Sort of swiss

A recent work trip to Switzerland provided the ideal opportunity to conduct some sideline research on something which the Swiss can fairly claim authority: muesli.  I set out to try a different kind of bircher muesli every day, and very nearly succeeded:  I was given some on the aeroplane, then I had some from the local bakery, a few different kinds from the corner supermarket, and some from the hotel breakfast bar too.  All very tasty, but I can report that the highlights were one with stewed rhubarb, and another made with a strawberry yoghurt base.

Another branch of my muesli research centred on the muesli bar.  This was something I had already been preoccupied with back home, in an attempt to find something tasty,  easy to make and healthy for my son.  Many of the supermarket-bought varieties here seem to contain about 1/3 of their weight in sugar, which is far from ideal.  Unfortunately, my Swiss supermarket research yielded much the same results (except that they did also have my favourite flavour – pear!).

So when I returned I resolved to have another go at home-made.  These turned out a tasty, chewy mix – which I loved and so far my son seems to take to as well – but I think the key to this recipe lies in your mixture of dried fruit.  I used 1/3 dried apple, 1/3 turkish dried apricot, 1/3 dried figs, and the end result turned out to have a dominant apricot flavour.  I guess the end result was only very vaguely Swiss, so maybe I should just try to hunt down some dried pear to make a healthy version of those delicious pear muesli bars…

Rustic Muesli-Bar-Bites

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 weetbix, crushed (or 1/2 cup wheatgerm)
1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
400g mixed dried fruit, chopped (see notes above)
1/2 cup currants or sultanas
2 eggs
1/2 cup fruit juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180C, and line 2 trays (25cm x 17cm) with baking paper.

In a large bowl,  combine the dry ingredients, including the dried fruit.  Stir to mix well.

In a small bowl, stir together the wet ingredients.  (Don’t worry if the honey doesn’t mix through properly at this point.)

Tip the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir very well to mix through.  Press the mixture into the baking trays, making the tops as smooth as you can.

Bake for 35-35 minutes, until the tops are just golden and the mixture has shrunken away slightly from the sides.

Cool in the tins until the bars are cool to the touch, then cut into whatever size bars or squares you like.

Yield: Depends on the size of your bars, but I got out 42 bites from a batch.

 

a cookie for the new year

It’s a time of year when there’s been no shortage of sweet treats. I certainly feel like I’ve eaten a huge amount of indulgent celebratory food since I made these cookies a few weeks ago, but perhaps it bodes well for the new year that this first post’s recipe will keep you (or set you!) on a path of healthiness.

Since I am a person who, whatever the season, feels the pangs of a snack attack most afternoons, I’m particularly grateful for the invention of this “healthy cookie”.  Initially I wasn’t sure about the recipe for many reasons: I’ve never really ventured into vegan baking, I was a bit sceptical about whether the words ‘healthy’ and ‘cookie’ could legitimately be used to describe the same food item, and I was unsure about using coconut oil*.  However, the simplicity of the recipe and the many positive comments about it encouraged me, and I now want to spread the word.

These yield a tasty,  soft cookie that you can put together in a matter of minutes (seriously, the measuring out takes the longest time). I made a few alterations to the original recipe: replacing some of the banana with apple puree to make the banana a bit more of a background flavour, and replacing half the chocolate with raisins.  I’m sure you could do many other variations, and even – amazingly – make the cookies sugar-free by omitting the chocolate altogether and substituting your favourite dried fruits.

Also, in a blitz of new years’ assiduousness, I have made an index of the recipes on this blog (see the link on the top right of this page).  I hope it helps you to locate recipes a little bit more easily.  Happy new year to all!

Surprisingly virtuous choc-oaty cookies
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 ripe banana, well mashed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened apple puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed just enough to be stirrable; or you can substitute olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (a heaping half cup)
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 170C and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Into a bowl mix together the banana, apple, coconut oil and vanilla.  Into another bowl mix the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon salt and baking powder.  Stir in the fruit mixture into the dry mixture until well combined.  Fold through the chocolate and raisins.

Drop into bite-sized mounts onto the baking paper, a few centimetres apart.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans if needed, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden and they have firmed up a little.  The cookies will continue to firm up a bit more on cooling.

Yields: about 40 bite-sized cookies

* While many promote the positive health benefits of coconut oil, and health food shops seem to readily stock the stuff, it does seem like there are just as many people who aren’t sure if it is any better than other kinds of saturated fat.  Following the guidance of the trusty Harold McGee on the kitchen-scientific (I’ve mentioned him before), I’m content to cook occasionally with good quality coconut oil (I used organic extra virgin),  and enjoy the riches of the coconut in small doses.  Also, I think that in this kind of recipe it adds a subtle coconut flavour to the whole thing which I rather like.  And what’s 1/4 cup of oil anyway divided between 40 cookies?