The Juice on Juice Bars
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Why that morning juice fix costs so much — and why so many people are happy to pay.
A Little PVR for Your R&R
Food allergies can be a drag for athletes or recreational enthusiasts. Not only can allergy-friendly energy boosters be hard to find, they can be expensive. I wanted to create something I could make in large quantities, always have on hand and something I could have a peace of mind with, knowing exactly what went into them. I started out with my Pure*Simple Protein Bars and they have gradually developed into these little jewels. A little sweet, a little salty and just plain delicious.
PVR Bars by Cafe McLean (Paleo, Vegan, Raw)
1 C raw almonds
1 C raw cashews
1 C dried cherries
1/2 C dried mangoes (chopped into 1/2 inch pieces)
1/4 C raisins
1/2 C shredded, sulfite free, sugar free coconut (plus more for coating bars)
4 Tbls ground flax
4 Tbls warm water
1/2 C sunflower seeds
1/2 C raw pumpkin seeds
4 Tbls coconut cream (obtain coconut cream by chilling a can of full-fat, not light, coconut milk and using the thick part that rises to the top)
1/4 C cacao powder
1/2 C maple syrup
1/4 C coconut oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Place ground flax and warm water in a small bowl and let set while gathering remaining ingredients. Combine all other ingredients in food processor adding soaked flax when ready to pulse. Pulse mixture, scrape sides and repeat several times until mixture resembles the consistency of chunky peanut butter. Mixture should not be so chunky that it does not press together but not so blended that it resembles a paste.
When mixture is at desired consistency, press into a 9x9 glass baking dish coated in coconut oil. Use more coconut oil to coat a rubber spatula and press mixture into the dish until evenly dispersed and flat.
Place dish into freezer for 20 minutes until lightly set. Using a cup of hot water and a sharp knife, cut into 12 squares. Knife should be dipped in the hot water and wiped with a clean towel after each cut to ensure a clean edge.
When bars are cut, return to freezer overnight. Once bars are frozen, use a fork to gently pry each bar from the pan. Don’t worry if a few fork marks are imprinted into your bars as they will be covered with coconut flakes. After you have removed all of the bars, they can be cut in half once more with a sharp knife (or left alone) and rolled in the extra coconut. Place approximately 1 C coconut onto a large dinner plate and gently press bars into flakes until all sides are coated. These bars can be made without the coconut but since they are raw, covering them in coconut helps cut down on their stickiness.
Bars can then be wrapped in plastic wrap or placed into ziplock baggies. I like to make 24 bars out of this recipe placing 2 bars in each baggie. This way I don’t feel like I have to eat an entire large bar while out on a long ride. Instead I can nibble on one small bar at time.
Bars should remain in freezer, until needed, to retain shape and freshness. Whether you are going on a run or a long bike ride, put them in your jersey pocket right out of the freezer and they will be perfectly soft by the time you need a little boost. They are great frozen too!
Yields: 12 large bars, 24 small bars
Hazelnutty
I thought my coffee creamer days had come to an end. Boy, was I wrong. I might as well have hazelnut flavored Coffee-mate in my fridge with this recipe—minus the gluten, corn and dairy of course. I figured if milk could be made with almonds, why not roasted hazelnuts? The possibilities with this milk are endless.
Roasted Hazelnut Milk
1-2 Cups roasted Hazelnuts
3-4 C water
Agave, maple syrup or pitted dates to sweeten
Soak hazelnuts overnight. Place nuts in colander and rinse thoroughly. Transfer nuts into blender. Use more nuts for a stronger milk and less for a milder one. I have found that 1 cup is plenty to make a very flavorful milk but the more nuts you use, the thicker and creamier the end result. Add water to blender until about 2/3 full (approximately 3-4 cups). It is important to leave room at the top so your milk does not overflow when blending. Blend nuts and water for 2-3 minutes.
Strain milk through cheesecloth into a separate dish and squeeze until remaining pulp is dry and comes together into a ball. Excess pulp can be discarded. Place strained hazelnut milk back into blender and add sweetener. Blend for another 2-3 minutes. Yields approximately 1 liter of milk. Store in a glass jar or airtight container. Milk will last 7-10 days.
Is That Pineapple in My Guacamole?
Add a new dimension to your fresh California road-stand avocados with this fresh Tropicado Salad.
8-10 small ( 4-5 large) fresh ripe California avocados diced
1/2 medium red onion diced
1 small bunch green onion chopped
1 medium red tomato diced
1/4 ripe pineapple diced
1/2 cucumber diced
1/2 jalapeno diced
1 large garlic clove crushed
Juice of one lime
Handful of fresh cilantro chopped
S & P to taste
Lightly fold all ingredients together taking care not to smash the avocados too much. Try adding chopped cashews, toasted pine nuts or fresh crumbled goats cheese to add another spin. Serve with your favorite baked potato, zucchini or kale chips. This dish is great by itself or on the side!
