homemade granola bars

I made granola bars last week, but they just couldn't hold themselves together! It was a mess in my hand. They were so tasty, though, and super filling, so I thought I needed to try again, with some minor adjustments. So now it's not quite as healthy as the original, but still really not that bad. And you really only need a little square to be satisfied, and it's all homemade, so I don't feel too bad about feeding this to my family:) If you can make rice krispie treats, you can make these.

Home made granola bars
makes about 2.5 dozen, depending on how you cut them
ingredients:
4 C rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)
1 C shredded coconut
1.5 C chopped nuts of any kind (I did slivered almonds because they were on sale)
1 C ground flaxseeds or wheatgerm (I did a combination of both)
1/2 C sesame seeds
2 C chopped (or small) dried fruit (I used golden raisins and craisins, but last time I did dried apricots and those were really good, too)

2 T butter
1 (10 oz) package mini marshmallows

prepared materials:
1 9x13 inch baking pan, greased and lined with parchment or wax paper, and greased again

1. Preheat over to 350°F. In a large baking sheet, toss the oats, coconut, nuts, flaxseeds or wheatgerm, and sesame seeds together. Place in the oven and toast until fragrant and very slightly browned, about 10~12 minutes, tossing a few times during baking.
2. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows, and stir until completely melted. Working quickly, add all of the other ingredients (including the dried fruit) and stir gently until thoroughly encorporated.
3. Immediately pour the ingredients into the prepared baking pan, and using a lightly greased spatula, press down firmly until you have an even, flat surface. Let cool completely.
4. Once cooled, flip the whole pan over onto a large cutting board, and cut to desired size. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
   

good ol' sunday dinner repeat

For dinner on Sunday, I made a roasted chicken with root vegetables and my favorite bread. Even my little sweetie couldn't wait for dinner.
The only difference was that this time I only brushed about 2 tablespoons of melted butter on top of the chicken and seasoned it with salt and pepper. it was amazing! (And please ignore the fact that for some reason ... probably my pregnant brain ... I roasted the chicken upside down)

update

I feel like a flake. It must be because I'm pregnant because when I'm about to sit down to eat after spending quite a bit of time at the cutting board or stove, the last thing I'm thinking about is, "oh wait a second, I have to take a picture!" Pretty much the only thing I'm thinking is, "FINALLY". So my poor camera has been a little neglected, which is why I haven't posted in a while. And the saddest part is I've actually been making good food! So I know food posts without pictures are way lame, but I still think my readers deserve to know the joys of simple delicious food, so I will share anyway. Both of them are just additions to my old favorites anyway.

First of all, my salsa. I have it listed as avocado salsa, but I often make it without the avocados, and it's still the best salsa ever. Tonight, I was in the mood for chips and salsa, but since it was dinner time, I thought I'd heft it up a bit. My sister said she made my salsa once with corn and black beans, so I tried that, and it was amazing! You know those meals that you almost regret eating so much but then you remember that it's actually mostly good for you? Well, this was one of those meals. Add 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed), and 1 can of corn (drained). We were planning on using fresh corn from our neighbor's garden, but we were a couple weeks too late. But if you have access to fresh corn, cut it off the cob and sauté it until a little caramelized, and you won't believe the joy you'll experience.

And going back almost a whole week, I made panzanella for our church Labor Day picnic. It was a total hit! I know this is pathetic, but whenever we have potluck type meals, I am constantly checking to see how much of my contribution is gone. And if I leave before it's all gone, I get a little sad. So this time was a success. And the variations I made were a bit bigger this round. I tossed the stale bread cubes with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a couple of table spoons of melted butter and salt and most important, a clove of grated garlic. Then put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler for about 2~3 minutes, until crispy and golden. The darkness depends on your broiler, so keep a good eye on them! And then I added 3 colored bell peppers (yellow, orange, and purple) to the salad along with capers and 1 seeded hot house cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I think calamata olives would be great, too. Mmm! Anyway, this is a fantastic recipe, you should try it out.

Next time I promise I'll bring my camera to the dinner table! Until then, happy cooking, friends!

my lazy panzanella

I feel like these tomatoes (and Blake cleaning the kitchen for me) have reawakened my love for food. I've been in the kitchen all day today. I made homemade granola bars and soup and for breakfast we had pancakes and eggs and hashbrowns. Love love love! But my favorite was what I had for dinner. We were over at our daughter's friend's 1st birthday party until just about dinner time, so we rushed home, full of cake and ice cream, and I had to think of something quick. So I made a lazy panzanella. And I am so in love! Ahhhh, I wish I could eat tomatoes like this year round.

Ok, I know I sound like a broken record here, but if you think you don't like raw onions, you don't know what you're missing. You need to soak them. Slice them super thin, and soak them in water for a good 30 minutes, changing the water once or twice. This salad is not as good without that juicy crunch of the onions, but they'll be overpowering and not as enjoyable if you don't soak them. So please, my friends, SOAK!

And basically, I just used my tomato and onion recipe that I posted yesterday, and added about a cup of cubed day-old bread. Toasted cubed bread would be better, of course, but I wanted something super duper quick. And it was divine. You might think I'm crazy for adding stale bread to my salad, but you have to try it. It's a beautiful thing those genius Italians came up with. Genius.

quick lunch

This is one of my new favorite soups. I got the idea watching Everyday Food last weekend, and loved the recipe when I followed it exactly, but I decided it needed a little more heft, so I added a few of my favorite things and used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. I liked the texture a little better for soup. And last night, I poached a chicken and made homemade chicken broth, so it was perfect timing to have this for lunch today. Making your own broth is so easy, and it will last pretty much indefinitely in your freezer, so it's really worth it. But of course, if you don't have homemade broth or stock, use the packaged stuff. My favorite brand is Pacific. And use the low-sodium stuff. If you love soup, you're going to love this one. It's super simple and fast, and tastes like you've been cooking all day.

Hearty Cannelini Bean and Pasta Soup

Serves 4~6

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or you could use chickpeas if you like)

1 C elbow macaroni or other small shaped pasta

1 C cooked shredded or chopped chicken, white or dark meat

3 small or 1 large yukon gold potato, peeled and diced small

4 C chicken broth or stock

2 C water

salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

finely grated parmesan cheese (I used Pecorino Romano in the picture)

chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 2~3 minutes, until slightly cooked through. Add the pasta and cook for another 5 minutes, until slightly firm.
2. Add the chicken and beans and let simmer for another minute until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve with cheese and parsley.

This recipe freezes really well, but because the pasta will just keep absorbing the liquid it doesn't refrigerate really well. So if you have leftovers, place individual portions in freezer-safe containers and place in the freezer.

i. love. tomatoes.

I planted tomatoes this Summer in the hopes of eating a TON of tomatoes from June to September. Ahhhh, the dreams of fresh tomato pasta, caprese salad, tomato sandwiches, fresh salsa, and onion and tomato salad. Alas, my little seeds grew to be super tall, but never grew a single fruit! Can you believe that? It's really sad. Well, I've been hesitant to buy any tomatoes because I kept hoping my plant would bear fruit, but it still hasn't, so I finally decided I need some this week. We were at Meijer, my favorite grocery store around here, and I was so excited to find they had a clearance tomato section! And it was crazy. A pint of grape tomatoes for $.75, and they weren't wrinkly! And then they had these "kumato" tomatoes (never heard of them before), which are a deep, rich red--almost a purple-y brown. Gorgeous. And they were $1! So I bought some and as soon as I got home, I made the salad I've been dreaming of all these months. And on Monday, I'm taking panzanella to our church Labor Day celebration. Can not wait!

Onion and Tomato Salad
serves ... 1?
3~4 small tomatoes or 1~2 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, super thinly sliced and soaked in water for 30 minutes or rinsed well for about 5
1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped fine*
2 T red wine vinegar
2 t extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*feel free to use other fresh herbs, like of course, BASIL! I just picked my basil plant clean the other day, so I used parsley, and it was beautiful.

1. Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!
   

quick and fancy comfort food

Last night we had this mushroom ravioli for dinner. I've never made it before, I got the idea from Martha Stewart but had to change a few things. I couldn't find tortellini at Target, so I bought ravioli, and I made the sauce with white wine and milk instead of water. Much improved, I think. And white buttons are so much cheaper than shiitake mushrooms, so I used them instead. Though if you have fresh shiitake at your market, and they don't cost 5 times as much, you really should try them. They are amazing. So you really should try this. It took me probably a total of 25 minutes to make, maybe less. And it was such a nice meal! And Ella LOVED the ravioli, and surprisingly even the mushrooms. I love meals like that.

Ravioli with White Wine Mushroom Sauce
serves 4
1 (26 oz) bag of frozen cheese ravioli
1 lb white button mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4 C white wine
1/4 C whole milk
2~3 T flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 T cold butter
2 t olive oil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, or until pasta floats to the top of the water, should take less than 5 minutes. Drain.
   
2. In a deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until mushrooms release all their juices and start to brown. Add white wine and cook until completely evaporated. Add milk and butter and cook until slightly thickened.
3. Put the cooked pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and add the mushroom mixture. Toss all together with the parsley and cheese until evenly distributed. Serve warm.
   

vegetarian

... not vegan.

I was never huge into beef alternative-type burgers. I like beef. I really do. (Sorry if this grosses you out, Lori) I love greasy, plain, smokey, slightly burnt good ol' fashioned burgers. Usually with those church barbeque type burgers, it's all about what you put on the burger, not the burger itself. In Japan they make these beautiful "hamburgers" (if you can even call them that), and eat it like steak. It's a fancy dinner on a fancy plate kind of meal. And I love it like that. I love a huge range of ground beef mixed with a few things, formed into a flat, round (or oval) patty, to be happily devoured.

But then in high school I discovered the gardenburger, and surprisingly loved it! And I didn't know what to do with myself. So once in a while I buy them, and once in a while I crave them, and that's about it. I leave the making of them to those who do it for money.

... But THEN, I came across this recipe in my Everyday Food Great Food Fast cookbook, and have been secretly drooling over it since. And I finally told Blake I want to make it for dinner. He was a little skeptical, but agreed, and we were both stunned at the delicious beauty of the burger. You MUST try it. Vegetarian, meat-over alike, you are going to love this burger.

Lentil Walnut Burgers with Parsnip and Yukon Gold Oven Fries
Serves 4
Lentil Walnut Burgers:
3/4 C lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 C walnuts
1/3 C plain dried breadcrumbs (I didn't have any, so I just processed about 1 slice of toasted whole grain bread and it was awesome!)
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 T olive oil
1 L egg

for serving:
thinly sliced tomato
thinly sliced cucumber
red onion relish (just some super thinly sliced red onion, soaked for 30 minutes, and tossed with red wine vinegar)
yogurt-cilantro sauce*
cilantro leaves

* yogurt-cilantro sauce:
3/4 C plain low-fat or fat free yogurt
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the lentils in a small saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and cool.
2. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts on a baking sheet, and toast in the oven until fragrant and darkened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine the walnuts, breadcrumbs, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, 1-1/2 teasspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; process until finely ground. Add the lentils and 1 T olive oil, pulse until coarsely chopped (some lentils will remain whole).
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add the lentil mixture; mix well. Divide into 4 equal-sized parts; roll into balls, and flatten with the palm of your hand into 3/4 inch thick patties.
5. Heat the remaining 3 T oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the burgers; cook over medium-low heat until crisp and browned, turning gently with a thin-edged spatula, 8 to minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
   

Parsnip & Yukon Gold Oven Fries:
2~3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into thin strips
3~4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into thin strips
4 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
2. Toss the parsnips, potatoes, oil, salt and pepper together until coated well. Place the vegetables on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Place in the oven and bake until outside is golden and cooked through, about 25~30 minutes. Serve warm.
   

quick take-out at home

I didn't have much time to make dinner before our youth activity tonight, and since we are leaving for Utah in a couple of days, I had to try to use up some ingredients. So, the only thing I could think of doing was pan-fried noodles. I know, it's weird. I can't seem to enjoy cooking pasta, a usual staple in our home, but I LOVE Panda Express-type food. Anyway, this was a really quick and easy (with simple ingredients) take-out at home dish. Try it out sometime! Hopefully you can find fresh Chinese egg-noodles, but if you can't, I think angel hair pasta should be ok.

Quick Pan-Friend Noodles
serves 4
1/2 lb fresh Chinese noodles
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
2~3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces at a diagonal
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 leeks (or 4 scallions), cut into 1/4 inch slices on a diagonal, and carefully washed
3 garlic cloves, crushed
soy sauce
2 T sake, optional
1 T mirin, optional
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
sesame oil, optional

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large wok, heat about 1 T oil over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and quickly stir-fry until browned and crispy. Remove the garlic from the wok. Add half of the chicken, and let the brown on both sides and remove. Add a little more oil and repeat with remaining chicken.
2. Set chicken aside on a plate. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook carrots and celery. Season with a little salt and pepper. Add sake and mirin, if using, and cook until both evaporate. Add leeks and stir-fry for about 1 minute, and set aside on a plate.
3. Meanwhile, place noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the noodles and drain after 1~2 minutes, when they are barely tender but still slightly firm. Add one more T of oil to the hot wok, and place the noodles flat in the wok to get slightly crispy. Holding the handle firmly, flip the noodle right over and let it get a little crispy on the second side. Add the chicken and vegetables back in the wok and, using cooking chopsticks if possible, break up the noodles and toss all ingredients. Add a little soy sauce to taste. Drizzle a little sesame oil on top, if using, and serve!
   

kitchen help

Just had to share some cute pictures my Blake took of our little girl "helping out" in the kitchen. Here she's helping out by feeding Kumo ... something.
Metal mixing bowls and plastic hitting things are my new best friends!

Weekend Brunch

Another food I sometimes crave right now is pancakes, but I don't love what they do to my love handles. And Blake makes some fantastic pancakes from Everyday Food magazine (pretty much every weekend), but this week we decided to try out their whole grain substitution. It was a total hit! And since I recently went blueberry picking, I made a really tasty simple blueberry syrup. We ate a few more than we probably should have, but I felt a lot less guilty this time!

Pancakes and Homemade Blueberry Syrup
Serves 4
First of all, here's Blake's usual basic pancake recipe. It comes from Everyday Food magazine, with a couple of our own alterations to make them the perfect Japanese-style hotcakes.

1 C all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
3. Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
4. For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
5. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.

Now here's the recipe for whole grain yogurt pancakes:

1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1/4 C corn meal
1/4 C wheat germ
2 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C milk
1/2 C plain low fat or fat free yogurt
1 t pure vanilla extract
2 T canola oil (or melted butter, of course, but we're going for healthy here, and it's really good with the oil)
1 L egg
1 T vegetable oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200°; have a heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, wheatgerm, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not over-mix; a few small lumps are fine).
3. Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel. (I really like this method because you're not deep frying your pancakes, so it's way better for you, but still tastes amazing!)
4. For each pancake, spoon 2~3 T of batter onto the skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 4 on a square griddle).
5. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1~2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until lightly browned on the other side, 1~2 minutes more. Transfer to the platter, cover loosely with foil, and keep warm in the oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You should have 12~15 pancakes.) Serves warm, with desired toppings.

Homemade blueberry syrup
*I think that blueberries tend to taste a little bland and musty when they're cooked, so I added the lemon to brighten the flavor. It's really good! And not too sugary sweet. If you like things sweeter, add more sugar or even better, dust the pancakes with a teeny bit of powdered sugar right before serving.

1/2 C~ 1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
2 T honey
1~2 T sugar

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the blueberries all burst and soften and the sugar starts to thicken. Take it off the heat, and let cool slightly. It will get slightly thicker as it cools. Serve over pancakes.

*try this with other berries as well. But if you're using strawberries, I recommend cutting them into small pieces and combining them with some other berries. Strawberries don't have much flavor once they're cooked.

cravings

To my few foodie fans out there, I owe you an apology. I haven't been too much in the mood to cook lately, so my blog has been sadly neglected. But I have a really good reason, I promise. We are actually expecting our second baby! I'm really excited about it, but with pregnancy comes a constant serious upset stomach ... so, I've been really avoiding the kitchen. Most things that I usually love sound really unappetizing at the moment. It's miserable! But, there are a few things that I still love, so I'm hanging on to those. I love salad. And when it comes to dressing, the vinegar-ey-er the better. The other day, I made this dressing and fell in love. You might want to change the vinegar-oil ratio, though. My pregnant taste buds seem to like things VERY tart.

Grapefruit and Red Wine Vinaigrette
juice of 1/4 grapefruit
1/2 t grainy dijon mustard
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the grapefruit juice, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. While whisking quickly, add the oil in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with some simple salad greens and enjoy!
   

so much better homemade

Have you ever had a homemade bagel? Or one from a really good quality baked-right-there bakery? It's so not the same as those dense, dried out (but somehow still amazingly delicious) store-bought ones. They're rich and chewy and need no toasting (but still love a little time under the heat) to taste incredible. Well, I was grocery shopping with my dear friend Lori the other day, and she was talking about how much she loves bagels and cream cheese. I was tempted to buy some right then and there when she was talking about them, but I didn't and totally regretted it when I got home. But then I remembered my mom making homemade bagels when I was a kid and knew the store-bought ones just wouldn't do. So I went on a search of bagel recipes and discovered that I could make the dough in bread machine, and that cuts out half the work! Genius. So I went to work, and when they were done, I ate ... 4. And one more when Blake got home. Oops! But seriously, you MUST try them! So easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine, and SO WORTH IT!

Home made plain bagels
makes 6
3/4 C warm water (about 110°)
2 C and 2 T bread flour
1/2 T salt
1.5 T sugar
1 T active dry yeast

large pot full of water, for boiling
1 T sugar

1. In the bowl of a bread machine, put in dough ingredients in the order written, making a well for the yeast (making sure the yeast doesn't touch any water). Set to dough setting and let the machine do it's work!
2. Once the dough is done, pull it out and on a lightly floured surface, cut into 6 equal pieces. Form each one into a ball, and them shape into a bagel shape. I figured out that the easiest way to do this, actually, is to poke a hole with a chopstick and then twirl it on the chopstick until it stretches out a bit. But do it how you want:)
3. Set all 6 formed bagels aside, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 20 minutes.
4. When the 20 minutes is almost up, bring the pot of water to a boil, and add sugar until it dissolves. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Add bagels, upside down, and simmer for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 3 minutes. Place on a cooling rack over a towel to let drain. Repeat with the remaining 3.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (240°C). Line up the bagels on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 25~30 minutes, rotating halfway, or until golden brown on top. Let cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely and store in a zipper-lock bag for a only a few days.
   

*To make asiago or parmesan ones, when you pull out the bagels to rotate them (after about 15 minutes of baking), sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese on top, place back in the oven and continue baking. Those are super good, too!

a new cookie

The other day I was looking through etsy and I found this one seller selling cookies with dried blueberries in them. That got me thinking ... and I had to try combining the glorious flavors of blueberry, cinnamon, and lemon together in a cookie! And they turned out great. I thought an oatmeal cookie base would work well with that flavor combination. I think it's a great Summer alternative to the oatmeal chocolate chip, though I do think I like the chocolate better:)

Summer Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies
makes about 2 dozen
2 C flour
3/4 C butter
2/3 C oats
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 C light brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 T egg
1 T vanilla extract
1 C dried blueberries
2 T milk/cream
zest and juice of 1 lemon

1. Preheat the oven 375°F. In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, cinnamon, and baking soda.
2. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and mix until fluffy. Add lemon zest & juice.
3. Slowly add flour mixture. Add milk if too stiff.
4. With a wooden spoon, stir in the bluebrries.
5. Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake for 8~10 minutes.