Baking days!

As a lecturer my time is reasonably flexible.  I work a 0.8 contract which gives me a day off a week.  I like it to be a Friday if possible, but this week there is a "three line whip" meeting on Friday so i had today instead.

In reducing the sugar in our household, I still have to be mindful of the teenagers - particularly the 15 year old, strapping 6' male one who has hollow legs and to whom this is all a bit of a shock.  I have said that they can buy anything themselves - after all, I can't really stop them, but i will not bring fizzy drinks, crappy cereals or commercially baked products or sweets into the house.  There are also no more flavoured crisps, though I do buy ready salted (ingredients: potatoes, oil, salt.  I know the veg oil isn't great healthwise but they eat one pack a day - at most), and there are no more flavoured yogurts - I buy full fat greek and will mix in some flavours for when J wants a yogurt.  V isn't too fussed on such things and is leaving for uni soon anyway.  Today's flavour is apple and blackberry as we went blackberrying at the weekend and i made some.  The apple and blackberry "jollop" is sweetened with agave syrup.  Again, I know that agave isn't great but i bought some before I had fully researched and need to use it up.  After it's gone, I will just use Xylitol.

The rest of the "jollop" has been frozen for future use.

Next I made some raw "naked" bars.  Recipe courtesy of "Mrs Lurcherwalker" from the Oldstyle Forum from Moneysaving Expert.com - thanks Mrs LW, they are sublime

4.8 oz pitted dried dates
2.9 oz raw cashew nuts (pieces are fine)
1.7 oz seedless raisins / dried cherries
0.6 oz cocoa powder
2 teaspoons honey

Blitz ingredients together in a food processor.  When they have "come together" remove and shape by hand into a sausage shape, wrap in cling film and refrigerate.  Cut a slice off when it's, in the words of Winnie the Pooh "time for something sweet".

I didn't have enough  cashews, so I used 2 oz almonds and 1 oz dessicated coconut.

Then came apple and cinnamon bars - the recipe came from the internet somewhere, I hope it's OK to reproduce

Ingredients

8oz pecans
6 oz rolled oats
8 oz pitted and halved dates
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz chopped eating apples

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees c7
Line a baking sheet with parchment, and spread the pecans and oats out on it in a single flat layer.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.
Keep the oven at 180 degreesC.  Line an 8" squae pan or a 12 x 5.5" pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides so the finished bars can be lifted.
Place the toasted nuts and oats in a food processor along with the dates, cinnamon and salt.  Process until the mixture is coarse and crumbly, with no large pieces remaining.  Add the chopped apple and pulse in until there are no chunks left.  Continue to process until everything starts to clump together, using a spatula if necessary to move things round.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using a spatula smooth over the top carefully.

Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  Cool for 10-15 mins and then slice into bars.  Once completely cool, lift out of the pan and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Except I used walnuts instead of pecans (really must update my stocks) and I soaked the dates for a short time as last time I made it, it was rather dry.

I made some chocolate crispy cakes after that

1oz sugar - i used 3/4oz xylitol
1 tbsp syrup (I used agave syrup)
2oz butter
1 oz cocoa or very dark chocolate

Melt all together in a pan or microwave and then add

4oz rice crispies

Spoon into cake cases and chill

these haven't held together very well, though they taste OK.  I am guessing the agave isn't as effective as golden syrup.  I also used a mix of cocoa and dark chocolate, so might be better with all chocolate.

So that has replenished the baked goods stocks somewhat.  Some of the apple and cinnamon bars have gone in the freezer as the teenagers are unlikely to eat too many of those - too healthy, they said. P and I find them great with a chunk of cheddar!

I also have a sourdough starter on the go.  I have never made one before but so far it's looking as it should be for day 2.

 Image courtesy of http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-your-own-sourdough-starter-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-47337 from where I got the recipe

I know the sourdough will be made from wheat flour, but I am doing this as a trial to see if a traditionally made loaf, even with wheat, will be better than the shop bought "Chorleywood process" bread.  And, in any case, I am about 95% wheat and sugar free so will allow myself some occasionally.

Afterwards, a quick trip into town saw me at the market where they were selling berries - a punnet of strawberries, 2 of raspberries and 1 of blueberries cost under £3.  So when I got home I treated myself to a bowl.

 YUM!