A Stack of Dishes

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Gail Watson

Power to the Power Bar

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I am proud to say that I’ve been pretty good about going to the gym lately. It’s about time I dropped the 10 pounds I gained sampling my way through Thailand (NO regrets!) 

It is my usual practice to snack on a Balance Bar post workout. Sort of a treat but in a healthy way. I am also a fan of post work out refueling, it definitely helps my physical recovery and my mental attitude. So a snack that has quality carbs, protein, tastes good and can be dropped into my gym bag wins. 

I have my favorites and I don’t mind schlepping to Trader Joe’s to stock up, but the last time my little pile cost me some coin for, well, such a little pile. 

I certainly have all the stuff to make my own, and so, there you have it- the kernal, the spark, the moment of genesis. I love it when my kitchen becomes laboratory. 

I like crunch and I don’t like too sweet and I prefer a jolt of protein for good measure, so that was the challenge. 

I went hunting around online for some ideas and didn’t really like anything I saw, but I liked some concepts and discovered what I didn’t like. Not too cakey, not too nutty or granola-y either. 

I settled upon a sortof kindof rice crispy treat thing. I have a bag of chia seeds in the fridge and this seemed like a perfect vehicle. I also had some dried goji berries from my trip to Thailand and a jolt of chocolate is my idea of healthy antioxidants. 

The entire batch cost me approx $5, much less than the 16 bars would have cost me. I am pleased with the combination but have some more ideas for the next time. Gotta sneak in some more protein and more fiber. The nutritional breakdown is pretty good though, so no complaints really. (see attached to printable recipe). 

I wrapped them in wax paper and stored them in plastic bags. Easy to grab either coming or going to the gym. 

 
Rice Crispy Power Bar
(printable) 

3/4 c agave syrup
3/4 c fresh ground peanut butter
1 T gelatin softened in 3 T of water
3 C rice crispies
1/4 t salt
2T Chia Seeds
1/2 C Dried Goji Berries
1/2 C chopped semi sweet chocolate
In saucepan combine agave syrup and peanut butter. Warm over medium heat, stirring smooth, until bubbly. Remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir thoroughly until completely incorporated. Stir in salt.
In separate larger bowl combine the rice crispies, chia seeds, goji berries and stir to combine. 
Pour peanut butter mixture over dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. When cooled a little bit add chocolate and quickly and gently combine.
In baking pan sprayed with cooking spray, dump mixture in and pat evenly with hands. Allow to cool completely.
Remove from pan and cut into 16 equal pieces.

Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Salted Caramel Sauce

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I succumbed, I fell into the “making your own ice cream trap”. Blame it on the summer, blame it on the hankering, blame it on the caramel sauce leftover in the fridge that needed something to be paired with it. I don’t really blame anything- I just wanted it, plain and simple. 

I’ve made frozen things before. Earlier this season I had some mangoes that were over ripening and decided to whip them into a sorbet for a dinner party I was having later that week. The result was delish and Oh so easy. I’ve got some watermelon juice that’s also calling my name that may get whizzed up into something soon. 

When it comes to ice cream I’ve made them several times, but never using a custard base. This time I decided not to be lazy and give it a try. I’ve made creme anglaise many many times before, so I was not afraid to make the delicious delicate custard, I’m just so much more into instant gratification. 

But it’s an easy summer and there is no excuse not to give it a go. 

As a kid I used to love Jamocha Almond Fudge ice cream and some part of me was needing to have that little kid in me satisfied. Not feeling the nuts though, and instead of fudge I chopped up some Cuizel semi sweet chocolate-72% and made it a stracciatella version. I like the little crunchy texture of chocolate with the creamy coffee ice cream, and this chocolate has enough heft to hold it’s own. 

The caramel sauce was left over from a cake job last weekend. Such beautiful gooey stuff. Is there anything more divine that creamy sweet burnt sugar?? This batch was particularly luscious and could not, would not go to waste (waist?). A little sprinkling of Maldon salt on top is just perfection. Sweet, burnt sugar, coffee, chocolate and salty creamy goodness. 

Onward to the recipes, but not without first saying that photographing ice cream in a warm loft is not advisable. The close up is a little soft as the shot was hand held- sorry about that- but I wanted you to get a good look at this divinity.

Cappuccino Ice Cream:
4 egg yolks
1 c whole milk
1c heavy cream
4oz sugar (100g)
1/4 t salt
instant espresso powder to taste
2oz finely chopped semi sweet chocolate
makes ~ 2.5 cups
In sauce pan combine all but the espresso and whisk together. Over gentle heat slowly warm the sauce while continuing to stir with a wooden spoon.
After a few minutes the sauce with thicken. The time honored test to see if it’s done is to draw your finger through the sauce on the back of the wooden spoon. When it is viscous to your liking it will leave a clean track and creaminess on the spoon. Don’t be tempted to over cook- the sauce may break and be ruined.
Have a bowl with sieve atop at the ready. As soon as the sauce is thickened immediately remove the pan from the stove and pour the sauce through the sieve. 
Teaspoon by teaspoon stir in the espresso powder until it reaches the desired depth of mocha you prefer. Be sure to mix well as more comes out the more you stir.
Place bowl in fridge and chill until cold. I mean it, the colder the base the better the ice cream. In fact I recommend putting the bowl once it’s cool into the freezer for little while. The faster ice cream freezes the smaller the ice crystals. The smaller the crystals the more refined the ice cream.
Once chilled pour cream sauce into your ice cream maker and follow directions. At the end simply add the chocolate and allow it to churn to an even consistency.
Take ice cream out of the mixer unit and place in freezer until ready to eat. The ice cream needs to set.
Some recommend a small amount of liquor, such as vodka, stirred in to allow it to be easier to scoop. I’ve not done this, but feel free if you would like. Or add Kahlua or some other complimentary liqueur.
Caramel Sauce:
1/2 c water
1.5 c sugar
2/3 c heavy cream
pinch of salt
In a heavy medium sized sauce pan combine sugar and water. Boil until golden in color. Take care as the color will darken once the cream is added, so don’t over do this.
During the boiling process use a clean pastry brush dipped in cool water and wash down sides to avoid sugar crystals forming in the sauce. If this happens the sauce, though delicious, will be grainy.
Once the sugar has reached the preferred level of amber- REMOVE from the heat and stir in the cream. Take care and stand back as this will steam and bubble and can be dangerous. Stir down with a wooden spoon until the sauce is emulsified, which will take just a minute or two. Add a pinch of salt.
At this point you can leave in the pan to cool, or pour into a bowl. Do not pour into plastic containers just yet, that sugar is hot hot hot- and DO NOT be tempted to dip a finger in- it will burn you silly. So don’t do it- promise?
Once cool and poured into containers it may be stored in the fridge for up to one month. Gently warm before serving.
Makes ~1.5 cups

Quinoa You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

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Who can help not being a Heidi Swanson fan? Such a cool person who makes cool food and takes cool pictures of them. And the food is vegetarian! 

Along with her other drooling fans I bought her latest book, Super Natural Every Day. There are many things in there that I tagged for later consumption, but the thing that really caught my eye were these quinoa patties. 

As an educated nutrition person I know the value of those power packed quinoa grains, but I’ve never been really able to get my mouth around them. When making a salad akin to cous cous, it always seems too dry, to fluffy, too difficult to get a hearty bite. Do you know what I mean? I just… can’t… get to them. 

So naturally I have several bags of them in my cupboard. I look at them from time 

to time and their mere presence allows me attitude of self righteous healthiness, 

but actually cook with them? hmm… not so much. Needless to say they have 

remained smooshed into the corner wall. 

But these are a completely different story. In fact, they are even better than I imagined! 

While making dinner the night before, I cooked off the quinoa and then stored it in the fridge over night. The next morning for breakfast I made these. Yep, breakfast. I adapted the recipe a bit to accommodate some odds and ends in my fridge and they are deeeeeelish! Even better is the fact that the batch made 12 of these babies. Two I ate right away- the crusted grains all crunchy, a bit nutty, yielded to softer aromatic flavorful centers. (Now this I could sink my teeth into). Then 4 went into the fridge for near future consumption and the rest into the freezer. 

I can see breaking these up and tossing into a salad or just reaching in and grabbing one for a snack. 

Lots of protein, lots of fiber and tons of deliciousness.

Below is my version- For the original it’s best to buy the book. It’s worth having it on your shelf.
Quinoa, feta and red scallion patties
2 1/2 c cooked and cooled quinoa (1:2 grain to water-rinse before adding water and simmer until tender ~ 10 mins- the gains fluff and release white curlicues)
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 small yellow onion minced
3 stalks of red scallions minced with greens
a generous handful of crumbled feta (about 2 oz)
1 c bread crumbs
4 whole eggs, beaten
oil to sauté them in (about 2T)
Heidi talks about managing the moisture content by adding/subtracting bread crumbs or water, but I didn’t have an issue with this at all.
Place all ingredients into a good size bowl and stir thoroughly to combine. With hands grab a small handful and press into a tight ball. Then pat and coerce into a patty shape.
In frying pan add just a small amount of oil, no need to drown them in oil- On medium heat fry one side until they are crisp and golden and then flip. It’s important to heat them thoroughly to cook all that egg, so keep that flame reasonable.
And then try and keep your hands off of them.
You can that see I didn’t add any salt, but that was due to the feta. Heidi’s recipe calls for grated Parmesan, which is also salty- so take a taste and season accordingly. BTW, I didn’t use salt in my quinoa preparation either.