Easy Granola

Spur of the moment trips are always the best.  I was at work on Thursday when I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take Friday off.  When I talked to my friend who lives close by, she said she was headed to Chicago over the weekend for a meeting.  “Take me with you!” I exclaimed.  Next thing I know, I booked a flight and jetted off to my favorite city for an impromptu weekend trip.  After I’d packed and was killing time before heading to the airport, I decided to make a quick snack that would not only be great for the flight but could easily be tossed in our bags as we roamed the Second City.  

Easy Granola is nutty, slightly sweet, slightly salty and well, easy!  Oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, and coconut are mixed together with syrup and a little canola oil and baked until golden brown.  Dried fruit added at the end provides a sweet, tart, and chewy delicious touch.  I used a combination of almonds and pecans since I had them on hand so feel free to use any combination of nuts like walnuts, macadamia, cashews, etc.  I also used less coconut since I only had sweetened coconut on hand and didn’t want this too sweet.  I used dried cherries but any dried fruit – cranberries, blueberries, apricots – would be delicious.  And lastly, I substituted blue agave syrup for the maple syrup since I had that on hand also.  This is such a versatile recipe that any combination of nuts, fruit and syrup with make this a delicious snack.  Keep this stored in an airtight container to eat as a snack or toss in with yogurt or over ice cream.  This kept us going all weekend!

The ingredients:

Combine all of the ingredients, except dried fruit, in a pan or bowl and toss until well combined.  (I didn’t read the directions correctly and added the dried fruit here.  It worked out okay but try to add the fruit at the end.)

Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet and bake in a 350° F oven for 25 minutes.

Toss the mixture once during baking so the edges don’t burn.

Add in the dried fruit and allow mixture to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Pecans and almonds
  • Blue agave syrup
  • Sunflower seeds

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Real Simple Magazine

Sesame-Soy Green Beans

As I mentioned a few days ago, I’ve got an Asian-inspired veggie which makes for a really tasty side dish.  Since I’m pretty picky when it comes to veggies, I’m always looking for different ways to prepare the ones that I like so I don’t get so bored with them, I give up eating them altogether!  What a better way to liven up some green beans than with a little bit of salty soy?  That’s exactly what these Sesame-Soy Green Beans are.  Bright green beans are cooked and tossed with a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and red pepper flakes before being sprinkled with nutty toasted sesame seeds.  I don’t know what it is about the combination of soy sauce and garlic but if you put in in a martini glass, I just might drink it.  But I digress…I love bagged veggies (even if they are a little more expensive) because it just helps speed things up but use whatever green beans you like here.  Consider this preparation with other veggies too, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach or brussel sprouts.  Yum!

The ingredients:

Prepare green beans by either cooking in a microwave according to package directions or on the stove (cook in boiling water for 5 minutes).  Sauté garlic and red pepper flake in sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.  

Add green beans, soy sauce, and salt; cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Asian-Glazed Chicken

I don’t know how or why or when this happened but I’ve become a total sucker for homemade Asian-inspired dishes.  I’ve always loved soy sauce and often would eat plain white rice and soy sauce when I was a vegetarian.  Now that I’ve discovered other heavy-hitting flavors, like ginger, chili sauce, peanut sauce, and sesame oil, I’ve realized what I’ve been missing out on.  This Asian-Glazed Chicken combines some of those flavors for a slightly sweet, slightly spicy,  and overall delicious chicken dish.  Chicken breasts are marinated in a mixture of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic and baked until perfect.  The marinade, which is later cooked and used as a basting sauce, is sweet, tart, spicy, and garlicky.  As usual, I used chicken breasts but this recipe uses chicken thighs so use whichever you prefer.  I served this with some Asian-inspired green beans which I’ll have for you later this week!

The ingredients:

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, chile paste, and garlic, stirring until honey dissolves.

Pour vinegar mixture into a zip-top plastic bag and add chicken.  Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour, turning occasionally.  Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade.

Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Cook for 2 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is syrupy.  

Place chicken on a rack coated with cooking spray inside a baking sheet.  Baste chicken with reserved marinade and sprinkle evenly with salt.  Bake at 425° for 10 minutes and baste again. 

Bake an additional 8-10 minutes until fully cooked or the internal temperature reads 165°F on a cooking thermometer.  Discard remaining marinade.  (If using chicken thighs, follow directions on recipe for cooking process.)   

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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