Tangerine Cake

As promised, I wanted to share with you a recipe I made using my epic haul of citrus fruits over the weekend (check out my story of how it came to be, if you haven't read it yet).  This one has been bookmarked for ages and despite the bizarre instructions to boil the fruit whole and then puree it whole: skins, pith and all (!) I had a feeling it would turn out well.  I suppose I just completely trust Nigella Lawson, though God knows why.  Anyone that gorgeous shouldn't be capable of cooking their way out of a paper bag, but every recipe of hers that I've attempted has turned out to be lovely, decadent and worthy of every single one of the adjectives she uses to describe them.

This cake was no exception.  Despite it's unusual method, it's lack of flour and butter (or oil) and my artistic liberties, exchanging tangerines for the clementines called-for, it turned out beautifully.  Incredibly moist and light, yet with satisfying body, this cake made a beautiful dessert, but would be equally as nice served with a cup of tea or to accompany a brunch buffet.  And did I mention, it's Gluten-Free.

Not usually a raw batter-eater, I couldn't resist it this time.  From my little taste I had some serious concerns that it was going to taste bitter when cooked.  And perhaps the aftertaste was just slightly sharp, at first.  Not unpleasant though, in fact we delighted in every crumb:  it's texture, it's pleasant citrus aroma and unmistakable tangerine-ness. 

But then something happened.  I can't describe it and I don't know how exactly, but somehow the second day after baking, the cake became even more delicious.  It lost the sharp aftertaste, it mellowed, if you will...

Even if you don't find yourself with a mountain of citrus fruits, this is a beautiful dessert that showcases the best of the Winter produce.  You could even substitute oranges or lemons instead of tangerines or clementines (make sure to up the sugar, per Nigella's recommendations if you use lemons).

Tangerine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson
makes one 9-inch cake

3-4 tangerines (375 grams total weight)
6 eggs
225 grams sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
250 grams ground almonds (2 1/3 cups; I used Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour)
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Place the tangerines in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours.  Drain and allow to cool, then slice each tangerine in half horizontally and remove any seeds.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer cooked tangerines and all accumulated juices into the food processor (yep, you're putting them in whole - skins, pith, fruit and all) and blitz until pureed.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line with a round of parchment paper, then spray that.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Then add the sugar, almonds and baking powder and mix well.  Add the pureed fruit and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to see if the top is browning.  If the top of your cake starts to turn dark brown or burn, cover the cake with foil for the remaining time.  The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry.  Remove cake from oven and set on a wire rack to cool, allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Serve cake at room temperature, dusted lightly with the powdered sugar.  

Question of the Day

What's your favorite citrus fruit?  What is your preferred way to eat it?

I adore grapefruits!  My favorite way to eat them is simply sliced in half and eaten with a spoon, although lately we've been coming up with creative ways to incorporate them into ev-ery-thing:  sliced on top of salads, pureed into smoothies and juiced for salad vinaigrette.

Tangerine Cake

As promised, I wanted to share with you a recipe I made using my epic haul of citrus fruits over the weekend (check out my story of how it came to be, if you haven't read it yet).  This one has been bookmarked for ages and despite the bizarre instructions to boil the fruit whole and then puree it whole: skins, pith and all (!) I had a feeling it would turn out well.  I suppose I just completely trust Nigella Lawson, though God knows why.  Anyone that gorgeous shouldn't be capable of cooking their way out of a paper bag, but every recipe of hers that I've attempted has turned out to be lovely, decadent and worthy of every single one of the adjectives she uses to describe them.

This cake was no exception.  Despite it's unusual method, it's lack of flour and butter (or oil) and my artistic liberties, exchanging tangerines for the clementines called-for, it turned out beautifully.  Incredibly moist and light, yet with satisfying body, this cake made a beautiful dessert, but would be equally as nice served with a cup of tea or to accompany a brunch buffet.  And did I mention, it's Gluten-Free.

Not usually a raw batter-eater, I couldn't resist it this time.  From my little taste I had some serious concerns that it was going to taste bitter when cooked.  And perhaps the aftertaste was just slightly sharp, at first.  Not unpleasant though, in fact we delighted in every crumb:  it's texture, it's pleasant citrus aroma and unmistakable tangerine-ness. 

But then something happened.  I can't describe it and I don't know how exactly, but somehow the second day after baking, the cake became even more delicious.  It lost the sharp aftertaste, it mellowed, if you will...

Even if you don't find yourself with a mountain of citrus fruits, this is a beautiful dessert that showcases the best of the Winter produce.  You could even substitute oranges or lemons instead of tangerines or clementines (make sure to up the sugar, per Nigella's recommendations if you use lemons).

Tangerine Cake
adapted from Nigella Lawson
makes one 9-inch cake

3-4 tangerines (375 grams total weight)
6 eggs
225 grams sugar (about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
250 grams ground almonds (2 1/3 cups; I used Bob's Red Mill Almond meal/flour)
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Place the tangerines in a pot and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2 hours.  Drain and allow to cool, then slice each tangerine in half horizontally and remove any seeds.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Transfer cooked tangerines and all accumulated juices into the food processor (yep, you're putting them in whole - skins, pith, fruit and all) and blitz until pureed.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray and line with a round of parchment paper, then spray that.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Then add the sugar, almonds and baking powder and mix well.  Add the pureed fruit and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking after 20 minutes to see if the top is browning.  If the top of your cake starts to turn dark brown or burn, cover the cake with foil for the remaining time.  The cake is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out dry.  Remove cake from oven and set on a wire rack to cool, allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.

Serve cake at room temperature, dusted lightly with the powdered sugar.  

Question of the Day

What's your favorite citrus fruit?  What is your preferred way to eat it?

I adore grapefruits!  My favorite way to eat them is simply sliced in half and eaten with a spoon, although lately we've been coming up with creative ways to incorporate them into ev-ery-thing:  sliced on top of salads, pureed into smoothies and juiced for salad vinaigrette.

Tangerine Dream

We came into a citrus windfall yesterday.  Today, even after sharing a generous bag of tangerines and grapefruits with our friends Jen and Leah, 8 grapefruits and 17 tangerines remained.  I have a recipe to share soon, but first a little about how we came into such a fortune....

Walking home from The Fresh Market yesterday morning, Brian and I passed by a house with 4 or 5 fruit-laden citrus trees in the backyard.  We've passed by many times and I had only seen an elderly woman outside the house once.  It seemed that no one had been picking the fruit, as the trees have been full for weeks, so we knocked on the door to ask if we might take some.  A frail old woman answered and said we could help ourselves to tangerines, on the condition that we pick two bags of 2-dozen for her, and we could have 2-dozen as well.  We were the rare passers-by that asked before taking the fruit, she observed, Southern manners aren't what they used to be.  

We happily obliged and set to work, Helen instructing us in the best way to pick the fruit to avoid tearing the delicate skin.  The tangerines were late this year, she said matter-of-factly, they are usually all finished by Christmas.  Growing up not far from here, her father owned groves of citrus, she remembered.  Those fields are now subdivisions and strip malls, a Lowe's stands where acres of grapefruit trees once bore fruit.

These trees, never tainted by pesticides or chemicals, have been here more than 30 years, Helen told us.  Neglected nowadays she admitted, due to her old age and several recent falls.  She has no one to pick the fruit she said, and cannot eat grapefruits anymore - a compound in them would render her blood pressure medication inactive.  She will eat some of the tangerines we picked, and share the rest with neighborhood children.  The other bag will go to the halfway house where her daughter lives, the residents appreciate the rare opportunity to eat fresh fruit she told us.    

Towering high above us, accessible only by a ladder, clusters of the largest and ripest tangerines hung like grapes, their bright orange like a fiery sun against the blue sky.  Those were the ones we wanted and they taunted us as we climbed, teetering and unsteady but hungry for their sweetness.  Six dozen tangerines were picked in no time, and divided among the three bags.

Did we want grapefruits, asked Helen.  Our eyes became as large as those butter-colored orbs and our gaze drifted to where they hung from the overburdened limbs of the neighboring tree.  Thoughts of fresh-squeezed juice and smoothies, perhaps a greyhound cocktail?  Yes, but the first one would be eaten plain, sliced through its center and eaten with a spoon out of the convenient bowl-shaped half.  She filled a bag with 12 of them.  These here, these are filled with seeds, Helen warned, but they taste the best, the others are pale pink on the inside.

The mile walk home was hurried, as the bag handles seared their imprint into our hands, still fragrant with the citrus oils.  Our bags were heavy with the ripe fruits, their pock-marked skins in shades of golds and glowing embers.  Brian and I talked excitedly of our good fortune and we planned out what to do with such abundance.  Before we had left her house, Helen had invited us to return next Saturday to pick more fruit.  The thought came to us that we couldn't possibly use more, but we will go back.  Not for ourselves but rather for Helen.  I think she would like that.

              

Tangerine Dream

We came into a citrus windfall yesterday.  Today, even after sharing a generous bag of tangerines and grapefruits with our friends Jen and Leah, 8 grapefruits and 17 tangerines remained.  I have a recipe to share soon, but first a little about how we came into such a fortune....

Walking home from The Fresh Market yesterday morning, Brian and I passed by a house with 4 or 5 fruit-laden citrus trees in the backyard.  We've passed by many times and I had only seen an elderly woman outside the house once.  It seemed that no one had been picking the fruit, as the trees have been full for weeks, so we knocked on the door to ask if we might take some.  A frail old woman answered and said we could help ourselves to tangerines, on the condition that we pick two bags of 2-dozen for her, and we could have 2-dozen as well.  We were the rare passers-by that asked before taking the fruit, she observed, Southern manners aren't what they used to be.  

We happily obliged and set to work, Helen instructing us in the best way to pick the fruit to avoid tearing the delicate skin.  The tangerines were late this year, she said matter-of-factly, they are usually all finished by Christmas.  Growing up not far from here, her father owned groves of citrus, she remembered.  Those fields are now subdivisions and strip malls, a Lowe's stands where acres of grapefruit trees once bore fruit.

These trees, never tainted by pesticides or chemicals, have been here more than 30 years, Helen told us.  Neglected nowadays she admitted, due to her old age and several recent falls.  She has no one to pick the fruit she said, and cannot eat grapefruits anymore - a compound in them would render her blood pressure medication inactive.  She will eat some of the tangerines we picked, and share the rest with neighborhood children.  The other bag will go to the halfway house where her daughter lives, the residents appreciate the rare opportunity to eat fresh fruit she told us.    

Towering high above us, accessible only by a ladder, clusters of the largest and ripest tangerines hung like grapes, their bright orange like a fiery sun against the blue sky.  Those were the ones we wanted and they taunted us as we climbed, teetering and unsteady but hungry for their sweetness.  Six dozen tangerines were picked in no time, and divided among the three bags.

Did we want grapefruits, asked Helen.  Our eyes became as large as those butter-colored orbs and our gaze drifted to where they hung from the overburdened limbs of the neighboring tree.  Thoughts of fresh-squeezed juice and smoothies, perhaps a greyhound cocktail?  Yes, but the first one would be eaten plain, sliced through its center and eaten with a spoon out of the convenient bowl-shaped half.  She filled a bag with 12 of them.  These here, these are filled with seeds, Helen warned, but they taste the best, the others are pale pink on the inside.

The mile walk home was hurried, as the bag handles seared their imprint into our hands, still fragrant with the citrus oils.  Our bags were heavy with the ripe fruits, their pock-marked skins in shades of golds and glowing embers.  Brian and I talked excitedly of our good fortune and we planned out what to do with such abundance.  Before we had left her house, Helen had invited us to return next Saturday to pick more fruit.  The thought came to us that we couldn't possibly use more, but we will go back.  Not for ourselves but rather for Helen.  I think she would like that.

              

Resolutions Progress

I thought this would be a good time to bring up my New Year's Resolutions again and see how I am doing so far.  Part of remaining accountable is periodically checking in to see how things are going.

I read an article that said one third of the people who have made resolutions will have broken them by the end of January.  This jumps to over half by July.  One strategy the author recommends is self-monitoring, keeping track of your progress, on a frequent basis.  Whether your goal was to lose weight, learn a new language or, like me you had a couple resolutions in mind, the important thing is to periodically check in to see how you're doing.

The article also recommends that you "outsource self-control."  This means you get friends and family, social media, or in my case anyone reading this blog, involved in your resolution.  If you share your progress with other people, you're more likely to stick with it.  If you keep it to yourself, you're more likely to let it lapse since you are only letting one person down, as opposed to many.

*source

For the purpose of reminding myself what I'm hoping to accomplish, I'll paste them here:

Goals for 2012

Run a 10K

Improve my physical strength

Volunteer/Donate my time to a cause I believe in

Write every day

Learn to paint - paint something I would be willing to display in my house

Improve my photography

Make time to read daily

Make a career change

Learn French

Spend more time outdoors (but take better care of my skin!)

Become a better friend/daughter/sister/wife

Explore and share my passions and knowledge with others:  food, wine, health, wellness

Travel somewhere new(destination TBD)

So how are things going so far?  Well, I am happy to report that I've registered for an 8K!  I'm not ready for a 10K but this will be my FIRST organized race and I am well into my training.  Things are going really well so far: I've increased my distance and my speed but I still have more work to do before race day.

Improve my physical strength:  I have also been working on my physical strength, adding 3 days of conditioning every week.  Today was chest and triceps and MAN OH MAN, I was toast by the end.  I am already feeling improvements in my ability to do more push-ups.  I still haven't seen any physical changes in my body but I know it's not going to happen overnight.

Volunteer/Donate my time for a cause I believe in:  Still haven't picked the right opportunity yet.  Will keep you posted when I do.  I really want to find something that I'm passionate about.

Write Every Day:  I am doing better, but still not finding the time every day.  I am writing about 3 or 4 days a week (better than the 0 to 1 days before I made my resolutions), but I am sure I could do better.  

Learn to paint:  Nope.  Still no Picasso.

Improve my photography:  I am working on paying more attention to my photography composition, lighting and just improving my familiarity with the camera and its settings.  It doesn't come easily, so I have a LOT more work to do here.

Make time to read daily:  Still not finding the time to read (for pleasure) on a daily basis, but I finally finished What to Eat (whoohoo!) and I have moved on to a book I got for Christmas.  I'm reading about 3 or 4 days a week.  

Make a Career Change:  Nope.

Learn French:  Nope.  But I have a lead on getting free computer software for a basic French language course. 

Spend time outdoors, take care of my skin:  Yes and No.  Today I noticed tan lines above my ankles from my sneakers and below my knees from my running tights (from running outside).  It helps that the weather here has been GOR-GEOUS lately.  Unfortunately, I haven't been wearing sunscreen except on my face.  Bad Julia, Bad BAD Julia.

Be a better friend/daughter/sister/wife: This will always be a goal, I have good days and bad days.  Sometimes I'm a complete beyotch, other days sweet as pie.  Hoping to decrease the number of bitchy days.

Explore and share my passions/knowledge (nutrition, health/wellness, wine, food):  That's where this blog comes in.  I'm trying to share more and learn more.  I think I'm slowly getting better at adding bits and pieces of things I know, I just don't want to sound preachy.  It's a fine balance, I think.

Travel somewhere new:  This is in the works.  I don't want to mention where we're hoping to travel this year yet because if it falls through (and it surely could) I don't want to disappoint anyone.  Either way, we will be going somewhere new, whether it's near or far.  

*source

Overall, I think I'm doing OK.  Certain areas need some more attention (volunteering, painting, learning French) and other areas are coming along pretty well.  Reflecting on my goals every so often helps to keep them in mind.  A resolution is only as good as your willingness to stick to it.  Let's not forget why we made the resolutions in the first place.

I hope you guys do a self-inventory on your resolutions if you made any this year.  Share your progress on facebook or twitter, or if that's too public for you maybe pick one person to be your accountability-buddy.  It's OK if you have lapsed, it's not too late to pick back up again.  Just remind yourself WHY you made that resolution in the first place, forgive yourself for falling off-course, and try again.

*source

Resolutions Progress

I thought this would be a good time to bring up my New Year's Resolutions again and see how I am doing so far.  Part of remaining accountable is periodically checking in to see how things are going.

I read an article that said one third of the people who have made resolutions will have broken them by the end of January.  This jumps to over half by July.  One strategy the author recommends is self-monitoring, keeping track of your progress, on a frequent basis.  Whether your goal was to lose weight, learn a new language or, like me you had a couple resolutions in mind, the important thing is to periodically check in to see how you're doing.

The article also recommends that you "outsource self-control."  This means you get friends and family, social media, or in my case anyone reading this blog, involved in your resolution.  If you share your progress with other people, you're more likely to stick with it.  If you keep it to yourself, you're more likely to let it lapse since you are only letting one person down, as opposed to many.

*source

For the purpose of reminding myself what I'm hoping to accomplish, I'll paste them here:

Goals for 2012

Run a 10K

Improve my physical strength

Volunteer/Donate my time to a cause I believe in

Write every day

Learn to paint - paint something I would be willing to display in my house

Improve my photography

Make time to read daily

Make a career change

Learn French

Spend more time outdoors (but take better care of my skin!)

Become a better friend/daughter/sister/wife

Explore and share my passions and knowledge with others:  food, wine, health, wellness

Travel somewhere new(destination TBD)

So how are things going so far?  Well, I am happy to report that I've registered for an 8K!  I'm not ready for a 10K but this will be my FIRST organized race and I am well into my training.  Things are going really well so far: I've increased my distance and my speed but I still have more work to do before race day.

Improve my physical strength:  I have also been working on my physical strength, adding 3 days of conditioning every week.  Today was chest and triceps and MAN OH MAN, I was toast by the end.  I am already feeling improvements in my ability to do more push-ups.  I still haven't seen any physical changes in my body but I know it's not going to happen overnight.

Volunteer/Donate my time for a cause I believe in:  Still haven't picked the right opportunity yet.  Will keep you posted when I do.  I really want to find something that I'm passionate about.

Write Every Day:  I am doing better, but still not finding the time every day.  I am writing about 3 or 4 days a week (better than the 0 to 1 days before I made my resolutions), but I am sure I could do better.  

Learn to paint:  Nope.  Still no Picasso.

Improve my photography:  I am working on paying more attention to my photography composition, lighting and just improving my familiarity with the camera and its settings.  It doesn't come easily, so I have a LOT more work to do here.

Make time to read daily:  Still not finding the time to read (for pleasure) on a daily basis, but I finally finished What to Eat (whoohoo!) and I have moved on to a book I got for Christmas.  I'm reading about 3 or 4 days a week.  

Make a Career Change:  Nope.

Learn French:  Nope.  But I have a lead on getting free computer software for a basic French language course. 

Spend time outdoors, take care of my skin:  Yes and No.  Today I noticed tan lines above my ankles from my sneakers and below my knees from my running tights (from running outside).  It helps that the weather here has been GOR-GEOUS lately.  Unfortunately, I haven't been wearing sunscreen except on my face.  Bad Julia, Bad BAD Julia.

Be a better friend/daughter/sister/wife: This will always be a goal, I have good days and bad days.  Sometimes I'm a complete beyotch, other days sweet as pie.  Hoping to decrease the number of bitchy days.

Explore and share my passions/knowledge (nutrition, health/wellness, wine, food):  That's where this blog comes in.  I'm trying to share more and learn more.  I think I'm slowly getting better at adding bits and pieces of things I know, I just don't want to sound preachy.  It's a fine balance, I think.

Travel somewhere new:  This is in the works.  I don't want to mention where we're hoping to travel this year yet because if it falls through (and it surely could) I don't want to disappoint anyone.  Either way, we will be going somewhere new, whether it's near or far.  

*source

Overall, I think I'm doing OK.  Certain areas need some more attention (volunteering, painting, learning French) and other areas are coming along pretty well.  Reflecting on my goals every so often helps to keep them in mind.  A resolution is only as good as your willingness to stick to it.  Let's not forget why we made the resolutions in the first place.

I hope you guys do a self-inventory on your resolutions if you made any this year.  Share your progress on facebook or twitter, or if that's too public for you maybe pick one person to be your accountability-buddy.  It's OK if you have lapsed, it's not too late to pick back up again.  Just remind yourself WHY you made that resolution in the first place, forgive yourself for falling off-course, and try again.

*source

Homemade Blueberry Muffin Larabar Balls

I'm a huge fan of Larabars.  If you've never had one, it's a foil-wrapped bar you can find in the health-foods aisle at the grocery store, made only from dried fruits and nuts, with the occasional addition of flavored extract or salt.  No added sugar, no artificial sweetener, no preservatives.  And they come in about 20 different flavors so the only problem is, for those of us who are terribly indecisive, it can be difficult to figure out which one to choose.  Confession:  I am that crazy person who spends 10 minutes standing in the nutrition-bar aisle looking frazzled because I can't decide between a Pecan Pie or Lemon Larabar.  

I love them because they're a portable snack made from 100% real-food ingredients.  Kind of like trail mix, in snack bar form.  They're the perfect mix of protein, fat and carbohydrates (including fiber) to give me sustained energy before a run or workout-sesh, or if I need to eat something as a snack between meals.  And because they're not loaded with preservatives or artificial sweeteners, I can feel good about eating them.

My favorite flavors are Key Lime Pie (when I can find it!), Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Muffin, but I've yet to find a flavor I didn't enjoy (and I am pretty sure I have tried most of them).  The great thing about these bars is, they get all of their sweetness* from dates and dried fruit, so even people who  avoid refined sugar or artificial sugars can eat them without any guilt.  They're gluten-free, paleo-friendly and even perfect for raw-food vegans.

*An exception to this is the Larabars that contain chocolate chips.  These do have sugar in the chocolate chips themselves, although the rest of the bar has no added sugar

Occasionally I can find Larabars on sale for $1 each, and when I do you better believe I STOCK UP.  Confession #2 of the day:  I hoard Larabars in my kitchen pantry.  When my stash is gone, however, I get out my mini food-processor and make my own.  Only instead of forming them into bars, I roll them into little balls and wrap them in saran wrap.  I find that 1 ball is the perfect size to eat before a workout or run or during a hike when I just need a little energy but am not starving.  I usually have the ingredients on hand because I think nuts and dried fruit are a great snack, a delicious addition to salads and the perfect topping for my oatmeal or cereal most mornings.  Even if you don't have the ingredients and have to go buy some of them, they still end up costing less if you make them yourself rather than buy them at full price (usually $1.67 or more each at my grocery store).

This recipe makes 5 balls, each ball is approximately the equivalent of 1/2 of a Larabar.  I recommend that you store them in the refrigerator since they lack preservatives.  They'll be fine out of the refrigerator for a few hours (i.e. during a hike, or in your purse running errands) but I wouldn't recommend storing them in the pantry.

I have lots of variations to share but first up is one of my personal favorites:  Blueberry Muffin.

I do NOT recommend this brand of dried blueberries.  When I got them home, I realized they have added sugar!  WTF?!  WHY would you add sugar to (already sweet) fruit?  I'm going back to my dried organic blueberries from the bulk bin at my local health-foods co-op.  

No-Bake Blueberry Fruit & Nut Energy Balls aka. Blueberry Muffin LaraBalls
makes 5 snack-size balls (this recipe can easily be doubled as well)
loosely adapted from Foodbuzz

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews or almonds (I use a combination of the two)
1/4 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (OR 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest)

I am a little impatient so I usually just toss all of the dried nuts and both the dates and blueberries into the food processor at the same time and pulse until combined.  Then add my vanilla extract and lemon extract (or lemon juice + zest) and pulse a few more times.  Then, roll the mixture into 5 equal size balls and wrap each, individually, in a piece of plastic wrap.

If you want your Larabar balls to look more like the bar (i.e. larger pieces of blueberries studding the balls), start by adding all of the nuts to the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped, then add the dates and pulse until well combined.  Finally, add in your extracts and the blueberries and pulse 3 or 4 more times, just to combine but keeping the blueberries mostly intact.  Continue rolling into balls and wrapping as above.

Mine:  Purple-ish-blue from pulverizing the heck out of the blueberries.  Theirs:  Brown with big chunks of blueberry throughout.   Taste the same to me! 

Individually-wrapped for snacking on the go.

Homemade Blueberry Muffin Larabar Balls

I'm a huge fan of Larabars.  If you've never had one, it's a foil-wrapped bar you can find in the health-foods aisle at the grocery store, made only from dried fruits and nuts, with the occasional addition of flavored extract or salt.  No added sugar, no artificial sweetener, no preservatives.  And they come in about 20 different flavors so the only problem is, for those of us who are terribly indecisive, it can be difficult to figure out which one to choose.  Confession:  I am that crazy person who spends 10 minutes standing in the nutrition-bar aisle looking frazzled because I can't decide between a Pecan Pie or Lemon Larabar.  

I love them because they're a portable snack made from 100% real-food ingredients.  Kind of like trail mix, in snack bar form.  They're the perfect mix of protein, fat and carbohydrates (including fiber) to give me sustained energy before a run or workout-sesh, or if I need to eat something as a snack between meals.  And because they're not loaded with preservatives or artificial sweeteners, I can feel good about eating them.

My favorite flavors are Key Lime Pie (when I can find it!), Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Muffin, but I've yet to find a flavor I didn't enjoy (and I am pretty sure I have tried most of them).  The great thing about these bars is, they get all of their sweetness* from dates and dried fruit, so even people who  avoid refined sugar or artificial sugars can eat them without any guilt.  They're gluten-free, paleo-friendly and even perfect for raw-food vegans.

*An exception to this is the Larabars that contain chocolate chips.  These do have sugar in the chocolate chips themselves, although the rest of the bar has no added sugar

Occasionally I can find Larabars on sale for $1 each, and when I do you better believe I STOCK UP.  Confession #2 of the day:  I hoard Larabars in my kitchen pantry.  When my stash is gone, however, I get out my mini food-processor and make my own.  Only instead of forming them into bars, I roll them into little balls and wrap them in saran wrap.  I find that 1 ball is the perfect size to eat before a workout or run or during a hike when I just need a little energy but am not starving.  I usually have the ingredients on hand because I think nuts and dried fruit are a great snack, a delicious addition to salads and the perfect topping for my oatmeal or cereal most mornings.  Even if you don't have the ingredients and have to go buy some of them, they still end up costing less if you make them yourself rather than buy them at full price (usually $1.67 or more each at my grocery store).

This recipe makes 5 balls, each ball is approximately the equivalent of 1/2 of a Larabar.  I recommend that you store them in the refrigerator since they lack preservatives.  They'll be fine out of the refrigerator for a few hours (i.e. during a hike, or in your purse running errands) but I wouldn't recommend storing them in the pantry.

I have lots of variations to share but first up is one of my personal favorites:  Blueberry Muffin.

I do NOT recommend this brand of dried blueberries.  When I got them home, I realized they have added sugar!  WTF?!  WHY would you add sugar to (already sweet) fruit?  I'm going back to my dried organic blueberries from the bulk bin at my local health-foods co-op.  

No-Bake Blueberry Fruit & Nut Energy Balls aka. Blueberry Muffin LaraBalls
makes 5 snack-size balls (this recipe can easily be doubled as well)
loosely adapted from Foodbuzz

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews or almonds (I use a combination of the two)
1/4 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (OR 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest)

I am a little impatient so I usually just toss all of the dried nuts and both the dates and blueberries into the food processor at the same time and pulse until combined.  Then add my vanilla extract and lemon extract (or lemon juice + zest) and pulse a few more times.  Then, roll the mixture into 5 equal size balls and wrap each, individually, in a piece of plastic wrap.

If you want your Larabar balls to look more like the bar (i.e. larger pieces of blueberries studding the balls), start by adding all of the nuts to the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse until finely chopped, then add the dates and pulse until well combined.  Finally, add in your extracts and the blueberries and pulse 3 or 4 more times, just to combine but keeping the blueberries mostly intact.  Continue rolling into balls and wrapping as above.

Mine:  Purple-ish-blue from pulverizing the heck out of the blueberries.  Theirs:  Brown with big chunks of blueberry throughout.   Taste the same to me! 

Individually-wrapped for snacking on the go.

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

This morning, I was the early-bird.

Only, instead of getting a worm, I got this bowl of strawberries & cream oatmeal.  Pretty good substitute, I think.

Did you ever eat those packets of Instant Oatmeal when you were a kid?  The kind that came in a box with fruit & cream flavors:  peaches, bananas, blueberries, strawberries.  There were only 2 packets of each flavor.  In my house, strawberries & cream was always the first to go....

This version is better than that.  No added sugar or artificial strawberry flavor.  No "creaming agent (maltodextrin, partially-hydrogenated soybean oil)".  My version takes a teensy bit longer to make, about 3 minutes as opposed to 90 seconds for the packaged variety.  But it's that extra minute and a half that makes all the difference:  that's how long it takes to slice up a few strawberries and half a banana.  Real strawberries and a real banana.  The banana is really just there to make this oatmeal sweet enough that I don't need to add any sugar or sweetener.  It's the strawberry flavor that really stands out.

I add half the volume of liquid in the form of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  Dairy milk (or half & half, or cream) would work perfect too.  That's my idea of a "creaming agent."  And I top mine with chia seeds for extra fiber, antioxidants and Omega-3's.

Strawberries are in season here in Florida, so I used fresh but if you live in part of the country where all you can get are watery, under-ripe strawberries, I'd recommend you go with frozen berries.  Just throw them in whole when you microwave your oatmeal and decrease your amount of liquid a bit too, so it doesn't end up too watery.  They will be very soft once your oatmeal is cooked, at that point you can just cut them up with your spoon.



Strawberries & Cream Oatmeal
serves 1

1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not Instant, *make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you wish)
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Almond Breeze)
1/3 cup (or less) water - amount depends on how liquid-y you like your oatmeal
4 strawberries, diced
1/2 ripe banana, diced

chia seeds, almond butter, granola, additional milk or cream for serving (optional)

In a microwave safe glass or ceramic bowl, combine oatmeal, milk and water.  Add all of the sliced banana and about half of your diced strawberries, stir.  Microwave 90 seconds (up to 2 minutes for softer oats, but I like mine a little chewy).  Let oatmeal stand at room temperature to cool and absorb all of the liquid, about 30 seconds to a minute, then top with remaining strawberries and any other toppings (chia seeds, dollop of almond butter, granola, milk/cream).