USVI-On-Line

Getting back on the topic now...
Here is a great recipe for granola bars. They are delicious and healthy. If you crave chocolate chip cookies these are a great alternative and they freeze well too.

Chewy Peanut Butter Granola Bars

3-1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1-teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup soft tub margarine (no trans fats)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
1-cup mini chocolate chips or carob chips

In a large bowl combine oats, flour, flaxseed, and baking soda. In another bowl, combine vanilla, margarine, honey, peanut butter and brown sugar; add to oat mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Lightly press the mixture into the pan with the back of a spoon. Bake at 325 for 22 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and cut into bars. Let bars cool completely before removing or serving.

I'll bump this up.

Sea.......that sounds really good. Can you use something like Smart Balance for the margarine?

How about apple sauce with some xanthan gum?

Cheers, RickG

Yes you could use those things. You don't need a lot of margarine either. I usually use less than it calls for.
Should I bring some in Nov? The hard thing to do is to eat just one.

sea-nile wrote:Yes you could use those things. You don't need a lot of margarine either.
Should I bring some in Nov? The hard thing to do is to eat just one.

Xanthan gum? I rarely use more than 1%. If you ate it straight things might get a little, well, non-linear.

Cheers, RickG

Well, you could use the applesauce. I prefer the margarine and just use less.

Maybe use the apple sauce with 1% xanthan gum and some diacetyl to provide that movie theater popcorn butter experience?

[Googles smart balance diacetyl] It looks like Smart Balance claims they do not use diacetyl. Their butter blend sticks actually look like a reasonable fat. Their spreads aren't cut with water either, so will probably behave more like a liquid oil since it is not hydrogenated. The Smart Balance products look pretty reasonable.

Cool. I'll shut up about the xanthan gum. I like it in ice cream made with heavy cream, and sugar. Sorry, wrong topic.

Cheers, RickG

Rick, are you Alton Brown from the Food Network?
(I love that show...)

I made the VeraCruz last week and really LOVED it. The sauce is great and I could skip the fish and just have it over rice Excellent!

MB - that Veracruz sauce is mighty good isnt it? Now I have a taste for it...think I'll defrost the Wegmans tilapia I have in the freezer and stop at the farm market for some cilantro.

I made the veracruz with pork loin tonight it was great