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Homemade granola

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on August 18, 2010| 2 Comments »

I have great memories of a time one or two years ago when two of my friends and I got the urge to make homemade granola. After a “quick” Whole Foods run, a pecan-chopping adventure (involving two cans, a bowl and some saran wrap) and a lot of taste-testing, we ended up with some of the best granola I’ve ever eaten. This all occurred in Tram’s kitchen with my two favorite journalism students.

Groceries

I got the taste for homemade granola last week, so I worked it into my grocery budget. The main ingredient (rolled oats, aka oatmeal) is incredibly cheap, but I had to dance around some prices for the nuts (a necessity). I had about a cup of slivered almonds in my pantry, so I just needed to buy a bag of walnuts. I had everything else on hand in my pantry.

Recipe

As with everything else, I worked with what I had and ended up with my own version of a granola recipe. I’m currently munching on still-warm oatmeal mixed with unsweetened plain yogurt, and it’s delicious.

Ingredients

  • 5 cups rolled oats
  • 3 cups chopped or slivered nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts…)
  • 2 1/2 cups dried coconut flakes (I only had sweetened, but I definitely recommend unsweetened)
  • 1 1/2 cups raisins and/or craisins
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Add wet ingredients to the mixture. Hint: If you use the same cup to measure the honey that you already measured the oil with, the honey will come right out! Mix well.
  4. Place 1-2 inches thick in cake or loaf pans and bake.
  5. Gently mix approximately every six minutes. Take it out when it’s a light golden color. Don’t overcook!

Approval

As always, Stephen got to do his official taste test, and he even waited until it had slightly cooled. He ate a bowl with yogurt as well and proclaimed it delicious. I think I can take his frequent trips to the kitchen to grab extra bites of granola as a good sign…

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Zesty peach relish

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on August 5, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Well, it’s been about six months….. I’ve missed you, blog. I’ve gained a strange obsession with food blogs, and I decided this one should have elements of that as well. So here we are.

Fresh summer produce

As I’ve mentioned, I love to experiment in the kitchen! Stephen had separate dinner plans tonight, so I was left all by my lonesome — which, for me, means that I can try all the extra-weird kitchen experiments that I want to test before I serve to Stephen. Which means it must be REALLY weird, because I’m not shy about my random creations. I am a really big proponent of using what you have, even if it seems like it won’t go together.

Fortunately, this one turned out to be a winner, and I even saved some for Stephen! Unfortunately, it also means I had to come up with a name and measurements for it.

Ingredients

  • 1 large ripe peach
  • 1 ripe Roma tomato
  • 1 clementine (sometimes called “cuties,” they look like tiny oranges)
  • 2 green onions
  • 1-2 Tbs raisins
  • 1-2 Tbs chopped pecans
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp smoky chipotle powder
  • 1 Tbs jalapeño jelly (I’m sure you have this on hand, right..? If not, you can substitute some fresh jalapeños or 1 Tablespoon of chunky salsa)

Directions

  1. Chop the peach and tomato into small chunks (about 1/4″-1/2″). Slice the green onion into tiny slices. Place it all into a bowl.
  2. Peel and separate the clementine, and cut each wedge into three pieces. If you’re feeling adventurous, cut the clementine wedges over the bowl so the juice drips on the mixture.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently once or twice, just enough to mix.
  4. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes so the flavors can blend.

It was great on a salad with Romaine lettuce, sprouts and some mozzarella cheese. I didn’t use a sauce, but you might want to add a sprinkle of some vinaigrette if you like your lettuce wet. Don’t douse the flavor, though!

Experiment

As always… experiment! The ingredients I used for this “recipe” were pretty random, and you may not have that exact combination in your refrigerator. Try different fruits. Try different nuts. Try different seasonings. Plums, almonds and chili powder might be a whole new taste sensation!

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