Tag Archives: healthy

Homemade Almond and Oat Granola Parfaits with Clementine Honey and Greek Yogurt

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I was suddenly gripped by an intense and urgent desire to make granola at home. Didn’t want to make dinner that night. Didn’t want to go to the store to buy granola ingredients. But I just had to make granola. Right that minute. (I’m weird like that). I suspect this granola craving rubbed off from my sister who was visiting me. She is a total granola junkie and can go through a whole box in a day. So M, this one is for you ♥ 

Like I said, I hardly had any of the ingredients needed to make granola. So I just used what I had on hand – instant oats, wheatgerm and almond meal.  This is by no means a ‘proper’ granola recipe, but it certainly tastes good. Take a look at some of the other granola recipes on the web:

Addictive granola on Tastes Like Home
Four grain granola bars on Whats For Lunch Honey
Savory granola trifle on Jugalbandi
Low fat citrust granola on Inn Cuisine
Granola cookies on Dandy Sugar

Clementines are a type of mandarin orange. They have cute little sweet segments with lots of juice. You could also use a tangerine for this recipe, but it probably wont be as sweet as a clementine. You could of course, substitute with good old orange.

Simple (Improvisational) Oat and Almond Granola Recipe
makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 cup rolled oats (I used instant oats because thats all I had, but rolled oats will make better granola)
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1/2 cup slivered almonds (I used almond meal because thats all I had)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre heat oven to 300f

Place oats, wheatgerm, almonds and brown sugar in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together oil, vanilla, salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Add this liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well until clumps form. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake 30-40 minutes or till the granola is crunchy. Stir the granola every 15 minutes while it is baking. Once completely cooled, store granola in an airtight container.

Clementine Honey Recipe
makes about 1/4 cup

1/2 cup fresh clementine juice (substitute with tangerine or orange)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon tangerine zest

Place clementine juice and brown sugar in a small pan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling till the mixture reduces in half and becomes like a syrup. (Be careful sugar burns easily!). Turn off heat. Stir in honey and zest. Clementine honey will thicken once cool.

To make granola parfaits

Layer granola, Greek yogurt and tangerine honey in serving glasses.

Bruleed Bananas and Oatmeal

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 oatmeal-bruleed-bananas

Its really weird, I’ve been craving bananas like crazy. No im not pregnant thankyou very much. Just a craving for some nice, ripe, sweet bananas in an un-pregnant sort of way. This breakfast dish of oatmeal and bruleed bananas hit all the right notes. Its easy enough to make on a busy morning; the oatmeal takes 4 minutes to make and you can brulee the bananas while the oats cook. This is also special enough to serve guests..wow them with some brulee torch action! 

 creme-brulee-torch-and-bananas 

If you have a creme brulee torch, just skim the top of the sugar with the flame till sugar melts. I enjoy my creme brulee torch. Its theraputic in a pyromanic kinda way. But dont get carried away with the creme brulee torch, be careful not to burn the sugar!  If you dont have a brulee torch, just stick the sugar topped banana pieces under the broiler.

bruleed bananas oatmeal

Oatmeal with Bruleed Bananas Recipe


serves 1

1/2 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 small banana
2 tbsp brown sugar, more if you like it sweeter. You could also use regular white sugar.
1 tbsp butter, optional. I didnt use.
a tiny pinch of salt
1/8th scant tsp allspice or cinnamon or pumpkin spice

Bring milk to boil, add oats and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes (or cook the oats according to package instructions).  Add sugar to oatmeal if desired.

Cut the banana into about 1/2 inch thick discs. Mix sugar, butter if using, salt and allspice/cinnamon/pumpkin spice. Place equal amounts of this mixture on top of cut banana discs. Gently pat the sugar mixture down so that it covers most of the banana disc. Using a creme brulee torch on low heat, brulee the sugar mixture just till it melts (see picture above). Take care not to burn the sugar.

To brulee without a creme brulee torch – Place banana slices topped with brown sugar mixture on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and broil on low just till the sugar melts and becomes golden. Be careful not to burn the sugar.

Pasta with Seven Vegetable Sauce. Curing a Canned Food Obsession

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eeeks! I misspelled ‘obsession’ :( But that’s the charm of homemade canned food.

My husband S, loves all things canned. He is particularly partial to Chef Boyardee; he cant resist those 10 for $10 deals. And S eats the stuff straight out of the can. In an attempt to cure the canned food obsession, I make fake canned food. I put my own labels on the cans and fill them with homemade food. Battle Boyardee! The very first time I did this, S was on the floor laughing. But he enjoyed the food. Its so much healthier and tastier than canned pasta swimming in what used to be tomato sauce. I made penne with a seven vegetable sauce today – full of fresh veggies, basil and pine nuts for creaminess. The tomatoes, carrots and bell pepper add both color and sweetness. The pine nuts – toasted and pureed – elevate the sauce to a nutty silkiness.

I always use newly opened cans to serve the pasta in. I transfer the contents to another container for use later. (If you are using tomato cans, just use the tomatoes for the sauce recipe)

Ingredients

Pasta – 1 box, I used Penne
Onion – 1 large
Garlic – 6 cloves
Carrots – 2
Celery – 2 stalks
Red Bell Pepper – 2
Tomato – 3
Broccoli – 1 floret
Pine Nuts – 1/4 cup, substitute with cashews or almonds
Olive Oil – 4 tbsp
Water – 3 cups
Marsala Wine – 2 splashes, optional
Basil – 1/2 cup
Parsley – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 tbsp
Pepper

Finely chop the onions and chop all other vegetables into chunks. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet on low heat untill they turn light brown.

Boil pasta in plenty of salted water, till al dente. If you are not using the pasta immediately, wash it in cold water and set aside.

In a large wok, heat the oil. Add the onions and fry on medium high heat till they turn golden brown – about 5 minutes. Make sure you take the time to caramelize the onions, they add a nice sweetness to the sauce.

When the onions are well browned, add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Then add all chopped vegetables. Saute on medium high for 7 minutes. Then add the salt, and marsala wine and cook till the wine evaporates, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the water and let it boil. Then reduce heat and let the vegetables simmer for about 5 minutes.

Cool the vegetables slightly and place them in a blender. Blend till they are pureed. Return the vegetable puree to the wok. Simmer on low heat. At this point, the sauce will boil and splatter, so cover with a lid of aluminum foil. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 12 minutes, stir once or twice. (Now is a good time to start boiling the pasta).

While the sauce is simmering, blend the pine nuts into a smooth puree with a little water. Add the pine nut puree to the vegetable sauce in the last 2 minutes of cooking. You want a thick sauce, like the consistency of marinara. If your sauce is too runny, simmer it longer.

Turn off heat and stir in chopped basil, parsley and cracked pepper.

To serve, spoon the vegetable sauce over the pasta and garnish with basil.

Its very easy to make the cans to serve in. Always use newly opened cans, old ones may rust. Soak tomato or other cans in very hot soapy water for about 1 hour. Peel the labels and let the cans air dry. Print out your own labels and cut them to the can size. Using 3 dots of super glue on one end of the label, stick the label to the can and wrap it around the can firmly. Using 3 more dots of super glue, stick the other end to the can. Warning: Cans may have jagged rims, so be careful.

Did I win Battle Boyardee?

Buckwheat Soba Noodles in Leek Ginger Broth

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I was thinking of my August trip to England. On a chilly, rainy day much like today, I went to a Wagamama restaurant in Bristol, England. (It can be chilly and rainy in even in the summer; its England!). I had pan fried Soba noodles at Wagamama. Ever since then, Ive been wanting to make Soba noodles at home. Its getting colder here, so the cooking needs to get warmer. An added benefit to this recipe is that I get my soba fix and soup fix in one dish!

We had this for dinner and some store bought mochi for dessert. The mochi vanished in 12 seconds, so I don’t have a picture!

Soba noodles are made with buckwheat. In Japan, they are eaten cold with a dipping sauce in summer and in a warm broth in the winter. My broth is not traditional, but it does pair well with the soba. You can buy soba noodles in an Asian grocery store.

Ingredients
 
Soba Noodles – 3 bundles
Garlic – 3 cloves
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Leeks – 1
Green Onion – 1 stalk
Red Bell Pepper – 4 tbsp finely chopped
Broccoli – 8 florets
Pickled Ginger – 8 pieces
Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
Mirin – 4 tbsp (substitute with rice wine or cooking wine and 1/2 tbsp sugar)
Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
Water – 5 cups
Salt
Oil – 1/2 tbsp

Peel the ginger and cut into large pieces. Trim the tough leaves of the leeks, chop into rings and wash them in cold water to remove the grit. Chop the red bell pepper finely. Chop the green onion stalks at an angle.

Heat oil in a stock pot or similar heavy bottomed pot. Turn the heat to high, when the oil is almost smoking, add the ginger, garlic and leeks. Saute on high for about a minute. Then reduce heat and saute another 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, reduce heat and simmer the broth for about 10 minutes. Strain the broth, reserving only the liquid.
Return broth to the stove. Add the soy sauce, mirin and lemon juice. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings and salt. Simmer another 4 minutes. In the last 1 minute of cooking, add the broccoli florets.

While the broth is simmering, work on your soba noodles. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Then add the soba noodles. Bring back to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer the noodles. They should be done in about 5 minutes.

Drain the noodles into a colander and wash them with plenty of cold water. Drain well before using.

To serve, place some noodles in a bowl and pour the stock over the noodles. Sprinkle chopped red pepper on top. Garnish with green onion and pickled ginger.

Some Tasty Variations
 
Add seaweed in the broth for a healthy ocean flavor
Try shelled edamame instead of broccoli
For a simpler broth just use vegetable stock and soy sauce
Add miso paste to the broth for miso-soba soup
Top your soba noodles with Flexitarian’s wonderfully unique Tofu Croutons

Collards Greens Dal

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I usually make dal (also called dhal or daal) with spinach. But there was a bunch of collard greens hanging out in my fridge, so I used those instead. Unlike fresh spinach, collards have a better texture when cooked with the lentils. Sambar or Rasam powder adds a lot of flavor to this dish. For those not familiar with Sambar and Rasam powders – they are staples in every south Indian kitchen and made by dry roasting and grinding coriander seeds, red chillies, bengal gram dal, fenugreek and other spices.

Red Lentils (Masoor Dal) – 1/3 cup
Bengal Gram Dal (Channa Dal) – 1/3 cup
Green Gram Dal (Moong Dal) – 1/3 cup
Collard greens – 1 bunch
Tomatoes diced – 1/2 cup. I like Del Monte canned tomatoes with zesty jalapeno
Onion – 1 small
Garlic – 4 cloves
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece, optional
Sambar or Rasam powder – 3 tbsp
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Oil – 1 tsp

Finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the ginger, dont chop it so that you can pull it out at the end of cooking.

Heat a large pot with the oil. Add all the lentils and fry on low heat till the lentils are very slightly brown. To the lentils, add 5 cups of water, salt and turmeric increase heat and bring to a boil. Stir constantly to prevent the lentils from foaming over.

Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium low. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and sambar or rasam powder. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, wash the collard greens. Remove the tough talk and veins. Stack up the leaves, roll them tightly and chop into strips.

After 20 minutes, check to see if lentils are done. I dont like them too mushy so I dont let them go more than 20 minutes.

Add the chopped collards into the lentils and cook another 5 minutes until the collards are just wilted. Turn off heat. Pull out the ginger piece. Taste and adjust for salt. Depending on how tart the dal is, add lemon juice accordingly. Sometimes the tomatoes alone will do the trick and you wont need the lemon, so taste first!

You could mix in some chopped cilantro at this point. I prefer not to because they take the attention away from the collard greens.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Dijon Herb Grilled Tofu with Mushroom Medley

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This is my veggiefied version of Ina Garten’s Grilled Herb Shrimp. Ive made this recipe several times. Ive also made the shrimp version for my carnivore friends. Everyone always loves the herb and dijon marinade! It tastes great in pasta too. Use fresh herbs, it makes a big difference.

Dijon Herb Tofu

Extra Firm Tofu – 1 package
Onion – 1/2 large, finely chopped
Garlic – 4 cloves, minced
Basil – 1/4 cup chopped
Parsley – 1/4 cup chopped
Dijon Mustard – 2 1/2 tsp
Dry Mustard – 1 tsp
Lemon Juice – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
Pepper
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp (Ina uses 1/4 cup olive oil)

Mix together all ingredients except the tofu. Place in a bowl.

Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel. Place a weight on top for 1 hour to extract the liquid. Then cut the tofu into triangles.

Heat a large non stick pan. Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer and ‘dry fry’ them. Press the tofu triangles so that they let their water out. When one side is slightly browned, turn the tofu once and cook the other side while pressing out the water. I learned this method from veganyumyum’s site. Check it out for a detailed explanation of dry frying tofu and “tofu geometry”!
When the tofu is done (if you stop hearing the angry hiss from the tofu while pressing down, youve probably gotten most the water out!), place the triangles in the herb-dijon bowl. Carefully toss the tofu in the mixture to coat. Let the tofu marinade an hour (or overnight if you have the time).

When you are ready to eat, heat a large non stick pan. Spray with olive oil spray. Place the tofu, along with the herb-dijon mixture in the pan. Grill both sides on medium, turning once.

Remember, the tofu is already cooked. We just want to cook the onion and garlic in the marinade!

If you have a lot of the herb dijon mixture stuck to your pan, deglaze with a splash of white wine (or even water) and drizzle over the tofu.

Mushroom Medley

Button Mushrooms – 1 box
Crimini (baby potobellos) – 1 box
Garlic – 2 cloves
White wine – couple of splashes
Basil – 2 tbsp chopped
Parsley – 1 tbsp chopped
Olive oil – 1 tbsp
Marinara sauce – 4 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Clean and chop the mushrooms. Heat a non stick pan and add the oil olive. The pan should be very hot. Add the chopped mushrooms and spread them evenly on the pan. Cook them on high without moving the mushrooms around too much. If you stir too often mushrooms will release a lot of water.

When the mushrooms are golden, add the garlic, salt, pepper, basil and parsley. Then add a few splashes of white wine and let it reduce on high heat.

Turn heat off and stir in marinara sauce.

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