Chocolate Pistachio Cherry Trail Bars

Finally, a recipe suited for adventuring!  In the coming weeks I'll be posting some camp-friendly recipes along with take along snacks for hiking or road tripping.  I'm currently preparing for a two-week road trip to the Pacific Northwest (I leave in 23 days ahhh!) so I'll be updating as much as I can until then.

This is a pretty basic trail bar recipe: oats, nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, and of course...chocolate!  I use flax eggs (1 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water = 1 "egg"), peanut butter, and agave to hold the bars together.  Maple syrup or brown rice syrup can also be substituted for the agave.  It's hard to find raw, unsalted pistachios, but luckily it doesn't really matter.  In the bulk section of my grocery store I found shelled, roasted, and salted pistachios, and they worked out fine.  If you use unsalted pistachios (or substitute another nut), add a couple pinches of salt into your dry mix.

Minted Green Beans W/ Almond Parmesan

The best part about garden or farm fresh produce is that you don't have to do much to get delicious results.  This simple recipe features the green beans, wax beans, and fresh mint I picked up at last weekend's market.  Tossed in olive oil, fresh mint, and garlic, topped with lemon slices and homemade almond Parmesan, and baked until they start to brown.  This makes a great summer side, or make it a meal by adding tomato slices and serving over greens with a side of crusty bread.