Persian Power Bars

I have been twiddling around with the idea of power bars for sometime as the ones you can buy are;

• A) nasty tasting
• B) bad for you in that they have masses of additives and
• C) because I have a Thermomix and that is what I do!

Of course due to the masses of spare time at my disposal, until now there has been no need for such a thing on here, but dear reader, I recieved my usual subscription email from my friends over at Duo Dishes this week…and inspirationally there was a lovely recipe for something along the lines I had been thinking of, but far more romantically named and of Persian origin, who could not be charmed by that idea? Anyhoo…it catapulted me into action and here we have it! I guess the thing I loved most about their recipe was the no baking bit, and of course with Thermomix in your kitchen, the cooking plus stirring part could not be easier!

However, it did became a bit of a ‘schlep’ (as Marketing Manager Mandy would say…MMM from here on in!) I have 4 Thermomix bowls at home which naturally makes life a little easier in recipes like this, but I resolutely persisted and did this in one bowl, just so I knew it could be done…and yes kids, it can!

Persian Power Bars (with a little Duo input!)

NEED:

100g walnut pieces

40g organic shredded coconut

100g almonds

100g rapadura sugar

zest 1 orange

400g pitted Medjool dates

100g shelled pistachios

1tsp vanilla bean paste

240g unsalted butter

40g raw honey

300g SR flour

2tsp ground cinnamon

2tsp ground cardamom

1tsp Celtic sea salt

DO:

Toast walnuts for 10 minutes by placing into cold oven and setting temperature to 200C. Cool. (May I just mention, do not skip this step as the difference between toasted and untoasted walnuts is a revelation in flavour!)

Place coconut, almonds, raw sugar and orange zest into Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 9. Set aside.

Place dates, pistachios, vanilla and toasted walnuts into Thermomix bowl and chop for 10 seconds on speed 6. Set aside.

Place butter, honey, flour and ground spices into Thermomix bowl and chop for 3 seconds on speed 5.

Cook for 20 minutes at 100C on speed 2. Ensure that mixture does not stick to centre of blade by pressing Reverse button a couple of times and also by stopping timer to scrape down sides of bowl during cooking time.

Add 220g of coconut almond mix and salt to Thermomix bowl and blend for 20 seconds on speed 5. Press half that mixture into large square spring form pan lined with baking paper. (Or use square pan of choice but for easy removal bring baking paper up on two sides, above the top of the pan.)

Push date mixture on top of base, press remaining cooked mix on top of that and then press (using a piece of baking paper) the remaining coconut almond mix on top of that again! Allow to cool completely before placing in fridge for at least 4 hours before cutting into bars.

Wrap separately, freeze and on a busy day (who has those??) you have a fantastic breakfast on the go, a mid morning snack for the energised or dare I say it, an extremely high calorie tidbit to have any time of the day or night! So, MMM, I’m hoping you’ll be making these now now.

Well it IS Easter after all. Slightly healthier than some of the other chocolate options around at the moment, and based on the use of very good ingredients, this should not scare you too much! Risotto is one of the most amazing canvases to which you can add flavour after flavour…and chocolate of course is just a flavour…I have added orange as well as the combination is always fantastic!

If you want to use Cointreau or another dessert wine, simply substitute for other liquid…a spoonful of powdered espresso adds depth of flavour as well. So Hoppy Easter to all, and please, make sure you all eat too much chocolate…cos the next excuse to do so is a looong way away.

NEED:

180g dark chocolate in pieces

zest 1 orange

40g butter

350g Arborio rice

100g Amaretto

1 tsp vanilla essence

1L  milk

1 chopped segmented orange

150g sugar

cream to taste

DO:

Place chocolate and orange zest into Thermomix bowl and mill together for 10 seconds on speed 10. Set aside.

Place butter, rice and Amaretto into Thermomix bowl and saute for 3 minutes at 100oC on Reverse + speed 1.5. (Don’t ask, just find a spot between speed 1 and 2 and relax!)

Add remaining ingredients except chocolate and orange zest, and cream to Thermomix bowl and cook for between 17-19 minutes at 100oC on Reverse + speed 1.5.

Pour in insulated bowl removing any fibrous pieces from the orange, and stir chocolate and cream through. Garnish with white chocolate curls and serve whilst still hot.

You know I love a good bread recipe, and never short on food ideas, I am happy to say that I found a couple of fellow bloggers on the same wave length for these ones; Pink Parsley did an excellent recipe adapted from the now extinct Gourmet Magazine and added Jalepeno Mustard…terrific idea! But my first discovery of like minded plan was by cruising Tastespotting, a site that should you happen across, you will immediately gain 3 kilos and lose all sense of time…well maybe I exaggerate, 2 kilos max. Pennies on a Platter showed up on Tastespotting with these beauties and so the deed was done. They say there are no new stories in the world, and similarly, no new recipes, and sorry folks, have to agree, though I couldn’t resist adding a sweet version of course. What else is there if not adding chocolate to bread? Well theres always lime…so I’m giving you (and me!) a day off the chocolate, and defaulting to my other sweet fave. Enjoy!

NEED:

1 batch Pretzel Dough divided in half

1 recipe Lime Butter (Lemon Butter using lime zest and juice…)

100g tasty or aged cheese cubed

200g chorizo sausage

DO:

Make pretzel dough and allow to prove.

Make Lime Butter and refrigerate.

(I pre made the Lime Butter a day ahead and therefore it was completely cold, which helps.)

Preheat oven to 220C and line 2 baking trays with paper and set aside.

Place cheese into clean, dry, Thermomix bowl and mill for 10 seconds on speed 10. Set aside.

Place Chorizo into Thermomix bowl and chop or mince for 8-10 seconds on speed 8.

Roll half dough out into large rectangle and spread first with cheese, then chorizo. Carefully roll over onto itself along long side of rectangle to make a large sausage shape, tucking the dough underneath itself and pinching together to close. Cut into pieces and lay onto prepared tray. Brush with mixture of  50g Baking soda (bicarb) that has been dissolved in a little water before baking for approximately 10-12 minutes. Serve hot.

To make Lime Butter Pretzels, repeat rolling out process with remaining dough, spread with cold Lime Butter, roll, cut into bite sized pieces and place on prepared tray. Brush with Bicarb mixture before baking at same temperature. These will cook a little quicker, so check them at around 8 minutes. Dollop with additional Lime Butter as they cool. Serve immediately.

After a weekend of eating, I have almost decided this blog (and bloggess) needs to go on a diet, (or at least stay away from Tastespotting!) and yet I can’t help but notice the first three letters of diet are die! AND I made another tart with pineapple and passionfruit that, yes, will undoubtedly show up on here soon. So what do you think readers? Are you ready for a few weeks of spartan? It’s just not as much fun dreaming up a bowl of lentils, that’s all….comments please!

Maple and Cranberry Toasted Crunch

Muesli, Granola, Floor Sweepings, Cereal, Crumble…the names go on. My husband has a (dare I say it?) fetish for a crunchy start to his day…or for that matter would prefer a bowl of this with icy cold milk for dessert on most nights. Not for him the rich, chocolatey or lemony waves of any of my Decadent Desserts! I have had a few well deserved days off this week, and so have enjoyed some leisurely cooking in my almost done new kitchen…this breakfast takes a little time, but is so simple, it can barely be classed as a recipe! SO throw a few things together and see what you come up with. It may just turn you on to breakfast!

Maple and Cranberry Toasted Crunch
NEED:
150g butter
150g Maple Syrup (please use the real deal!)
good pinch salt
2 tbsp vanilla essence
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
4-5 cups rolled oats
150g dried (as opposed to fresh) pitted dates
100g craisins
50g shredded coconut

DO:
Place butter, syrup, salt and vanilla into Thermomix bowl and melt together for 4 minutes at 60oC on speed 2. Set aside.
Meanwhile, spread nuts and seeds onto large flat tray and toast in hot oven for about 10-12 minutes until crunchy. Set aside to cool slightly.
Spread oats onto tray and drizzle with butter mixture. Stir and mix by hand until evenly distributed. Cook in 170oC oven for around 3o minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure edges are not overdone.
Place dates into Thermomix bowl and chop for 8-10 seconds on speed 9. Place into large mixing bowl.
Place cooled nuts into Thermomix bowl and with dial set to closed lid position, pulse on Turbo for less than 1 second, just to chop roughly. Add to mixing bowl.
Cool oats slightly before adding to the bowl.
Add craisins and coconut and mix by hand. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks…but it won’t last that long, I can assure you!