Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are great. Quick, tasty, and very portable. You know what's not great about granola bars? They aren't the best things for you. Even if you get the 90 calorie kind (Ryan's personal favorite), they still have things like caramel color, corn syrup solids, and all kinds of other lovely things I can't pronounce. In other words, they are processed. Plus, they only have about 1 gram of fiber each! So, I decided to take a crack at making a healthier, more protein-filled granola bar that isn't too hard on the wallet either. I've made a few different versions, but I like this one best. Keep in mind you can substitute things to your liking. If you don't like almonds, use walnuts. If you don't like chocolate chips (you're an alien), use carob chips or dried fruit. Get the idea? Good.

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

1 cup organic rolled oats, toasted

1 cup crispy rice (that's Rice Krispies to you)

3/4 cup wheat germ (you can find this at health food stores and Publix)

1/2 cup toasted & chopped pecans

1/2 cup toasted & chopped almonds

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup nonfat dry milk

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/4 cup real maple syrup (you know how I feel about Mrs. Butterworth...)

1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce

3 eggs

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Heat peanut butter and maple syrup (in a microwave safe bowl) in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir to combine. Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients. Beat eggs and egg white in bowl and add. Next, add applesauce. Stir to combine. Mixture should be moist, but not runny. Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Place a piece of parchment paper in the pan so that two sides (the 13 inch sides) of the parchment stick out over the sides. This will make is super simple to pick up the granola bars out of the pan and cut them. Now, bake them for 20-25 minutes (until set and lightly browned). Take them out and let them cool. Then lift them out of the pan using your parchment paper handles and place on a cutting board. Cut into rectangles and wrap individually with cling wrap. Refrigerate half and freeze half. Or don't. Whatever you want!





Hope you like them! :)

~ Mari

I Love You *This* Much

Happy belated Valentine's Day everyone!  Mr. Smith and I don't tend to celebrate V-day very much  - no gifts, chocolates, or flowers for us!  But, I still wanted to do something sweet for him.  Yesterday I got pretty ambitious and wanted to make a special meal for Valentine's eve.  I found a recipe for Italian meatloaf that I've been wanting to try forever in this month's Fine Cooking Magazine.  I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but DANG that was good meatloaf. Definitely the best I've ever made (...or had, for that matter).  I closed the meal with homemade chocolate lava cakes.  Needless to say, it was a happy Valentine's Day!

Note: Fine Cooking has this awesome tool online where you can make your own meatloaf!  That's all I did, but I didn't use their online tool, I just made it up as I went along.  Check it out when you get a chance!

Italian Meatloaf

STEP 1 - The Aromatics:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots

3/4 cup white wine

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add all ingredients except the wine and saute until softened and beginning to brown (6-8 minutes).  Add the wine and simmer until almost dry (4-5 minutes).  Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.

STEP 2 - Soak the Bread:

4 oz. sliced french bread

1 cup whole milk (if you don't have whole milk, any milk will work, but whole is better)

In a shallow dish (I used a 9x13" clear baking dish) soak the bread in the milk, flipping once, until soggy (10 minutes).  Lightly squeeze a handful at a time and place on a cutting board.  Finely chop and add to the bowl of aromatics.

- the aromatics & the soaked bread -



STEP 3 - Mix the Meatloaf:

2 lbs. ground bison

1/2 lb. lean ground pork

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. dried thyme

1 handful fresh basil

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

2 Tbs. honey

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line the bottom of a 9x13" baking pan with parchment paper.  Add the meat and eggs into the bowl of aromatics & bread.  Scatter all other ingredients (except honey) on top.  Use your hands (I use disposable gloves) to gently mix ingredients until just combined. 

Transfer the meatloaf mixture to the baking pan and form into a rectangular-ish block.  Drizzle honey over the entire thing as evenly as possible.

- ready for the oven -

STEP 4 - Bake the Meatloaf:

Bake meatloaf until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meatloaf registers 160 degrees F (about 1 and 1/2 hours).  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

- how delicious does that look? -

STEP 5 - Serve!

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (I used jarred)

1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese

Slice into 3/4 - 1 inch pieces.

- look at all that good stuff in there -

Put the slices on a plate (I did two per person) and spoon that tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle it with cheese!  Voila!



- I served it with some blistered green beans... we were happy campers -

 The meatloaf didn't even really taste like classic (kinda boring) meatloaf.  It was like the best Italian meatball you've ever eaten, in loaf form.  The honey carmelized on the outside and gave it a sweet, sticky crust and all of those spices and herbs in the meatloaf really gives it that fresh-from-Italy taste.  YUM!  I hope you enjoyed reading this recipe as much as we did eating it!  Don't get bogged down with all the steps - just make it.  I promise you'll be glad you did.

~ Mari

P.S. I made a mess. ;)

Cheddar & Pepper Turkey Burgers

I love turkey burgers because they are much better for you than most other burgers, but they can sometimes be dry and flavorless. So, I consulted my healthy-cooking bible (Ellie Krieger's "The Food You Crave") and adapted a recipe of hers for stuffed turkey burgers.

Here is what I came up with:

Cheddar & Pepper Turkey Burgers

1 lb. 85/15 ground turkey
1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey
3/4 cup chopped roasted red or yellow peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic salt
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 large egg

Preheat the broiler to high (or prepare the grill if it isn't cold and rainy outside like it is here!). In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands. Divide the mixture into 10 patties (about 3-4 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick). Wrap the extra patties in plastic wrap and freeze. Put four (or however many you want to make) patties on a sheet pan (one with a lip on the side) and broil for 10-12 minutes (or until they are browned and the internal temperature is at 165 degrees F). Remove from the oven and cool.



- the spices & peppers -



- ready to be divided into patties! -

- yummy! -

- the finished product -
 (on *homemade* buns - aren't I impressive? hah!)

I hope you enjoy these moist and delicious burgers as much as Ryan and I did! :)

~ Mari

Two Dinners, One Chicken Recipe

I love killing two birds with one stone. Not literally, of course. I don't kill any birds with any stones (if you did want to kill a bird, though, would one really use a stone?). But, in the culinary realm, making one dish that can then become two dinners is pretty sweet.

I've mentioned the wonderfulness of Ellie Krieger before on this blog. She is a nutritionist-turned-cook that had her own show on Food Network. I own both of her cookbooks and use them probably twice a week. While browsing through her "The Food You Crave" cookbook, I came a cross a recipe for Crispy Chiken Fingers that looked easy, healthy, and delicious. Surprise! It was all of those things. 

And here is what I came up with:

Crispy chicken fingers with homemade honey mustard dressing and steamed broccoli

Yum!

The chicken came out delicious! Moist on the inside and super crunchy on the outside - just how chicken fingers should be. Plus, the only ingredients were chicken breast, buttermilk, cornflakes and spices. So very simple.

Since I made the chicken fingers out of two huge chicken breasts, I had about half left over for the next night. I thought I could just heat them up in the toaster oven and have some salad to go with it. Then I had a revelation! Why not put the crispy chicken fingers ON the salad? Hot dog! (granted, it wasn't an original idea, but it was an exciting one) So, I made my version of my favorite salad that they serve at O'Charley's, T.G.I. Fridays, and a few other restaurants: Chicken Tender Salad with Mandarin Oranges, Candied Pecans, Dried Cranberries, and Gorgonzola Cheese. Of course I made a few adjustments...

First, I started with the lettuce: Boston Red Leaf & Radicchio. Next, I candied my own walnuts (they're a little better for you than pecans) and added them to the big bowl of lettuce. Then I crumbled some Gorgonzola cheese on top (on sale at Kroger - score!) and added some tangerine segments (instead of the canned ones). Then I made the salad dressing - a simple balsamic vinaigrette (balsamic vinegar, honey, mustard, and EVOO).

Lastly, I added the crispy chicken to my big bowl of yumminess and devoured it!

Mmmmm... it was so tasty!

As a side note, my wonderful husband isn't a fan of Gorgonzola or oranges... or balsamic vinaigrettes, so I made him his own ryan-friendly version:

For his, I just left off the ingredients he didn't like and made a honey mustard vinaigrette from the leftover dipping sauce from the night before! Fancy!

I hope everyone is having a great start to February!

~ Mari

Mexican Pasta Bake

The other night I was craving Mexican food... and pasta (as a side note, I'm almost always craving pasta, so it's really not that unusual) so I decided to take a recipe I saw in Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine and change it up a bit. Instead of corn tortillas, I used rotini pasta. Oh yeah - it's as if Italian food and Mexican food made sweet sweet love in a casserole dish. It's so easy, you'll say gracias/grazie!

Mexican Pasta Bake

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 lb. Rotini Pasta, cooked and drained

1/2 large onion, sliced

15-20 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. chili powder

1 can seasoned chili beans (I used Bush's)

1 jar medium salsa

1 large tomato, sliced

1 cup shredded taco seasoned cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute 8 minutes (or until transparent). Add mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are cooked through (about 8-10 minutes more). Stir in chili powder.

Pour cooked pasta into a 9x13" baking dish. Pour mushroom and onion mixture over the pasta and spread over the pasta. Next, pour beans and salsa over everything and spread as evenly as possible. Take the sliced tomatoes and arrange them on top so they aren't overlapping. Last, sprinkle the taco cheese over everything and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes covered (until the center is hot), then uncover and and cook for 5-7 more minutes - until the cheese is bubbly.

Gettin' my mise en place together


Yummy sauteed veggies!

Spread over pasta!

Look at all those layers!

And there it be! YUM!

I must warn you, it falls apart just a bit because it's so warm and gooey, but I promise it will taste delicious!

Hope you enjoy it!

~ Mari

Pantry Raid

I'm convinced that a person's pantry reflects her/his personality and mine is no exception. Just like everything else in my life, I get it organized to my liking and then, over time, I get lazy putting things back and it gets cluttered. Then I have to organize it to my liking again and so-on and so-forth. So, I'm curious: what's in your pantry?

Here's (the photo above) what's in mine. It's not the largest of pantries, but I can't complain considering I'm lucky I even have a pantry in my kitchen at all. It serves its purpose, but it does tend to burst at the seems when I get home from the Dekalb Co. Farmers Market.

Maybe this isn't interesting to anyone but me, but I'm always curious to know what staples people keep in their pantries. For instance, as soon as I'm out of organic light coconut milk, I have a little panicky moment, I write it on the ongoing fridge list, and I breathe again.

So, here it is. Shelf by shelf - what's in that crazy mess of jars and Snapware...?

Part I: The Baking Shelf

• Sweeteners: Organic Unbleached Granulated Sugar, Dark Brown Sugar (I just don't see the point in light brown), Icing Sugar (10x), Honey, Molasses, Stevia (I don't use this to bake with, but it's good to sweeten tea and such)

Flours: All-Purpose Flour, White Unbleached Flour, Unbleached Bread Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Semolina Flour (for pasta and pizza doughs)

Dried Fruit: Cranberries, Cherries, Grapes (haha... raisins)

Chocolate: 75% Cocoa bars, White Chocolate Bar (I'm not a fan of white chocolate (because it's not actually chocolate), but sometimes I find that I need it), Ghiradelli Large Semisweet Chocolate Chips, Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Other Stuff: Homemade Vanilla Extract (it's just vodka and vanilla beans, folks...) Organic Cornmeal, Wheat Bran, Organic Rolled Oats, Butter-flavored Crisco

So, what's in your pantry?

~ Mari

Panzanella

I just got Ellie Krieger's cookbook, "So Easy," and I found a great-looking recipe for a dish we made in culinary school: Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad). Ellie's recipe is a bit different from the one we made in school, but it has the same basic ingredients - bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions. So, I decided to combine the two recipes into my own version of the classic Italian salad!

Panzanella

3-4 cups of bread, cubed

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly slivered

1 avocado, peeled and diced

a few sprigs of fresh fennel (or any other fresh herb you have on hand)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

dried italian herbs to taste

3 links of chicken sausage

First, preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Then put the cubed bread on a sheet pan.

Next, combine a few tablespoons of olive oil with salt, pepper, and dried italian herbs in a shallow bowl.

Dunk each bread cube into the olive oil mixture on two or three sides. Put them back on the sheet pan and toss them around a bit.

Stick the sheet pan in the oven on the bottom rack and allow them to cook for 15 - 20 minutes (until they're crispy). While they cook, combine all of the vegetables and herbs in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper on them and toss.

Once the bread cubes are done, add them to the vegetable mixture.

Pour the rest of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar over the vegetables and bread. Now toss it more. I added some black cooked lentils (from Trader Joe's) as a garnish - you can too if you have them. If not, it should be just fine! Then I cooked the sausage, sliced it, and served it alongside of the panzanella. That was Ellie Krieger's pairing idea - and it was perfect! I also plated the salad overtop of some mixed baby greens.

I hope you enjoy it! It was so simple to make - I couldn't even believe it! Plus, it was delicious and full of texture!

~ Mari

Georgia Peach Salad with Arugula, Avocado, and Grapefruit

Before I moved to Georgia, I'd never eaten a peach before. I had eaten things that looked a lot like peaches, had fuzzy peach-like skin, and had that funky pit in the center. But, the flavor of these imposters was dull and the texture of the flesh was mealy. Nope. They couldn't have been peaches. I saw signs for Lane Farms (a peach orchard about 15-20 minutes from here in Fort Valley) that boasted fresh Georgia peaches and so I went - on a hunt for something that had flavor. And that, my friends is what I found. After eating one of their peaches, I knew that all the peaches I'd eaten before were faux fruit - peach imposters.

Since I got those peaches, I've put them on my cereal each morning, added them to salads for lunch, and eaten them with angel food cake for dessert. I was watching my favorite cooking show, Back to Basics with the Barefoot Contessa, and she made an avocado and grapefruit salad. It looked delicious, but I wanted to spice it up a bit (no offense, Ina. I love you.). I just made her recipe and added fresh baby arugula and some sliced Georgia peaches!

It was the perfect lunch - the acidity of the dressing and grapefruit went perfectly with the peppery flavor of the arugula and the sweet goodness of the peaches.

As you can see, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I encourage you to enjoy the last of this season's peaches... especially if they're Georgia peaches. The other ones in the grocery stores... well... we know all about them.

Enjoy!

~ Mari

Goat Cheese & Parsley Potato Salad

I shan't tell a lie - I'm not a fan of potato salad. Actually, I'm just not a fan of the regular potato salad that shows up at most picnics and summer events. German potato salad is delicious, as is loaded baked potato salad. But, I was feeling a little adventurous, so I thought I would put my own little spin on tater salad.

Goat Cheese & Parsley Potato Salad

28 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes (2-bite size)

2 pinches kosher salt

2/3 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 Tbsp. mustard

1/4 cup creamy goat cheese

salt & pepper to taste

dried dill to taste

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1.5 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped

First, wash the potatoes and put them in a large sauce pot. Next, sprinkle some kosher salt over them.

Next, cover the potatoes with just enough water so that none of them are peeking out.

Put the cover on the potatoes and let them boil for about 15 minutes (until you can pierce the largest potato with a fork and it goes in like it would into chilled butter).

Now, mix the sour cream, mustard, and goat cheese in a bowl with a whisk. Then add the spices and taste the mixture. Remember that the cayenne pepper will intensify as it sits in the fridge, so put a little less than you actually want. Then add the olive oil and whisk that in.

Once the potatoes are done, drain them and allow them to cool. Slice them in half (or quarters, depending on their size).

Put the potatoes into the bowl with the sour cream mixture.

Now, stir it up with a large spoon - being careful not to smoosh the potatoes too much.

Now, chop the herbs!

Sprinkle the fresh herbs over the potatoes and stir a few times.

Next, cover the bowl with saran wrap and stick it in the fridge for a few hours (this allows the flavors to soak into the taters!). All that's left to do now is eat it! (Take it out about 30-45 minutes before you want to eat it if you want it a little creamier.)

I served it with a seared pork chop and warm apple slaw (courtesy of Ellie Krieger). Delish! It has a nice creaminess to it and a unique tang from the cayenne. The parsley and oregano add a great freshness and texture to it. I hope you like it as much as Ryan and I did!

~ Mari