Tag Archives: oats

Hazelnut Spread No Bake Bars

We had a quarterly meeting today at work. To help improve attendance I try and made a home baked treat. During my research for the perfect mid morning treat, I came across a no bake recipe using hazelnut spread which intrigued me. However I was appalled by the recipes I found adding up two two cups of sugar into the recipe! Yikes! In preparation for this snack I wanted to decease some of the less favorable calories by removing the butter (saturated fat) and significantly decreasing the added sugar to make the bars a little more diet friendly.

Recipe yields 24 bars

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup Nutella or the New the Jif Hazelnut Spread (or any other Hazelnut Spread)
1/2 cup skim milk
3 1/8 cup of old fashion oats (not the quick oats)
1/2 TB of Mexican vanilla extract (however if you do not have this kind on hand I recommend purchasing it!! However in the meantime you could double the traditional McCormick Vanilla extract for this recipe)
Canola oil cooking spray

Directions:

Line an 8 by 8 inch glass dish or pan with foil. Spray the foil with cooking oil spray and set a side.

Add hazelnut spread, sugar, and milk into heavy sauce pan and bring to a simmer for approximately a minute to dissolve the sugar granules.

Add vanilla and oats to the sauce pan.

Mix to fully incorporate and then pour into the lined pan.

Spread the batter evenly and freeze for at least 2 hours in the freezer.

Remove the bars from the freezer and lift the bars out using the foil to make for easy cutting. Store in a cold dry place for optimal flavor and shelve life .

Enjoy! WW Plus 4 points per serving.

Nutrition Facts Hazelnut Bar
24 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories		139.4

Total Fat		5.5 g

	Saturated Fat	1.3 g

	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.3 g

	Monounsaturated Fat	0.3 g

Cholesterol		1.8 mg

Sodium		15.5 mg

Potassium		8.3 mg

Total Carbohydrate		20.2 g

	Dietary Fiber	1.4 g

	Sugars	13.1 g

Protein		2.1 g


Vitamin A	0.2 %

Vitamin B-12	0.3 %

Vitamin B-6	0.1 %

Vitamin C	0.1 %

Vitamin D	0.5 %

Vitamin E	0.0 %

Calcium	2.6 %

Copper	0.0 %

Folate	0.1 %

Iron	4.6 %

Magnesium	0.1 %

Manganese	0.0 %

Niacin	0.0 %

Pantothenic Acid	0.2 %

Phosphorus	0.5 %

Riboflavin	0.4 %

Selenium	0.2 %

Thiamin	0.1 %

Zinc	0.1 %

Pumpkin Granola Bars

If you didn’t know it by now, I’m sure you would have eventually guessed…I love pumpkin! My husband does too! I even made pumpkin Alfredo tonight for supper!

Tomorrow at work we are having a lunch and learn (without the lunch) unfortunately everyone is having to cut back. The plus side packing a lunch is less expensive and can be healthier! That said I decided to make us a fall snack for during the webinar. I cannot think of anything better than this wholesome snack.

Ingredients:
4 cups of old fashion oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 roasted pumpkin seeds (chopped)
1 TB of high quality pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
3/4 cup purée pumpkin (I used fresh)
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 honey
1 TB milled flaxseed
1/2 TB of pure vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line a 9 by 13 pan with foil & spray with cooking spray.

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Whisk dry ingredients together until incorporated.

In a separate large bowl add the wet ingredients together.

Whisk until mixed well.

Add dry mix to wet batter. Fold in the dry ingredients until there are no signs of dry crumbs.

Add the batter into the foil lined baking dish.

Press the batter evenly into the pan using a spatula.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Let cool completely. Use excess foil as handles to help you remove the granola from pan.

Cut into 12 bars

Vegan Apple Crumble Tart

For the love of apples and the fall. This is a quick and easy tart you can put together in a pinch. I am trying to use my large bountiful supply of my grandfathers homegrown apples. I have already made several baked goods, applesauce, apple butter, and not to mention eating one raw everyday. I needed a quick recipe for a work meeting. I always try and bake a goodie for our quarterly meetings. I have a strong belief “if you bake something delicious they will come”. So far it seems to work!

Ingredients:

1/2 Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup AP Flour

1 Cup of Quick Oats

1/4 Tsp of baking soda

1/2 Cup of Canola Oil

2/3 cup of brown sugar (not packed)

Apple Filling:

2 Cups of shredded Apples (at least two large apples shredded (not peeled that is where all the “good stuff” is))

2 TB of sugar

2 tsp of cinnamon (Vietnamese is my favorite )

1 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp mace

1 TB of apple cider

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place parchment paper inside of tart pan (or a 9 by 9 pan) and spray with cooking spray to coat the pan.

2. Place filling ingredients in microwave safe bowl and microwave in one minute intervals string after each minute (your house will smell amazing). Set aside.

3. Place all the dry ingredients for topping in a medium bowl mix with whisk until combine.

4. Take a heaping cup of the crumb mixture and press it into the bottom of the tart pan.

5. Once the bottom is pressed evenly add the apple topping on to the crust and spread evenly with spatula .

6. Once the filling is spread evenly sprinkle the remainder of the crumb topping on dish.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until crumble topping is golden brown. Let completely cool on wire rack before cutting into.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

Zucchini! I am bound and determined to make something with Zucchini everyday! Until my supply from the garden is exhausted! I decided to try a new cookie recipe even though I love my grandma’s (which I also have featured on this site). Yum yum!

Ingredients:
2 cups of Zucchini( after drained well it should yield about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
2/3 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 cup old fashion oats
2 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 -1cups of raisins (optional)

Yields 4.5 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

2. Mix applesauce, oil, vanilla and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs and stir until combined.

Ingredients