Low-sugar, Flour-free Almond Bars

I'm embarking on a new effort to reduce my intake of starch and sugar.  It's been a challenge, to say the least, and is severely cramping my baking habit.  But I found this recipe for almond bars that, while not necessarily sweet, fools my brain into thinking it is.

The first time I made them, I pretty closely followed the original recipe, which resulted in a very dense, fudgy bar.  The second time I made some adjustments that resulted in a more cakey bar.  They're both good.

Fudgey version:

1 cup natural raw almond butter (preferably organic)

1 tablespoon honey or molasses (optional)

1 whole egg

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (if using unsalted almond butter)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 square unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

Cakey version:

1 cup natural raw almond butter (preferably organic)

1-2 teaspoons honey or molasses (optional)

2 whole eggs

1/4 cup (approximately) light coconut milk (recommended:  Trader Joe's brand)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (if using unsalted almond butter)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 square unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8″ square pan with butter or coconut oil. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together until well combined, then fold in the chocolate.  (The fudgey version will be quite thick.  If using coconut milk, add enough to make a thick, brownie-like batter.)  Dollop the batter into the greased pan, and use a spatula to smooth the top.  Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is a light golden brown.  Let cool, then cut into squares.

Cakey version

Cakey version

Conclusion:  While not your typical dessert bar, this has the same mouth feel and all the same flavors of one.  It's moist and rich, and my brain says "Chocolate!"  The coconut milk adds a bit of sweetness as well.

Original recipe:  Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies via The Detoxinista

Tofu Vegetable Quiche with Nut Crust

My posts are usually for sweet baked goods, but I needed a place to store this recipe for future use.

Tofu makes a much lighter quiche than the traditional version with eggs.  This would be good for breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner served with a crusty roll.  The sunflower seeds in the crust add a nice contrast while the roasted pepper and chipotle give a smokey flavor.

Crust
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 egg white
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric 
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

Blend all the crust ingredients except the sunflower seeds in a food processor until the mixture is a fine, mealy texture and sticks together when pressed.  Add the sunflower seeds and process briefly to incorporate.  Press tightly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9.5" glass pie pan.  (It helps to use a flat plastic lid -- press in hard.  Be sure to get the corners and don't leave them too thick.) Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until just starting to color.  Allow to cool until warm.

Filling
1 lb. organic, extra-firm tofu (NOT super firm; available at Trader Joe's)
1 16-ounce bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk (recommended:  Trader Joe's brand)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup (packed) chopped parsley
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
zest of 1/2 lemon
1½ teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and diced
1/8 cup green onion, thinly sliced (about 2), optional

Blend all the filling ingredients except for the bell pepper and green onion in the food processor until well mixed.  Check for seasoning and adjust according to taste.  Add the bell pepper and onion and process briefly to incorporate.  Pour into baked pie crust, smooth the top, and bake at 350F for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out moist but without wet filling.  Serve warm with a side of spicy kimchi.

Conclusion:  Very tasty and not heavy at all; you can have a large slice and still feel comfortable. Seasonings and vegetables can be adjusted to taste, or different nuts used for the crust.  The kimchi provides a nice spicy side to the mild tofu.

Moustokouloura (Grape Molasses Cookies)

More baking adventures...

I made 1/4 of the original recipe (the original recipe is below), which produced 8 ~2" cookies.  The smaller quantity might be why my oil and sugar mixture hardened so quickly.  I also added a light glaze to the rather plain cookies.  Full recipe yields 25-30 cookies.


1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of grape molasses (petimezi)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brandy
1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
6 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).  Dissolve baking soda in the brandy.  Whisk together the flour and baking powder.  Combine oil, grape molasses, and sugar in a saucepan, stir well, and boil for several minutes until completely blended. 

 

  

Transfer to a mixing bowl, and stir in brandy (with dissolved baking soda), orange juice, cinnamon and cloves.  Add flour mixture slowly; combine thoroughly.

 

 

 

Using pieces of dough, pat into thick cookies (about 1/2 inches high) in round or oval shapes.

 

 

 

Place on cookie sheets and bake at 350°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes. Cooking time will vary slightly depending on the size of the cookies.

 

These directions are all messed up.  Boiling the sugar mixture made it turn hard and it fully separated from the oil.  Seems unnecessary.  What if they were made in the usual way (sift dry ingredients, blend wet ingredients, combine, or follow the directions in the alternative recipe, below)?

Conclusion:  They turned out dense, tough and bready, but actually had a nice flavor.  Not very sweet.  Very much like gingerbread, and they improved overnight.  Would benefit from some currants, and perhaps a drizzle of glaze (maybe chocolate).   Also, some texture would be good -- maybe half whole wheat flour, wheat bran, or semolina. 

Recipe:  Greek Grape Molasses Cookies (Moustokouloura) (Grape Molasses Cookies) via About.com Greek Food (the Spruce Eats)

 

 

Another recipe option to try:

Moustokouloura (Μουστοκούλουρα) via Organically Cooked from Traditional Cretan Cooking by Nikos
Psilakis (co-author)

1 cup of grape must
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of oil
1 shot glass of brandy
3/4 cup of natural orange juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cloves
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 kilo (8 cups) of all-purpose flour

Mix all the liquids together. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the flour, and mix well. Add the flour and mix it in quickly to get a soft pliable dough. The classic shape of the cookie is a round one with a hole in the middle (kind of like a doughnut), but you can also make finger-shaped cookies. The baking sheet does not need to be greased. Cook in a moderate oven for about 25 minutes; the cookies will turn golden brown, depending on the colour of the grape must, but they should not be overcooked.

Or this one from My Little Backyard Lemon Tree.

 

Happy Pi Day! Easy Coconut Custard Pie

Every year I chide myself for not participating in Pi Day, but this year I was on top of it.  The thing is, I was out of town the first part of the week on business, and I returned home Wednesday evening over-tired and frazzled, with no time to think about pie.  I needed something really fast and easy that I could pull together with minimal effort.  I knew just the thing!

This is one of those "magic crust" pies, where you dump everything in a blender, whir it all up together, and the crust "magically" forms during baking.  This recipe called for Bisquick, but I've seen others that use just flour.  I didn't have  Bisquick, so I used an equivalent amount of flour and added 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

I don't know about the magic crust business -- the flour did settle to the bottom, but the layer was so thin and soft that I have to wonder, "What was the point?"  Gimmick, I say.  Perhaps it just makes the slices easier to remove, or gives a little more body to the custard.  Otherwise maybe it would fall apart like pudding.

Like the original poster, I also baked the pie longer -- about 53 minutes -- mostly because it didn't look deliciously toasty until then, even though the center looked cooked.  (It rose up quite high in the middle and cracked a bit, so I could actually see into the center.)  As it was, it probably would have had a nicer, creamier texture if I hadn't.

The flavor was good and it was a big hit in the office.  One person appreciated that it wasn't "too sweet".  I would agree that some pies are sweeter, but personally I would take this one down a notch, maybe reducing the sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup.  The only other issue I had was with the coconut itself.  Something about commercial coconut always tastes artificial and chemically.  I'll have to find a better source.

Conclusion:  This gets major points for ease and convenience.  And with all the eggs, milk, and coconut, this would make an excellent breakfast pie. Although it certainly doesn't rise to the caliber of a traditional coconut cream pie, it's not at all bad for something you whip up in a blender in minutes.  

Original recipe:  Amazing Coconut Pie via My Retro Kitchen