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons light corn syrup

DIRECTIONS FOR COOKIES

1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients, oats through flour. Set aside.

2. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Beat in yogurt and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.

3. Add in the flour mixture in 3 additions, and mix just to incorporate. Refrigerate the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 2 tablespoon size cookie scoop to place dough onto prepared sheets.

5. Bake at 350 for 12–14 minutes, till light brown. Cool on wire rack.

6. While cookies bake, make the glaze. Whisk or beat all the ingredients together till smooth. Add more milk or sugar if needed to achieve a pourable consistency.

7. Place a cooling rack on a parchment lined baking sheet and put all the cookies on the rack very close together.

Pour glaze over cookies. It will spread and smooth out, and after about 30 minutes will become set. Store in an air-tight container.

SOURCE: BAKE AT 350

Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Appetizers, Salads, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve been making this salsa every summer since 2003 when the recipe for it was published in our local newspaper. It uses the kernels of sweet corn cut from the cob plus black beans and anything else you might want to add.  That’s what I like about it;  its so versatile.  If I have a tomato that needs to be used, I cut it in, or perhaps an avocado that’s ripe.    If I don’t have a red onion I use scallions,  likewise if I don’t have cilantro I use parsley.  If you like some heat in your salsa, cut in a small jalapeño.   Put everything in a bowl, mix up the super simple dressing, and Bingo! its done.  We use this salsa as a snack, with  healthy multigrain chips,  or sometimes I use it as a salad.  Just put 1/2 cup on a leaf of romaine, arrange some tomato wedges and cucumber sticks around it, and there it is, a quick salad.

I find that the flavor improves if you make it a day ahead of when you will serve it but that’s hard for me to do.  I always want to sample it right away.  Oh, another thing:  if you like cilantro as much as I do, use twice the amount!

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl mix together all of the following:

  • 2 ears fresh corn, cooked, cut kernels from cob
  • 1 16 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Toss all the above with dressing:

  • 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons oil ( corn, safflower, or olive)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Serve with tortilla chips or cheese quesadillas.

Artichoke, Spinach, and White Bean Dip

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Appetizers and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A neighborhood block party for the Fourth of July.  Everyone brings a pot-luck dish to share. Friends getting together, talking, playing games, kids running around, riding bikes, playing in the sprinkler.  A very typical July 4th celebration.  That’s what we did and perhaps many of you  did the same.  I hope your day was relaxing and enjoyable.

This post is about the appetizer I brought to share.  It got rave reviews, disappeared very quickly, and was very easy to make.  I served it with a variety of crackers, and toasted pita chips for dipping.  I’ve had this kind of dip on previous occasions, and though I like it very much I limit myself to just a few tastes because I know it is usually high in fat and calories.  This version, however, cuts the calories way back, by reducing the amount of cheese(es) in it, and including white beans processed with the base ingredients to give thickness without fat.

So in this version you have the sharpness of Romano cheese, the tang of lemon juice, and the bite of red pepper, incorporated into a base made smooth by mayonnaise (the only fat) and pureed white beans.  To me this is the real star of the show, although the spinach and artichokes get all the attention.   This is when I say,  Oh, Yeah!  Bring it on!    You’ll be happy to know that a 1/4 cup serving contains only 87 calories,  4.9 g.carb, and 5.4 g. fat.

ARTICHOKE, SPINACH, AND WHITE BEAN DIP

YIELD:  about 3 cups;  serves 12 or more

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ( 1 ounce) grated pecorino Romano cheese  (purchased already grated at the grocery store.)
  • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 1/4  teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1  (15 oz.) can white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1  (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained.  Quarter and chop them.
  • 1 (9 0z. ) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry.
  • cooking spray
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. Place Romano cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, and white beans in a food processor, and process until smooth.  Spoon into a medium bowl.  Stir in the artichokes and spinach.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
    Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly and brown.  Serve warm with crackers or chips for dipping.

SOURCE:  Cooking Light Magazine