Coconut Quinoa Granola

I wanted to thank you guys for letting me enter wedding mode last post.  But I feel I should warn you, it was only the tip of the iceberg.  And now the ice has broken and something I tried to keep away from this space has come into it anyways.  And let's face it, it won't go away.  Besides, the way I was keeping it out of this space was by physically not being in this space as well, which was not as much fun for me.  So, now the two world's shall collide.  Wedding planning and food.  Registries and recipes.  Guest lists and granola.

I am nothing if not a master of smooth lead in's...

I am a firm believer that something made from scratch in your own kitchen is certainly better for you than the store bought equivalent.  Homemade chocolate chip cookies must be better for you than Oreo's and are certainly better for me than the bag of Twizzlers pull and peel's that I have hidden in my desk at work.  Yes, you need butter to make your cookies taste good, but at least there is not Red 40 added to it.  And I figure that counts for something.

The jury is still out on if this theory holds any truth or not, but I would venture to say that when it comes to the case of granola, homemade just has to be better for you.  Or at least that is what I'm telling myself as a repeatedly chomp on handfuls of this stuff.  Yes, there is oil and sugar and what not.  But I put it in there, so it must be better... Thank heavens I don't have to worry about a wedding dress fitting for at least a few more weeks.

And with that, we have come full circle.  Now it is time for me to peace out, for today?  Today is cake tasting day!!

Coconut Quinoa Granola
Adapted from Sweat Pea's Kitchen

This is a quick, easy recipe and was immediately inducted into the big green cookbook.  The great thing with most granola recipes is that it is a rough guideline.  Use whatever dried fruit you have on hand - blueberries, tart cherries (a personal favorite).  Use whatever nuts as well.  Just go with what you are feeling.

3 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. quinoa (uncooked)
1/4 c. wheat germ
1/4 c. pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1/2 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. dried cranberries
1/4 c. golden raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine first 9 ingredients (through salt).  Spread evenly over baking sheet.  In small bowl, melt coconut oil.  Whisk in honey and vanilla extract until smooth.  Pour over oat and nut mixture.  Toss until oats are coated, then spread flat on baking sheet.  Bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes, until granola is a light golden brown.  Toss at least 4 times, to ensure granola does not get burned in spots.

Once golden brown, remove granola from oven and add cranberries and raisins.  Toss to combine.  Let cool.  To store, keep in airtight containers.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta

I'm not going to lie.  The only thing on my little blogging mind right now is this book.  Just to be even more up front and honest, I preorder this book back in March.  MARCH.  As in 7 months ago.  And I have ever so eagerly (and patiently, I swear!) been awaiting it's arrival.

So of course, Amazon won't have it here till Friday.  And so-help-me-dear-blogosphere, if it is not here by Friday, I may snap.  I cannot wait a second longer.  People already have it and it is JUST NOT FAIR!

So, if you don't mind, I am going to excuse myself to go pout in the corner until Friday's mail comes.  I will leave you with a pretty little photo-montage of this absolutely fantastic breakfast.  It may look like eggs, dipping sauce and pita chips, well because that is what it is, but don't let that fool you.  It is very filling.  Ben and I had this on Saturday and didn't really have another meal to dinner.  It is protein-loaded, saucy, cheesy, dip-able goodness.  It should be your weekend breakfast.  That you eat while reading Deb's cookbook.  (I'm sorry, I'm obsessed, it is literally all I am thinking about).

It took roughly a few hours on Saturday before this was pasted lovingly into the big green cookbook.  I made the recipe in full (serves 4-6) all the way up till the very end.  I baked half the sauce with 4 poached eggs and the rest of the sauce is in my freezer for a rainy (or more likely, snowy) day.  When I thaw it out, I will let you know how well it froze!

Ok, I'm off to wait grumpily (oh, wait, I totally meant patiently...) for Friday.  So I can super heavy crush on Deb some more.  Enjoy!  PS - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta
from the Dec. 2011 issue of Bon Appetit

Again, this will feed 4-6.  Because the recipe didn't really halve well (what do you do with a half can of chickpeas?), I made the whole batch of sauce then split in two.  1 morning of work, 2 amazing breakfasts!  Also, watch out as you are hand crushing those tomatoes.  As both Ben and my poor camera found out, they tend to have quite a bit of juice to squirt!

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded, finely chopped
1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained
2 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
Salt and pepper
1 c. feta, crumbled
8 large eggs
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Pita chips to dunk

Preheat oven to 425.

In large skillet, warm oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic and jalapenos and saute until onion is soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.  Add chickpeas and spices and continue to cook another 2 minutes.

CAREFULLY hand crush the tomatoes over the pan, doing your best to capture all their juice.  Add remaining juice in the can and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer sauce 15 minutes or so, until it has slightly thickened.  Do a taste check and adjust seasoning as necessary with salt and pepper.

Transfer sauce to an over-proof dish (if you are making into two meals, split here!).  Sprinkle feta evenly over top.  Using a spoon, dig little rounds for each egg in the sauce.  Carefully crack each egg into each hole.  Bake in 435 oven for 6-8 minutes to set the whites of each egg, but do not overcook!  You want the yummy, runny yolk!  Sprinkle cilantro over top and serve with pita chips to dip!

Zucchini Bread Pancakes

Would you mind if we just took a quick minute to talk about how awesome it is when the stars align?  I was a little worried about having my college roommate stay for the weekend just mere days after returning from our stint in Minnesota.  Little did I realize that house guest + leftover buttermilk + gifted homegrown zucchini = zucchini bread pancakes.  Yeah, it's totally cool to gape at that a little bit, I did.  Zucchini bread pancakes.  Deb is my cooking superhero.

Look above.  You see those fat, zucchini-specked, mini-cakes?  They are thick and warm and just waiting to have their way with a little bit of cinnamon butter.  And that is all you need, before introducing them to your over friendly gullet.  Hm, do you think I have a problem, the way I humanize food?  I sure hope not...

Anyways, these are delicious.  And even if you aren't blessed with the house guest - leftover buttermilk - gifted homegrown zucchini trifecta, even if you just have one of the three, you know you need to try these.  Your weekend isn't complete until you do.  Now let's just hope that the star's align this weekend while my parents are visiting... I would be so lucky.

Zucchini Bread Pancakes
Deb, you are my superhero

Now, I know this is two Smitten Kitchen recipes in a row.  But they're years apart!  So that's ok, right?  Right?  I need your affirmations today.  It's been that kind of week.

2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. dark brown
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. (heaping) shredded zucchini
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

In large bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients, through vanilla extract.  Stir in shredded zucchini.  In separate bowl, mix together remaining dry ingredients.  Add to wet mixture and whisk until just incorporated.  Don't overmix!

Heat cast iron skillet over medium high flame.  Once hot, melt a small pat of butter.  Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter onto skillet.  Cook 2-4 minutes, until bubbles appear.  Flip and cook an additionally 1-2 minutes, until cooked though.  Deb suggested an additional 10 minutes or so in a 200 degree oven, but mine were cooked through just on the skillet.

Top with what is probably an unhealthy amount of butter or cinnamon butter.  Or just cinnamon butter.  Cause it's perfect.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry Sauce

Remember way back when I tried to teach you all something?  Like, way back when, in blog post numero diez, if I remember correctly.  Well, guess what!  I'm actually going to give you another recipe to try it out on.  Because, that's what we are all about here at the BGCB.  Teaching you something and then never mentioning it again for over a year and ninety-nine (because 100 would just be too perfect) post later...

But that just means you've had 14 months of practice under your belt, right?  You have perfected the parchment heart folding technique?  Yes?  Fantastic, because this is what you want to be folding your heart around just as soon as possible, because rhubarb is here now and it's known to be flighty.  Plus, it's hanging out with some bourbon.  And bourbon for breakfast is a happy, happy thought.  

Vanilla Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry Sauce
Adapted from June 2012's Bon Appetit

Very much BCBG worthy.  Because, one, there is bourbon and two, it's delicious.  Most especially on top of some yummy, floppy German Pancakes, courtesy of none other than the lovely Smitten Kitchen (really, who else)?

1 lb. rhubarb (3-4 stalks)
1/2 lb. strawberries, halved
1/4 c. bourbon
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 4 inch piece vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 425.

Cutting on a sharp diagonal, slice rhubarb into 2 inch pieces.  Combine with strawberries, bourbon and sugar, mixing well until sugar dissolves.  Using a small sharp knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise.  Scrape seeds from inside bean and add to rhubarb/strawberry mixture.  (Here BA had you add the actual bean.  I was afraid of eating it and I wanted vanilla sugar, so instead I cut it up in a few pieces and added it to a little sugar.  Soon, I will have vanilla sugar!).

Anyways, lay out 4 parchment paper heats as seen here.  Divide fruit mixture evenly among the four. Fold up hearts into well sealed packets.  Place on rimmed baking sheet (might not be a bad idea to line the baking sheet too, in case of leakage).  Roast 12-14 minutes.  To test doneness, carefully open packet and check rhubarb with fork (needs to be fork tender).  Carefully cut open the packets, being careful to watch for escaping steam.

Serve over pancakes, greek yogurt, ice cream, etc.  With crushed pistachios if you want some crunch!

Baked Oatmeal

We have now hit triple digits.  No, I'm not talking about the weather (does Illinois even get that high?).  I'm talking here, on this blog, the big one-oh-oh.  The 100th post.  Has it felt like 100 to you?  Good, cause I swear it hasn't for me.  But, unless blogger's counter lies, we're here nonetheless.  I was planning on making celebratory cupcakes with stars and 100's piped on them.  Ben bugged me to finally make the lobster dinner I promised him for his birthday now 4 (4!) months ago.  But did I have time for all of that?  Nope.  I did not.  Instead, there is baked oatmeal.  Which I made 3 weekends ago.  What?  I promise I'm not holding out on you, it's been crazy busy over here.

It's probably not the perfect dish for the occasion.  If I had been thinking ahead, I maybe would have piped "100!" on it.  But I wasn't.  You see, lately, my best laid plans have been going awry and this yummy little comfort breakfast dish here?  It wasn't even planned.   It was the result of a need to have a lazy Saturday morning with a large pot of coffee and a warm, filling, syrup smothered breakfast.  But there was no buttermilk for pancakes and regular oatmeal?  It just wasn't going to hit that indulgent spot.

Luckily, I remembered this recipe from a stack of photocopies that I may or may not have begged my mom to make for me when I gave her Heidi's (of Summer Linguine fame) Super Natural Every Day cookbook for last year's birthday.  Being a photocopy, it is technically big green cookbook eligible.  And seeing as it was delicious, It was cut and put into the BGCB later that morning.

I halved the recipe, but kept the whole egg, and it ended up being a large breakfast for two.  Eaten on the couch, between sips of hot coffee, watching brainless Saturday morning TV, deck doors open and a cool breeze coming in.  Maybe not the perfect 100th blog post, but absolutely the perfect lazy weekend morning breakfast.  (And just in time for the weekend... wouldn't you know it?)

Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

The final oatmeal is not inherently sweet, but a drizzle of honey or maple syrup will easily fix that.  I used frozen berries and was rewarded with a delicious berry mush.  I assume fresh would hold form better and taste equally yummy.  The original recipe called for a bottom layer of sliced bananas, but bananas and me don't get along and they were nixed.  I substituted chunks of an Asian pear I had on hand.  I don't think there is a wrong fruit substitution at all here, so just use what you have on hand and/or what you enjoy!

2 c. old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 c. pecans, toasted, chopped, divided

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. milk

1/3 c. maple syrup

1 large egg (2 if you want it more custard-like)

3 Tbsp. salted butter, melted, divided

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pear, sliced into small chunks (I used an Asian pear)

1 1/2 c. mixed berries (fresh or frozen), divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Butter an 8 inch square pan well.  Layer pear chunks in bottom, topped by two thirds of the berries.  Set aside.

In large bowl, mix oats, 1/4 cup of pecans, and the remaining 3 dry ingredients.  Sprinkle oat mixture over layered fruit, completely covering fruit. 

In small bowl, whisk together milk, maple syrup, 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and vanilla.  Slowly drizzle liquid mixture over layered oats and berries.  Gently whack pan a few times on the counter, to make sure that milk mixture settles all the way through to the bottom.  Top with the remaining third of berries.  

Place in 375 degree oven, baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until oatmeal is set and has a golden crust.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Drizzle remaining butter over top.  Serve up with maple syrup, honey and/or a dusting of powder sugar, if wanted.

Chilaquiles

 

Now, I know that you have waited, breathe baited, for the last 3 days wondering just what in the world was special enough for my special bloggerversary dinner.  Did I finally make the lovely lobster dinner that I promised Ben for his birthday 3 months ago?  Did I conquer crepes?  Rule over a roast chicken?  Cross another line off my kitchen bucket list?  Or rather, did I slather some red sauce over store bought tortilla chips and tell Ben "It's basically Mexican lasagna"?

I know, I know, it's not.  But the boy was bugging me and making weird faces and just annoying me to wits end and I had to give him something to shut him up.  The quarter of myself that is Mexican cringes when I admit that, but the other 75% doesn't care.  Because it got this to the table faster.

This dish made a wonderful bloggerversary dinner.  One, because it was delicious and two, because it made me happy.  Back when I lived in McAllen, TX and there wasn't too many reasons at all that I was happy to live there, the cafeteria at work would occasionally make this for breakfast.  And while I have relatively few good memories about McAllen, I remember the chilaquiles.  And how they could turn a crappy morning into something exciting, even if just for 15 minutes.  They just made everybody happy.  

But the ultimate icing on the um, chilaquiles, came the night before, when I was making the sauce (which I would suggest, because it makes dinner the next night ridiculously easy).  I poured boiling water over the dried chiles and then just a few moments later, suddenly, it smelled like my grandpa's house.  I just sat in my kitchen inhaling and smiling to myself.  It brought back such a vivid memory of being in my grandpa's kitchen, the whole big family coming over to help make tamales, a yearly Christmas time ritual, and my grandpa elbow deep in a huge vat of chili con carne.  It smelt just like that.  If chilaquiles sound weird, or if you think it'll just be strange soggy tortilla chips, that's fine.  Just know that this sauce, if nothing else, this sauce is killer.

One day in the future, when I have my act together and don't rely on tubs of Greek yogurt for my dinners each week, I want to have cups and cups of this sauce tucked away nicely in the freezer.  Then I could always be minutes away from a breakfast of chilaquiles.  Or enchiladas for dinner, or chili con carne...

Chilaquiles

Adapted from March 2012's Bon Appetit

I served this with a fried egg over top, the runny yolk just adding amazingness to amazingness.  I am used to chilaquiles with shredded chicken mixed into the sauce, which will be my next approached when I make this next.  Also, Ben found it a little too spicy, I thought it was perfect.  So adjust your chile input accordingly (I used 7).  BA has you make your own tortilla chips.  I was lazy and used store bought.  I don't really regret that decision, just get the nice thick cut ones, because they have to put up with a lot!  

Lastly, and most importantly, when working with hot peppers (and these guys are!) it's never a bad idea to wear plastic gloves.  And NEVER, EVER touch your face or eyes until you have very thoroughly washed your hands.  I tell you, you make that mistake once as a 7 year old and you never forget it the rest of your life.

Red Chile Sauce:
5-7 dried guajillo or New Mexico chiles
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, drained
1 medium white onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (with seeds)
1/8 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika
2 Tablespoons canola oil
2 tsp. honey
Kosher salt, pepper, to taste


Chilaquiles:
Tortilla chipes (~ 6-8 c.)
4 ounces quesco fresco, crumbled (~1 c.)
4 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (~1 c.)
4 large eggs (optional)
Shredded chicken (optional)
Cilantro, for topping (optional)

To make the red chile sauce, place dried chiles in large glass bowl.  Cover with 2 cups of boiling water, making sure chiles are submerged.  Let sit at least 15 minutes, until they are softened.  Inhale deeply and enjoy the smell!  Once softened, remove chiles and reserve soaking liquid.  Discard stems and seeds (seeds = heat!) and roughly chop.

While chiles are soaking, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno and paprika in food processor.  Add chiles and 1 cup of reserved soaking liquid, process until sauce it smooth.

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil.  Add sauce (careful: splatter alert!) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let sauce simmer, lid only partly on, stirring occasionally.  Simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened.  Stir in honey and season with salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly (a tortilla chip works great for this, just don't eat too much of the sauce!)  Remove from heat.  If preparing the sauce before hand, cover and refrigerate up to three days.  Warm sauce again before assembling chilaquiles.

To make chilaquiles, preheat broiler.  In large bowl, toss tortilla chips with 1 - 1 1/2 cups sauce.  Coat chips, but you don't want everything covered, leave some chip showing.  If using shredded chicken, toss with chips and sauce to coat.  In large broil safe dish, lay out half of chips.  Sprinkle half of each cheese over chips.  Layer remaining chips on top, drizzle 1/2 c. more sauce over top, followed by remaining cheese.  Broil until cheese is melted and golden, 5-6 minutes.  Top with cilantro, fried eggs, etc.

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glazed

One thing that I am not too terribly proud to admit is the fact that I do routinely listen to Delilah.  Hear me out.  I like the music more often than not and I do sometimes like laughing at some of Momma Bear Delilah's advice.  It's my night time, doing dishes, sprucing up my living room, reading cookbooks music.  But then something tragic happened yesterday evening.  I turned on my radio and do you know the first song I heard?  Sleigh Ride.  Sleigh Ride, people.  It's November 10th.  Peeps, it is 45 days till Christmas.

Can I just tell you how wrong it is that 7 weeks before Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is coming across the radio waves?  It hasn't even snowed yet in Indiana (thank God), even thinking "Let It Snow" should be a crime punishable by the force feeding of mass amounts of turkey, mash potatoes and gravy.

All I am saying here is that Christmas music is really only enjoyable for so long and it's early November.  And every year, it seems as if the magic date when some people think Christmas music is acceptable creeps earlier and earlier.  If we continue at this rate, you will be burned out on Santa Baby before Thanksgiving even hits.  Is that what you want, Delilah?  There is no reason to rush towards the end of December when November is such a good month.  It has Thanksgiving, a grand holiday that does not deserve to be upstaged by Christmas.  It has chilly days when you just need a scarf and warm jacket and snow, thank God, is still a week or two off.  It has lazy Saturday mornings filled with the scent of pumpkin scones baking in your kitchen.  And, of course, it is my birthday month, which is just the spiced glaze on the pumpkin scone.  So, Delilah, I just want to let you know that November, in all of it's beautiful fall glory, does not need a soundtrack of Jingle Bell Rock.

So,  celebrate the great month of November and make these yummy pumpkin scones with spiced glazed and meanwhile I am going to rethink my Delilah allegiance.

Pumpkin Scones with Spiced Glaze
Inspired by Bourbonnatrix Bakes


Note:  These flash freeze beautifully.  I made a batch of 12 for Ben and myself last weekend and flash froze them Friday night.  I pulled out 4 Saturday morning and baked them fresh.  And just knowing that I have 8 left in the freezer, ready to bake up all lovely and delicious makes me very happy.  Also, I think the amount of flour is off.  To make the dough even manageable I had to add several hand-fulls of flour.  I adjusted the recipe somewhat, but because I wasn't measuring, I went on the conservative side.  If you find yourself adding lots more flour, don't stress it, because I was in the same boat.  And you'll end up with beautiful pumpkin scones, so it's a good boat to be in!

Scones:

2 1/2- 3 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. + 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

3 Tbsp. half-and-half

1 large egg

Plain Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. milk

Spiced Glaze:

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Fit mixer with paddle attachment and mix on low speed until butter pieces are about the size of small peas and mixture is course like cornmeal. 

In medium bowl, combine remaining scone ingredients.  Whisk wet ingredients till smooth.  Mix wet and dry ingredients together, gradually adding more flour until dough forms a ball and is only slightly sticky to the touch.  Turn out onto very well floured surface.  Use lots of flour to prevent dough from sticking to everything, and form a 1-inch thick rectangle (~4 inches by 12 inches)   Slice dough into 3 equal segments, then cut each segment into 4 in an X pattern, to make 12 triangular scones.  (see picture above!)   Place on prepared baking sheet.  

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

To make glazes:  whisk together powdered sugar, milk and spices (for spiced glaze).  Depending on your consistency, add more powder sugar or milk as necessary.  Be careful adding milk!  You need lots of powdered sugar for every small dash of milk.  For the spiced glaze, I honestly didn't really measure, since I only baked up 4 scones.  Just taste frequently and you should be good!

Drizzle cooled scones with plain glaze, followed by spiced glaze.  Let dry for 10-15 minutes before eating.  Enjoy!!

To flash freeze: freeze scones flat on baking sheet for several hours.  Afterwards, move to a Ziploc baggie and keep in freezer until ready to use.  Scones can go right from the freezer to the oven, just add a few minutes to the baking time!

Homemade Granola

One of the reasons I love my boyfriend is because he is a proud card-carrying member of the great Costco.  Actually, not to brag or anything, he just so happens to be an executive member.  That's right girls, but back off, he's mine!  Frankly, I'm not quite sure why exactly being an executive member is that much more awesome, but I guess his membership card is shinier...  The truth is, Ben and I both love Costco.  And as much as we try to avoid falling into the couple rut, sometimes life is so much better when we spend half of Saturday afternoon grazing our way through the aisles of Costco, joking about who has better bulk-buying etiquette.  Because, and you know it's true, just like every other exclusive member's only clubs in existence, there are important secret rules that are never spoken, but always followed. 

Aren't you so excited to see how this ties into homemade granola?

Anyways, back when I used to live only mere miles from the closest Costco, and not the absurd 4 hour drive that I now suffer, my bulk purchases were much greater.  Cheese, fresh salsa, frozen fish filets, and always Chobani Greek yogurt.  Now, there are some super food fads that I have been slow about jumping on the bandwagon for, albeit not from lack of trying.  There's quinoa, healthy, yes but also basically tasteless pods.  And kale, which if you ask me taste like very thin, recycled plastic spinach.  But Greek yogurt?  I am so all over the Greek yogurt.  Greek yogurt is a good, protein-rich, low fat meal that really can act as either breakfast, lunch, a light dinner or even dessert.  And Costco sold it in a very convenient flat of 12. It is a super food.  It just doesn't do well on 4 hour car trips home, so I've been stuck with buying the economical and boring tubs of plain Greek yogurt.

Although I would be more than happy to eat my yogurt with several good shakes of cinnamon mixed in and a heavy swirl of honey over top, sometimes you have to go big.  Ben likes when I make a fruit compote to stir in throughout the week.  This weekend, I tried my hand at homemade granola, something new from me.  The recipe, for the most part, came from my September issue of Cooking Light.  I guess I never realized how generally easy a thing granola is to make.  It kind of reminds me of my candied pecan recipe, infinitely adaptable and it too will soon bend to my will.  It's a good starting point, but I'm already planning big changes for my next batch: raisins or craisins, chopped pistachios, maybe subbing some or all of the maple syrup for honey.  Does anyone know how to make those yummy, oat-y clusters in cereal?  The point is, there will be a next batch, however adapted.  And if you needed the push, it's a good way to jump on the Greek bandwagon.  Guten Appetit!

Homemade Granola

Inspired by September 2011's Cooking Light

2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c. chopped pecans
2 large egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
4 Tbsp. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.

In small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.  In large bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla with whisk until foamy.  Fold in oats and pecans.  Fold in sugar mixture, then maple syrup. 

Spread granola mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring at least once.  Remove from oven, loosen granola from sheet with a spoon and let cool on wire rack.

For yogurt, stir a heaping teaspoon or so of cinnamon into a bowl of Greek yogurt.  Swirl in honey and top with a generous sprinkling of your granola.  Eat up!

Buckwheat Pancakes

I was an adorable little girl.  It's not conceited to tell you this because it is a well known fact:  Little girls who are chubby also happen to be incredibly adorable.  And I was chubby.  Oh, how I was chubby.  From the chipmunk checks to the rubberband wrists to the Michelin tireman legs.  I was just cute pile on top of cute pile of chubbiness.  Part of the reason for my adorable chubiness was the fact that I was not a picky eater.  I kinda ate everything.  I went through a stage when I was 9 or 10 where my favorite thing to eat was beets from a can.  My mom thought it was strange, but I think she was happy that at least one of her children was eating the bright pink rounds. 

One of the things on my short list of food dislikes was buckwheat pancakes.  My grandma would always bring back a big bag of buckwheat flour for my mom whenever she went to Amish Country and for a few months afterwards, there it would sit in the fridge in her large green tupperware bowl and mom would occasionally make buckwheat pancakes.  To me, it was the epitome of ruining one of the best breakfasts a kid could ask for.  There was not enough syrup in the world to hide the fact that our mother was still trying to feed us something that was made of buckwheat, whatever that was.  And buckwheat certainly didn't sound appealing.

And that was my stance on it for the better part of almost two decades.  Yet, and almost suddenly, in March, that changed.  Ben and I had met in Charlotte, NC for the weekend and on our last day there, we had brunch outside at this very cute farm-to-table joint on the main street.  He had a pimento cheeseburger we both still dream about and for whatever reason, the buckwheat pancakes with peach and apple cinnamon compote caught my eye.  So I ordered them on a whim.  And I realized that for a very long time I had been very wrong about buckwheat pancakes.  They're good.  They're more complex than regular pancakes, and they hit different notes and they taste fantastic in any amount of syrup. 

So I have been craving buckwheat pancakes ever since, and sadly, dispute several attempts, I have not been able to get them.  I did buy myself a rather expensive little bag of buckwheat flour about a month ago, but that was the most progress I had made on the issue until last Saturday morning.  When I decided enough was enough and we were going to have buckwheat pancakes.  I googled searched andwent through enough recipes to annoy Ben until I found one that sounded just right.  And it helped that it was from the King Arthur cookbook, of King Arthur flour fame. 

And I'm glad I choose that recipe, because it was just about perfect.  The molasses made them dark and smell of gingersnap cookies, never a bad thing and they came out just as perfect as pancakes should.  The one and only change that I would make (and did, after trying the first batch to come off my cast iron) was to add cinnamon.  And that was it.  Buckwheat pancake perfection.  This recipe makes about 12-15 good sized pancakes.  Enough that the last two I polished off for my breakfast Monday morning.  And that was that.  So what I'm trying to tell you here is, despite all previous assumptions, buckwheat pancakes are tasty, even if I am still not quite sure just what buckwheat actually is...

Buckwheat Pancakes

Inspired by King Arthur's Flour via Cook's Hideout

1 c. Buckwheat flour
3/4 c. All purpose flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Large egg
2 c. Buttermilk
2 Tbsp. Molasses
1 Tbsp. Butter, melted

In large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flours, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt.  Create well in center of bowl.  

In separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, melted butter and molasses.  Pour into dry ingredients.  Mix batter quickly and until ingredients are just incorporated.  Do NOT overmix!

Heat cast iron skillet (or other griddle) over medium heat.  Melt a small pat of butter to grease pan.  Pour ~1/4 cup of batter to form pancakes.  Let cook on one side until small bubbles form all around, then flip a cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Serve warm with good maple syrup!

P.S.  I was a little too busy pancake flipping and then immediately stuffing my face to take many pictures... so sorry!