Making Energy Bars

What to eat on the run, on a plane– what to send with your child as a school snack or to eat after school before an after school activity that burns lots of calories?

Power bars or energy bars are perfect, not too filling but filled with calories, easy to eat on the run, non perishable...Unfortunately many are filled with sugar and have a really long list of ingredients.  In addition I am not comfortable having a pre packaged food be a part of my daily diet.  As a result I started playing around with a recipe of my own.

Once I came up with a recipe that everyone liked I decided to analyze it nutritionally, it looked good when I compared it to other options you can purchase.  I asked Janis Jibrin the nutritionist that I work closely with on Bob Greene's Best Life Diet to take a look at the ingredients and the analysis.  She enthusiastically approved!

Every Day Energy Bars

Makes 26 bars

5 cup oatmeal

½ cup grapeseed oil

½ cup almond milk

1 cup peanut butter

¼ cup ground flax seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

¾ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate

¼ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a stand up mixer add all of the ingredients and mix everything is thoroughly combined, about 2 minutes.

3. Measure out 1/4 cup servings, you could bake them in cupcake molds, I baked them in silicone baking molds that accommodated 1/4 cup servings.

4. Bake for 15 minutes.  After cooling completely I wrap the bars individually in a small piece of parchment paper covered with tin foil.  I store these in the freezer and for me the recipe yields nearly a months supply.

Nutrition Information for One Bar–

calories: 205

protein: 6 g

carbohydrate: 18 g

fiber: 3 g

sugar: 3 g

total fat: 13 g

saturated fat: 2.6 g

monosaturated fat: 3.7 g

polysaturated fat: 5.4 g

cholesterol: 0 mg

calcium: 26 mg

potassium: 182 mg

sodium: 70 mg

Wine, "Les Chassis"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Kate Headley

At Friday nights dinner thanks to Tom, a wine importer we work with, all the wines were stellar.  Tom looks at each Home Restaurant menu and helps us pair wines that complement the food.  He imports wines from small vineyards, lots from France and some from Italy and Spain.  His contribution to our dinners is enormous.  We share the belief that wine should highlight food and food should highlight wine– the combinations should work in concert.

The final savory course on Friday night was lamb shoulder with canellini beans, a sauce of girasol and salsify puree, wilted spinach and shaved black oregon truffles.  We poured Domaine des Hauts Chassis, Crozes Hermitage "Les Chassis" 2007 to go with that and the Winnimere cheese course that followed.  The wine was a stand out.  I asked Tom if he had any additional information to share about the wine, this is what I got from him–

Frank Faugier of Domaine des Hauts Chassis in Crozes Hermitage took over the family's 12 hectare domaine in 1998 and made the decision to leave the local co-operative and go it on his own. His first official vintage was in 2003, and luckily for us, all of his hard work has paid off. On predominantly large galets size stones over coarse sand and red clay, Frank produces 3 deliciously distinct wines. Last spring I was fortunate enough to meet and taste with Frank at the domaine located in the commune of La Roche de Glun. Although I was most impressed by the purity of fruit throughout the range , my hands down favorite was the 2007 "Les Chassis".   This 100% syrah hails from vines that are more than 50 years old. Deep and intense with beautiful structure (i.e. rich fruit, ripe medium tannins and excellent underlying acidity) this is a syrah that in my estimation could only come from the northern Rhone.

Home Restaurant April 1 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

photo Kate Headley

We had an excellent evening last night at 1508.  It was an open night full of lively discussion, new friends and early spring ingredients including the first morels of the season from a forager in Oregon–

Passing

Shad Roe and Sorrel

Beef Tongue, Grainy Mustard, Tarragon and French Breakfast Radish

Tiny Potato with Capers, Olives and Vegan Yogurt

Chicken Liver and Parsnip with Paprika and Lemon

Noodles with Sage, Rosemary and Paolo Olive Oil

Turnip Soup

(Chateau Les Valentines) Cotes du Provence ROSE Estate 2010

Seated

Scallop with Black Rice, Pea Shoots and Beets– Whole Wheat Boule

(Domaine des Roy) Touraine ROUGE "Les Linottes" 2008

Micro Arugula, Baby Tat Soi, Leeks, Baby Carrots, Fava Beans, Fennel, Blond Morels and Crunchy Quinoa dressed with Argon Oil and Banyuls Vinegar–White Spelt Roll Stuffed with Sesame and Curly Parsley

(Domaine de la Feuillarde) Saint-Veran V.V. 2008

Lamb Shoulder, Cannellini Beans, Salsify and Girasol Puree, Black Truffle with Spinach– Whole Grain Foccacia

(Domaine des Hauts Chassis) Crozes Hermitage "Les Chassis" 2007

Winnimere Cheese on Walnut Cracker

Almond Torte with Celery Almond Sorbet, Almond Celery Seed Brittle and Candied Celery

(Grange Tiphaine) Nouveau Nez - Sparkling Montlouis 2008

Chocolate Coconut Macaroon, Chocolate Beet Cupcake, Fresh Champagne Mango with Mandarin Orange

Goodie Bags- Warm Sesame Bread and Salty Sweet Rose Pistachio Biscotti

A favor turns into the present of photographs, thanks Naz!

A talented photographer friend of ours, Malek Naz Freidouni, asked if she could photograph our daughter Martin-Lane for her portfolio.  Martin-Lane said she was up for it.  We set up the shoot for a Sunday morning and Naz promised she would work quickly, which she did. The photos are awesome, this is one of my favorites and it seems to be appropriate today with so many cherry blossom petals just beginning to fall– taken in the room where the Home Restaurants happen.  Check out more of her work on her website.

perennial vs annual grains and the environment...

This is kind of arcane but I found it of interest... I have read in a few different places that the choice to cultivate annual plants about 10,000 years ago instead of perennial plants continues to greatly impact our world today.  There is much about this that I do not understand but in short perennials have longer roots which make them need less soil, water and fertilizer resulting in little negative environmental impact.

Yesterday sitting in a waiting room I read a recent National Geographic article– the following excerpt and photo below explains this concept well:

"We pay a steep price for our reliance on high yields and shallow roots, says soil scientist—and National Geographic emerging explorer—Jerry Glover of the Land Institute. Because annual root crops mostly tap into only the top foot or so of soil, that layer gets depleted, forcing farmers to rely on large amounts of fertilizers to maintain high yields. Often less than half the fertilizer in the Midwest gets taken up by crops; much of it washes into the Gulf of Mexico, where it fertilizes algae blooms that cause a vast dead zone around the mouth of the Mississippi. Annuals also promote heavy use of pesticides or tillage because they leave the ground bare much of the year. That allows weeds to invade.

Above all, leaving the ground bare after harvest and plowing it in planting season erodes the soil. No-till farming and other conservation practices have reduced the rate of soil loss in the U.S. by more than 40 percent since the 1980s, but it's still around 1.7 billion tons a year. Worldwide, one estimate put the rate of soil erosion from plowed fields at ten to a hundred times the rate of soil production. "Unless this disease is checked, the human race will wilt like any other crop," Jackson wrote 30 years ago. As growing populations force farmers in poor countries onto steeper, erodible slopes, the "disease" threatens to get worse.

Perennial grains would help with all these problems. They would keep the ground covered, reducing erosion and the need for pesticides, and their deep roots would stabilize the soil and make the grains more suitable for marginal lands. "Perennials capture water and nutrients 10 or 12 feet down in the soil, 11 months of the year," Glover says. The deep roots and ground cover would also hold on to fertilizer—reducing the cost to the farmer as well as to the environment."

After a bit of research I found that the Land Institute is investigating perennial grains that could potentially have high yields.  There is quite a bit of information available on the internet and I found an interesting site called Agricultural Biodiversity that has several posts about the issue.

Canal Saint Martin, neighborhood Paris

I have been stalking the Canal St. Martin neighborhood for more than a decade now.  The first time I visited I knew that it is where I would choose to live if moving to Paris.  It was a perfect place to wander, we found a coffee shop, a book store and a large Antoine and Lili store but it was not full of shopping, galleries or other commerce that often bring you to visit a neighborhood– it just appealed as an excellent place to live.  On subsequent visits we saw new stores popping up, more cafes and restaurants...today it is both a great place to live and a destination.

When deciding where to stay on our most recent trip I learned that a new small hotel had recently opened right on the canal, I did not hesitate, I made a reservation at Le Citizen.  In addition to the hotel being located in what I consider the perfect spot there were many other advantages it was– small, comfortable, you get an ipad lent to you upon check in, the staff and owner are knowledgeable and helpful, the construction and practices are ecologically aware...in short it was hard to leave and we will stay there on our next trip.

Staying on the canal gave us a chance to explore the neighborhood, on the street (rue de Lancry) between Jacques Bonsergent (our metro stop) and the hotel there is a paper shop, a fabulous flower store, a variety of small specialty food shops– Italian, Lebanese, Greek, fruit...a late night falafel joint that proved invaluable for an after ballet snack one night, intriguing clothing and vintage stores and a fabulous design bookstore.  There are also several spots that beg you to stop for a drink or a glass of wine including Le Verre Vole and Hotel du Nord.

The blocks surrounding Le Citizen were full of food shops, clothing stores, galleries, flower shops, cafes... I am anxious to explore each one on future visits.  We did find two new favorites: a bakery, Du Pain et Des Idees and La Tete Dans Les Olives.

Since "discovering" Du Pain et Des Idees I learned that the excellent bread is not exactly a secret...Alain Ducasse serves bread from this bakery at his Paris 3 star restaurant, Plaza Athenee.  The Pain des Amis is one of the best breads I have ever tasted– slightly fermented, nutty, whole wheat and woodsy.  We also tried a stuffed bread that was kind of like a French version of an empanada filled with olives and thyme– memorable.  I have no doubt that everything from this bakery is worth trying.

La Tete Dans Les Olives is about a 10 minute walk from Le Citizen hotel.  The tiny store is packed with products from Sicily.  The owner travels to Sicily every year for the olive harvest and processing of the oil and returns back to Paris with a variety of oils that he has made.  He does not own property but rather visits friends olive farms and the names of the oils reflect the owners of the various properties.  The processing procedure is the same for each oil but the tastes vary greatly depending on the variety of olive, soil and other growing conditions.  We tasted several oils and wanted to bring home one of each but settled on two, a very grassy tasting Paolo and a rich and intense oil called Francesco.  We also tasted the most delicious capers, sun-dried tomatoes, fig cookies and a dried persimmons.  This store is worth a detour!  They also do a 5 seat restaurant a few times a week, sadly there was no spaces available but it is on the top of my list for my next visit.

Eating Vegan (vegetalien) in Paris

Every time I go to Paris I forget that it is an oddity to be a vegan there.  There are outstanding ingredients– stellar vegetables, the best bread, availability of a huge variety of foods from all over the world...but the French are committed to their meat, fish, eggs, butter and cheese.  Fancy restaurants with kitchen inventories and large kitchen staffs sometimes are willing to accommodate.  However, smaller bistros with one menu and only a person or two in the kitchen are often unable to prepare a vegan meal.  There are exceptions to this, a few I know of are–  Le Clown Bar we had an excellent plate of seasonal vegetables and lentils, we were unable to get a reservation at La Tete dans les Olives or Le Comptoir (next trip!) but they seemed undaunted by our request and the underground restaurant, Soul Kitchen Supper Club said vegan would not be a problem but they were not open any of the nights we were in Paris this time.

Don't get the wrong idea, we ate well in Paris!!

There are several vegetarian restaurants in Paris, I have not been to many but we did end up eating a lovely meal in between two exhibits at the Pompidou Museum at Le Potager du Marais.  I have heard great things about several others as well.  We had a fabulous lunch made up of several small salads and extraordinary multi grain bread at Bread and Roses near the Jardin de Luxembourg.  There are many cous cous restaurants where it is easy to eat vegan throughout Paris, a favorite is Chez Omar.

Street food is plentiful and much of it is vegetarian, favorites include the Thyms Sandwich at the Bastille Market, Falafel from L As du Fallafel, Japanese choices from a stand called Taeko at Marche des Enfants Rouge (great Moroccan, Middle Eastern and Italian choices too)– and there is always the option of bread and fruit available on nearly every corner.

On our recent trip we also ate at Le Violon D'Ingres where we started with a perfectly dressed salad, followed by a plate of spring vegetables that included fava beans peas and morels.  We ended with a cassis sorbet and fruit.  On an earlier trip we they were happy to prepare a memorable vegan meal for us at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

Our last night we splurged and ate at Arpege a Michelin 3 star restaurant that is unique in that it has an emphasis on vegetables.  They were happy to work with us and forgo dairy as well.

Our meal was made up of lots of tiny courses–

Beet on cracker with chocolate

Potato noodles with herb vinaigrette

Spinach with sesame and bitter orange

Salad with hazelnut butter

Beet and chocolate with balsamic vinegar and spring onion

Yellow beet carpaccio with chervil

Black radish carpaccio with lemongrass

Green radish with caramelized radish and green tea

Baby vegetables with cous cous and cumin

Cassis Pates

Orange and apple with mint and argon oil

Apple and pineapple with olive oil lime sauce and candy

......

Already dreaming of our next visit!

New Chocolate Shop, Un Dimanche A Paris

Here in Paris there is artisan chocolate everywhere you turn.  A few of our many favorites– Josephine Vannier, in the Marais, Jacques Genin, near Republique, Francois Pralus, next to the Pompidou and although not a chocolate store we had the most delicious chocolate sorbet (ingredients chocolate and water) at Bertillion, the Ile St. Louis ice cream maker, yesterday.

A new noteworthy store, Un Dimanche A Paris close to Odeon opened late last year.  The owner is Pierre Cluizel the son of the chocolatier Michel Cluizel (his chocolates are available at Biagio in DC).  He is calling the space a concept store and it includes a chocolate shop, patisserie, bar, restaurant and lounge.  There are also cooking classes a tasting room and  a gorgeous all glass kitchen and another teaching kitchen.  The space is large and luxurious, the chocolate outstanding...

I left the store with a variety of dark chocolates and am bringing home some Paillettes Argentees and Paillettes Dorees, silvery and golden glitters, that I plan to use on baked goods.

Street Food, Paris, Thyms, Bastille Market

I know it is cliche to say, "I love Paris", but I do! Just arrived this morning and immediately after dropping off our bags the first stop was in search of a farmers market sandwich that we had tasted at the Bastille Market 3 years ago!

I remembered that the stand was at the South East corner of the market which is located just north of Bastille. The market is open on Sunday's and Thursday's only. We rushed to make it before the 2:00 closing and were thrilled to find the stand in the same place we had remembered it. I noted today that the stand is called Zaatar Wzeit and the sandwich is called Thyms.

The sandwich is made on a bread that is made by rolling dough on a large pasta like machine. The bread us then spread with a purée of sesame seeds, thyme, oregano and olive oil. It is cooked on a large metal drum an then rolled up and served wrapped in parchment paper. It was just as delicious as we had remembered an we plan to return for one more before our plane departs on Thursday. I am already plotting making my own version once I get back to my kitchen at 1508!

sugars, fructose, agave???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the things I do is develop recipes, write blog posts and articles as well as consult on all things cooking related for Bob Greene's Best Life Diet.  One of the perks of this work is collaborating with Janis Jibrin, a DC based Nutritionist.  Janis is a scientist and when you ask her a nutrition question you do not get a squishy answer you get an explanation which includes details about the food in question and how your body processes that food...if she does not have an answer she turns to the science: scientific journals and leadings experts in the field- and analyzes the latest information.

A question that has been on my mind and that I get asked a couple of times a week is about whether agave nectar is a good substitute for sugar...

This is an excerpt by Janis from Bob Greene's recently released book, The Life You Want, Simon and Schuster December 28, 2010

Basically all calorie-containing sweeteners—white sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, fruit juice sweetener, dextrose, or maltose—are about the same healthwise. The only exception is plain fructose, which is being used in products like energy drinks and some foods marketed to those with diabetes, because it doesn’t raise blood sugar quickly. Some animal studies, and now a few human studies, suggest that fructose causes a spike in artery-clogging cholesterol and triglycerides, promotes weight gain in the dangerous abdominal area, and increases inflammation, a trigger to a host of diseases. (Agave syrup is 80 percent or more fructose, so in my book, it’s basically fructose.)

......I’d recommend steering clear of all forms of fructose (including the popular “crystalline fructose”) or agave syrup until the safety has been established.

Janis goes on to say that she is following the research and her position may shift...in the meantime I continue to use agave nectar but very sparingly and only if it is the best reacting or tasting sweetener for something I am making.  However, I use it with moderation and never use it if another non fructose sweetener can produce the same results.  So for those of you using agave in the name of a healthful choice take note!

Rhubarb Paired With Banana, Banana Maple Syrup Sandwich with Rhubarb Compote

This week we got rhubarb for the first time this season.  Rhubarb is a favorite here for both desserts and savory dishes.   For sweets I love the paring of rhubarb and banana.  At last nights fun Home Restaurant we ended the meal with–

Banana Maple Syrup Sandwich with Rhubarb Compote and Toasted Walnuts

Banana Cake

8 oz non hydrogenated margarine, such as Earth Balance

3 1/3 cups sugar

inside of 2 vanilla beans

1 cup pureed silken tofu

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup homemade non dairy yogurt (can substitute with non dairy store bought yogurt or sour cream)

2 cups mashed banana

4 cups all purpose unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a mixer cream together margarine, sugar and vanilla.  Add Tofu.  In a small bowl mix together baking powder, baking soda and sour cream.  Add to sugar mixture and mix until just combined.  Add bananas until just combined and then add flour and salt.  Bake at 350 degrees until cake tests clean on a knife.  I baked mine in small silicon molds.

Frozen Maple Syrup

1 cup young coconut water

1 cup young coconut meat

3 cups coconut milk

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut butter

1 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon himalyan salt

Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender. Chill and freeze in an ice cream maker.  I placed ice cream into the silicone molds I baked the cakes in to have the correct size for sandwiches and held in the freezer until I was ready to assemble the dessert.

Rhubarb Compote

about 10 stalks of rhubarb

inside of 2 vanilla beans

sugar to taste

Lightly peel rhubarb removing most of the stringy outside layer.  Cut rhubarb into 1/2 inch slices and place into a pot, add the vanilla, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of water.  Cook over low to medium heat until the rhubarb softens and you have a thick compote.  Taste and add additional sugar gradually until the compote is still very tart but pleasant to taste.  Be sure to add sugar slowly so as not to over sweeten.

Candied Walnuts

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon himalyan salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place walnuts, maple syrup and salt on a baking tray and stir.  Place in oven and stir every few minutes until the mixture become a deep golden brown.  Remove from the oven and stir every few minutes while the nuts are cooling to prevent them from sticking to the baking tray.

To Assemble

Slice banana cake in half, place molded frozen maple syrup on bottom half of cake, top with a small spoonful of rhubarb, cover with the top of the banana cake, top with additional rhubarb and walnuts, garnish with a drop of maple syrup.

Early Spring Planting

It is early but at the end of last week the soil was not frozen and I saw that rain was on the way–  we took the opportunity to clean up, turn over the annual beds in our garden, amend the soil with rich castings from our worm home and plant!  Now I am anxiously awaiting the first sprouts.

We are lucky that our walled city garden is fairly protected but regardless we chose plantings that would not mind another freeze or two if that happens.

In three large planters we planted magenta spreen, a green new to me last year that is beautiful– bright green with a magenta center and a flavor similar to lamb's quarters.  In the beds we planted snow peas, arugula and red oak leaf lettuce.

We are announcing an open Home Restaurant for April 1st and I am hoping the first baby lettuce of the season will be ready for picking.  In the meantime I will be ordering seeds and plotting the planting schedule for the season.