Elvis Bars

No Bake Elvis Bars

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw

A quick and easy, minimally sweetened frozen dessert square inspired by the popular Elvis Pie. My version uses almond butter instead of peanut butter and replaces the bacon for chocolate. Be sure to enjoy these straight out of the freezer as they melt really fast! 

Yield
16 small squares

Prep time
20 Minutes

Cook time
0 Minutes

Chill time
1-1.5 hours

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1.5 cup whole almonds
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut nectar syrup or Brown Rice Syrup
1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
For the middle layer:
2 medium ripe bananas, peeled
1/4 cup coconut oil, softened slightly
2 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste

For the chocolate drizzle:
3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips 

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

Line an 8-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. This makes it easy to lift out the bars later on.

For the crust: Add the almonds into a food processor and process until a fine crumb forms, slightly larger than sand. Now add in the rest of the crust ingredients and process until the mixture comes together, scraping the side of the bowl as needed. The mixture should be a slightly tacky and should stick together when pressed with your fingers. If it's not, add a very small splash of water and process again for a few seconds.

Dump the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth out evenly and then press down firmly and evenly into the pan. You can lightly wet your fingers if the crust sticks to them. Use a pastry roller to roll it very smooth, compacting it as much as possible. Place in freezer while you prepare the middle layer.

Middle layer: Give the processor bowl a quick rinse. Add all the middle layer ingredients into the processor and process until smooth. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the middle layer on top. Smooth out. Return to the freezer for at least 1-1.5 hours to set, until the middle layer is very firm to the touch.

Chocolate drizzle: When the middle layer is completely solid, prepare the topping. In a small pot heat the chocolate and coconut oil on the lowest heat, stirring to combine. When half of the chips have melted, remove the pot from the heat and stir until completely melted. Remove the bars from the freezer. Lift slab out of the pan and slice into squares. Spread out the squares on a plate lined with parchment paper. Drizzle on the melted chocolate and return bars to the freezer until the chocolate is firm and the bars are solid.

Enjoy these bars frozen, straight from the freezer. They melt very quickly so I don't suggest leaving them out for more than a couple minutes. Wrap leftovers and store in the freezer.

Tips:
1) Brown rice syrup will work instead of coconut nectar. I haven't tried any other liquid sweeteners yet, but I assume maple syrup or honey (if you eat it) would work too, although the crust might not stick together as much since coconut nectar is so thick.

There is no substitute for the coconut oil that I know of. It solidifies when freezing helping to make the bars very firm.

Coconut Cranberry Almond Butter

Yield: About 2½ cups

Ingredients:

3 cups (450g | 16oz) raw almonds
1 cup (80g | 2.9oz) finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup (70g | 2.4oz) coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)
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1/2 cup (40g | 1.5oz) finely shredded unsweetened coconut
2/3 cup (80g | 3oz) dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
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1 tbsp pure vanilla extract, (store-bought or homemade)

Directions:Preheat your oven to 350°F; Place the almonds in a single layer on a 9" x 13" baking sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant, moving the nuts around a few times while they are toasting. 

Allow the almonds to cool until you can safely handle them with your bare hands, about 5 minutes, then transfer them to the container of your High-Speed Blender

Add 1 cup of shredded coconut, melted coconut oil and salt; process on low speed for about 30 to 60 seconds while pushing down with the tamper as needed to help the ingredients into the blades. At this point, the mixture will be very dry and solid and will look nothing like nut butter, but fear not: this is all about to change. 

Slowly increase the speed to 5-6 and continue processing until the mixture starts to get creamier, about 30 seconds to a minute.

Remove the lid and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and then resume processing, progressively increasing the speed all the way up to 10. Let her rip for about 60 to 90 seconds, until the nut butter becomes really thin in consistency and runs freely in the blades. 

Add the 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and dried cranberries and process on pulse until the newly added ingredients are evenly distributed. At this point, the nut butter will have thickened up slighlty, but will still be fairly runny. 

Add the vanilla extract and resume mixing for no longer than a few seconds, just until the nut butter has thickened. 

Transfer your nut butter to an airtight container and store in the pantry for up to several weeks, or in the refrigerator for up to a few months.

Notes

If using a regular food processor, you'll have to stop the motor and scrape the sides regularly and total processing time will be much longer.

Present Glo Bars

Present Glo Bars
Or Energy Bars

This is an update on the original Glo Bar Recipe which I previously posted January 15, 2015.  I cannot tell you enough how delicious these energy bars are.
Ingredients:

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled Oats

1 1/4 cup crisp rice cereal

1/4 cup pepita seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup roasted almond butter or peanut butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

*

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Line a 9" square cake pan with two pieces of parchment paper (one going each way.

Spread the pecans in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant.  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, rice crisp cereal, pepita seeds, cranberries, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir in the cooled toasted pecans.

In a small saucepan, stir together the brown rice syrup and almond butter until well combined.  Cook over medium to high heat until the mixture softens and bubbles slightly, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. 

Pour the almond butter mixture over the oat mixture, using a spatula to scrape out every last bit out of the pan.  Stir well until all of the oasis and cereal are coated in the wet mixture.  (The resulting mixture will be very thick and difficult to stir.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spreading it out into an even layer.  Lightly wet your hands and press down on the mixture to even it out.  Use a pastry roller to compact the mixture firmly and evenly.  Press down the edges with your fingers to even out the mixture.

Place the pan in the freezer uncovered and chill for 10 minutes, or until firm.

Lift the oat square out of the pan, using the parchment paper as handles, and place on a cutting board.  With a pizza roller (or a serrated knife), slice the square into 6 rows and then slice them in half to make 12 bars total.

Wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap or foil and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.  Alternately, you can store them in the freezer for up to  one month. 

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter 
with Hemp, Flax, and Chia Seed

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter 

with Hemp, Flax, and Chia Seed

I try to incorporate as many grains as possible in my diet after reading an article several years ago. The Harvard Medical School published that most diets are Niacin deficient due to insufficient use of grains. Reap the benefits of no cholesterol with a nut butter. Serve on bread or with apple slices. This recipe comes from the blog "Oh She Glows". Use a food processor not a Vita Mix to process until smooth as it must be frequently stirred. This is so well worth the ingredients as it is delicious.

*

Ingredients:
2 cup raw almonds
2 Tbsp whole flax seeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

*

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick mat. In a large bowl, mix together the almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Spread out almond mixture onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.


2. Remove from oven and allow the almond mixture to cool for a few minutes before placing into a food processor. Process for about 10 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl every 30-60 seconds as needed. The mixture will be very drippy and smooth when ready. Add in the vanilla, salt, and cinnamon and process until mixed well.


3. Remove the almond butter from the processor. If you’d like crunchy almond butter, add some almonds (~1/2 cup?) into the (now empty) processor and process until chunky. Stir the chunky almonds into the almond butter. Makes 1 and 1/4 cups or a bit more depending on how much you lick the bowl.
Yield: 1 1/4 cup.

Adapted from Ashley and inspired by Naturally Nutty’s.

Day 9 Of "Twelve Days Of Christmas Candy "Hazelnut Truffles"

Day 9 Of "Twelve Days Of Christmas Candy"

Hazelnut Truffles

http://ginger-beat.blogspot.com/

i received an inquiry re: an ingredient in one of my postings from Beatrice of the blog Ginger-Beat quite some time ago. I found her blog interesting and now I follow it faithfully.

I was given permission to copy this recipe and Beatrice even provided the photo. I thought these truffles had that look of melt in your mouth goodness! They are diary free for that lactose intolerant person in your life and would make a great gift! Check out this blog for some very healthy eating.

***

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cacao nibs

3/4 cup hazelnuts, divided

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash salt

***

Directions:

Place 1/4 cup hazelnuts in a food processor and blend until they have sand-like quality. Remove the ground hazelnuts from the food processor, cover and refrigerate until later use.

Place cacao nibs and 1/2 cup hazelnuts in a food processor, cover and blend until they have sand-like quality. Add the almoond butter, agave nectar, vanilla, and salt to the mixture, and process until smooth.

Scrape the mixture out of the food processor and in a covered bowl refrigerate for two hours.

After about two hours... Set out a piece of wax paper or parchment paper, to place the truffles on when finished. Roll 1 teaspoon of the mixture between your hands and create balls. Roll the truffle ball in the

ground hazelnuts to coat and place on the parchment paper. Repeat until all of the truffle mixture has been rolled. Refrigerate until serving. Any unused hazelnuts can be stored in freezer for further use. Makes about 18 truffles.

Thanks Beatrice!