Friday, December 01, 2006

December 1st = 1st Batch of Holiday Treats

As promised, since it's December 1st, I made Skor Bars. Now I've never eaten a Skor chocolate bar, but apparently these are similar in terms of a sweet and flaky layer which is covered in chocolate.

They are really easy. My friend Sam came over (who is known for making a big mess in the kitchen - she usually ends up covered in something or other, and making my kitchen a mess in the process!), and we made the first Xmas treat. She made the traditional non-vegan version with salted butter and brown sugar, whereas I used Earth Balance and Sucanat. I asked her to taste the difference and she said they are similar, but the vegan version is a bit saltier. I didn't notice, but maybe there is a low-sodium Earth Balance out there? But then again, she makes guac with very little salt, whereas I dump a pile in, so perhaps I should seek a second opinion. I'll ask Kyle next time he comes over, although I hope he's not still traumatized from last week's sodium overdose with the basil pesto on the Isa Pizza.

Here's the recipe:


Skor Bars


1 sleeve of soda crackers (preferably unsalted)
1 cup Earth Balance
¼ cup Sucanat
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup ground almonds


Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet that has sides and lay the crackers tightly together (it’s better to use a really good non-stick cookie sheet and avoid using the aluminum foil as it tends to stick to the cracker base after cooking - omit the foil if you have a good non-stick sheet).


Melt the Earth Balance and add Sucanat. Mix with an electric beater until smooth. Quickly pour hot mixture over crackers and spread with a knife to cover all the crackers. You will see that the two ingredients will separate quite a bit, so try to distribute as evenly as possible.


Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.


When finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and press down on the cracker surface with a fork if the crackers have shifted on top of one another a little bit - you want a single layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips overtop the melted cracker mixture. Spread the chocolate as it melts over the entire cracker surface. Sprinkle with ground almonds.


Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze until chilled (or, if you've had an ice storm like we had today, place cookie sheets on the pile of ice that's covered your car - that will cool them off in 15 minutes).


If necessary, peel the foil off the bottom of the crackers and break up into small to mid-size pieces.

Here's the result:

The other night, I made my favourite fastest meal ever - Asian Noodles with Edamame in No Time from the September 2005 issue of Vegetarian Times. It honestly takes 15 minutes (including time to bring water to a boil!). The only thing that requires real prep is the onions - they have bagged carrots already cut into matchsticks which is a way better consistency than if I had grated them. I of course make a few subs - for the sauce, I use 2 tbsp each of the rice vinegar and sesame oil and omit the water, and for the pasta part, I use spinach instead of watercress. I make the noodles/edamame/carrot combo, then when I'm about to drain it, I put a PILE of spinach in the colander, then drain the noodles on top. The hot water wilts the spinach and I then transfer everything back to the pot and add the rest of the stuff. Very easy. I also can't believe there's 21 grams of protein per serving!!!

Stay tuned for more Xmas baking and recipe sharing - my mom, Sam and I are having a cookie-making blitz on December 16th and 17th, so my blog entries will be filled with treats!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bravo! I look forward to more recipes!!

Anonymous said...

Those skor bars seem so easy!
I will definintely give them a try. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Anonymous said...

Those skor bars look really yummy...and so do the noodles! I love edamame. Could you share the recipe?

Unknown said...

Hi Kati - I included a link to the recipe! It's in the title of the recipe.

Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

You two girls really cook up some delicious food. I am getting very hungry reading your blog and think I'll go have my dinner now.

Anonymous said...

can you use parchment paper instead of foil?

thanks!

ps. i have 2 vegan sisters too (plus myself as well)

Unknown said...

I would guess that parchment would work, but the foil is nice to shape upward on the cookie sheet so no sticky syrup drips off. If you can ensure that your parchment can fold like that, then you should be OK.

Hope this helps!

Unknown said...

ps - I should mention that if you have a good non-stick sheet, omit the foil and you won't have a problem! But it has to be really good - not Baker's Secret or anything :)