Vegan Pecan Pie Bars (Running: Navigating in The Dark of The Morning)

I had a craving for something really "fall-ish" last week and pecan pie came to mind. Since I had just made (and consumed nearly ALL of an apple pie the week prior) I wanted my next confection to be in "pieces" vs. "slices". So I settled on these pecan pie bars. I am so glad I did. Pecan (Pea-Can as we say in these here parts) pie is one of my all time favorite desserts/snacks/treats. I had forgetten how much I loved it until I had these sitting in front of me begging to be consumed. I also happened to have just purchased a grocery store brand 11 x 7 ($7.99) baking pan and miracle-of-miracle--this particular modified recipe called for such pan. Don't ask me why I never had a baking pan this size before--I seem to own every other baking pan size out there. I love the shortbread base--you bake it beforehand. Then you mix the topping with the pecans--it is such a gratifying treat. I like my pies and bars kept in an airtight container in the fridge. If you are thinking of things you might want to make for the holidays--this bar recipe won't disappoint. I think they'd ship well also.   

Straight from the oven. . . post taste-testing. I had to "dig in"!

Running right now in the early mornings has been a challenge. By "early" I mean hitting the road before seven a.m. By "a challenge", I mean I have to navigate through bus schedules, crazy, sleep-deprived drivers, the occasional dog, deer and raccoon. In short--getting my morning run in is quite the experience as our sunrise shifts further and further out--at least until daylight savings time kicks in in a few weeks--then we'll be rudely awakened by the unnatural crack of light at six a.m. once again. To better equip my run and make me light up like a moving Christmas Tree--I just purchased attachable flashing lights--specifically made for runners or Almost Fifty women who MUST get a run in first thing in the morning to keep them from being hysterical the rest of the day.

Running is my personal sanity saver. Now that I've got my legs in full motion again, it reminds me of how much my mental stress is controlled when I run. To stay in motion in a non-running way and to challenge my muscles with "surprise" workouts--I am taking a water aerobics class two days a week and just signed up for another five week course. I stick around after class and swim a half mile, or get to the gym an hour before to try and run the treadmill. My point is--given my state of mind here lately, I have one true remedy for my blues: running. If the body sits still, the mind does to. So if I am feeling what I call "like crap"--I take a personal inventory of my mental being and fill in blanks on what might be wrong. Ninety-percent of the time--I fall deeper into my depression(s) if my running has tapered off. It's pretty simple: No run. No happy.

I know we all have our own "coping" strategies--running happens to be mine. If you remember I had that set back mid-summer which left me on doctor-ordered rest. Well, to say this was a challenge is to put it mildly. It left me out of sorts, unable to get my swing back, just blah.

I am a morning runner. I can absolutely NOT handle afternoon running. A week ago I was so pent up with stress I asked my DH if he'd like to join me for a "little" jog (he walks) in a park nearby. He said sure. Well, while this was a great mood lifter--I also could not get to sleep until like midnight that evening. I just got too hyped up and my little internal motor could not shut down. But the next day--I felt great. I swear by running. If more people ran, the world would be a better place. 

And running can be accomplished by anyone, and I mean anyone. You don't need to go out and pound out a 5k or 10k or marathon. Lace up the shoes and move. That's it. But for women, our choices for running are a bit limited given our gender and our perceived strength. You have to be AWARE. You have to. I try to keep my focus always on ALL of my surroundings. Fear-wise, for me, it's dogs now. I've just gotten over the "bite" that landed me in the hospital earlier this year--trust me--if I see or hear a dog, I am on extra alert and scream. (And recently, I DID have to scream as a neighbor's pack of five dogs ran up to me. Yes, panic ensued. Spray pointed and arms up, eyes scanning the area for a car to run on top of for escape--then heard the owner bellow out in a loud boom: Get Back HERE NOW! And lucky for me, they obeyed, not willingly at first, but eventually sauntered back to their rightful place--in the house. This incident nearly left me paralyzed with fear, and set my running back a bit. I had to mentally get into a place that said I could go out and run again. I guess I could have stopped by this gentleman's home and knocked on the door and said, Uh, Excuse me, but I have a little story to tell you about what a dog bite can do to someone!)

I do run with an Ipod, but I run with it turned down fairly low enough so that if someone were to run up behind me--I'd have a running start. Never mind the can of mace I have on my wrist. Then, I have my phone, my whistle and my flashing lights clipped on. Such a pretty sight! Who'd want to even come near anyone looking so. . . well, so crazy?!   

These bars are terrific! I even shared some with my garden club folks--the brave souls who ventured into the vegan dessert area were quite impressed! I adapted this recipe from an amazing cookbook: A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman. I highly recommend this baking book!

Vegan Pecan Pie Bars

For the crust:

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Florida Crystals sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks unsalted vegetable margerine

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray an 11 x 7 baking pan and place the pan on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (to keep the juice from the pecan topping from spitting all over the bottom of your oven--it's not so messy, but better safe than sorry). You could do this next step in a food processor or a stand mixer. I used my stand mixer. Sift the flour, salt, sugars and baking powder together, then in small pieces, add the margerine and blend until the mixture is crumbly and looks like small peas. It should stick together in your your hand if you pinch some together. Press this mixture into your baking pan and up the sides a bit. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit as you prepare the topping.

For the Pecan Pie Topping

3 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 4 tablespoons warm water OR the equivalent of two eggs

1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted veggie margerine, warmed in the microwave until melted

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup (I used half agave, half corn syrup)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups chopped pecans

Mix sugar, corn syrup and melted margerine together until creamy. Next, add all remaining ingredients "folding" in the pecans. Pour this onto the top of the baked crust. Turn oven down to 325! and Bake for 25-30 minutes or until filling is set. Allow to cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.