Copycat Almond Cashew Coconut Chai KIND Bars

As a birth doula, I rely fairly heavily on bars and other fast forms of caloric intake between double hip squeezes and other means of supporting my clients.  I eyed the Almond Cashew Coconut Chai bar at Starbucks and knew I'd appreciate that gem in my doula bag.  When the time came to consume my bar, I was not disappointed.  

Because my kids generally have an aversion to anything that I have painstakingly prepared for them, and because we are out an about quite a bit, I keep a steady supply for KIND bars on hand for snacks and those moments where I have to trick myself into thinking that it's a somewhat acceptable meal replacement.  I wanted to get this chai KIND bar in my rotation and it looks like I'm not the only one.  I found forums where this was the topic of conversation.  It turns out you can buy them individually at Starbucks with their mark-up or you can purchase a case of 72 from KIND.  I like them, but 72 is a lot to have on hand and my husband would certainly think I flew the cookoo's nest purchasing $100 worth of kind bars in one sitting.  

Did you know you can find almost anything on pinterest?  You can.  I found this little copycat recipe for Almond Coconut KIND bars and compared the "syrup" with other KIND copycat recipes I found.  So I had a good base for adaptation.  Chai spice was a little more tricky.  I couldn't find a prepared version in any of the markets I tried, so I found another pinterest recipe for Chai Spice and now we were getting somewhere.  Here's the recipe:  

Almond Cashew Coconut Chai KIND Bar

Ingredients:

Chai Spice Blend:

1 tsp. Ground Cardamom

1 tsp. Ground Allspice

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp. Ground Cloves

3 tsp. Ground Ginger

This will make a surplus of chai spice, but, trust me, you will want to make these again.

Nut Mixture:

1 C. Roasted and Unsalted Almonds

1 C. Roasted and Unsalted Cashews

2 C. Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut

1 Tbsp. Ground Flaxseed

Syrup:
1/2 C. Honey
1/3 C. Brown Rice Syrup
1 tsp. Chai Spice Blend
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Salt

Instructions:

Grease a 9x9 baking dish.

Add toasted almonds, coconut and flax to large bowl.  Stir to combine; set aside.

In 1-1/2 or 2 quart saucepan, combine honey, rice syrup, chai spice, salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture reaches 260 degrees (hard ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Immediately, pour mixture over nut mixture, stir until evenly coated.

Quickly transfer to greased/sprayed 9x13 pan, use hands to spread mixture evenly in pan; press the mixture to close in holes and distribute evenly all over the pan. Using bottom of greased/sprayed drinking glass to tap and compact mixture in pan. Let cool 20 minutes (pan should still be slightly warm).

The original instructions say to invert pan on cutting board and tap until mixture falls out in one piece. I had to give my bars a little more help.  Cut into bars. (If they cool too much and become too hard or brittle to cut easily, put in warm oven for 1-2 minutes to soften; proceed with cutting.)

 STORAGE TIPS: Allow to cool completely before transferring to airtight storage container with parchment paper between layers. For take-along convenience, use parchment paper pieces to wrap individual bars burrito-style. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week. May refrigerate to extend storage or if firmer, less sticky bars are preferred. May be frozen.

Makes approximately 20 bars.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

My kids love the packets of apple cinnamon oatmeal, but I always feel funny about them.  Like, what is really in them?  And, oatmeal is so easy to make, does it really need a shortcut?  I get the whole traveling, camping utility of oatmeal packets, but I also like knowing I can spell everything in the food I serve my family.  So, I came up with this recipe as an alternative.  This is super quick and tastes so fresh.  Right away you'll notice the true apple taste is nothing like the store bought flavor.

Ingredients

2 Apples

2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

3/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1 C. Oatmeal

2 1/4 C. Water

2 pinches Salt

Instructions

Peel apples and grate them over a medium sauce pan.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal, water and salt and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Makes 2 large servings, 4 kid-size.

Fried Eggs and Asparagus

Last weekend Scott and I were in a mountain town celebrating my birthday without kids.  We stopped into a place that is renowned for breakfast.  Admittedly, I wasn't in a great mood.  But, when a breakfast place can't get the coffee right, weeeeell...  I had considered just going for the bread pudding because, hey, it was my birthday and there are eggs in it, right?  I decided to behave and get the two eggs, bacon and potatoes instead, but when I asked the waitress to cook the eggs sunny-side-up, but make sure the white was cooked, while the yolk is runny...  (I know what you're thinking.  I am that person.)  Suffice it to say we had a disagreement about what can and cannot be done with eggs and before things escalated I settled on the bread pudding and decided to mooch bacon from the man who doesn't dine on the swine.

Growing up we called fried or sunny-side-up eggs "dip eggs" because they are so good to dip your toast in.  Remarkably many of my childhood memories center around soft-yolked eggs and eating them with family members and neighbors I love.  Without question they fit into my comfort food category.  These days they go by the name flat-eggy and my middle child gobbles them up.

Now, I love cooking - it's often the quiet part of my day when school is done and the kids are playing outside or entertaining themselves and I get to huddle in the kitchen and cook and putz around mostly in peace.  But there are some days when I am lacking the energy, time, or creativity to whip up something fancy.  On these days I love resorting to breakfast for dinner and one of the easiest and most balanced ways to do this is to cook up some veggies and throw a fried egg over the top of it and serve it with toast.  I love how the soft yolk runs over the veggies.  

Fried Eggs and Asparagus

Serves 2

This isn't so much a recipe as an idea - adjust the quantities of asparagus and eggs to suit your needs.  

1 bunch Asparagus

4 Eggs

1 Tbsp.(ish) Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and trim the dry ends off the asparagus.  Place on a dishtowel and blot dry then transfer to a cookie sheet.  Pour olive oil over the asparagus and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Rotate the asparagus and make sure it is coated with the oil and seasoning and arrange in a single layer on the cookie sheet.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until your desired tenderness.

Meanwhile, when you have about 5-10 minutes left on the asparagus, heat up a non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray or a touch of oil.  Crack eggs into skillet and reduce heat to low.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and allow them to slowly cook until they reach desired firmness.  As we now know, my preference is for them to have a runny yolk, but firm white that isn't burnt on the bottom, which can best be achieved by cooking them low and slow.

To serve: place 1/2 portion of asparagus on each plate and top with two eggs.  Don't forget the toast.

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

It's been a couple years since I've started making iced coffee.  The truth is, this is my favorite way to drink coffee.  This recipe is adapted from one I found on pinterest.  Typically, I don't like sweetened coffee, but this cup is served best with a little milk and the little bit of sugar goes a long way.  You'll need a french press some means of filtering the coffee after it has finished the cold brew.  This is what we use: http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/K11081-01/

Ingredients

1 1/4 C. Coarsely Ground Coffee (French Press or Percolator setting)
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
Cold Water (I just fill to the top of the french press, but I am assuming it would be somewhere around 40 oz)

Instructions

Guys, this is a really complicated process.
Place ground coffee in the bottom of the coffee press.  Add cinnamon, brown sugar and water.  Stir with wooden or plastic spoon (according to Bodum - do not use metal).
Place flat cover on (or cover with plunger kept up) and set on counter to brew for 4 hours (8 hours in fridge).
Press the plunger down.
Get a glass with ice (preferably something cute), pour coffee over leaving room for cream.  Add milk or cream.  Enjoy.
Store coffee in the refrigerator.

 

Breakfast Quesadillas

I was kvetching on facebook the other day about how I was looking for some recipes to sneak veggies in for the boys and found some ridiculous junk food labeled "healthy." I am not super strict about junk food, but let's call it what it is. If anything has marshmallow in it or peanut butter chips it's probably not healthy. Anyway, from it I received lots of great suggestions for kids food including a website called Weelicious, where I found a recipe for Breakfast Quesadillas. I tucked the recipe away in my "Misc Recipes" document (that is about 50 pages of recipes that I'd like to try, cut and pasted into one document) thinking it might be fun to try sometime. Aitan won't eat eggs in an form - scrambled, hard boiled, over easy - they go in, they go out. Whereas they are Ilan's go to food.

So, Scott is out of town and Saturday night Steph and Stephanie came over for a sleepover. We made plans to find the Kogi truck and get cupcakes and lots of girl time. Trouble is the kogi truck, or so we thought, wouldn't be close by until 7:30. The boys both took naps, so I figured it would be okay to keep them up a little late. I needed to feed them, though, and didn't have a lot of stuff in the fridge. So, Breakfast Quesadilla for dinner. They both liked them, so I fantasized about how I could make them a better meal for the boys. I had already planned to make Spinach and Basil Pesto this week and I added whole wheat tortillas to my shopping list.

So, this is my adaptation. The boys love it. Success.
Breakfast Quesadilla

1 Egg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder
Cheese (your choice)
2 Whole Wheat Tortillas
Spinach and Basil Pesto

Place an omelet pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray or oil. Whisk egg and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour the egg into the pan and tilt pan to spread egg in an even layer. When egg is almost solidified sprinkle with cheese and top with a tortilla. Spread a layer of pesto on the remaining tortilla.

When the egg is cooked use a spatula to loosen it and invert it onto a plate (so the egg is on top) and slide back into the pan, tortilla side down. Sprinkle the egg with cheese and place the tortilla on top. When cheese on the bottom half is melted flip the quesadilla until the rest of the cheese melts.

Cut and serve.

Family Food Friday: Sam I Am Eggs

I am not going to promise that I will be diligent about posting a family food idea every friday, but I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while. Most moms I know have a hard time coming up with easy, healthy foods for their kids, so, when I have one I'll share it. This week's: Sam I Am Eggs.

Ilan hardly eats. Honestly. He just doesn't have much of an appetite, so it's really important to me to make sure that most of what ends up in his mouth is pretty nutritious. Of course, it doesn't always end up that way and veggies are the hardest thing to get in. One of the things I've been doing lately for breakfast is taking leftover broccoli, asparagus or even fresh spinach and giving it a fine dice and tossing it in with some scrambled eggs. When the eggs are almost done I might add some shredded cheese - whatever I have on hand. Ilan eats it up and the first time I made them he called them Sam I Am Eggs, which I thought was pretty clever.