THANK YOU BIANCA!

Bianca, the Vegan Crunk was thumbing through my cookbook, The Nut Gourmet, and chose to make my recipe for Nutty Oatcakes. She took some mouth-watering photos of the finished oatcakes and even made me ravenously hungry for them. As a topping to go with the oatcakes she also made the Apricot Cashew Butter, but decided to use peaches in place of the apricots—great idea!

Thank you Bianca for making those little treats look so delicious in the photos on your latest blog. The enthusiastic comments that followed prompted me to share the two recipes with my NutGourmet readers. I love these for breakfast, but discovered they also make one terrific snack.

From The Nut Gourmet:
These little flat breads are especially pleasing with fruit butters or sweetened tofu spreads, such as Date ‘n’ Raisin Tofu Spread (page 174) or Apricot Cashew Butter (page 169). All varieties of nut butters, jams, and jellies are also ideal toppings. For a complete breakfast, serve these crisp breakfast gems with fresh fruit or a fruit salad and a cup of herbal tea. These tasty oatcakes offer an added bonus. Since they require no refrigeration and keep for at least two weeks at room temperature, they make excellent travel food.

NUTTY OATCAKES

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
5 to 6 tablespoons water
1/3 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1 tablespoon organic canola oil
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have ready a dry baking sheet. Blend 1 cup of the rolled oats into a fine meal in two batches in the blender at high speed. Transfer the meal to a medium bowl.
2. Add the water, walnuts, canola oil, baking powder, and salt, and stir to distribute the ingredients evenly. If the dough is too dry, add an additional tablespoon of water to make a firm dough that holds together well enough to form a ball.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the rolled oats on a board or countertop. Press the dough down to flatten it slightly and sprinkle the remaining oats over the top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place them on the baking sheet.
4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Turn the pieces over and bake another 4 to 5 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the oven door open until the oatcakes cool, about 5 minutes. Serve them immediately, or cool completely and store them in a zipper-lock plastic bag at room temperature. For longer storage, pack them into heavy-duty zipper-lock plastic bags and freeze for up to three months.

APRICOT CASHEW BUTTER

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup cashews

1. 1 Combine the apricots and 1/2 cup of the water in a 1-quart saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low and steam for 10 minutes.
2. While the apricots are steaming, cover the raisins with warm water and let stand for about 5 minutes, or until they are plump. Drain the raisins and put them into the food processor. Grind the cashews into a fine meal in an electric mini-chipper/grinder or coffee grinder. Add the meal to the food processor.
3. Transfer the cooked apricots and their liquid to the food processor along with the remaining 1/4 cup water. Process until completely smooth. Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, Apricot Cashew Butter will keep for about two weeks.