Paella Primavera and Energy Bars

Paella usually made with fresh fish or sea fruits and meats. I only ate the original paella by avoiding the meat once. This was that much years ago I can't really remember how it was. Last year I made my first real paella with soy curls and fish. The things I needed for the paella I bought at a small spanish local store. I was amazed about the food they were having there. I probably spend over an hour in the store sneaking around.

Now that springtime is coming closer I wanted to change the ingredients in the paella with some spring vegetable and herbs.
As the original paella calls for saffron I wasn't sure weather to use it or not, but I was happy I let it away. It would have wasted the great color of the vegetable in the paella. The taste was a great as it looked like. Defenetly a dish I'm going to do over and over again!

Paella Primavera

 

 

Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

Ingredients:

2 ½tsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped

6 green onions, thinly sliced 

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbs.)
1 tsp. crumbled saffron threads
1 cup short-grain white rice, such as Valencia
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup fresh or frozen baby peas
1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes
12 pitted green olives, halved
12 pitted black olives, halved, optional
1 lemon, cut into wedges
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

 

Direction:

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth, garlic, and saffron; bring to a boil. Sprinkle rice over ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

2. Sprinkle broccoli, peas, tomatoes, and olives over rice. Cover, and cook paella 8 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. Season 
with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. To serve, spoon paella into 6 bowls, and garnish each with lemon wedges and parsley.

------------------------------------------------

 

 

Energy Bars

 

Earlier I use to buy energy bars but since I'm vegan I make them on my own. They taste much better and you can add what ever you like. They're easly done. Sometimes I just make fruity bars, I even tried to add vegetable such as carrots with ginger instead of the fruits. With the carrots it almost tasted like a cranola breakfast bowl. You see there are many various possibilities to make the bars. Just try out which one you like the most.

 

12 bars

Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/4 hours

 

Ingredients

1 cup lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal

1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking rolled oats

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried blueberries

6 dried apricots, diced

3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

5 tablespoons brown rice syrup or light corn syrup

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.

 

Combine peanuts, rice cereal, oats, pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds, blueberries, apricots and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Drizzle with syrup and gently stir until thoroughly combined. Spread in the prepared baking pan. Coat another piece of foil with cooking spray and place on the bar mixture, sprayed-side down. Place another pan on top and press firmly to compress the mixture. (Pressing before baking helps the bars hold together after baking.) Remove top pan and foil.

 

Bake until just beginning to turn golden at the edges, 20 to 24 minutes (metal pan) or 30 to 35 minutes (glass pan). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

 

Carefully lift the baked square out of the pan by holding the edges of the foil and place on a cutting board, leaving the foil underneath. Cut in half, then cut each half crosswise into 6 bars. Let cool completely before lifting the bars off the foil.