Pumpkin pecan granola

I've never made granola at home. But now I know why people do. I'm starting to hesitate more when it comes to buying pre-made salad dressings, croutons, granola, etc. at the store because I know I can make it homemade. And what's better? I mean, really. You know what's in it. It's fresher. It's better for you. And a good recipe helps...

Zack and I eat a lot of Greek yogurt. It's the perfect thing to dive into when I don't have much time for lunch at work. Or when I want something different from my usual (and I mean, very usual) weekday-morning cereal. And when I saw this pumpkin pecan granola recipe, I knew it was the perfect thing to spice up my yogurt. Plus, we all know I love pumpkin. No secret, right?

Now about the recipe. It comes from The Sprouted Kitchen, as did my recent Greek chicken with tzatziki. The author points out that she uses extra-virgin olive oil as a healthier alternative to melted butter to ensure that the granola turns crisp. I like that. Speaking of crisp, keep a close eye on your granola. I think I baked mine for 4-5 minutes too long and it was very golden as a result. Although, it's not too bad on the toastier side, I look forward to making a more perfectly baked batch of this granola. I did use Grade A maple syrup instead of the recommended Grade B; I wonder if this made a difference.

Pumpkin pecan granola

As adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen - A Tastier Take on Whole Foods

Makes about 3 cups.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves)

1/3 cup Grade A maple syrup

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup raw pecan pieces

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree; whisk to combine. Add oats, pecans, and sesame seeds; stir until evenly coated. Spread mixture on a baking sheet, keeping some clusters of oats and nuts intact so that finished granola has some chunks (don't be too rough spreading). Bake granola, stirring every so often until dry and light brown in color, 35-45 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then add raisins and toss to mix. Add a little more salt if needed. Cool before storing. Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

I'm still enjoying this granola. You should enjoy this granola. Cheers.

Week Eight: Green Quesadillas, Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta, and Nut and Pretzel Mix

Week eight was the week before Christmas, so I wanted to do a couple lighter recipes, keeping all the wonderful holiday food and treats we would be indulging in in mind. These recipes were very green, fresh, and vegetarian. There is actually a sort of grassroots movement going on known as Meatless Monday. Apparently, going meatless just one day a week can decrease your risk for cancer and other major health issues. Not a bad thing to keep in mind when you are doing your meal planning.

Winter greens and mushroom pasta.

Now. Do take note. If you are cooking for a man (or for people who just like meat in general), pick your meatless Monday recipes wisely. Make sure your dish has something hearty like mushrooms, lentils, sweet potatoes, tofu, etc. to substitute your meat lover's appetite. You'll find these dishes are more satisfying than, let's say, an entree salad.

This week also includes a wonderful nut and pretzel mix that I wanted to try out for the holidays. Chex mixes are such a great kid- and adult-friendly appetizer or snack, and I had never made one homemade, so I took this Christmas as an opportunity.

Sweet and spicy nut and pretzel mix.

Green Quesadillas

I love quesadillas. And I like making unusual quesadillas. So when I stumbled upon this recipe from Whole Living, I had to try it. Plus, it was perfect for my healthy eating plans for the week before Christmas.

Essentially, this recipe has you make an avocado mixture or guacamole. You then sauté leeks and red onion, stir in green lentils - and you have your lentil mixture. To assemble your quesadillas, lay one tortilla in a warm pan, top with some of the lentil mixture and havarti cheese. Then, spread another tortilla with the avocado mixture and lay on top to create your quesadilla. Carefully, flip and heat through until cheese melts and tortillas brown slightly.

Avocado mixture.

These quesadillas were really good. Zack and I are calling them "French" quesadillas. After all, you are using French green lentils, European-derived cheese, and leeks. But then the recipe has you throw in guacamole, red onion, cilantro, etc. - flavors that make me think Mexican. It really is interesting. I mean, who would have thought, right?

Find this delicious and unique recipe here: Green Quesadillas.

Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta

with Toasted Croutons

This recipe was a tear-out from the January 2011 issue of Sunset Magazine. Find the recipe here: Winter Greens and Mushroom Pasta. Again, like the green quesadillas, this recipe was a little unusual, but so delicious.

First of all, I made the croutons with some cracked wheat sourdough bread I had on hand that was drying out a bit...perfect. I wasn't really sure how one makes a proper crouton, so I turned to Ina Garten (who I usually turn to when I want to make something in particular that I want to be sure will be particularly good). Find her instructions at the following link (scroll down a bit as these croutons are included in a recipe for lemon chicken with croutons): Ina Garten's Croutons.

Homemade croutons.

Next, the mushrooms. I was a little nervous about this because I am kind of a mushroom amateur. I'll be honest...the last time I sautéed mushrooms, they turned out rubbery and gross. However, with some good mushrooms and the instructions from this recipe, I ended up with some perfectly browned mushrooms. I mean, it was like heaven was shining down into my kitchen straight onto these mushrooms. So relieved. 

Next, leeks (I know, I know...I can't seem to get enough of leeks and lentils lately).

As far as the greens, the recipe calls for a bunch of dandelion greens and radicchio. I couldn't get my hands on some dandelion greens, so I used an organic mixture of various leaves that also included radicchio. Lastly, I used whole-wheat angel hair pasta.

I really loved this recipe. The mushrooms added the heartiness I was looking for and the multitude of textures was so great. You have the tenderness of the mushrooms and greens, the crunch of the croutons, the bite of the whole-wheat angel hair pasta, and the ricotta. The ricotta. Is ricotta not the most incredible, velvety item there ever was? I've fallen in love with it because it happens to come on the Hudson pizza from Brooklyn Bros. Pizzeria in Everett (a.k.a. the best pizza you will ever have). I have a feeling that ricotta will continue to appear in my cooking; that is, if I can figure out when and how to properly use it.

Sweet and Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix

It's sweet. It's spicy. And it has fresh herbs. But it's also kid-friendly?

This nut and pretzel mix may be one that can satisfy both kids and adults, make a great "bar snack" to enjoy with friends while having beer, and it makes your kitchen smell cozy and warm like the holidays. If it's possible for something to smell cozy and warm, that is. I think it might be.

Find the recipe for this great mix at the following link: Sweet and Spicy Nut and Pretzel Mix.

New cookbooks for Christmas means new recipes to try. Tune in soon for my next weekly post! Cheers.

Thanksgiving Dessert

You may recognize this Pumpkin Carrot Cake from a previous post. Remember? I frosted it way too early? And I had to check on it every few minutes to be sure the frosting wasn't falling off the cake? Don't make the same mistake, people. Or maybe this is something everyone else already knows and I'm alone here. I think I knew not to frost so soon, but impatience got the best of me! Not this time.

My mom asked me to make this cake again for Thanksgiving. My first Thanksgiving dessert. She made apple pie and I made this. It was a great combination I think. Transporting it from Seattle to Portland was a little interesting though. I bought a cake carrier for the event, which was brilliant thinking. Lining the bottom with parchment paper was not brilliant thinking. It was good for moving the cake from the carrier to my mom's cake pedestal (you know, for elegant Thanksgiving presentation purposes). It was not good for keeping the cake stationary inside the carrier while driving south on I-5 and braking frequently in lovely holiday traffic. Despite these traveling conditions, the cake survived (thanks to it's spot on the floor of the passenger seat and frequent babysitting by Zack and I). You do what you got to do.

And take note...no frosting dripping off the sides.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Cockaigne

I know, I know. Cockaigne? What on earth does that mean? All I can find online is that it means a sort of medieval, mythical land of plenty. Alright. I guess I can take that.

I can take that because these cookies are magical. This twist on the classic American cookie is found in none other than the amazing Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies cookbook (which I checked out from the public library). These are the greatest chocolate chip cookies ever. Even ask Zack.

Finely ground rolled oats, both semisweet chocolate chips and ground bittersweet chocolate, and finely chopped pecans. The texture of these cookies is incredible. Maybe it's the ground rolled oats? I had never heard of that before, but it is genius! A little bit crisp on the outside with a chewy abundance of chocolate on the inside. These are a winner.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

So this recipe must be good. Because it survived the absence of a sort of crucial ingredient. Who puts brown sugar in cookies anyways? Apparently, I don't. When the cookies weren't really browning the way cookies usually do, I looked over my ingredient list, and sure enough, I had forgotten the brown sugar. You can't blame me. I mean, it was hidden at the top of the second column...apart from granulated sugar.

When these little miracles came out of the oven, I had to try one. To make sure I hadn't completely wasted a solid amount of baking ingredients. After the third cookie (they were little, okay?), I realized they couldn't be half bad. I mean, I kept eating more as if that would help me determine if they were good or not. But I couldn't be sure until Zack came home and tried one. Sure enough, he thought they were great!

If these were good without brown sugar, I can't wait to make them with it. These drop cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Does it get better than that?

Walnut and Pecan-Crusted Chicken Breasts

Remember those chicken cutlets awhile back? They were breaded and delightfully fried in extra-virgin olive oil? And I promised a healthier version to come? This is it.

My, I have grown to love nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts...so nutty (obviously), so rich, and so amazing when toasted. I think it's partly because I know they are good for you. And as you may have noticed by now, I am a sucker for healthy ingredients, healthy alternatives, and healthy food. If a reasonably well-renowned source tells me dirt is good for me, by golly, I will be filling buckets and shoving it down my throat whenever I can. There could be worse weaknesses, right? Don't get me wrong though. I will always love dessert. Always.

Anyways, what I was trying to get at is this: what a neat way to "bread" chicken! Just season boneless, skinless chicken breast halves with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then coat with frothy egg white, and coat in your crumb mixture (bread crumbs (whole-wheat bread preferred), nuts, parmigiano, and a little more salt and pepper). Cook chicken on one side in grapeseed oil over medium heat and until lightly browned. Then flip chicken and transfer to the oven to bake until golden brown and cooked through. When baking chicken in the oven, I usually take a cooling rack, set it on top of a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (to catch loose crumbs, etc.), and set the chicken on the cooling rack. It works nicely for an even bake.

This is good. The texture makes it. A little crunch, a little crumb. And the nuts provide a great flavor for your chicken. I'm thinking about trying some other nut combinations sometime as well. Isn't everyone looking for a way to change up the usual mildly seasoned chicken breast...? This is it. Cheers.