I'm baffled at the grocery store prices for granola and/or trail mix. I thought I'd give this a whirl since the weather is becoming warmer and drier; soon it'll be prime hiking season and I'll want something tasty to nibble on. This is a recipe that you can totally customize to what's already in the pantry and to your liking. The maple syrup can be substituted with honey and raisins for cranberries. It just so happened that I used the last of the raisins in a batch of oatmeal cookies.
Ingredients
2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 c. dried black currants
1/4 c. sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 c. raw almonds, sliced
1/4 c. lightly-salted roasted almonds, whole
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 260 degrees F.
1. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, currants, cranberries.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter with maple syrup, brown sugar, water, vanilla, and ground cinnamon. Let cool before pouring over oat mixture. Mix well and pour into a greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish.
3. Bake for 30 minutes at 260 degrees F, stirring once every 15 minutes. Raise oven temp to 275 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir occassionally as the granola cools. Store in an airtight container.
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Kitchen Note: About that Farmer's Cheese
For the next batch, I doubled the ingredients and the cheese came out with the same texture with a slightly lemony flavor. I think I should have left the cheese alone. Alas, I didn't. I took half the cheese and dumped it into a food prep along with sun-dried tomatoes from a jar and roasted garlic cloves. It whirred around until the mixture was well blended.
I now have a cheese spread for crackers and/or bread. I think first batch of cheese tasted better as a solid than a spread. At least before the cracker-eating ritual was more manual and I could pile on the sun-dried tomatoes on top of sliced rounds of cheese and the cracker. It tastes okay, but I won't be serving this version up at any upcoming potlucks.
I now have a cheese spread for crackers and/or bread. I think first batch of cheese tasted better as a solid than a spread. At least before the cracker-eating ritual was more manual and I could pile on the sun-dried tomatoes on top of sliced rounds of cheese and the cracker. It tastes okay, but I won't be serving this version up at any upcoming potlucks.
Lemongrass Beef Meatballs
When I was at the Oregon Convention Center for the foodservice show, I stopped by a Japanese shop (Anzen Hiroshi's) that happened to be right across the street. I picked up a jar of lemongrass powder
because I never have fresh lemongrass in the pantry. This recipe is fairly basic and uses this powder in lieu of fresh lemongrass
. I made this to be an appetizer for a "stake" themed potluck. Since I had goose lard available that day, these were deep fried in an oil base of goose lard and EVOO.
Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temp of the meatballs is 160 degrees F.
Makes 12 medium or 30 mini meatballs.
Ingredients
1 lb organic ground beef
2 tbsp lemongrass powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
fresh lard and/or olive oil for frying
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix together: ground beef, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sesame oil, lemongrass powder, and Chinese five spice powder.
2. Take a small portion of the meat and roll it into a ball. Set aside, and repeat until no more mix is left.
3. Heat lard and olive oil in a small saucepan. This works in small batches and you don't have to use much oil. Use a spoon to rotate the meatballs so they cook evenly. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes per batch on medium heat.
When the meatballs are evenly browned, check the largest meatball with a meat thermometer. Remove finished meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate and let the excess oil drain before final plating for serving.
because I never have fresh lemongrass in the pantry. This recipe is fairly basic and uses this powder in lieu of fresh lemongrass. I made this to be an appetizer for a "stake" themed potluck. Since I had goose lard available that day, these were deep fried in an oil base of goose lard and EVOO. Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temp of the meatballs is 160 degrees F.
Makes 12 medium or 30 mini meatballs.
Ingredients
1 lb organic ground beef
2 tbsp lemongrass powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp organic granulated sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
fresh lard and/or olive oil for frying
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix together: ground beef, garlic, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, cornstarch, oyster sauce, sesame oil, lemongrass powder, and Chinese five spice powder.
2. Take a small portion of the meat and roll it into a ball. Set aside, and repeat until no more mix is left.
3. Heat lard and olive oil in a small saucepan. This works in small batches and you don't have to use much oil. Use a spoon to rotate the meatballs so they cook evenly. It shouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes per batch on medium heat.
When the meatballs are evenly browned, check the largest meatball with a meat thermometer. Remove finished meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate and let the excess oil drain before final plating for serving.
Kitchen Note: Easy Veggie Wash
A 16 oz bottle of veggie wash from Amazon.com or other retailer will run you about $5/bottle. But why bother if you have these basic ingredients in the pantry? Wash vegetables to remove dirt, insects, pesticides, and wax.
Spray liquid:
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp baking soda
1 c. filtered water
Washing liquid:
3 c. filtered water
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tbsp sea salt
1 empty clean spray bottle
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together lemon juice, baking soda, and 1 c. filtered water. Recipe can be doubled to match the volume of the spray bottle. Pour into a spray bottle.
2. In a large bowl, add vinegar and sea salt to three cups of filtered water. Spray vegetables with and let soak in washing bowl for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with clean water, dry with towels, and put away vegetables in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
Spray liquid:
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2-3 tsp baking soda
1 c. filtered water
Washing liquid:
3 c. filtered water
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tbsp sea salt
1 empty clean spray bottle
1. In a 2-cup measuring cup, mix together lemon juice, baking soda, and 1 c. filtered water. Recipe can be doubled to match the volume of the spray bottle. Pour into a spray bottle.
2. In a large bowl, add vinegar and sea salt to three cups of filtered water. Spray vegetables with and let soak in washing bowl for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with clean water, dry with towels, and put away vegetables in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
Chocolate Chip Scones
The sweetness of the semi-sweet chocolate chips just overpowers the overall flavor of this scone, and the addition of the sugar is a bit much. These aren't as rich tasting as when using heavy cream.
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 c. buttermilk (can also use cream, yogurt, or buttermilk substitute)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. organic granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. In a food processor, combine one cup of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and butter. Pulse until it resembles fine crumbs.
2. In a large bowl, add the butter/flour mixture to the remaining cup of flour. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cranberries until combined.
3. Gradually add in buttermilk and fold into batter until just combined. You may not need the entire amount of buttermilk.
4. Drop by rounded scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. These spread out and rise a bit, so space scones out at least 1" apart. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
5. Let cool on a wire rack.
Buttermilk substitute
up to 1 cup of whole milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Add the lemon juice to the milk and let stand for about 5 minutes. Use as you would buttermilk.
Ingredients
2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 c. buttermilk (can also use cream, yogurt, or buttermilk substitute)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. organic granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
1. In a food processor, combine one cup of the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and butter. Pulse until it resembles fine crumbs.
2. In a large bowl, add the butter/flour mixture to the remaining cup of flour. Stir in chocolate chips and dried cranberries until combined.
3. Gradually add in buttermilk and fold into batter until just combined. You may not need the entire amount of buttermilk.
4. Drop by rounded scoops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. These spread out and rise a bit, so space scones out at least 1" apart. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
5. Let cool on a wire rack.
Buttermilk substitute
up to 1 cup of whole milk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Add the lemon juice to the milk and let stand for about 5 minutes. Use as you would buttermilk.
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