Apple Pie Larabars (No-Added Fat, No-Added Sugar)

To be honest, I'm not a fan of most bars - whether it be Lara, Luna or Cliff (although I prefer the latter). Normally they're too high in sugar and calories and quite low in the protein that I want after an intense workout - plus they rarely taste like the description. Although the sugars are normally natural from dates and the like, its still quite a lot of ingredients for me - and so I've chosen to make my own variations of things that I loved both as a kid and now. This truly tastes like an apple pie - and its very quick to make with no added oils!

(Ingredients)

• 1/4 cup of Homemade Date Paste
• 1 1/2 cups of Old-Fashioned Oats (replace with Walnuts if you wish)
• 1/2 Chunked Green Apple
• 2 tsp of Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp of Cardamom and Coriander
• A few Squeezes of Agave Nectar
• Vanilla Rice Protein Powder (optional)

(Directions)

• Place your oats in a blender with your spices, blend but allow some oat pieces to remain whole and then combine with your date paste and agave nectar in a bowl. If it has not come together and stuck, slowly add water to it and then fold in your apples.
• Place into a dish lined with parchment paper and dehydrate at 150 degrees for about 15 min to one hour but do not allow it to become like baked oatmeal.
• Cut into squares, serve and enjoy - add some stevia around top for texture!

The Ghibli Bits (It's Snack Time, Princess!)



The tree bark/jerky scene between Ashitaka and Princess Mononoke

I love seeing food in cartoons as most people do. And I absolutely love recreating the food so it looks and sounds as it does in the cartoons. Sometimes it isn't easy and requires a lot of time and sometimes it can come out within a few minutes after drawing up the idea. In this case it was just combining ingredients that I already had.

Jerky Recipe:
Soft Tofu (I only had three medium-thin slices)
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
3 tbl Agave Nectar
2 tbl Olive Oil (from Sun-Dried Tomatoes)
1 and 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
A few tbl of Paprika (enough to coat it and change the color)
Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Combine all of the ingredients after you've pressed your tofu and place on a baking sheet. I used my toaster oven and cooked these for about 15 minutes or so in a toaster oven. Afterwards, simply turn on the toaster oven to toast (if you're using one) and bake it for about 10 more minutes until it is darkened to your liking.

Enjoy this and the Ghibli-bits to come!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Granola!

I'm not eating hay anymore - I promise! It's just some simple granola that I mixed together. And you can change it to what you like - if you like more sugar or crispness then add more brown sugar and agave nectar, if you don't like apples then you can take them out. I'll just show you my ha- granola recipe for reference.

(Granola Ingredients)

• 1/2 Green Apple diced
• 1/2 Red Delicious Apple diced
• 1/4 Cup of Ground Flax Meal
• 1/2 Cup of Oats
• 1/2 Cup of shredded Coconut
• 1/2 Cup of Wheat Germ
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1 tbl of Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup of Raisins
• Enough Sugar and Agave Nectar to sprinkle

(Directions)

• Mix the ingredients together and place them onto a greased baking sheet.
• place them into the oven at 200 degrees, mixing them every 10 minutes or so to keep them from going.
• Once they crisp and brown up then you can mix it one last time and place it into a bowl to snack on.
• Enjoy!

Vegan Yakgwa for Mother's Day

Okay, it isn't exactly yakgwa for a few reasons - it isn't fried, and it isn't Chuseok. But it's the spirit that counts and you can fry it if you like. I would have, but it doesn't seem like a good Mother's Day present to add on the pounds of everyone in the house. It's still delicious and the same basic preparation up until the baking process either way.

(Vegan Yakgwa Ingredients)

• 4 tbl Agave Nectar (I used Light, but Amber would work)
• 1 and 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 tsp Iodized Salt
• 1 Flax Egg (or your choice of Egg-Replacer)
• 1 and 1/2 tsp Rapid-Rise Yeast
• 1/2 tbl Coconut Oil

(Yakgwa Syrup Ingredients)

• 1 tsp of Mirin
• 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar
• 1/4 cup of Agave Nectar
• 3 tbl of Sugar
• A small amount of Sesame Oil and Grated Ginger

( Directions)

• Combine the ingredients together and roll out the dough with a rolling pin.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cut them into your preferred shape.
• Put the finished pieces onto a greased baking pan and let them rise for about 20 minutes. While they are rising, spread a bit of agave nectar over them and put a dot of sugar in the middle.
• Once they are all sugar-glazed, sprinkle some cinnamon onto them and then make a swirl with a butter knife.
• Place them into the oven to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until they seem ready to you (poke a hole in one if unsure).
• Coat them in the syrup and eat them while they're hot or luke-warm.
• Enjoy!