PNUT BUTTER CRISP DELICIOUSNESS + PASTA BAKE

Please prepare yourselves for the following recipe… 

Again, I was tempted by the amazing photography and simplicity of this recipe on 101cookbooks.com.  I did change up a few things with the recipe!  It calls for 3/4c. of maple syrup.  The smallest bottle you can find will cost you about $7.99 and I just didn’t want to dish that out for a dessert recipe.  So, what could be substituted?  Ahh, perfect, brown rice syrup + a little honey!  I happen to have a LOT of jars of brown rice syrup because it is an ota.ingredient, and I never made it through my whole supply.  I will go over brown rice syrup after I finish about this recipe.

The other thing I changed was instead of using agar agar flakes for thickening, I used an organic tapioca starch.  I couldn’t find agar agar at Whole Foods and tapioca starch was only $2.50.  It seemed to work perfectly. 

So, instead of 3/4c. maple syrup I used about 1/2c. + 2T brown rice syrup and 2T honey which totals 3/4c. sticky liquid.  Make sure to get CRISPY brown rice cereal and not puffed rice cereal. 

Thicker than maple syrup.

I mixed in and topped this with pistachios but really any nut or a mixture of nuts would work perfectly.  If you want even more pnut flavor add peanuts.  Next time I might try an almond/walnut combo.  Next time is going to be very soon!

It was such a tasty treat right out of the fridge.  A rich pnut flavor but not overly sweet, thanks to the brown rice syrup.  Maple syrup might have been too sweet for me, so I was glad I substituted!

So, a little bit about brown rice syrup.  I haven’t come across too many brands on the market and have always found Lundberg to have the BEST brown rice products.  From their brown rice chips to the cereal to the syrup, I love Lundberg’s products.  Brown rice syrup is one of the healthiest sweeteners you can use because of how it breaks down in your body.  It metabolizes much more slowly, in comparison to white sugar or maple syrup, which will keep your glycemic index level at a steadier rate.  This will help avoid the sugar high and crash feelings.

While I don’t always go by what Wikipedia says they do a great job at summarizing how it is broken down – wiki - brown rice syrup

This 21oz jar will run you about $4.50 at Whole Foods, which is the cheapest place I have found it.  I utilized WF’s case discount, for an extra 10% savings, when I bought it for ota.bars.

Now, on to dinner!  This one just came out of my brain…it is amazingly easy…and a good way to clean out the fridge!

Whole Foods had their grass-fed beef on sale for $2.99 this week!!  I will definitely be going back to stock up on this yummy grass-fed beef, while it is so wallet friendly!

I decided to make a simple pasta bake.  Easy, full-proof, recipe.

Most of the ingredients [not pictured: cheese + noodles + beef]

The Vodka sauce was also on sale at WF’s for $4.00, when it is normally $8.00!  Loved it!  I had leftover spinach to use up, 1 leftover leek from last nights dinner, and 1 yellow squash.  I grated the squash so it wouldn’t be as pronounced of a texture in the bake.  I didn’t want it to stand out as it can usually get quite squishy in the center, when cooked.  That made it SO much better.  The leek added the perfect amount of oniony flavor.

Recipe:

preheat oven to 350* [I used 375* b/c of the CO altitude]

1 standard box of pasta [I used shells, which were SO yummy]

1 standard size jar of sauce

1 – 1 1/2lbs grass-fed ground beef

2c. fresh spinach

1 yellow squash, grated

1 chopped leek

1 1/2c. fresh grated mozzarella

1/4c. fresh grated parmesan

Boil the pasta until al dente.  [It will finish cooking while it’s baking in the oven.]  Brown the meat and add a few shakes of salt/garlic powder/pepper.  Drain the meat.  Add all the ingredients [except for the cheese] to a 13x9 baking dish.  Toss until combined.  Cover with foil and bake for 30min.  Uncover and top with cheese and broil for a few short minutes until the cheese is bubbly and a little browned.

When broiling, it is best to leave the oven light on or oven door cracked slightly to keep an eye on your food.  It can burn fast!

You can substitute any of the veggies for whatever you want.  I would say that this combo worked really well and was delicious with the vodka sauce.  It had the perfect amount of moisture which can sometimes be an issue with runny sauce or wet veggies.

Give it a whirl!

I made the BEST oatmeal breakfast this morning…stay tuned!!! =)

Off to play with Laura!!! Soooo excited!  Tomorrow we’re all going to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.  We’ll probably get some climbing in at the gym and hopefully a hike or run at some point too!

Have a good one!

Ashley

double yum

It was still really chilly + rainy in Colorado yesterday [in the 40’s!!].  My awesome sis-in-law remembered that she had a coupon for Great Harvest Bread Company [GHBC]. It was for a free loaf of their honey whole wheat bread.  I was definitely planning on redeeming this asap! 

dreary, cold weather…

After working out w/my bro-in-law in the morning, we headed to GHBC and then Natural Grocers, my new favorite store.  Well, it’s not really new because that is where I was buying 3/4 of my ota.ingredients, but NOW it’s a local store for me!  So, GHBC, Natural Grocers, AND Sunflower Farmer’s Market are literally all right next to each other.  The stores are definitely more wallet-friendly than Whole Foods, with a lot of the same brands.

So my plan was to get the free loaf of honey wheat, but when I went in for some reason a plain loaf of white bread was calling my name.  I haven’t bought a loaf of white bread in FORever.  Grilled cheese was the plan.  The bread was SO good.  It only has about 5 ingredients with a touch of agave nectar sweetness.  AND, they give HUGE samples in the store.  Perfect after workout snack.

1 slice of Havarti + 1 slice of white cheddar + golden perfection

I may have eaten 1/4 of the bowl of tomato soup while I was waiting for the grilled cheese to finish…

yum yum raspberries

I got some samples today from Navitas!!  I first heard about them from Kath’s blog.  I really wanted to see what their Cacao Nibs would be like in ota.bars!  I have tried to incorporate chocolate in a few different forms, with no luck.  It always makes the bars brittle and they turn a dark un-appetizing brown color.  I think the Cacao Nibs might work because they don’t melt! 

Cacao nibs are chopped up cacao beans.  It actually tastes more coffe-like than chocolate-like to me.  It reminds me of eating an espresso bean, in a way, especially with the texture.  They also sent some Sweetened Cacao Nibs, which have a little organic palm sugar and organic cacao liquor added.  I can’t wait to try them in ota.bars!

And now for dinner!!  Off to 101 cookbooks for another idea.  In the last year, my meat-eating habits have changed.  I would say I eat meat free about 75% of the time.  There was no real reason for the change, but just what I have been in the mood for.  I make it a point to eat other high protein foods throughout the day, so I never feel like I am lacking in the protein department.

I decided on a high-protein, chickpea salad. Recipe is HERE!  I made some brown rice couscous to make the meal more filling with some healthy carbs and fiber.

1c. plain yogurt + 2t. curry powder = delicious + EASY

I love this dish from Crate + Barrel!! It’s fun to make dinner a little fancy sometimes.  Instead of putting it in a big bowl or just having everyone scoop out of the pan, I wanted to put it in a pretty dish.

1/2 of the curry sauce was mixed in w/the chickpea salad and then laid atop the brown rice couscous.  Everyone added more sauce as the chickpeas made things a little on the dry side.  The flavor combos were awesome though and the couscous was a great addition.

Have a great day!!

Ashley

wheat germ pancakes + the weekend

I am excited to talk about the next ota.ingredient.  It is another ingredient most people have not used or even heard of.

WHEAT GERM is a nutritional powerhouse.  This flakey little food is packed with fiber, protein, potassium, iron, folic acid, and many other beneficial nutrients.  The best part is a little goes a long way.  1oz will get you appx. 8g of protein and 4g of fiber! 

What can you put wheat germ in??  pancakes – banana bread – cereal – oatmeal – smoothies – cookies – blueberry muffins – yogurt - etc.

If you add to oatmeal or a smoothie, just throw in a couple Tablespoons for a super health kick!  You won’t even notice it’s there.

I really can’t go on enough about this amazing food.  Here are a few more technical explanations if you’re interested: one + two

*Wheat germ should smell nutty, not musty.  Once your bag is open, keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 9 months [you will know if it has gone rancid, just make sure to sniff!].

I made these panackes the day after Chris’s birthday for Chris, Joe, + Kelsey.  They were healthy and so so delicious [and easy!].

wheat germ – in the raw [time to play with the digi SLR camera!!]

I buy raw wheat germ, in bulk, from Natural Grocers.  I get a lot of my ota.ingredients from this store.  It is located in Colorado, which will work perfectly when we are living there!

pancake batter – recipe below

finished product – with easiest the homemade blueberry sauce ever

fluffy + filling + not dry or too “wheaty”

EASY Blueberry Sauce [way better than Aunt Jemima – check out this nasty ingredient list – nowhere near “real food”]

Heat a pan on medium heat.  Add in appx. 1T unrefined coconut oil or butter.  Add 1/2-1 pint of blueberries [can use other fruit like strawberries or raspberries too].  Stir and watch for about 5 minutes until nice and bubbly.  Transfer to bowl or other container.

DONE!

Wheat Germ Pancakes [makes appx. 12 pancakes]

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup unrefined melted coconut oil [can subst. canola or butter]
• 2 cups buttermilk [I used lowfat coconut milk for extra flavor and because my friend has a dairy allergy. It was the perfect substitute!]
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour [bulk bin area usually – if you can’t find mix 1/2 white 1/2 whole wheat – or full whole wheat]

Mix eggs, milk, and oil in medium bowl. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Do not over mix. 

Heat pan/skillet to medium+ heat.  A 1/4c. works as a scooper and makes the perfect, easily flippable, pancake.  Brown on both sides, turning once.

Top with fruit sauce. ENJOY!!!

……

And now a few photos from a wonderful weekend [and our last] in North Carolina…

Chris and I went to visit my grandparents up around Hendersonville, NC.  We met them for lunch at a golf club.  It was perfect timing for a visit because my dad was down to visit and play golf.  It was so nice to see my grandparents and dad, but mom was very missed back in Ohio!!

My “made of steel” grandfather! He is going to be 92 this Halloween and still goes golfing 2-3x a week!

Grandma + me =)

dad.daughter.

Chris, me, Grandma, Grandpa, Dad [standing on the tee box]

delicious mushroom soup 

dad’s muffaletta samich

After the quick lunch visit, we rushed back to Charlotte, to pack more boxes!!! [not fun]

Then we got up early Saturday morning to drive 5hrs East to the Crystal Coast for Heather’s wedding. [my awesome friend that used ota.bars in her hotel guest gift bags!!]

What a gorgeous wedding!! Heather looked stunning, wearing a dress that her mom made for her.  It was our first time going to a beach wedding.  The ceremony was perfect, the food was awesome and fun, and the reception was a blast.  Thanks Heather + Penn, I wish you 2 the best!!

the.most.perfect.wedding.day.

the were both beaming with excitement

the hubs and me

pretty.pretty.lady. [that I miss, dearly!]  

cupcake extravaganza [with sucanat!]

mission: vanilla cupcakes + white russian butter cream frosting for the 2 Chris’ birthday part-ay!

I know it’s a long one…get over it and just read! ;) I promise you’ll learn something!

I feel like I am decent at baking.  Cupcakes and cakes are always the hardest though.  Making sure it rises correctly and not letting it overcook are my main concerns. I set out to find the best sounding vanilla cupcake recipe I could.  I settled on this one but already knew I was going to  make some substitutions.  This may not be the best idea for the first time trying a recipe, but that is pretty much what I seem to always do! =)

Right off the bat, it says to use a stand mixer.  Well, mine is all packed up, but I convinced myself it was no big deal.  I haven’t played with sucanat too much yet, with more technical baking like this, and I definitely wanted to see how it compared to sugar.  One thing I read was that sucanat will soak up more liquid than other sugars so you might need to add a little more liquid when using it.  Someone out there, please define “a little” for me.  [so.vague.]

The recipe calls for 2c. sugar and 1c. of whole milk.  I used 2c. of sucanat and decided for this recipe “a little more liquid” would be 3T. [kind of a random amount, but whatever] I thought this recipe was a bit odd, because normally you cream the butter + sugar together and then go on with the rest of the recipe.  I thought, maybe this other technique is what sets these cupcakes apart.  I followed the recipe for everything else. 

Here is batter #1 – The sucanat definitely gave it a darker color. The raw batter [yes, there were raw eggs in it..whatever..I ate it and it was delicious!!] was maaaaybe the most amazing thing I have ever tasted! It had soooo much flavor.  The vanilla was there, but it definitely had caramel + maple flavors in there too. [From the sucanat of course…mmmmm]

 

The recipe said it was going to make appx. 30 cupcakes filling up each cup 2/3 the way with batter.  WRONG. I would think appx. would mean between 28-32.  This made 25 and they were a tad on the small size.  I would have liked them a little bigger to get a better puff on the top!

So, I had to make batter #2.  I cut the recipe in half and wanted to use pure cane sugar instead of sucanat to see how the final result would compare. 

The batter was definitely lighter in color. Pure cane sugar is not quite has stark white as white sugar.  I definitely recommend using this if you don’t want to try sucanat in your baking/cooking.  The batter was again reallly yummy, but I preferred the deeper flavor the sucanat left.

 

The pure cane sugar batter and the 25th cupcake from the sucanat batter.

So here is how they looked.  The left most cupcake, was the 25th cupcake made from the sucanat batter.  For some strange reason it rose the most!  I filled the cup the same amount, so I’m not sure how this happened.  I was thinking it might have been because that batter had been sitting out for 30-45min and maybe the baking powder was more activated?? 

Obviously there is a color difference.  The sugar cane cupcakes got filled with a little more batter because I didn’t like the small size of the one on the right.

I had 1 of the sucanat vanilla cupcakes with no frosting.  So did the husband [Chris] and our friend Eric.  It held its deeper caramel/maple flavor and was reallllly good.  I baked them for 18min.  It was buttery and moist and had a great consistency.

 

The finished cupcakes all frosted and pretty and ready for the partaaay! 

 

Close-up!! Instead of buying blue sugar in the shaky container [because it’s something I rarely use] I put some cane sugar in a bowl and added a few drips of food coloring [not an ingredient I enjoy using…but oh well!]. Voila, blue sugar topping!!

Chris + Chris [my hubs on the right] Yes, they are both wearing goofy bowling shirts.  We had a bowling party and then party at a bar called Lebowski’s.  The theme of the day was The Big Lebowski [if you haven’t seen the movie..you need to]. Hence, the white russian butter cream frosting. 

At our favorite neighborhood french bakery, Amelies!! This place is amazing, convenient, not too pricey, and open 24hrs a day!! Nothing like a game of chess and some amazingly delicious samiches @ 2am.

Okay, so the consensus on the cupcakes at the party, was that everyone LOVED them.  Even got a few people hooked that aren’t usually cake eaters.  Everyone loved the frosting because it’s not super sweet like most butter creams, and the cupcake wasn’t over-frosted. 

My main problem with butter creams are that they alwaaaays call for up to EIGHT CUPS of powdered sugar.  I try to never use powdered sugar in the first place, let alone EIGHT cups of it.  I don’t use it because it is processed white sugar + even more insanely processed corn starch.  BLEGH.  I try to keep as much processed corn product out of my diet as possible.  If you want to know more on this read: The Omnivores Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. [amazing book!!!]

THEE best “impress your friends” butter cream frosting EVUR! [sans the powdered corn starch sugar!]

Recipe is enough for about 2 dozen cupcakes, [1] 9x13 cake, or [2] 8x8 cakes.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sucanat [or pure can sugar]
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk [I have used both 2% and whole milk and both have worked]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract [I added 1t vanilla and 2T Kahlua]

-Whisk milk and flour in bowl until smooth

-Add to saucepan and keep on medium heat for about 20min, stirring with a whisk, pretty constantly so it doesn’t burn [insert patience!! I swear it’s worth it!] You want the mixture to be nice and thick. The best thing I can compare the thickness to, might be pudding??

-Once nice and thick, transfer to bowl and let cool to room temp. [I sped this up in the fridge a bit]

-In large bowl cream butter + sucanat [or sugar] for about 5min [stand mixer would come in handy here!] until light and fluffy

-Add in room temp. milk/flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.  Cream this until smooth and fluffy.  You want all of the sugar crystals to dissolve so the frosting is not crunchy.  I did this with a normal mixer and it took a good 5-8min.  [again, stand mixer, much easier!]

-Add vanilla + any other liquid add in.  If you want almond flavor you could try 1t. vanilla and 1/2t. almond. Just play until you get the flavors right. Fold this into the batter, and only add a little at a time so the batter does not get runny.  I added 1t. vanilla and 2-3T Kahlua and the better was still thick.  You could always put it in the fridge to stiffen for a few.

-Scoop into plastic ziploc or pastry bag.  If using a ziploc cut a small hole in the corner and pipe onto cupcakes!!

I promise the time is WELL worth it and your friends will think you are a baking all-star!

If you want to read more crazy cupcake stories, check out Kath’s blog, when she made cupcakes for Kelsey’s birthday [post on her party and Kath’s cupcakes]!!

Okay…I’m finally done. My apologies for the lengthiness.  This will not become a habit..I just felt like I needed to give all of the experimental information!! I know someone out there will like it =)

I would say we are 35% packed with one week to go!! Off to visit my grandparents [2hrs away] tomorrow and then to the beach for Heather’s wedding!! Action packed!

Night!!

Ashley

 

lots of ota.related stuff

This is going to be a long but fun [hopefully] post!

Any ideas where this photo was taken?

Any better ideas now? It is at Mt.Fuji, in Japan. Are you curious what the relevance to ota.bars is here? Well, a friend and co-worker, took her ota.bars to Japan and snacked on them with her sister at the top! Pretty amazing stuff. Ota.bars are more traveled than I am! The only thing she forgot was to get a pic snacking on the bar. =)

2nd order of business : ota.bars are going to a wedding! One of my favorite. girls. ever, is getting married over labor day weekend. As a gift to her guests she is putting triple berry almond ota.bars in her hotel gift bags! Heather - Good luck and congrats!! I can't wait to see you on your big day! We thought of a more wedding appropriate name for them so I gussied up the labels and shipped them off to Heather today. Here are some photos --->

triple berry almond as the berry wedded bliss bar

double stacked ota.bars

off to Heather + Penn at the beach

topic #3 - I decided to make almond milk! I was pretttty excited about this after I discovered how delicious and easy it is to make. I wanted to feature almonds, one of the ota.ingredients, and thought this was a really unique recipe to share with everyone. Not what you would typically expect for an almond recipe. Almonds are an amazing nut! They are packed with many essential vitamins [mostly vitamin E] and minerals [magnesium, potassium, etc.] These nuts have the healthy fats [like in olive oil] and have been shown [in some medical studies] to keep your glycemic index levels more balanced.

I eat almonds for their slew of health benefits and because they seem to fill me up with just a small about [about 1/4c.] They really do the trick! mmmm

I switch back and forth between my point and shoot and Chris's [the husband] digital SLR. When I have time and some natural daylight I use the SLR. I really like this photo, but I'm sure there are 50 things wrong with it =)

The recipe I used:

1c. almonds

4c. water

2t. pure organic vanilla extract

1T sucanat

-Soak the almonds in water + vanilla + sucanat for about 8hrs.

-Blend everything together until frothy and smooth

-Drape cheesecloth over a bowl and rubberband it to secure, or drape it over a wire mesh strainer. You don't want any of the almond pulp to get through.

-Let drain for about 2hrs.

-Store in the fridge for about 2-4 days. When it goes bad it will taste sour. You can also keep the almond pulp that was collected in the cheesecloth and use it in raw cookie recipes, and many other things I'm sure.

You can play around w/the flavor add-ins as much as you want. It is really basic and easy and if you buy bulk nuts, it is pretty darn cheap! It's a great alternative to cow's milk and really easy on your gut, if you are sensitive.

I know this looks kind of gross, but it is just from the vanilla extract I added.

[cheesecloth] They also make netted bags specifically for this that you can buy online or maybe at a Whole Foods?

Blended almond milk about to be poured into the pitcher. This method failed as the rubberband did not stay secure around the pitcher because the handle and the spout were in the way. Be sure to leave enough room to be able to pour all of the mixture into the cheesecloth in 1 shot. [so you don't have to pour, wait wait to drain, repeat]

This over the bowl method, with the cheesecloth draped in the wire mesh strainer was MUCH more effective!! Look at all that awesome almond pulp!! It's in my fridge waiting to be put to good use.

And now a recipe using 5 ota.ingredients [highlighted in red]!! If you want to see a pictures of the finished project go here! The photos are about half-way into the post thanks to Kelsey!

Ashley's French Toast Bake:

*For best results plan to prepare the night before you want to serve it

Night before ingredients:
1 whole-loaf crusty bread [ie: ciabatta or french] NOT pre-sliced [unless they can slice 1" thick]
4 eggs
2c. almond milk
3/4c. sucanat
2t. vanilla
1-2t. cinnamon [depends on your love for cinnamon]
few dashes of nutmeg [optional]

Morning of ingredients:
.5-1c. chopped nuts [walnuts or pecans]
1/4c. melted coconut oil
1/4c. sucanat
1-2c. fresh berries [strawberries/blueberries/raspberries/etc]
process to assemble:

1] arrange 1" thick slices of bread in a greased 13x9" pan
notes: -I usually have enough bread and batter to fill up [1] 13"x9" and [1] 8"x8"
-do not stack bread slices - make a single layer
-I like to cut the bread in chunks, not use the full slices

2] in a bowl combine and whisk together: eggs + milk + 3/4c sucanat + vanilla + cinn + nutmeg

3] pour mixture over bread - flip pieces so both sides are coated

4] refrigerate appx. 8hrs

5] let sit out 30min prior to baking - set oven to 400*

6] flip pieces over before baking [important to avoid sogginess!]
notes: if there is more than thin layer of liquid coverhing the bottom of the pan try to drain some of it out with a spoon or turkey baster.

7] bake 20min

8] while baking melt coconut oil and combine with 1/4c. sucanat [you can always add more/less of this]

9] after 20 min take pan out ---> spread nuts + fruits + butter/sugar on top [be creative with your toppings]

10] bake for another 20-25min. +/- [keep an eye on it so your nutZ don't burn] you want it nice and brown on top

11] for a little extra crisp turn your broiler on HIGH for a few minutes [realllly watch it though]

12] let sit 10min + ENJOYYYYY

Of course if you don't have coconut oil, sucanat, or almond milk you can substitute butter + brown sugar + milk at a 1:1 ratio.

Okay...that was officially my longest post ever. I will be back soon with some info. on the wonderfood, Wheat Germ!

Have a great weekend + keep the comments coming!

Ashley

info@otabars.com