Avocado Pie Teaser, Immersion Blender Talk Again; Cherry Smoothie

The avocado pie was not only perfect for Cinco de Mayo, but also ended up as the perfect birthday cake for Leslie!

I will share the recipe, but I want to talk about immersion blenders again, and I think it'll make this post too long if I try to cover both. The immersion blender talk is relevant to the avocado pie recipe, as I made the pie mostly using the immersion blender in order to ensure it could be made without a Vita-mix.


As much as I love my Vita-mix and wouldn't be without it, I also wouldn't be without an immersion blender. I love its lightness, convenience and easy cleanup. Over two years ago, back before I had a Vita-mix, I wrote a post including some tips for how to make goodies using an immersion blender, and I still agree with what I said then. However, the search for the right machine continues. At the time I wrote that post, I had a Kitchenaid handblender. But when my third one in three years bit the dust last December, I knew it was time to look elsewhere. 


My luck didn't quite turn around when I bought the Juiceman handblender. My hopes were up because it had 550W, so was more powerful, but when it arrived, the design turned out to be a bit flimsy, and the blade was too small to be really effective.

After a month or two, a more serious problem surfaced. The "on" button tended to stick in the "on" position, which was very scary, and the power level would surge without warning. An hour or so on the phone, and I was promised a refund (which I'm still waiting for).


Meanwhile, I went back and read lots of reviews both on Amazon and everywhere else I could find, and ended up ordering the MiTutto Miallegro, also 550W. This was so well reviewed, and I was excited.

Turns out, it's built on a very similar design to the Juiceman blender, which means the Juiceman attachments fit it, so I have some spare parts. But it's much better made. The "on" button is sealed so nothing could stick in there to make it stick in the "on" position (in case that was the problem). The motor sounds better, and seems more effective. 

I love being able to blend a thick smoothie right in the cup!

This was a Cherry-Spirulina smoothie:

1/3 cup unsweetened almond breeze

1/2 cup snow/ice

6 frozen cherries

3g spirulina

1t xanthan gum

stevia

erythritol

pinch vanilla powder

1t coconut butter

The blender coped with the ice just fine, crushed it right up. It's cold here, so the coconut butter was solid, and there ended up being little niblets of coconut butter throughout the smoothie. I actually loved that! I often sprinkle a few cacao nibs into smoothies like this for texture, and I didn't have to do that. My suspicion is that part of the reason why the Vita-mix homogenizes the unmelted coconut butter so thoroughly even in the presence of ice is because it heats everything up more, and it may be better, from the oxidation perspective, not to have stuff heated up. 

I haven't yet tried blending greens with it, but will report in when I have.

Bottom line: it's not the same as a Vita-mix, but as I said in my old post, I think it's better than a cheap upright blender, and it's a wonderful tool. Still early days with this model--I really hope it lasts longer than its predecessors.

Do you have an immersion blender that you like?

Tomorrow, the avocado pie!

Sunday's on the Phone to Friday and Nettle-Fig "Instant" Bars

I bought Phil new binoculars and several bird-feeders for his birthday back in November. We've been enjoying the visitors: a recent favorite is this plucky little woodpecker.

He doesn't let the bully-boy magpies chase him off!

So, what happened to my regular Friday post? Well, I guess this is it! Nonlinear time strikes again, and both Friday and Saturday managed to pass in the recently typical 18-hour-workday-haze. I want to address that current situation today, and I also want to share a recipe--another "instant energy bar" recipe.

On Friday, at least, I "busted loose" for a hike with Phil. It wasn't a huge long hike, but it was enough for me to reconnect with the ocean and the outside, and to remind myself of how essential that is, even if I was wearing four pairs of pants and even more layers on my top half against the cold, and two hats. It had been so long since I'd even taken a short walk. This pic is from the end of the hike, by which time we were well warmed up, with unzipped jackets.

But there wasn't time to make a blog post and take a hike! When there wasn't time for either one yesterday (because we were having dinner with our beloved friends), I had a moment of truth. I realized I'd done almost no creative writing or reading in the past week. I realized I've been working 12-19 hour days, seven days a week, for the past two months. I realized that although I'm learning a lot through teaching this course, and hopefully teaching some students Linguistics too, that's not my main goal in life--becoming a better writer is. Similarly, although I love editing, the editing deadlines last week ate up even more of my time. Similarly, the extra course I'm taking these next two weeks, which is a training in the rubrics for teaching online courses, is great as an enhancement to my teaching abilities and sense, but is not in line with my main goals. Similarly, I don't have time to have a conversation with my husband.

The fear clawed at my heart and chills ran down my back--what if I don't put the most into my MFA--what if I "coast," like I always did academically, when my heart is so totally in the MFA--wouldn't that be a criminal waste?

Then, several hours of today that I didn't have to spare have been spent talking with Phil, who is feeling the loss of me to my work, and feeling the same concern that the bulk of my time is going into something that's not my passion. All is not quite in balance here. Tomorrow's "50 First Weeks" renewal should address that yesterday, and here I am.

And here's the recipe!
This one is similar to my "instant apricot power bars." Another wonderful dried fruit is figs--so rich in calcium, soluble fiber, and other benefits. When I lived in CA, I almost never ate dried figs because we had seasons of fresh figs, which are quite something else and really almost divine. Up here, though...well, I paid about $5 for a small basket of fresh figs last summer, perfectly ripe. It was money well spent.

My one problem with traditional fruit-nut bars is that they don't always have enough minerals (and possibly protein) to give a sense of satiation, so that I can eat one (or half of one) and be done. So, in addition to the mineral rich figs and hempseeds, I added some dried nettles to this bar! You can't even taste them, but they definitely help with the satiation factor, even though I made them much smaller than traditional lara bars.

"Instant" Nettle-Fig Power Bars
1/2 cup dried nettles
1 cup dried figs, chopped (I used black mission, but calimyrna are delightful too)
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup flax seed meal
4 dried apricots (chopped)

Whiz the nettles in a food processor until they're powdery. Add the figs, hemp seeds, flax meal, and process until the mixture starts to form a ball. You may need to add the apricots to facilitate this, depending on how dry your figs are (mine were quite dry, and I needed the apricots).

Roll into small logs--I got about a dozen.
Again, these are not super-sweet, but there's a real "heartiness" to them, and they are delicious.
Enjoy.

Big Mr Moose was back again--Phil's been busy putting up more fencing, and felt brave enough to chase Mr Moose off from the other side of the fence. His trick? See the wheelbarrow next to him? He raised it above his head to make himself look very tall, which stopped the moose in his tracks. Then, he banged it down on the ground--and as you can see, the moose decided he'd rather be somewhere quieter!

I'm sharing this post and recipe here: http://wholenewmom.com/traditional-tuesday/allergy-free-wednesday/

"Instant" Apricot Power Bars, Gratitude

I'll share this recipe for a super-simple snack, as promised, in a moment. It's a dried-fruit-and-seeds-based bar, which is why it's "instant," and I'll share some of my thoughts and peeves about that, too.

First, though, I wanted to share a moment of gratitude. Since my working week is so eccentric and my choice of eating establishments so "other," I tend to shy away from the whole "TGI Friday" thing. But it just happens to be a Friday, and I just happen to have been overwhelmed with gratitude today. Gratitude for the kindness of so many friends, both in real life and online. For all my blog readers! Gratitude for my wonderfully supportive and patient husband. Gratitude for my naturopath and therapist, who allow me to trust them enough that I can get help, after years of never receiving any kind of healthcare, and who encourage me to know myself and do my best. For writing groups in town and writer friends everywhere. For rooibiscus tea, and all the herbals that have been helping me through my cold. For my own ability today to take a supplement that I knew would calm me down rather than stoking the crazies and amping up even more.

I'm so grateful that I get to do work I love (most of it I really do), in a beautiful place, and that in as tiny a home as we live, I have two wonderful workstations--this one with the view...

And this "nook," which is a better place when the sun is shining in through the windows and you still have to work!

Thanks for letting me indulge in that gratitude.

Now for the bars! Nut/seed and dried fruit sweets are ubiquitous in the Middle East and were also ubiquitous as healthfood store snacks when I was growing up. They are wonderful: super-nutritious and very easy to make--but they are not rocket science, nor are they a huge innovation. I used to make them all the time, in various permutations of dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and they were always super-popular. It would fascinate me which combinations were favored by whom. I didn't like the dried banana/pumpkin seed version at all, but one of my best friends adored it, so I'd always make it for him.

But, since they are the basis of a huge repertoire of raw desserts, I have to admit to having been jaded and cynical at times when I'd look through a new Raw Recipe book, turn to the dessert section, and see all kinds of exceedingly decadently titled items--"chocolate truffle brownies!" "triple layer fudge cheesecake!"--and they would all turn out to be yet another more (or sometimes, less) elaborate version of a nut/date treat. Truth in advertising? Don't get me wrong: I'm sure they were delicious. It's also true that in recent years, even the use of nuts/dates in raw desserts has become far more sophisticated, with the advent of finely ground cashew flour and date paste, and the use of stand mixers and irish moss to make super-fluffy textures.

But aside from making my own cream cake crusts, I hadn't made a nut/date or seed/dried fruit "bar" in ages before this week. I'd been avoiding dried fruit for years because of yeast issues, and most nuts and seeds are way too high in omega-6 for me to feel comfortable consuming them as a snack. I'd gotten a dehydrator, and was enjoying concocting lower fat, lower sugar snacks that needed dehydration to bring everything together.

I also love simplicity, though. As busy as I've been, and as minimal of appetite, I wanted something compact without being overly decadent, quick and easy to make. 

I don't like "decadent" for my regular snacks: it makes me too nervous, and I end up not enjoying the food. I'd always prefer to eat something I can "justify" to myself. So, part of my current enamorment with apricots is due to their great vitamin and mineral profile and relatively low sugar. And apart from a spell last year when I avoided all PUFA's, both omega 6 and omega 3, which I don't think was a great success, I generally feel fairly good about high-omega-3 seeds like hemp and flax. Hemp has the added bonus of being a complete protein, and flax has the good lignans (fiber) too.

These Instant Apricot Power Bars (version 1) are so quick and easy. I made them in the mini chopper that came with my immersion blender, and pre-chopped the apricots to minimize the time I had to listen to a noisy motor. I'm a quick knifewoman, so it probably sped the whole process up. You'll enjoy them too, I hope!

1 cup unsulphured dried apricots (pre-chopped to save time and noise) 

1/2 cup hemp seeds (shelled hemp hearts)

1/4 cup golden flax meal

handful mulberries

Whiz the apricots and hemp seeds until they're well blended together. 

Add the flax meal and blend again. 

Throw in the mulberries just as the mixture is starting to stick together.

Form into bars and refrigerate. They'll keep in the fridge for a long time, and practically forever in the freezer.

These are soft and chewy, not as dry or dense as some of the nuttier bars that use nut butter as a binder together with the dried fruit.. The hemp and flax seeds give them a pleasant, earthy taste without the omega 6 that earthy sunflower seeds provide. The apricots are subtly sweet, and also give the whole thing an orangey hue for which I'm always such a sucker! The mulberries are just lovely: a complex sweetness, and that wonderful texture too.

Sound good?

I call this "version 1" because I'm curious to see how it would be with some added mesquite and/or carob and/or maca, and with some goji berries, or citrus zest or other spices--my beloved cardamom??...!. As ever with these nut/seed/dried fruit affairs, the possibilities are endless. I'm so grateful to be able to enjoy dried fruit again, and to consider it a nutritious, powerful food that works well for me.

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone! Eccentric scheduler as I am, I may be back over the weekend with some more body image-related thoughts. 

What do you think of dried fruit/nut/seed treats? Best new thing ever or overhyped, or other?

loves...