Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

Grown-Up Nanaimo Bars

I'd like to introduce you to a dessert recipe in my new book World Vegan Feast (scroll down the extreme right hand column of the page for updates on other places to buy my book online, in several countries) , a no-bake cookie bar (or square) with three layers: a chocolate-coconut crumb base, a sweet vanilla custard-flavored filling, and a chocolate top layer.

If you are Canadian, or live near the Canadian border, you'll know about the sweet gooey treat, Nanaimo Bars, which originated in the 1950's in the city of Nanaimo, just an hour south of where I live, on Vancouver Island (and where celebs Diana Krall and Kim Cattrall were born!). They are a wildly popular item in coffee bars and on dessert tables during the Christmas holidays.

As popular legend has it, a local housewife submitted the recipe to a magazine under the name "Nanaimo Bars" for a recipe contest. Her recipe won, giving it substantial publicity. It made its way throughout the province's communities. The earliest confirmed printed copy of the recipe "Nanaimo Bars" appears in a publication entitled "His/Hers Favorite Recipes", Compiled by the Women's Association of the Brechin United Church, in 1957.

Now there are many variations, including mint, mocha, and peanut butter. In Nanaimo, Mon Petit Choux on 120 Commercial Street (a great organic cafe/bakery) offers a light organic version with a French flair (not sure if it's vegan), and the Blue Jewel Bakery (at 3018 Ross Rd) and Tea Leaf Specialty Teas Cafe (at 13B Commercial St) offer vegan/gluten-free versions. (Oh, and if you aren't vegan and you like that sort of thing, you can get a deep-fried version at the funky Pirate Chips [at 1 commercial]!)

A view of Nanaimo harbour and marina

Whatever the origin, they are extremely popular, but I have always found them too sweet. For years I have been meaning to make veganized, "grown-up" Nanaimo Bars, and I finally got around to it! The "secret ingredients" in the base give the bars a slightly bitter edge and extra crunch that counteracts the sweetness, as well as adding more fiber. A dollop of liqueur in the filling and the dark chocolate ganache topping adds sophistication. And since my filling contains only 1/4 of the usual "butter" called for (Earth Balance in this version, of course!), the whole recipe is lower in fat and calories than the original,  and the flavor is far less cloying.

(BTW,I compared my recipe with an ordinary Nanaimo bar and mine have less sugar, less fat, NO cholesterol, and twice as much fiber and protein, but they never fail to please!)


I hope you'll give it a try...Cheers!

Piedmontese Rice salad from my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen" (Update: the recipe is on this blog here now.)

I was rushed today (as usual these days-- book deadline looming-- that's why not much blogging these recently!) and trying to figure out what to make for my husband's discerning (but omnivore) stepdaughter from Montreal, and her 12 year-old twin girls. I was also trying to figure out what to blog about before everyone gets here and I have no time to blog!

So, here's what I made for dinner tonight (well ahead-- everything but dessert can be eaten at room temperature) and they are due in about half an hour, so I'd better get going! I'll try to blog most of our meals over the week or so that they are here.




Italian Romano Bean salad (also from "Nonna's Italian Kitchen")




Summer squash "a scapici"-- the first picture with our own pattypan squash, and the second with a neighbor's green and yellow zucchini. (Also from "Nonna's".)

"A scapici" is a southern Italian version of the Spanish or Caribbean "escabeche" (cooked fish pickled in a vinegar sauce), or Latin American "seviche" (a method of "cooking" fish with the acid of lime or lemon juice, which is a very typical dish in Peru, where my father was born-- now I make seviche with mushrooms). In Italy, many vegetables are prepared a scapici, including eggplant.


Some versions use vinegar instead of lemon juice, add garlic, use other herbs (such as sage), and fry the vegetables in olive oil. I like this very simple grilled version (I "grill" it under my oven's broiler) made with fresh lemon juice. It's such a simple recipe that you might tend to overlook it, but it is one of my absolute favorites! The eggplant melts in your mouth, and the zucchini is juicy and sweet.

Here's the recipe, which is really mostly a guide:

BRYANNA'S MELANZANE O ZUCCHINI A SCAPICI (GRILLED EGGPLANT OR ZUCCHINI WITH LEMON JUICE AND HERBS)
Serves about 4

1 large eggplant or 2 medium zucchini
salt
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL: chopped fresh mint or basil

If using eggplant, slice it about1/2" thick. Salt it liberally and leave it to drain for half an hour in a colander. If using zucchini (I usually do some of each), slice it 1/4" thick and don't salt it.

Rinse and pat the eggplant dry. Brush both the eggplant and zucchini with 1 T. of the oil and grill or broil it on bothsides about 3-4" from the heat source, or until slightly browned and soft. (This takes just a few minutes per side.)

Cut the vegetables into thick strips and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle them with the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle with pepper to taste, and salt the zucchini lightly (salt isn't necessary for the eggplant).  Sprinkle with chopped fresh mint or basil.

For a bread, I made Potato Fougasse, which will be in my new book coming out late this year, I think. It's a sort of French focaccia, with an interesting tree-like design, and very yummy! I sneaked in quite a bit of fiber!





Here it's just placed in the oven:



And, for dessert, we're having what I call "Grown-Up Nanaimo Bars", a vegan, less sweet, and more healthful version of a popular BC sweet:




UPDATE: I forgot the roasted beets with olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and pepper and Italian parsley!



And here is the dinner before everyone demolished it! (It was a hit!)



Hope you're enjoying your summer!

Cheers!

Never heard of a "Nanaimo Bar"? Well, you kind of have to be Canadian! Named after the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, which is just one hour's drive south of us on Vancouver island, they are a wildly popular item in coffee bars and during the Christmas holidays. The first time this square was published under that name was in the early 1950's in the Vancouver Sun newspaper. I believe it was for a recipe contest.

I've always thought these were way too sweet, so I've been promising myself to make what I call a "grown-up" version-- vegan, of course, less sweet, with better ingredients, a little Kahlua, and a modern touch. Yesterday I worked on this as a Valentine's Day treat for my sweetie, and...success! The recipe will be in a new book coming out at the end of 2010.

Here are the Nutrition Facts: Nutrition (per bar): 142.0 calories; 56% calories from fat; 9.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 100.3mg sodium; 45.9mg potassium; 13.7g carbohydrates; 1.1g fiber; 6.2g sugar; 12.6g net carbs; 2.0g protein; 3.4 points.

I compared it with an ordinary Nanaimo bar and these have less sugar, less fat, NO cholesterol, and twice as much fiber and protein!



On a more practical level, I've been pretty busy with some deadlines, and some family stuff, so dinners have tended to be fast and simple. This is one quick meal we had on the spur of the moment:


"Breast of Tofu" Soft Tacos: corn tortillas heated quickly in a dry cast iron skillet, and filled with sliced pan-fried "Breast of Tofu" (which is in almost all of my books), organic baby greens, guacamole, vegan cheeze shreds (Galaxy Foods soy mozza singles, in this case), and salsa.


A plate of stir-fried asparagus and mushrooms with garlic, roast potatoes, and a zucchini "meatloaf" that I devised for the Fieldroast book I'm working on-- very yummy, like a "turkey" meatloaf!


Enjoy!