S’mores and Mudd

Let me tell you a public secret.

Nourishment is my vocation.  Creating and managing and manufacturing promoting the entire experience of food, nourishment, intake and output—this is what I feel called to do.  Note that I do not feel called to be a mother.  I want to help others access their highest selves.  I know my talents with food creation and recipe design can help people figure out what physically grounds and sustains them in order to enable them to be the creative, unique spirits they are.

Yesterday, I helped out at the third—yep, count it, third—Mudd Library Wikipedia edit-a-thon.  When I visited my dear old coworkers and told them my plans to become a health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (R), they were encouraging, supportive, and thought that the type of job absolutely fit me.  They are truly a group of “believing mirrors,” as Julia Cameron calls people who reflect back one’s own enthusiasms (enthusiasm in the non-Humean sense!).

Yesterday, as I drove home and passed my high school, I saw it was homecoming.  The following recipe was created for the tailgate-that-never-was at the Navy-Penn State football game my family attended in September.  S’mores go with camping and tailgating in my world.  What recipes do you like to tailgate with?

I included a note about the water; I forgot to put the Sucanat in the Vitamix when I was making these (hey, it was past 20:00 and I start to shut down then).  Teff is a thirsty flour, and I had to add 1/2 cup water to the “one-egg” amount of 1/4 cup in order to make it come together.  I think only 1/2 cup of water would be needed if I had Vitamixed the Sucanat instead of adding it to the dry ingredients.  Sugar is hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture out of things, and so I needed a bit more water to saturate the dry sugar.  Please share how this recipe goes for you!

S’mores Bars

Modified from: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=3834&name=S'More%20Cookie%20Bars

1/4 cup neutral-tasting oil (I've used both sunflower and canola)

1 cup dates, soaked and drained, some water reserved
1/2 cup soaking water

1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 cup Sucanat

1/3 cup teff flour

1/2 + 1/3 cup oat flour

1/3 cup sticky rice flour

1/3 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 3.5-ounce chocolate bar (sweetness and spiciness your preference) or 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or blitz the chocolate bar)

1 cup ricemallow crème

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 9-inch ceramic or glass square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift in then whisk together the flours, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon.  In a blender or food processor, blitz the oil, dates, flaxseed, water, and Sucanat until combined and bubbly.  Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dries and stir to combine.  Dough will be sticky but not wet enough to be a batter. 

Spread half of the dough into the pan.  Carefully spread the ricemallow crème on top of the bars.  Scatter the chocolate on top of that.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place pan on a trivet.  Use a small spoon or tip of the spatula to spaltter the rest of the dough on top and gently press to spread (there will be gaps; this is OK because we like burny marshmallow).  

Bake for 35 minutes until the ricemallow crème has gotten some colour and breathes in the heat (it will move up and down as it boils--neat!).   The dough is firm, springs back to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the dough only comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove the parchment-wrapped assemblage to a cooling rack to cool completely.  You may serve them after the initial 15-minute cooling period for the melty s’mores effect.

My aunt and uncle were not expecting the spicy chocolate.  My aunt said that she and my uncle noticed the chocolate had “a taste.”  I’m so used to eating spicy food that I barely noticed the spice!  Choose your chocolate according to your preferences.

For the edit-a-thon yesterday, I made Butterscotch Chip Crunchers in a bar format.  The modifications are on that page for your convenience.