quinoa cacao bar

gluten-free, refined sugar free

I have been largely absent here - for reasons good and less good. A little bit lazy, a lot of busyness that is pure and simple of little interest to anyone, not even me. One of those periods in life where every day speeds by and at the end of it you wonder what it was that you did. This silly fire thing drags on - more boxes come back from the restoration company but little else happens. We still have no laundry room and the house still has a lingering odour of electrical fire. The smell is masked when I cook and we are strangely accustomed to it but when I return home and the house is quiet that unpleasant, sharp smell is easy to identify. You would think it would be motivation to cook a little more but the boxes that are stacked in corners, the bare floors, the disorganized pantry all leave me feeling like we are simply stopping here and so we eat meals that are healthy, simple and fast - but uninspired.

I spent several days last week unpacking the last 33 boxes. Many of the boxes contained treasures that I had forgotten we had - I am scratching my head over where the cleaners found some of it and then scratching more over why it was deemed worthy of restoration. Boxes of memories ... photos and old handmade Mother's Day and birthday cards from my kids that made me laugh out loud, the contents of Merin's dance bag that I cannot bear to part with - all two dozen bodysuits (or more!) plus tattered warm-ups - that I wept over. Toys and tiny clothes, study aids from school in Japan, box after box. All unpacked now and safely put away, the memories and the goods. It was cathartic - not particularly easy but in the end good. 

In the middle of the unpacking and muddle I felt a Pooh-bear like need for a little something. Honey is good but it wasn't quite the something that my particular tummy was wanting. Chocolate however was just the thing. A couple of weeks earlier I had tried a beautiful bar that was almost perfect. Well, really it was but I just had the urge to fiddle a little and so I fiddled and I think it was perhaps just a little more perfect. Licking the spoon I knew that Merin would have loved these and I smiled. It was a good end to a bit of a hard day. (after 3 1/2 years I am surprised at the tenacity of grief  - that and the oddness of what triggers the longing. I am content, even happy, but I realize more and more that I will simply miss the joy Merin is until I see her again)

These bars are very, very good as soon as they harden but if you can give them a chance to 'cure' they are even better. A day is good - three best. Just tuck them at the back of the fridge and hope nobody (including yourself) notices they are there. Both times I made them I thought they got significantly better with a period to cure. The recipe is originally from a blog that is new to me and I am so happy to have come across it. Lots of great ideas and very pretty pictures. Seriously - I dare you to scroll through and not want to make every single recipe she has posted. I certainly can't find one that I don't want to try!

quinoa cacao bar

( from Wholehearted Eats, with a little bit of fiddling)

3/4 cup virgin coconut oil

2 Tbsp almond butter

2 Tbsp coconut flour

2/3 cup raw cacao powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 cups puffed quinoa

1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1/2 cup pistachios

Line a 9x9" pan with a parchment paper sling and set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt together the coconut oil and the almond butter. Stir in the coconut flour, cacao, maple syrup and salt. Add the puffed quinoa, cranberries and pistachios. Mix well and pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Add another couple of tablespoons of cranberries and pistachios to the top to make it prettier, pressing them into the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until hardened. Wrap for easy grabbing when on the go - you won't regret the time.

salted chocolate crispie bars

gluten-free, refined sugar free

June! I have always loved June. Maybe because it is my birthday month, maybe it is the held-over memories of end-of-the-school-year stuff that seems to fill the month (causing mothers to pull their hair out and kids to rejoice) but it can't be the weather because June in Calgary pretty much means rain. The kind of daily rain that in Japan they call The Rainy Season. The kind of rain that swells the rivers, threatens flooding and awakens the mosquito population. The kind of daily rain that gardens thrive in if you were clever enough to get out there and sow the seeds but that spells a muddy mess if you want to try that project right now. In spite of that reality for some crazy reason reason when I think, read, or hear the word 'June' I think SUN.

Today is June 1, Saturday and sunny! I think that must qualify this as a day that needs at least a mini-celebration. Celebrations - even mini ones - simply need treats. It is in the definition. No treat, no celebration. These chocolate bars are up to the task and in fact, I like them so well that I think simply having a bite of one qualifies as a mini-mini celebration all in itself. I found the recipe over on FOOD52 (a favourite stop for me) with a write-up that intrigued (touted as an attempt at a healthy rice krispie square and called Hippie Crispie Treats). We have been missing our rice krispie squares around here since if I make marshmallows -with honey no less - there is no way they are being melted into the ubiquitous rice krispie squares and any other marshmallow is just a yummy, sweet puff of refined sugar. Which, of course, we avoid now. So... a healthy option sounded promising enough to try. While I am not sure I would add this recipe to the queue of truly healthy it certainly is healthier and healthy enough. AND it is De. Lish. Us! I loved the sprinkle of salt on the top - yummy became amazing.

The only itty bitty tweak I made to the recipe was to decrease the amount of coconut oil in the topping - a choice not lightly made. Coconut oil while incredibly good for one has such a low melting point that 2 Tbsp of the stuff made a topping that was wonderful straight out of the fridge but almost runny 10 minutes later. Messy, messy. 1 Tbsp is about perfect. These squares do not need to be kept in the fridge and if by some miraculous chance they are still hanging around the day after you make them the rice will be slightly less crisp (but in no way even approaching soggy). I have previously always subbed honey or agave for brown rice syrup in any recipe calling for the syrup but for this recipe stick with the brown rice syrup. It is not nearly as sweet as the other two options and enhances the chewy factor. Worth adding to the market list.

I took some over to Eden's for a little market research. The test market is a tough one but the product received a very favourable rating with the testers lamenting the one piece per person I had allowed for. 

After I shared my treats, Deacon shared some lego creations - scenes from books he has read. Amazingly he remembers which lego pieces came from which particular lego set. A feat you would be more impressed with if you were to see the extent of the collection ;)

salted chocolate crispie bars

(barely tweaked from Food 52)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

2 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

4 cups puffed rice cereal

topping:

1 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 tsp flaky sea salt (like Maldon's)

Line an 8x8" pan with a sling of parchment paper and set aside.

In a large saucepan combine the maple and brown rice syrups, then bring to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't boil over. You will want to use a larger saucepan than you think you need simply because stirring the cereal into the chocolate mixture can be kind of frustrating if the pan is too small. I know - I did it :) Remove from heat and add the almond butter, chopped chocolate, coconut oil and salt, stirring until everything is melted and smooth. Fold in the rice cereal. Push the mixture into the lined pan and press firmly and evenly.

In a small saucepan melt together the second 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate and the 1 Tbsp of coconut oil. Stir constantly over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour the topping over the rice mixture and spread to the edges. Sprinkle with the sliced almonds and sea salt.

Refrigerate to speed setting or let cool at room temperature for about 2 hours.

cinnamon popcorn

I cannot learn moderation when it comes to cinnamon popcorn. Not that I have tried so very hard. I like chocolate but I love cinnamon, caramel, and salt. (My commitment to salty is beyond reason.) Stir the flavours together in a big hot kettle, toss in popping corn and you have some addictive magic.

I learned to make cinnamon popcorn when we were living in Tokyo a few years ago. Merin was with us and doing her last year of high school by distance ed. She was a good sport about being in Japan but the truth is that it was hard for her. She missed her focused ballet life. She missed speaking the language. She missed her sister. On the plus side, she didn't have to miss me, got to go to Thailand, and enjoyed some seriously great shopping. Maybe not compensation for the things she missed but on the whole I think she would say she was happy she went with us. Evenings were a lot more quiet than any of us were used to - again good and less good - but we quickly learned to love a quiet night with a big bowl of popcorn and a season of Jennifer Garner and alias. When we experienced cinnamon popcorn our lives were changed. Seriously. Maybe it won't save the world but then again, who knows how it might impact the state of things if everyone had a bowl tonight?

This is essentially kettle corn. With cinnamon. There is no real need for anymore words.

I use a 'Whirlypop' popper but this will work in many of the electric corn poppers that are on the market (Cuisinart for one). It just needs to be stirred as it pops to keep the sugar from burning.

cinnamon popcorn

4 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp popping corn

1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

In a small bowl mix together the 1 Tbsp sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt. Set aside. (It is important to do this first because you need to add it to the hot popped corn immediately and if it isn't mixed up you will miss an important window of opportunity.)

Put the coconut oil into the popper along with the sugar and popping corn. Pop according to directions. Immediately after the popping stops, open the lid and add the cinnamon/sugar/salt mixture. Stir or toss to coat the hot popcorn.

Done! And I dare you to be moderate in your consumption. Double dare even.