Homemade Granola Bars

I am a snacker, a big time snacker. My snack of choice is almost always something carb-y, and I am always looking for new snacks to add to my repertoire.

Lately I've been into Annie's Honey Bunny Grahams. I can eat a lot of them, they are slightly sweet, and they hit the spot during my afternoon slump.

A homemade snack always feels good goin' down, and these homemade granola bars are full of golden raisins, walnuts, pecans, sour cherries, dates, peanut butter, wheat germ, and a few chocolate chips. They are indeed thick and chewy and they sort of fall apart in this wonderful way.

Next time, however, I would definitely chop up my fruit/nut mix a bit and I would use quick-cooking oats or process my old-fashioned oats in a blender for a few pulses. This would probably make the bars hold together more cohesively.

I highly recommend scavenging through the bulk section at your grocery store. I can find all sorts of grains and nuts and goodies in the bulk section, and I can take as much as I need. I had never made anything with wheat germ before and voila, these bars have wheat germ! Expect some more wheat germ recipes in the near future (oh, and store your wheat germ in the refrigerator please and thank you).

A homemade granola bar is a great post-workout snack, a great on-the-go breakfast item, and a great afternoon pick-me-up. Eat up!



Homemade Granola Bars


Thank you, again SmittenKitchen

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats, if using old-fashioned oats, give them a quick pulse in the blender/processor to break them up a bit)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners, water, and peanut butter. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan.

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. ***If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.

*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried apples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans, 4 dates chopped, and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I recommend pulsing your mixture in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.

Messy, Sticky, Finger-Lickin' Good: Honey Sea Salt Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

It's official. I'm addicted. I'm addicted to ice cream. I'm addicted to this honey sea salt peanut butter ice cream. I love peanut butter, I love honey, I love salt, especially flaky sea salt. I'm addicted to making and eating caramel sauce. Burnt sugar? Yep. Addicted. Leftover puff pastry diamonds that I made at work? Yep. Addicted.

It's official. I am out of flour, I am out of vanilla, I am nearly out of sugar. A baker's job well done, I'd say.

Caramel sauce may seem a bit scary, but it really is as easy as 1. 2. 3. Heat the sugar. It will start to bubble, brown, and smoke:

Resist the urge to stir until the last possible moment...annnnnnnd...now go! Stir! Add a bit o' butter...stir (I actually prefer to nudge rather than stir)! Add some heavy cream...nudge! Breathe.

Awww yeahhhh

Heaven in a sauce

My base. Puff pastry diamond with some honey sea salt pb ice cream. This photo was taken before my ice cream scooper broke. It was also taken before I made caramel sauce.

Much better. Oh how good it feels to spoil myself...

Honey Sea Salt Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce

Followed exactly from theKitchyKitchen (she rocks!)

Ingredients:

2-3 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup honey roasted peanut butter (if you only have regular, add 2 tablespoons of honey)

2 tablespoons honey

Pinch of sea salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Caramel Sauce:

1 cup white sugar

4 oz unsalted butter

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Heat one cup of the heavy cream in a sauce pan until simmering. Add the sugar to melt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add a little of the hot cream and whisk to combine. Add a little more, then pour the contents of the bowl into the pan and stir until thickened (or 165 F). Off the heat, add the peanut butter, sea salt, honey, and vanilla, stirring to combine. Taste and add more sea salt or honey to taste. Chill in your fridge, whisk in the additional cream and milk (tasting to adjust the salt and honey), then stir in your ice cream machine as recommended.

For the caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar turns golden. Stir until all of the sugar is dissolved and just starting to turn a lovely dark amber color. Remove from heat and add the butter, and stir to combine. Careful, it'll foam up. Then add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Pour the caramel into a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Pour over everything and anything!


***FOR MORE CARAMEL, CHECK OUT MY CARAMEL ICE CREAM!!!!

Honey Vanilla Ice Cream + Summer Fruit Crisp

Amidst my camera breaking, my new apartment still coming together, no Internet at the new apartment, and my weekend getaway trips gallivanting around northern California, my blog posts have been/will be a bit delayed.

My new kitchen is filled with fun gadgets: my KitchenAid candy-apple-red mixer, my mortar and pestle, tons of baking pans, and my ICE CREAM MAKER. And what a better way to break-in the kitchen than to make some refreshing ice cream?! Honey vanilla ice cream!!!

Lately I have been eating tons of melon: cantaloupe, watermelon, orange honeydew melon, canary melon, muskat melon........mmmmmm. This honey vanilla ice cream is the perfect accoutrement to any melon. For some more melon fun, check out this post by the KitchyKitchen.


The way that I pick a good melon is to give it a sniff at right at the end where that circular nub is (see above photo). It should smell like fragrant flowers. If there is no smell, you can still buy the melon but let it sit for a few days on the counter. You can also try to shake or knock the melon. If the seeds are loose, the melon is ripe.

The honey vanilla ice cream can be served with melon, served on its own, served with some peanut butter and sliced sauteed bananas (deconstructed Elvis Presley-style?), served with a summer fruit crisp, or any other way you can imagine.

A summer fruit crisp is an easy, comforting dessert that can be thrown together in a pinch. Use whatever fruit you like, sprinkle the crisp topping on, and bake. Gosh, you get your fruit and your oat-y crumbly crunch. And it is just divine with the ice cream.


To make the crisp: I sliced dapple dandy pluots, a nectarine, and sprinkled a few blueberries into an 8 in by 8 in square baking pan (feel free to make minis in little ramekins, too). I added a tablespoon and a half of all-purpose flour (you can also add a sprinkle of sugar and/or lemon depending on the sweetness of the fruit). Then I topped the fruit with some crisp topping (recipe below) and baked it all in a 375 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Serve warm with the ice cream on top...YUM!

Honey Vanilla Ice Cream
adapted from Chez Panisse Fruit

makes 1 quart

** BEWARE: This ice cream is really heavy on the honey flavor. If you just want a slight honey flavor, add only 1/2 a cup or less of honey. But if you are a major honey lover, add the whole 3/4 cup (that's what I did)

6 egg yolks
1 cup half and half (I just used milk because that was all I had...it still came out great)
1 pinch salt
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/2-3/4 cup honey, depending on how much of a honey lover you are


Set the heavy cream into a large bowl or bucket and set a fine mesh strainer or sieve over the top. Set the bowl into another larger bowl of ice water.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks just enough to break them up. Gently heat the milk and salt in a medium-size saucepan or pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a paring knife, and put them into the milk mixture along with the bean pod. Stir slowly over low heat until the milk is steaming.

Drizzle the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour (this is called tempering the egg yolks).

Return the milk and egg yolk mixture to the saucepan or pot. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring slowly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant rubber spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spoon (this happens at a temperature of about 170 degrees F).

Immediately remove from the heat and strain through the fine-mesh strainer/sieve into the cold cream. Whisk in the 3/4 cup of honey.

Whisk together to cool the mixture over the ice bath. Once chilled, cover the ice cream base and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (at least a half hour or over-night).

Freeze the mixture according to your ice cream machine's instructions. Transfer the frozen ice cream to a clean dry container, cover, and store in the freezer for several hours before serving to firm up.

Variations:

To make honey lavender ice cream: Add 1 tablespoon of dried lavender when you are heating the milk.

To make vanilla ice cream, use milk instead of half and half and add 2/3 cup of sugar when you heat the milk. Omit the honey.

Fruit Crisp Topping

adapted from Deborah Madison

3/4 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats or finely chopped almonds
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon, optional
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into small chunks

Using your fingers or the paddle attachment of a mixer, combine the topping ingredients and work in the butter until the texture is coarse and crumbly.

**The topping can be made ahead and refrigerated for a week or so or frozen for several weeks.

Chocolate Cupcakes Big and Small with Assorted Frostings and Toppings

Above you can see the traveling cupcakes. I carefully placed the little frosted cakes into a nice tupperware and boarded an airplane from Los Angeles to San Francisco. 5 twenty-something men and myself successfully gobbled these up by the next day.

Chocolate cupcakes. VEGAN chocolate cupcakes (one would never know they were vegan, especially with all that buttery frosting on top!).


Peanut butter frosting.

Peanut butter frosting atop of a chocolate cupcake with:

• crushed oreo cookie crumbs **NOTE: I used mini oreos
  
• with chopped candies (chocolate covered espresso beans and peanut butter cups and m&m's...) **NOTE: Trader Joe's sells mini peanut butter cups which are perfect for these cupcakes
  
• with chocolate sprinkles
• with a swirl of Nutella spread
• with a dollop of jam

Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles.


The cake part makes a LOT of cupcakes. I got 14 big ones and 24 babies (remember, the babies will take less time to bake...think 10-12 minutes instead of 20-25).
***NOTE: click on the links above for the recipes...

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I used to think I couldn't bake. I could not make a good cookie for the life of me. Now I work as a pastry cook. Funny how that happens.

I used to think I did not like peanut butter. My parents claimed they didn't like peanut butter, so I just followed their lead. All of those childhood years where I could have brought a pb&j sandwich to school for lunch, I was packin' rye bread with cream cheese and cucumber. Now pb is one of my favorite foods--crunchy, creamy, flavored, skippy, or all-natural, on toast, in a shake, with some ice cream, or right off the spoon--I love it every way.

This peanut butter banana bread was one of the first baked goods that I had made successfully when I was a novice baker. The banana, yogurt, and peanut butter combo help keep the bread/cake very moist. Easy to throw together, hard to mess up, tasty to the tongue.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread with Choco Chips

From VegetarianTimesMagazine

Ingredient List

Serves 8

• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I have used regular whole wheat flour and all purpose flour before, and both work fine)
  
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar or raw sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened crunchy peanut butter (Skippy brand is a winner for me here)
  
• 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat standard loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.
2. Whisk together mashed bananas, peanut butter, yogurt, egg and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Cool on rack 15 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely, then slice and serve.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING: Calories: 342, Protein: 6g, Total fat: 14g, Saturated fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 52g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 286mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 34g

Yes, I created that smudge on the right with my finger. I just couldn't let that lone melty chocolate chip sit there all alone.

African G-nut (aka Peanut) Stew

Bored of your regular cooking repertoire? Tired of cooking/eating the same thing all the time? Need ideas for a healthy, hearty vegetarian dinner that comes together in just minutes? Let's take a little journey to Africa shall we?

Here is a stew that is so hearty and filling and stick-to-your-stomach good (and good for you, too!). In Africa, peanuts (or “g-nuts,” short for groundnuts) are featured in many meals. Today I have paired the nut with a sweet potato, carrot, onion, green bell pepper, and garbanzo bean stew. You can add whatever vegetables and beans and other goodies that you like--eggplant, peas, tomato, spinach, cauliflower, chilies, pineapple, tofu (or chicken or lamb).

I made some cornbread and sliced up cucumbers to go along with the stew, but it would also be lovely served over rice.


What I love about this stew is that it can be made for one or a few people or multiplied and made for a large crowd. This definitely makes my comfort food list...warm, mushy, hearty stew, and makes great leftovers, too.

Another dish that I like to make is this "G-nut Special Sauce and Sweet Potatoes" from Vegetarian Times Magazine. I have made this dish over and over and just love it!

African G-nut (aka Peanut) Stew
based on the recipe from blogger Field to Feast

serves 4

2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large leek, white part only, cleaned and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups veggie broth
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 15-oz can of garbanzo beans
1/2 cup peanut butter
cilantro or parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the ground cumin and ground coriander and cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet potatoes and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes.

2. Add the salt, vegetable broth, green pepper and garbanzo beans. Bring the stew to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the sweet potato and carrot are soft. Mix in the peanut butter and cook for a final 5 minutes. If you want a thinner or thicker stew, you can add more peanut butter or, alternatively, more broth.

3. Serve the stew hot, with the toasted peanuts and cilantro or parsley as a garnish.

Magnolia Bakery's Peanut Butter Cookies, Veganized

As a devout fan of Sex and the City, when I went to New York a few years ago, I signed myself up to go on the official Sex and the City tour of New York City. Yes, it was amazing, pretty much everything I could ask for.

A huge bus filled with crazy fans like myself. There were young women, grandmothers, sisters, best friends, even mom and kids, boyfriend and girlfriend, people visiting from all over the world.

We stopped at the Pleasure Chest where Charlotte bought her "rabbit," we drank cosmopolitans at a speak easy, we stopped by Miranda's gym, Samantha's place in the meat-packing district, the church where Miranda and Steve get married, the restaurant where Carrie went to meet Aidan's parents...

Two of my favorite stops were at 1. Carrie's stoop...


and 2. Magnolia Bakery.



Oh, the famous Magnolia Bakery. This is where the cupcake craze all began (at least in my book). Man oh man oh man. I want to go back there soooo bad! Let's go to NYC right now ok?

I must go back to this cute Greenwich Village bakery and try something other than their cupcakes! The quaint little store is just filled with glorious cakes and cookies and confections!

I made their peanut butter cookies for my house mates. I made them vegan. You do not need to make them vegan (just use real butter and a real egg). These peanut butter cookies are so good, and I ate so much batter it's ridiculous.

Chewy and peanut buttery with little surprises of cranberries and chocolate= LOVE!


I actually put whole peanuts in these cookies as well...next time I think I may omit them...they kind of just fell out and were not what I was looking for...

Another NYC hot spot that I have been dreaming about is Serendipity. Let's go get some $9 frozen hot chocolate, shall we?

Magnolia Bakery's Peanut Butter Cookies, veganized
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup earth balance butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 Ener-G egg replacer equivalent of an egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, beat the earth balance butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the "egg" and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips.

3. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets (I lined my sheets with parchment paper), leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern.

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Dinner for One, Please

After a long day at work or school, it can be hard for many to think about messing around in the kitchen and cooking up a "fancy shmancy" dinner—especially if you are just cooking for yourself.

Often times I just end up toasting some bread, preparing a raw salad, and cooking an egg—poached, scrambled, or sunny side up. Simple, easy, nourishing, and tastes great!

Another no fail meal is chopping up whatever vegetables I have lying around—carrots, eggplant, peppers, green onion, garlic, spinach…and sautéing them in a peanut sauce with some tofu and spaghetti or rice. I top everything off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped peanuts or cashews.

Peanut Sauce
about 1 tablespoon peanut butter
½ a tablespoon soy sauce
½ tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons milk (I usually use soymilk because it is what I have on hand)
A little hot water, if needed

Whisk it all up and voila—peanut sauce made for one! If you want to get real fancy you can add some red wine vinegar and grated garlic and ginger. Throw the veggie/tofu mixture in the sauce and cook in the skillet until the veggies are tender.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight I had some zucchini and tomatoes on hand that were going to go bad if I didn’t do something with them soon! I assembled this zucchini, tomato, and corn bake in about 5 minutes! Boy was this yummy—the veggies were tender but the lightly cheesy breadcrumb mixture was crispy and comforting.



Feel free to use whatever vegetable you want and if Parmesan is not your thing, experiment with Gruyere, mozzarella, or a cheese of your choice. Paired with some cucumber sticks and shredded carrots, and a little leftover pesto sauce, this was the perfect meal built for one!


Tomato, Zucchini, and Corn Bake with Cheesy Breadcrumb Topping

Ingredients

Tomatoes (I used 2), sliced thinly

Zucchini or other summer squash (I used 1-2 small squashes), thin slices

Fresh or frozen corn kernels

A little less that ½ a cup of breadcrumbs

A little less than ¼ cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese (use a microplane to grate)

A pinch of salt

A dash of balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray or oil a baking dish.
2. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese.
3. Slice tomatoes and zucchini squash.
4. Arrange the tomatoes and zucchini in an alternating pattern on the bottom of a baking dish (I just used two loaf pans). Sprinkle with a small handful of corn.
5. Optional: sprinkle each tomato slice with a tiny pinch of salt and a dash of balsamic vinegar.
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumb and cheese mixture on top of everything.
7. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for 10 more minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
8. EAT!