Maple Apricot Raisin Granola

I realize I have not posted a recipe in an embarrassingly long duration of time. In fact I missed the whole month of November but I can assure you this recipe more than makes up for it.

It is simple, easy, and can be modified to fit personal tastes. Plus there almost no possible way to mess it up and it makes your house/apartment smell fantastic.


Maple Apricot Raisin Granola

3 cups oats
very generous shake of cinnamon
1 cup dried raisins
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2c. + 2 T. PURE maple syrup


Preheat oven to 350 degrees


First take a sheet pan and cover it with aluminum foil. Rub some canola oil on the aluminum foil to prevent sticking.


Next combine oats, cinnamon, raisins, apricots, and almonds in a bowl.




Then add your PURE maple syrup and stir. At first it might not look like enough liquid but just keep mixing until the dried ingredients are lightly coated



Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Stirring after about 8-10 minutes. I like my granola with a little chew. However if your more of a crunchy granola person then bake it for a few more minutes.

Cool on the sheet pan



This makes a perfect addition to breakfast. I used mine mixed with soy yogurt, fresh banana slices, and cherries.

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

VACATION!

Simple facts that led me to this conclusion:
1) I am at my parents house in Louisville during the week.
2) I have been sleeping in...meaning 7:30 am, but hey it beats my usually 6:00am any day
3) I have been wearing yoga pants for the past 3 days

4) Turning on the TV and watching a Law and Order SVU Marathon
5) Having a little cuddle bug follow me around everywhere:



6) Going to my favorite coffee shop and bribing myself to study for the Praxis by getting a soy latte.



And
7) Baking, recipe to come

Kabocha Squash

Squash is one of my favorite things to make for a number of reasons including: 1) it is usually inexpensive, 2) it contains many nutrients while being delicious, and 3) cooking it in the oven warms up my apartment. When it comes to buying squash though I typically stick with butternut or acorn. Well, when I was at Whole Foods in Louisville I saw a sign for "kabocha squash". I figured it was time to live on the edge and go beyond my narrow scoped squash repertoire. Plus the sign advertised its taste as a combination between a pumpkin and a sweet potato...after reading that I was definitely sold.

Simple Kabocha Squash

1 Kabocha Squash, washed, seeds removed, and cut into chunks

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place aluminum foil on 13 X 9 pan and smear with oil.

Take squash chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cinnamon then mix well. Spread onto prepared pan. Bake until a fork tender

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I wish I could take credit for being the mastermind behind this delicious creation. All it took was one bite to convince me that this will be listed in my "fall recipe favorites" category.

Here's the link to the recipe.



I followed the recipe above but instead of sweet potatoes I used Libby's canned pumpkin. I also used granulated instead of brown sugar and cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice (based on what I had at home), almond milk instead of skim milk (because lately anything dairy makes me sick), and cinnamon raisin english muffins instead of bread.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

Out of all the vinegars I must say that balsamic is my favorite. So it is only proper that it be the star in this homemade salad finisher.

Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is what you will need:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

~1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

One day I noticed some sweet chili sauce hanging out in my parents refrigerator. Considering it had been there for a while and my mom didn't care, I brought it back with me to Lexington and turned it into something fabulous. For those who have never tried tofu this may just be all you need to fall in love with this vegetarian staple.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 pkg. (usually 14 oz.) extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine the first three ingredients in a squre bowl/plate.

Place aluminum foil on a 13 x 9 pan and drizzle with some oil

Slice tofu into 5 thick pieces

Place in sauce mixture, then place on prepared pan. Spoon leftover sauce over each piece.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Pimento Cheese

This is one of my favorite things I have ever put between two pieces of bread. Enough said.

Pimento Cheese, Gourmet

I used the above recipe more as a guide because I didn't measure anything. I also substituted 2 diced and seeded jalapenos for the cayenne pepper.

Quinoa with Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce

I love quinoa and just recently made it at home for the first time. It was a winner for the fact that it was simple to prepare, very reasonably priced, cooked quickly, and tasted delicious.

Quinoa with Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce

For the Quinoa
1 c. dried quinoa
Kosher Salt

For the Jazzed Up Tomato Sauce
5 carrots, finely chopped
5 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 small zucchini, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
~2 t. Worchestershire sauce
~2 t. Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
1 14oz. can Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes

1. Rinse the dry quinoa well. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season it with kosher salt, add the quinoa, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile heat a medium sized pan over medium-high heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the pan. Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini. Let cook for approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, stir. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes, combine well with the vegetables. Add the Worchestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. Season with black pepper and salt (if needed) Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Combine the quinoa with the sauce.


And if your like me, top with some goat cheese.

Stuffed Mushrooms

When I was at the grocery store the other day I found a container of organic mushrooms marked down to the ridiculously cheap price of .99 cents. Now I am not one to turn down a good deal so I sort of impulsively put them in my cart and vowed to find some way to use them for dinner.

Well fast-forward a few hours later that evening and this is what I came up with based on the other ingredients I already had on hand:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach and Blue Cheese

The ingredients:




1 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion chopped
stems from the mushrooms, chopped
handful fresh spinach, chopped
1/8 c. breadcrumbs ( I used panko because that is all I had on hand)
1/4 c. bleu cheese
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil (this makes clean-up a breeze) and place mushroom cups upside down like so

3. Heat oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat and add the chopped onion and mushroom stems. When onions start to brown add the garlic and bread crumbs (if it looks dry add just a drizzle more oil). Then add the spinach and wilt and finally the bleu cheese. Stir to combine. Remove the mixture from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. It should look something like this:


4. Now take a spoon and fill up those caps

5. Bake in the oven until cheese starts to melt and mushrooms warm through

Using What You've Got

On Thursday I went to the grocery with a few of what I like to call "the essentials" on my list. These included basic things like eggs, plain yogurt, milk, butter (hey this girl likes to bake), and bananas. However in true Sarah fashion I ended up with more in my cart then I had originally planned. When I was passing the avocado and corn I grabbed a few of each and told myself I would concoct an idea on what to use them for later.

Well today's lunch was the product of my brain trying to plan a cohesive meal using corn, avocado, and anything else I already had on hand. What did I come up with...

Wheat berries with Avocado, Corn, and Grape Tomatoes
Serves 1
Ingredients
1/3 c. dried wheat berries
1/2 avocado, skin removed and diced
1/2 lime
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
5 grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Hot Sauce (I used a habanero hot sauce that my sister and brother-in-law brought back from Belize)
Optional: Sour Cream

The line up:



1) Boil water in a medium size saucepan and add 1 t. kosher salt when water has started to boil. Then add wheat berries. Cook for ~20 minutes over medium heat. When these have finished cooking, drain.

2) In a skillet heat 2 t. extra virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Then add the corn kernels, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/8 t. black pepper. Cook for 3 more minutes and then add the wheat berries back in.

3) After another two minutes add the tomatoes, stir, and remove from heat. Pour in a bowl, add juice from 1/2 a fresh lime, the diced avocado, and as much hot sauce as you desire. Then if your feeling really adventurous add some sour cream for good measure.



It was delicious and just reinforces the notion that on a whim food purchases are not always a bad thing.

Love Buzz

That is the name of my coffee

And it makes me smile

New Gadget

When I was home last week spending some time with my parents my mom surprised me with a new little kitchen gadget she found on sale.



What could it be? A mango splitter you see.


I wish there was some way to capture my excitement the first time I used it. It really makes things so easy.


Look how pretty!

Birthday Baking

Two of my friends have birthdays today so I spent the afternoon baking away and had entirely too much fun doing so (all while listening to the Coyote Ugly Soundtrack).

I made the same Coconut Cupcakes I made last week. This recipe was requested by the birthday girl so I happily obliged.

In keeping with the coconut theme I made Oatmeal Coconut Raspberry Bars as well.



Lastly I made brownies. Not just any brownies, Katharine Hepburn's Brownies to be exact. This recipe is supposedly from her family.



I must say that birthday baking was a hit. Being the cook I tasted a little of each of them. You know just to make sure everything was edible :)

The verdict:

1) The coconut cupcakes were just as delicious as I remember from last week. I cannot say enough how easy they are to make.

2) Being an oatmeal-a-holic I loved the oatmeal raspberry coconut bars. They are buttery and fruity all at the same time. I think the toasted coconut really makes a difference.

3) Aw, the brownies. Let me just say I have never tasted a brownie quite like this before. I felt like I went to chocolate heaven with just one bite.

Wheat Berry and Barley Salad with Smoked Mozzarella

When I opened my refrigerator this evening I saw in a little glass bowl some leftover smoked mozzarella cheese just waiting to be used. My first thought was to make a simple grilled cheese sandwich but I decided that would be a last resort. Instead, I pulled out my new favorite cookbook and looked in the index for recipes using smoked mozzarella. As expected Gourmet delivered and within an hour I had a yummy dish.

Wheat Berry and Barley Salad with Smoked Mozzarella

Breakfast for Dinner

The meal on the agenda for tonight was strawberry-raspberry pancakes. Besides cutting some of the fruit and then eating it I did little to contribute to dinner. Luckily my friend had it perfectly under control. We came to the unanimous decision that pancakes for dinner really hit the spot.



What we used:
pancake mix (we just followed the instructions on the back of the box)
an egg
whole milk
canola oil
fresh strawberries and raspberries

My toppings included:
agave nectar
leftover strawberries and raspberries
powdered sugar

Never underestimate the power of delicious pancakes.

Saul Good

Today was a good day for the following reasons:

1) I only had to be at school for a little over 3 hours for my elective class. Not only was that a much shorter day at school than I am used to, but I really enjoyed the topic. I did not look at my watch once which is rather unheard of for me.
2) The sun was shining and I got a good sweat session in at the arboretum.
3) I went to perhaps my favorite restaurant in Lexington.

If you live in Lexington than I highly recommend you give Saul Good a try. It has delicious food and wonderful service. Tonight was half price pizza starting at 5pm so I was there by like 5:05. They have such wonderful varieties of pizza but I stuck with the veggie tonight because thats what I was craving.


Luckily I still have half left for later in the week :)

Oh and besides yummy pizza Saul Good also has some knock-your-socks off desserts. Well maybe I should say dessert. You see the first time I got dessert I ordered the Kahlua cupcake and since then I cannot seem to order anything else. It is just that good.



I have a method to eating this cupcake. First I eat the solid chocolate handle, then I eat the coffee beans, then all of the whipped cream on top, and finally proceed to embark on the chocolate goodness. Did I mention there are chocolate chips baked inside as well? Anyways, I have leftovers of this as well that safely made it into the freezer to be pulled out another day.

However the top thing that made the day so good was getting to share wonderful food and conversation with one of my best friends.

Panzanella

I love bread. There is no question. So you can imagine my delight when a couple of years ago I came across a dish known as Panzanella or tomato and bread salad. I was quite intrigued and once I read the ingredients I was completely sold. It is a favorite of mine and the fresh ingredients just scream summer. Plus it requires no stove or oven, which if you live in a very humid area like myself, can be a lifesaver when its 90+ degrees outside. Oh and its super quick to make working perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

I got my ingredients at the Farmers' Market and pulled out my new favorite cookbook:



Panzanella

My modifications included:

- I followed the cookbook recipe and included some minced garlic into the dressing. For some reason garlic is not listed in the recipe posted online.
-I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar for two reasons: 1) I was out of red wine vinegar and 2) I really like balsamic vinegar
-I added ~1/2 lb. smoked mozzarella cheese to the mixture and salt and pepper




I am already looking forward to my leftovers.

Simple Swiss Chard

Even before I started cooking dinner tonight I knew that the swiss chard I got earlier in the day had to be involved. At first I was thinking of making a recipe with it out of my Gourmet cookbook but when it came time for dinner I ended up just wanting something simple. So I just prepped the essentials and it was ready in less than 10 minutes.

Simple Swiss Chard
1 lb. fresh swiss chard, washed
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste

Remove stems from swiss chard and chop up leaves. Heat extra virgin olive oil in medium-large saucepan over medium-high hear. Add onions and garlic to pan and let sit for 2 minutes. Add swiss chard leaves and cook until chard begins to wilt 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Farmers' Market Finds

This morning, well I guess I should say early afternoon, I went to the Lexington Farmer's Market and got some good stuff for the week.


My bounty included swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and jalapeno peppers.

Coconut Cupcakes

I remember a time when I did not like coconut. I still can recall when I was little and took a bite of candy and then immediately spit it out in toilet paper. The culprit? A coconut filled center.

Well things have definitely changed since that day. I now have come to my senses and love coconut everything...candy, curry, ice cream, and of course cupcakes.

Since I am having friends over tomorrow night and needed a dessert recipes I went to one of my favorite websites and found this delicious recipe for Coconut Cupcakes

It did not disappoint...in true Sarah fashion I have already done a taste test.

Banana Bread

Question: What do you do when you have four bananas that look like that?
Answer: Make Banana Bread of course

If you look on the internet, in cookbooks, or magazines one finds that there are countless versions of banana bread recipes. However, I have one tried and true recipe that I always go to...my great grandma's version.

Banana Bread-makes 3 small loaves

Ingredients:
1/2 c. oil
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 large ripe mashed bananas
1/2 c. black walnuts

Grease 3 small loaf pans
Cream oil and sugar, add eggs, and vanilla
Add flour, baking soda, and salt.
Fold in mashed bananas and black walnuts
Fill loaf pans a little over half full
Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean (about 45 minutes but this varies depending on your oven)




Nothing beats a warm slice from the oven.