Trail Bites: Fruit and Nut Bars

Do you ever crave something sweet but you want to eat something good for you too?  Fruit and nuts all rolled in to one sound like a fantastic treat.  These bites are portable and can be stored at room temperature so they are great to take on the trail.  The Date & Almond bars are decadent and brownie like, while the Apricot Cashew bars are sweet and tangy.

Date & Almond Bars
12 Dates
1/4 cup raw almonds
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Agave nectar to taste

Apricot Cashew Bars
3 ounces dried apricots
1/3 cup raw cashews
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
Agave nectar to taste

For both recipes, directions are the same.

Place all ingredients into a food processor and grind until ingredients begin to stick together.  If the mixture is a bit dry, you can add a sprinkle of water and process for a few more seconds.  Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and place the fruit and nut mixture in the pan.  Pat the mixture down firmly and wrap the plastic over the top.  Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.  Take the bars out of the freezer and slice into 6 pieces.  Wrap individually or store in an airtight container.

Trail Bites: Spiced Nuts

So I am obsessed with cooking and baking.  I really appreciate being able to say kiss my you know what to the  mega-conglomerate companies by making things myself.

If you like nuts, I am sure you've seen the expensive seasoned ones in the pretty gem-colored containers available in grocery stores or the fresh ones hot out of the kettle at the fair.  They are the perfect pick me up while out hiking, so why not make them yourself.  It's easy and delicious and will take you little time.

I used almonds for both recipes but you can certainly use any type you like.

Caramel-Coated Almonds

Caramel-Coated Nuts

1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound of raw almonds
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325° F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg white with the water and vanilla until foamy.  Add the nuts and stir gently to coat.  Combine the brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon and mix well.  Add to the nut mixture and stir to coat.

Spread on a greased jellyroll pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

Chili-Lime Almonds

Chili-Lime Almonds

1 egg white

2 teaspoons lime juice

1 pound raw almonds

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325° F.

 In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg white with the lime juice until foamy.  Add the nuts and stir gently to coat.  Combine the chili powder and salt.  Add to the nut mixture and stir to coat.

Spread on a greased jellyroll pan.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

ENJOY!

Trail Bites: Beef Jerky

Ann here to share another recipe for food to take on the trail.  When I am stuck inside unable to hike, I like to experiment with lots of different recipes.  Beef jerky is one of the best things you can take hiking with you.  It is high in protein, easy to carry, and relatively stable at room temp.  It is however, expensive to buy already made.  You get a measly three or so ounces for five or six bucks.  A three pound cut of brisket will yield approximately one pound of jerky.

I recommend keeping your eye on the grocery store adds for when beef brisket cuts are on sale.  You can usually get a good deal if you pay attention.  Have your butcher cut all of the visible fat off the cut of meat and slice the meat against the grain in ~1/4 inch slices.  You can do this at home if you like, but having the butcher do it,  it will save you time and hassle trying to slice evenly.

I recommend getting an original flavored jerky seasoning kit.  You can use any flavor you like; they come in a variety such as hickory, mesquite but I really like to create my own.  The jerky kit comes in two packets:  the seasoning and the cure. 

3 lb beef brisket, fat removed and sliced

4 tablespoons jerky seasoning

4 teaspoons jerky cure

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake

1 teaspoon hot sauce

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 cup water

Placed sliced meat in a large non-reactive bowl.  In a separate container, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Pour over the meat.  Cover and refrigerate for one to two days.

AFter mainating the meat, drain the liquid.  You can dehydrate the meat in one of two ways.  You can either use a dehydrator or use your oven.  I use a Nesco Snackmaster dehydrator, which uses convection heat set at 155 degrees; set your oven to 175 degrees.  

Pat the meat dry and then lay out on racks.  If you are using your oven, you can lay the meat out on metal cooling racks placed on a large cookie sheet.  You can then sprinkle the meat with additional seasonings such as cracked pepper, red pepper, and even Old Bay.

The meat will take anywhere from 4-8 hours to dehydrate.  Once it is done, let it cool, then place it in zip top bags and place in the refrigerator where you can safely store it for a month or so though it is usually all gone long before then here.

Trail Bites: Granola Bars

After not being satisfied by store bought granola bars while out on the trail, I have come up with my own recipe for granola bars.  I have experimented with a recipe so that  With small amounts of tweaking, you can change the granola bars to suit your tastes.  As always, we appreciate your comments and if you try the bars and like them let me know.  If you make changes, let me know about that too because it is something I might like too!

Trail Granola Bars
2 cups oats
1 cup raw nuts (of your choice, I mix them up)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
2.5 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups dried fruit, chopped (I mix berries and dates or figs)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Combine first 6 ingredients on a cookie sheet and toast in oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, place the next four ingredients into a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a bubble.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  

Remove toasted mixture from oven and place in mixing bowl.  Reduce heat to 300 degrees F.  Pour syrup mixture over oat mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Add the chopped fruit and mix well.

Spray a 9" x 13" pan with cooking spray and press granola mixture firmly into pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.  Cool granola bars in pan for at least 2-3 hours or overnight before cutting.
Makes 12 bars


Options:
If you don't like coconut, take it out and add more nuts.
If you don't like fruit, take it out and add more nuts.
 *Note:  If you remove the fruit, the granola bars will be crunchier than chewy
Use peanut butter in place of the honey


Adapted from Ina Garten's Homemade Granola Bars