Sweet and crunchy granola

I’ve always loved granola, whether it’s sprinkled on top of tangy yogurt, eaten as cereal with milk or just a grab-and-go snack.  Although I usually prefer steel cut oatmeal, rolled oats work perfectly for granola and still contribute to our daily intake of whole grains.  Here’s my recipe for a delicious sweet and crunchy, maple-olive oil granola.               

           

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (hulled)

1/4 cup pistachios (hulled)

1/4 cup dried cherries

2 tbsp golden raisins

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

Method:

1) Combine oats, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, maple syrup, olive 
   oil, cinnamon and salt in large bowl

2) Preheat oven to 300F

3) Spread mixture evenly onto lined baking sheet

4) Bake 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden brown

5) Mix with dried cherries and raisins, let cool and enjoy

Mmmm.....
Simply delicious with plain yogurt, honey, pear slices and a handful of blueberries

Cinnamon spiced candied walnuts

In light of Spring, I’ve decided to challenge myself to eating more salads, though I often struggle to find one that is delicious and intriguing enough to excite me with flavor.  Here’s a recipe for candied walnuts that pair perfectly with oatmeal and fresh fruit as well as a spinach, pear and gorgonzola salad. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp paprika

cinnamon (to taste)

salt (to taste)

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) Thoroughly mix honey, cinnamon, paprika and salt in small bowl
3) Add walnuts and mix until evenly covered
4) Spread walnut mixture onto baking sheet lined with parchment 
   paper, making sure to smooth out clumps
5) Bake 15 minutes, stirring nuts around halfway through cook time
6) Let cool completely, crumble off excess honey mixture and place 
   in closed container

I Dream of Weenie

Here’s a little hot dog spot in East Nashville.  The name said enough to spark my interest and the yellow VW bus adds to the whimsical atmosphere.  Here’s a menu and a couple of photos of this clever spot!  Next time I'll be sure to get a couple shots of the yummy weenies themselves!

Frank and to the Point

  Mustard, ketchup, onions, sweet relish.......................$2.50

Slaw Weenie

  Mustard, onions, Home made slaw..............................$3.00

Kraut Weenie

  Spicy mustard, kraut.........................................$3.00

Dill Weenie

  Mustard, onions, dill pickle spear...........................$3.00

Chili Cheese Weenie

  Spicy chili, cheese, mustard onions..........................$3.00

Rebel Yelp

  Tennessee Chow Chow, mustard, onions, jalapeno peppers.......$3.50

Flamin' Frank

  Spicy chili, cheese, mustard, onions, hot salsa, jalapeno

  peppers......................................................$3.50

Pimento Cheese Weenie

  Home made pimento cheese.....................................$3.50

add chili or slaw for 50¢ All weenies served on your choice of 100% Beef, Turkey or Tofu.

Vibrant vegetables

Here’s a little something to salivate over... Beets from the Noe Valley Whole Foods Market. 

The funny thing is that I don’t even like beets; yet these vibrant colors make me just want to gobble them up!

What would you do with them?

             

Sautéed Rainbow Chard

Finally, I’ve sautéed my vibrant greens!  Rainbow chard turned out much more mild than I expected, having heard that it was quite bitter prior to my attempt to create a flavorful side dish.  Here’s a loose recipe for what I created.  

Ingredients:

1 bunch rainbow chard

1/2 can black eyed peas

olive oil (approximately 1 tbsp)

balsamic or apple cider vinegar to taste

1/4-1/3 cup water or vegetable broth

salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1) Chop chard, separating stalks from leaves

2) Saute stalks in olive oil over medium-high until tender

3) Add water or vegetable broth and leaves

4) Lower heat to medium-low, allow leaves to wilt and liquid to                                     

   evaporate

5) Combine with black eyed peas

6) Add vinegar, salt, pepper and any other spices to taste

Rainbow Chard

The other day, as I walked into the Noe Valley Whole Foods, I decided I would take a step away from my usual purchases.  Not long after, I encountered the eye-catching and vivid red, pink and orange stalks of Rainbow Chard.  

I had never seen such beautiful colors of this leafy green before, and was instantly intrigued.  Wondering what to do with this fibrous vegetable, I consulted the Whole Foods Market blog, titled Whole Story.  Here's a link to one of their posts that's focused on providing easy methods of increasing our daily leafy green consumption.

I'll add a new post and recipe once I've sautéed these vibrant beauties, but for now, here's just a couple of photos to get your mouth watering.

Cherry chocolate chip muffins

Here are some muffins that I grew up eating.  They're so easy to make, extremely chocolaty and filled with delicious dark cherries, and I always find myself coming back for seconds (or thirds...)!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup (1/2 bag) mini chocolate chips

1 cup frozen dark cherries (cut in half) 

Method:

1) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips   

   in large bowl

2) In small bowl combine egg, milk and oil

3) Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until almost  

   moistened

4) Gently fold in frozen cherry halves, making sure not to over

   mix

5) Preheat the oven to 400 F

6) Spoon mixture into lightly greased muffin pans (or greased

   paper liners), filling 2/3 full

7) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, checking first at 20 minutes

8) Remove from muffin pans, cool on a wire rack, and enjoy

Sparkling blood orangeade

Here's a recipe for a yummy blood orangeade I just made today.  It's refreshing, delicious and simple!

Ingredients:

2 blood oranges

1-2 oranges

ginger ale

Method:

1) Juice all oranges into bowl

2) Strain juice into glass

3) Combine with 2 parts ginger ale and ice

4) Sip and enjoy

Here's a tip: get really good ginger ale for your orangeade.  I bought what seemed like good quality, but wasn't exactly.  Either way, the orange juice flavors will stand out over the flavor of the soda.  Also, make sure to strain the juice, or else all the pulp will rise to the foamy top once ginger ale is added.  No matter what, this fizzy orangeade is bound to be tasty!

What to do with Meyer lemons

Because I have a Meyer lemon tree in my backyard, I have been searching for new ways to incorporate this refreshing and mellow citrus into everyday meals.  Unlike the regular lemon, Meyer lemons are much less tart due to the fact that these fruits are actually crossbreeds between lemons and oranges.  Still, these lemons retain the tangy flavor characteristics of their counterparts.  Here are three (really two & a half) very simple ideas that I’ve come up with: bright and sunny lemonade, tangy lemon curd and Meyer lemon macarons.  

Often, I find myself eating lemons by themselves, but with some form of sweetener, of course.  Once in a while, it’s nice to have this delicious treat in liquid form... lemonade, that is.  The way I make lemonade is actually quite simple, without the complications of making and incorporating simple syrup (made when heating equal portions of sugar and water.)  Instead, I prefer using equal to sugar as it dissolves much more quickly in water.  Anyways, my lemonade is created by combining 1 part Meyer lemon juice (using regular lemons would require more sweetener or less juice) with 2-3 parts water.  Add ice and equal (or another sweetener) as desired, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

zest of (3-4 small) Meyer lemons

1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

3 egg yolks

Method:

1) Combine lemon juice, zest and sugar in saucepan

2) Bring to a simmer over medium heat

3) Beat egg yolks together

4) Temper egg yolks with hot lemon mixture (adding small amounts of hot liquid and whisking until incorporated each time)

5) Pour mixture into saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until liquid thickens (5 minutes)

6) Remove from heat and let cool completely 
     in fridge

After my first (failed) attempt at making macarons, I felt a wave of complete and utter discouragement overcome me.  How was I ever supposed to create intensely flavored and unique macarons if I couldn’t get a simple recipe right?  Well, one try later, I greeted my little macarons with a smile.  They may not be gourmet quality after two tries, but my little creations even developed feet.  Here’s my  recipe for Meyer lemon macarons filled with lemon curd.

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites (aged 24-48 hours, room temperature)

zest of 2-3 Meyer lemons

1 cup powdered sugar + 4 tsp

1/2 cup almond flour + 2tsp

5 tbsp granulated sugar

yellow food coloring as desired

Method:

1) In a blender or food processor, grind together powdered sugar, almond flour, and lemon zest to get rid of lumps

2) Add desired food coloring to granulated sugar & mix until combined (optional)

3) Beat egg whites with electric mixer until they begin to form soft peaks

4) Add (dyed) granulated sugar 1 tbsp at a time while beating until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes)

5) Carefully fold dry ingredients in several batches into egg mixture with rubber spatula

6) When smooth, move mixture to pastry bag (or ziploc bag) with a 1/2 inch tip

7) Pipe batter onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper in 1 inch circles evenly spaced (about 1 inch) apart

8) Tap baking sheet several times to release bubbles & let macarons sit for 1 hour, allowing shell to form

9) Preheat oven to 350 F & bake for 10-12 minutes

10) Let cool completely before removing macarons from baking sheet

11) Pair off similar sized macaron halves

12) Fill with a small amount of lemon curd, sandwich, and enjoy

Things I love

Here are just a couple of things that bring joy to my day...