Make Your Own Soledad Almonds

Has anyone else noticed how Sahale Snacks seem to be just about everywhere right now? I first noticed them, and the slick packaging, at Starbucks... and now they're just about everywhere I look.

Sahale Snacks is a Seattle-based company that makes all natural, gourmet nut snacks. And while they seem to market themselves as an outdoorsy person's snack - something you might take on a hike - they're really more fancy then that. They'd better accompaniment to a glass of wine, if you ask me.


The price is on the high side (about $5.50 for a 142 gram bag). And right from the first time I saw these I thought why, I could make these at home! So I did. And it helps that the main ingredients are clearly listed on the front of the bag.

The results? I'm quite pleased with my homemade mix of roasted almonds, diced dried apples, dates, flax seeds, balsamic vinegar, and cayenne. It works. Their almonds were crunchier, more toasted and mine tasted fresher. I think Sahale's mix has some extra spices such as cumin, cinnamon and perhaps hot paprika. And I didn't roast my mix in the oven which I'd do next time. But all in all, they taste (and look) pretty similar.


Here's the recipe as I made it...

Ingredients
1 cup roasted almonds
1/2 cup dried apple rings, diced
1/2 cup dates, diced
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions
Over a medium high heat, roast almonds for 5 minutes until they start giving off oils and an aroma. Meanwhile, combine balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, orange juice, cayenne and salt [and pinches of cumin and cinnamon next time I make it].

Add the liquid to the fry pan and continue cooking for two minutes. [Next time I will try roasting in the oven at 250 for 30 minutes or so- on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper] Remove from heat and spread out into a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and cool.

Power spheres with dried fruit and seeds

About a year ago, my sister Lorelei and I made homemade granola bars working from the same recipe and compared notes. Well, there must be something about energy boosting snack foods because we're at it again, this time with power sphere's from Rebar's Modern Food Cookbook.

Melody's Side
I found these power spheres surprising easy, and very rewarding, to make. All the dry ingredients are pulsed in the food processor, mixed with the wet ingredients, refrigerated, rolled into balls and then rolled in the sesame seeds. The result? Great tasting and nutritious power spheres.

I added one tablespoon of maple syrup (just because) and toasted the sesame seeds in a frying pan to bring out the nutty flavour of the seeds. The fruit sweetener is the trickiest part of this recipe- it's found in health food stores and is a little costly, running at about seven dollars.


Lorelei's Side

My power spheres turned out very nicely and I'm already planning to make them again soon. They make an excellent mid-morning snack at work that can be eaten quickly when I'm on the run with a stomach that just won't stop rumbling. As a person with blood sugar issues, I especially like how the high protein content of the peanut butter and seeds keeps me feeling balanced and "even" until lunch.

The only variation I made to the recipe is that I added some almond butter that I had in the fridge in addition to the peanut butter. The recipe calls for fruit sweetener and I used a mixture of one half honey (Babe's Honey) and one half agave nectar (found at a health food store). Also, I also misread the instructions and added sesame seeds right into the dough and therefore did not roll the dough in the seeds. I think that I prefer it this way because it likely makes them less messy to eat.

In Summary
Two-times-two thumbs up! This recipe was a success for both of us and it sounds like we'll both be making these again soon. These are great to make before a road trip, hiking, camping or for nothing more then just another busy week.


Homemade Power Spheres (makes about 25)

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup dried apples
4 Brown Rice Cakes
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup Fruit Sweetener (or 333 g, 11.75 oz bottle of blue agave nectar)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter, slightly warmed

Directions
In a food processor, pulse apricots, apples and rice cakes to a fine texture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Next, pulse coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and oats so that things are roughly combined. Add this to the fruit mixture in the large bowl. Add fruit sweetener and peanut butter. Combine until well mixed, cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour.

Roll the dough into bulbs approximately the size of a golf ball. Roll balls until coated in toasted sesame seeds, pressing lightly to ensure that they stick. Serve, or wrap and refrigerate for a quick snack on the go.


RELATED RECIPES-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Granola
This recipe for granola is a stand out with the addition of roasted almonds, apricots, cinnamon and vanilla. Enjoy with yogurt and top with fruit such as sliced apples, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries.

Posh Nosh Trail Mix
This dried fruit and nut mix is aptly named Posh Nosh Trail Mix- roasted unsalted almonds, peanuts, currents annd goji berries.

Morning Granola

This is by far the best granola I've ever made. seriously. Your morning breakfasts will be forever better if you drop everything you're doing right now and make this recipe.

Sylvia Main's Fabulous Fairholme breakfasts and brunches, has a recipe for Fairholme Granola, which is delicious with the addition of roasted almonds, apricots, cinnamon and vanilla. Enjoy with yogurt and top with fruit such as sliced apples, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries. Or, pour the granola into a large bowl and just add milk.




The reason I love this recipe so much is the amount of cinnamon that's added to it- two full tablespoons. If you're not such a big fan, reduce the amount to suit you.


Fairholme Granola

Ingredients
3 cups large rolled oats
1 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almonds, sliced
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup water
1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
1/2 cup dried blueberries or diced dates (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the first 11 ingredients. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, water, maple syrup and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Divide the granola between the two baking sheets and pack down over the entire sheet. Bake for about one and a half hours, stirring every 15 minutes. The granola should be golden brown and crunchy when done. Allow to cool and then add the dried fruit. Store in an airtight container. Lasts for about three weeks or until gone.

Homemade Granola Bars

Share your favorite granola bar recipe, please.

Last night, Lorelei (my sister) and I were both, independently, thinking of making homemade granola. While I was pulling out ingredients for my favorite granola recipe here in Victoria, Lorelei was thinking about making The Kitchen Sink's granola bar recipe in Vancouver. After a few excited text messages back and forth, we decide to make granola bars using The Kitchen Sink's recipe and compare notes. And so the adventure begins...

The ingredients look delicious, the instructions read clear. But, scrolling through the comments you can see that some people have difficulties replicating Kristin's success. Comments such as you need to let the baked granola mixture cool completely before cutting with a very sharp knife and people having difficulties with the amount of honey and peanut butter to add (both with less and more) and crumbling clusters of granola.

So, putting our culinary skills to a test we set out to make these inspiring granola bars.

Melody's Side

I followed the recipe exactly, well nearly exactly. After combining the wet and dry ingredients and packing into a baking dish lined with parchment paper- I could tell that the mixture wasn't going to stick together. So, as a last minute effort to help the bars along, I drizzled maple syrup over the top.

Once baked, I let it cool overnight to ensure that it had indeed cooled completely before pulling out my best knife
to cut the mass into one by two inch bars.

Although I did get a few jagged-shaped bars out of my effort, I mostly got granola. Albeit, tasty peanut butter infused granola.

Lorelei's Side

I finished my granola bars and they are very tasty. I added some wheat germ and ground flax seed as well. I too started to panic that the mixture wouldn't stick together, so, at the last minute I added about 1/4 cup of unsalted butter.

I waited for the tray to cool before cutting the squares,
but I have to say that it was very crumbly. I'll be able to eat some of it as granola bars, but the rest of it will be used as granola.

I'd like to perfect this recipe because I like the idea of eating a healthy granola bar as a mid-morning snack.

In Summary

We'd love to hear about your favorite granola bar recipe. I think it's agreed that we need all the help we can get.

Also, I think adding more honey and peanut butter mixture will help stick the oats, nuts and dried fruit together.

Sesame Crunch Nut Mix

A habit I've gotten into lately is making trail mix on the weekends. Making enough mix to fill a large jar is great to have on hand for snacks and usually lasts a week. It's a quick and easy snack after work and great to enjoy while watching a movie later in the evening. And, short of munching on broccoli and carrot sticks, it's healthy.

Sesame Crunch Nut Mix
(the following ingredients can all in found in the bulk food section of your local grocery store)

1 cup sesame crunch
1 cup peanuts, roasted, unsalted
1 cup almonds, roasted, unsalted
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Tropic Punch Nut Mix

Inspired by the trail mix at Cascadia Bakery lately, I made my own variation called Tropic Punch Nut Mix. A healthier snack then some alternatives, a batch of this will make for a great snack for the entire week. As well, this made for a fabulous snack during the Academy Awards tonight.

Tropic Punch Nut Mix
1 cup of each of the following:
Peanuts
Cashews
Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Smarties
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped died pineapple
1/2 cup dried currents

Trail nut mix

I know this is the west coast, but making your own trail mix truly is a satisfying feeling. Using roasted or flavoured nuts (such as tamari) adds an additional flavour that raw nuts just don't have, and using unsalted nuts will mean the mix will have less salt then store bought varieties.

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the following items:
roasted, unsalted peanuts
roasted, unsalted almonds
cashews
dried blueberries
dried apricots, quartered
golden raisins
chocolate chips
mini pretzels

Depending what you have on hand you may want to add or substitute other ingredients such as dried cherries, dried apple, cheerios, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, goji berries, you name it.

If you are truly a fan of nut mixes, I recommend checking out Almonds Are In.

Posh Nosh Trail Mix

This trail mix recipe marks the beginning of what I hope will become a deliciously fruitful, recipe swapping relationship with an old mate of mine, Devon Greive. We first met many years ago, at preschool, and have since seen many, many of the same bands- we even jammed a few times, when I briefly joined a band she played in, Short Pants Romance.

This recipe is a little expensive to make, but well worth it. Because of its dynamic, rich flavors, and carefully selected ingredients, it's very suitably called Posh Nosh Trail Mix.

Posh Nosh Trail Mix
1 cup roasted, unsalted almonds
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup dried goji berries
1/2 cup (or a little more) dark chocolate chips

mix and start munching

If you're looking for other nut recipes, I recommend Almonds Are In.