Fig Bars (Gluten-Free | Vegan)

Fig Newtons were always a mystery to me. They weren't cookie-sweet that would satisfy a dessert craving, but yet they wouldn't be something that's acceptable as a dinner companion.

And they sure as heck don't have chocolate, so they lose some points there.

 

Wait, they have figs? Riiiight. OK, you have a deal then. I'll take your dried figs, turn them into mush, smooth them between 2 layers of dough, and call it my new new favorite snack. Or dessert. Or for that "I want to eat something not dessert-ish but still tastes sort of sweet and just fools me" moment. 

My husband came home and declared that these are the bomb. So yeah, listen to that. He's a teacher, so he totally knows what's up.

I saw this recipe from my favorite vegan chef awhile ago, but just got around to making it. I suggest you do the same - maybe when you've had a stressful day, when all you want to do is smash some...figs...into a pulp. So satisfying!

Fig Bars (Gluten-Free | Vegan)
adapted from IsaChandra
Makes 16 bars

For the fig filling:
1 lb. dried figs, hard stems removed and diced into small pieces
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup pure maple syrup


For the dough:
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1/4 cup non-dairy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Line an 8 x 8 square metal brownie pan with enough aluminum foil so that it folds over the sides of the pan by about an inch. Spray bottom of covered pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large saucepan, combine chopped figs, water, and agave nectar/maple syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally. When figs begin to soften in about 8 to 10 minutes continue to cook but mash figs with a firm spatula or a fork to create a chunky, moist paste. I got the prefect consistency with this ratio of fig:water, but if your mixture looks too dry add in more water until it works for you. Remove filling from heat and set aside.My filling still had some large chunks in it, which I liked for more texture.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground flax seed, non-dairy milk, canola oil, Sucanant and vanilla extract until smooth, mixing for about 1 1/2 minutes.

4. In a separate small bowl, sift together the almond meal, sweet rice flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir into the wet ingredients.

5. Form a soft dough, gather into a ball with your hands and divide into two sections. Form one section into a ball with your hands - the dough will be slightly sticky and wet.

6. Fit the dough ball into the bottom of your prepared pan and fit so it's an even thickness. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes to set.

7. When the bottom layers is done "pre-baking" for 10 minutes, evenly layer on the fig filling. Top with the final layer of dough, smoothing the best you can on top of the figs. Mine was a little spotty and some filling peeked through, which I liked the look of.

8. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until crust is golden and slightly hardened. Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool. When completely cool remove bars from pan by grabbing the edges of the foil and lift everything out of pan. I cut mine into 16 squares right onto the tinfoil.

Hummus (GF) (Vegan)

I'm not joking in a serious manner when I say that the WinCo bulk food department has changed my kitchen. Since it arrived into my life a couple months ago, I've been able to make more apricot snack bars, almond meal, and all sorts of other treats that used to be daunting to make because of availability or cost. It's no lie that WinCo has some fantastic deals, but when you buy the majority of your food in bulk (which is typically cheaper anywhere you shop) then it's an extraordinary deal.

Take tahini for example. I am now certain it's the second most important ingredient in hummus and yet for years I haven't bought it because it costs $7 for a jar at the grocery store. Despite l-o-v-ing hummus, I convinced myself it was an optional, if not irrelevant, ingredient and omitted it form my hummus-making until today.

When I saw tahini in bulk at WinCo. Bet you didn't see that coming, did you?

Before, my hummus' (hummi?) always turned out chunky and tasted, well, like mashed up chickpeas. Today? My hummus tastes like HUMMUS. Who knew the tricks that ground sesame seeds could pull?

I followed this recipe to a tee, and as you can tell it turned out fantastic. I'm excited to test this out with different add-ins, like pesto and some Mexican flavors.

In the meantime, I'm going to ingest copious amounts of beans and tahini.

Apricot Snack Bars

As a girl on the go, I am always looking for satisfying, tasty treats that are easily portable that I can eat on the ferry or in the car. It's an unfortunate circumstance when I find a Quaker granola bar in the bottom of my purse, chow it in 3 bites, and I'm end up even hungrier than when I started because it only wakes my stomach up even more.

As the wife of a gluten-intolerant husband, I also need to be aware of how many quick and easy snack we have on hand in the house. If there are slim pickings, the bag of shredded cheese will be gone. Or the most recent cookie batch. Not that there's anything unbalanced (cough) with those selections....but it's nice to throw in some variety sometimes.



That's where these babies come in. I've experimented with making date bars lately, using flavors based off the popular brand of Larabars. They're good, but easy to get sick of. Dates are great (ooh dang, she rhymes) but the flavor is strong.

Dried apricots, on the other hand? TOTALLY the way to go. These taste like cake. I think it's a mixture of the sweetened fruit combined with the salty cashews that just throw a big delicious party in your mouth.

Apricot Snack Bars
adapted from Shutterbean
Makes 8 bars (although I strongly encourage you to double this recipe)

1/2 cup cashews
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup dried coconut
1/3 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons flaxseed (not ground)
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Line your 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, chop the cashews until they are in small pieces. Take out and set aside in a bowl.

3. Process your apricots until they are jelly-like - this took me about 2 minutes. They all just kind of turned into a sticky, orangy ball that twirled with the blade and I called them good.

4. To the apricots in the processor, add in the coconut, oats, syrup, olive oil, flax seeds, ginger, and salt; process it all together.

5. Add in the cashews and process until it's all thoroughly combined.

6. Press the mixture into your parchment-lined dish, using the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten it out. Place in the freezer overnight, or at least an hour to harden. Take out using the parchment paper and cut into bars.

7. Repeat, because they'll be gone before you know it.

*Store these in the fridge so they maintain their shape.