Banana-Carob Laraballs

I set out to try to find a recipe to make a candy or cake out of figs and nuts that mom had found me at a deli. I narrowed it down to an italian speciality called "Salame di fichi" or possibly "Panforte" aka "Sienna Cake"  but I could not find a recipe without flour anywhere!  And then I realized that all the hullahbaloo on the internets about home made Larabars were basically the same thing, only with more fun ingredients.  I have never had a Larabar as I don't eat processed food for the most part, and a Larabar is much too high of a calorie item to be a snack for me.

So I set about borrowing ideas for these homemade Larabars, rolled them into balls of 75 calories for a good pre-run snack, and renamed them Laraballs.

The basic idea here is to make it 50/50 dried fruit to nuts & additions, so add and substitute what you want to suit your taste.  Also, if this doesn’t look like 50/50 when you get going on it, change it up.  I do everything by gram weight and you may not have a scale in your kitchen so I am going by best guess on the amounts here.

Brandee’s Banana-Carob Laraballs

2 bananas, dehydrated or oven dried (details below)

6-8 medjool dated

8-10 or so dried figs

¾ c. nuts (I use an almond and cashew mix)

½ c. carob chips (or chocolate chips)

Pinch o’ salt

¼ c. cocoa powder, or PB2, or other coating of your choice (details on PB2, below)

Chop the dates and figs and ‘nanas in the food processor (pit the dates first if needed). Remove and set aside.  Run the nuts through to get them chopped, then add the date mixture back in and chop.  You can add in your other additions now if you want them chopped a little, or add them after you transfer.  Get the whole mess in a bowl and mix it further with your hands which by now will be a sticky, gummy mess.

This is where it gets really messy and sticky, so have everything set up ahead of time before you set to it.

For balls, divide up into tablespoon sized portions, and roll the portions in your palms to make balls.  Toss the balls in a bowl with your cocoa powder (or whatever) and roll around to get a good coating.  Freeze.

For bars, divide the mixture up into 4 and place on parchment paper or saran wrap.  Put another sheet on top.  Use a rolling pin or soup can to roll it to ½ inch thick rectangles. Refrigerate or freeze (they don’t get hard when frozen) in whatever paper you used.

Dehydrating Bananas when you don’t have a dehydrator.  Which I do not.

Slice the banas pretty thin, no more than 3-4 mm thick.  Put them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Set the oven to 175 and leave them for 3-6 hours on the middle rack, depends how thick you make them.  Yeah, it’s a long way to go for a treat.  I really need to get a dehydrator. I just got a dehydrator last week!

Other Laraball combo Ideas I have but have not tried:

All of this would have the date and fig base, along with the nuts.  Substitutions would be in the type of nut ,the additional fruit and the coating.

Dried Cherries and Chocolate

Dried Apricots and Chocolate

Rasins, dried Apples, and Cinnamon

Coconut flake coating on the original recipe

Banana, Bacon, and PB powder

Lemon and Coconut flakes (I actually have powdered lemon.. not sure how this would taste.)

Super trail mix: pepitos, sunflower seeds, poppey seeds, chia seeds, nut mixture

Dried Cranberry and Orange zest

Pecan Pie – add vanilla and oatmeal to the mix, use pecans for the nuts

Halavah – big portion of sesame seeds (instead of?) nuts. Chocolate coating.

Triple brownie – cocoa powder in the mix and as a coating, and carob chips

PB2 is powdered peanut butter, that has 85% less fat than a spoonful of peanutbutter - you can also get it in a chocolate variety.  It is freaking delicious, but I was sad to learn it has sugar in it so I have only ever had like 1 tablespoon of it, but it haunts my dreams.  You can get it at whole foods and other health food type stores http://www.bellplantation.com/  (I use peanut flour now which is unsweetened and I add more own salt and sweetener to it. I get my peanut flour from http://www.myspicer.com/). 

Eric's quick snack: a wedge of cheddar cheese.  Which is actually quite delicious so for once I am not poking fun of my sweetie.

Mushroom Stroganoff

The whole reason I made zucchini pasta was to have something creamy and filling - I settled on this mushroom pasta sauce which, as it turns out, is pretty much a very healthy stroganoff!  I have made this a couple of times in the last few weeks. Very simple, very filling, and VERY tasty.

Healthy Mushroom Stoganoff

splash of olive oil
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
5 oz. mushrooms, sliced (any variety will work.  I have used button, crimini, and wood ear to great success)
1/2 c. fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/2 tsp each thyme, oregano, marjoram, dried basil
1/2 oz feta cheese

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until slightly translucent under low heat.  Slightly increase heat and add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms start to brown. Add the salt and seasonjngs and finish browning the mushrooms (you want the salt in at this stage as it leeches the moisture form the mushrooms, adding to the sauciness, which you don't want to cook off entirely).  Turn off the heat.  Add yogurt and still until just combined.  Sprinkle in the feta. Add to the top of your favorite pasta!  You can also add come sauteed chicken to this and it is terrific!

Eric's favorite pasta sauce: that bag of powdered cheese from the Kraft box. 

Zucchini Pasta

I can't call this a recipe.  But I have to share.  It's more of a method?  I dunno.  You tell me.

In any case, I hardly eat any grains at all.  I sort of miss pasta, but I think really what I have been missing is pasta sauces.  I love the sauce.  So I found this information somewhere on how to use zucchini as a pasta.  Through some trial and error, I have found the correct method to make this really work (the info I found was not all that great and I had to figure some stuff out on my own).

The result is a texture that is definitely pasta-esque, holds the sauce, and does NOT impart much zucchini flavor, oddly.

Preparing Zucchini Pasta

young zucchini (5-6 inches long)
salt
water
ice cubes

Set a pot of salted water to boil.  Meanwhile,  use a mandolin if you have one and slice your zuc thin, but not paper thin - about the depth of fettuccine noodles. Slice them to make strips if you so desire, or leave them as they come off the fruit.  Discard the middle seed portions.  Prepare an ice bath (bowl of ice water) and set aside.  Once at a rapid boil, drop your zuc strips in the pot of salted water and set a timer for 2 minutes.  DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN LONGER.  As soon as time is up, empty the hot water using a strainer, and immediately get your strips into the ice bath.  Once all the way cool, use the strainer again and allow the zuc to drain completely.  That is it!  You can set them on paper towels to get additional moisture off as well, but I don't bother.

Because the squash is cold, make sure your pasta sauce is nice and hot.  Unless you are making a cold pasta dish, in which case, it doesn't matter.  That's a free tip for you right there.

Eric's method: open a box.  add water.

Punkin Curry Soup

I know it's been a while. I've been lazy busy!

I'll get a pic of this later. I make it all the time

Brandee's Punkin Curry Soup

1/4 of a medium sized kabocha squash, peeled or not, cut up into 1/2 inch cubes
2-3 c. water or stock
1-3 TB good curry paste from an Asian market (I use http://www.amazon.com/Mae-Ploy-Thai-Curry-Paste/dp/B000EI2LLO I get it from Ranch 99)
1 tsp Coconut extract - or 1 small can coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass
1 handful fresh basil
1 fresh lime
1-3 cups cut up additional veggies, tofu, chicken (pre-cooked) or fish to your taste such as:
cauliflower, zucchini, bell peppers (any color), mushrooms, tomato, pineapple, turnips... whatever is clever

Add squash to water or stock and set it to boil until tender (20-30 mins). Add curry paste. Remove some of the cut-up squash and set aside. Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) to make a thick soup base from the remainder of the squash and liquid. Reintroduce the cooked squash to the soup and add the coconut extract/ milk, more water/stock if needed, 1 stalk lemon grass cut up, additional veg / meats.
Allow this to come to a low simmer and cook until your veggies are done enough for your taste (I let it go another 10 mins).  Right before serving, add a generous handful of fresh basil and allow to cook for 1-2 more minutes. Squeeze fresh lime juice into your bowl right before you eat.

So freakin' good!

Eric's dinner: more of the same! Although, I did try out a new (bottled) pasta sauce on him that was a rose alfredo with tomatoes in it.  He says, "I didn't hate it" which means this is something he would eat again.  Good times.