Biker's Biscotti

I'm a member of an all women's cycling group in Atlanta, GA called Sorella Cycling.  We hold an annual meeting for all members as a time to meet everyone, share info on our sponsors benefits, and distribute cycling kits (our uniform).  This year the food provided is themed towards homemade, nutritious, high-energy snacks that can be taken along on bike rides. Earlier in the year ,two members of our Race Team held a "clinic" featuring over 15 different samples from themselves and other members.  It was a mad success, and I volunteered to make my favorite for the Sorella Annual Meeting in April.

I am by no means a vegan.  In fact, I tend towards a Paleolithic (modern day cave-man) diet, but these energy bites are vegan as well as gluten free.

I made single recipe and a double batches for over 100 large bite size biscottis.  If you think you will save money by making your own high energy snacks, don't try this recipe. Based on the amount and cost of the almond flour and chia seeds alone, they have reached at least 60 cents per serving.

INGREDIENTS
almond flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
arrowroot powder - 1 T
salt -1/4 t
baking soda - 1/4 t
natural peanut butter ~1/3 cup
raw pistachios - 1/4 cup
chia seeds 1/4 cup
flax seeds 1/4 cup
grape seed oil 1/8 cup
agave nectar - 1/4 cup
orange zest - 2 t 

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine almond flour, arrowroot powder, salt and baking soda and pulse well.

2. Whisk in agave nectar, orange zest, peanut butter, oil, chia and flax seeds..

3. Add in pistachios.

4. Form two logs on a parchment-lined baking sheet or lightly coat baking pan with grape-seed oil

 5.  Bake at 350 for 12 min.  Remove and cool for 1 hour.

6. CUT logs into 1/2" slices with a very sharp knife.

7.  Spread slices out on baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for approx 12 min.

8. Cool and enjoy

The logs seem to crack no matter how you small you make them.  Then the cut pieces like to break along these cracks.  They don't stay together very well in a biking pack, but they are still so yummy.

Next up in the food department:  Homemade LARA bars.

Peanut Butter and Gelly

This project was so easy, but my kids decided it was too sticky to do more that their obligatory "one." Did you get my play on words with "Gelly" standing for the Knox gelatin?  So far we haven't seen any birds on them even when the bird feeder in this area is ravaged every time I fill it.  I'm thinking only "clinging" birds will be able to get at them.  Nut hatches and woodpeckers maybe?

This project is a variation of an idea I found through Pinterest (eighteen25.) I have added peanut butter because my birdies respond well to peanut butter suet, and I doubled the recipe. This batch made all the bird feeders shown in their molds on the table (four larger feeders and four smaller ones).

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup birdseed
1/2 cup water
2 small envelopes of knox gelatin
twine or string
cookie cutters or molds
wax paper

Instructions
Mix together the envelopes of gelatin with the water and bring to a simmer while stirring.  Continue stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool for a minute.  Stir in the birdseed and peanut butter adding a little more if there is liquid still in the bottom of the pan.  Lay cookie cutters out on wax paper and fill half way with birdseed mixture.  Cut twine, knot the end and push the knot down into the birdseed.  Finish filling with birdseed, making sure to cover the end of the twine and knot. Push the birdseed evenly into the cookie cutter until it's full.  Allow them to dry overnight.  I didn't turn them as called for in the original recipe and they dried just fine.  Remove from the cookie cutters and hang them in your trees for the birds to enjoy.