OAT'NANA PUCKS

Last night, I was struck by how grateful I am to live where I do. Hugh took me swimming. A romantic early evening dip, as I never do this on my own accord. The air was warm and the ocean temp about 70 degrees. Deep blue and crystal clear. It had been FAR too long since I’d been out swimming. It ends up being quite a workout for me, treading water, as I am terrified of sea creatures chomping my feet off. Hugh made a good looking life saving device. The ocean is so vast, that it reminds me how small we are in this wild and precious life. It was calming and reviving at the same time; much needed. Regardless of where you live, I know that you’ve had those moments of being overwhelmed with gratitude. I may sound sappy, but if your heart is any bigger than a pea, thoughts as these have crossed your mind.

Bringing it back to the treats at hand, because you and I can both be grateful for these pucks of oatty goodness. I don’t bake cookies often because my greedy tendencies seem to surface every time I do... I intend to give most away, but once they are warm and sweet smelling out of the oven, I get protective and hoard them. I freeze most, to have them only when I really NEED a cookie. I manage to easily convince myself that I always NEED a cookie. These are so tasty and hearty, that I even NEED them around breakfast time. The good news: these lil pucks have no eggs, sugar or butter, but I assure you, they still taste like a treat.

OAT ‘NANA PUCKS // 3 dozen mini pucks

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

Heidi's recipe calls for almond meal, but I like nut crunchies. The almond meal does however, help act as a binder. So I added wheat bran. If you have gluten allergies, omit the wheat bran and use almond meal. Also note that these cookies can be a bit crumbly in texture. If that bothers you, add a beaten egg to the wet mix.

3 Well Ripened Bananas

2 tbsp. Good Vanilla Extract

¼ Cup Coconut Oil (olive oil works fine)

2 Cups Rolled Oats

1/3 Cup Wheat Bran

2/3 Cup Finely Chopped Almonds

1/2 Cup Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut

1 tbsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Baking Powder

¾ Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips or Carob Chips

Oven to 350’

Mush the ripe bananas with a fork. Mix the wet ingredients together: bananas, vanilla, and oil. In another bowl, mix remaining dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently mix. Fold in the chocolate or carob chips. The dough will be loose. Here, my favorite line in her recipe, ‘don’t worry about it’. Ha.

On a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat, make mini balls, then give them a gentle smush to flatten them. I like them in balls, Hugh prefers them in pucks, shape as you wish. They don’t really change shape while baking, so spacing 1’’ between is fine.

Bake for about 14 minutes until puck or nugget is firm. Do not undercook or they will crumble.

Hoard.

CHERRY NUT GRANOLA

I’m big into snacking. Probably so into it, that it’s more of a shortcoming. People comment, “I saw you driving, you were eating”… yes, thank you, that is typically the case. If managed correctly, small meals throughout the day are better for your metabolism. I’m flabbergasted that my snacks-on-the-hour approach hasn’t made diet headlines yet.

I like when granola has chunks,almost like mini cookies within the granola. I did some research and found a tip from The Traveler's Lunchbox to give some of the oats a grind. To be honest, this didn't exactly work for me, but it likely has to do with my proportion of wet ingredients. The theory of the oat flour acting as a binder, completly makes sense. My goal was to keep the fat and sugar down, so my clumps were few. Exisiting, but few.The recipe below is quite tasty and my quest for 'light' clusters remains.

Granola has an oat base, where you are welcome to change the nut and dried fruit additions as you please. I like to use a tad of butter and brown sugar for crunch, and agave nectar because it is not as sweet as honey. Most homes have honey on hand, and that will certainly work out just fine. We gifted some, made Hugh breakfast with a bit of plain yogurt and will pack the rest as the perfect sustenance for our 4th of July beach day. I will say that after the breakfast ration, dark chocolate chips were added- highly recommended for optimum snacking.

CHERRY NUT GRANOLA // Makes about 6 Cups

3 Cups Quick Oats

3 tbsp. Flax Seeds

3 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

1/2 Cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower Seeds

3/4 Cup Raw Pistachios

3/4 cup Raw Slivered Almonds

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil or melted butter

2 tbsp. Agave Nectar (or Local Honey)

1 tbsp. Real Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Dried Cherries

**If you double this recipe, make sure to bake it in shifts. If the layer of oats is too thick, it will steam itself. If you put one sheet on the lower rack, it won't crisp up because of it's upstairs neighbor.

Oven to 325’

1. In a saucepan, on low heat, melt the brown sugar, applesauce, agave nectar/honey, olive oil/butter and vanilla. Let it warm through so the sugar breaks down and all flavors incorporate.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, salt, nuts and seeds. Slowly drizzle the wet mixture on the oat mix and stir until all oats are covered. It should look pretty moist but not 'wet'.

3. Spread the granola in an even layer on a baking pan (also known as jelly roll pan; ½’’ sides). Place the rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 15 minutes, stir. Granola should take about 45 minutes to cook, continue to stir every 15 minutes for even color.

4. Pull out the granola and fold in the dried cherries. Allow the granola to cool completely before adding chocolate chips or putting it in a container.

SPELT AND OAT FIG BARS

Let me tell you what you have to look forward to in the next couple weeks. Fresh figs! They seem to always be dry at the regular markets or tease you for a stiff price at Whole Foods and farmers markets. However, they linger on the lower produce shelves at Trader Joe’s with a humble sweetness, both in flavor and price. It may be a different story where you live, but that’s the song I’m going to sing as I encourage you to start eating fresh figs… wherever you choose to find them.

After I graduated college, I spent some time working at Villa Lucia, a little bed and breakfast in the heart of Tuscany. Lots of stories, lessons learned and certainly a number of cooking tips acquired. Days were spent cooking for dinner parties, bottling tomato sauce and, in the fall, harvesting olives from sunrise to sunset. Hugh was there in the summer and fell in with the ex Italian Special Forces Paratrooper turned groundskeeper- but that is another story, and a far less glamorous on than mine. The property has ginormous fig trees, hence canning fig preserves. No sugar, no preservatives, just boiled figs. A few jars made their way home with me, and that is what I used in this recipe, but you could use any fruit preserve that is naturally sweetened. If you really want to be rustic, you could make your own (simmer berries in their own juices on low heat for about an hour+). This recipe is lowfat, high fiber and much more of a breakfast/snack bar than a dessert.

SPELT AND OAT FIG BARS // Makes 12 Bars

1 ¼ Cups Spelt Flour

1 ¾ Cups Oatmeal

1 tbsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp Baking Soda

½ tsp Salt

1 Large Egg

1 tsp. Real Vanilla Extract

½ tsp. Almond Extract

¾ Cup Brown Sugar

½ Cup Applesauce

2 tbsp. Butter (to ensure a crisp crumble topping)

1 ¼ Cups Fig Preserves (or any other fruit preserves, naturally sweetened)

1. Oven to 350’. In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients together (spelt flour, 1 ½ cups oats, salt, cinnamon, baking soda ).

2. In a second bowl, whisk the brown sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extracts and applesauce. Add in the dry mixture, and mix to incorporate. It should look like cookie batter at this point.

3. Spray a 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spread the preserves evenly over the bottom layer.

4. With the remaining mix, add another ¼ cup oats and 2tbsp of butter. Mix with your fingers. Crumble it on top of the preserve layer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is a bit crispy. Let them cool a bit before cutting.

*Enjoy with some greek yogurt or ice cream to balance this fibrous bar :)