Basics: Homemade Granola

Yogurt has become more and more popular in the US over the last several years (although still substantially behind France and many European countries in daily consumption per person).  The most recent craze is Greek-style yogurt, with its thicker, more dense consistency.  Brands such as Fage and Chobani are now commonplace in supermarkets, Targets, and even many convenient stores.  And also my fridge.  I usually buy Fage, but I'm hoping that Whole Foods starts making the Greek-style yogurt in its 365 brand soon. 

Aside from its breakfast appeal, Greek yogurt is a wonderful ingredient in the kitchen (just make sure to buy the plain variety and not one of the flavored/sweetened varieties).  Try subbing it in recipes for your favorite homemade salad dressings and dips, which commonly rely on mayonnaise for that creamy texture.  Also think of Greek yogurt for meals that call for sour cream (e.g. chili, tacos, etc.).  It's not really all that different from sour cream in terms of absolute calories/fat, but it does offer its probiotic benefits.  And like sour cream, yogurt is available in full fat, low-fat (2%), and fat-free.  What's great about fat-free Greek yogurt is that because of its thick texture, it makes you think you're eating something deliciously fatty even though you're not.

Onto the actual topic for this entry.  Granola!  Delicious, decadent granola.  The perfect topping for yogurt, granola is a combination of oats, baking spices, sugar, nuts, and raisins/dried fruit.  A blend of very nutritious ingredients that offer a great, natural balance of carbs, fat, sugar, and other nutrients.

The first step is to buy quality ingredients. King Arthur (link) offers the best rolled oats I've ever tasted.  From there, it's all about personal preferences.  I love adding almonds, cashews, and pecans.  You could toss in walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, or any other favorite nut.  The one thing I would probably leave out would be peanuts.

For the sweetener, I love agave.  It's a great sugar substitute made from the agave plant (the same source as tequila), and it doesn't boost your blood sugar levels as dramatically as cane sugar.  Also, it's a liquid, so it makes for easier mixing/stirring in many recipes. Other options include honey and maple syrup (the real stuff...none of that sugar-water with maple syrup flavoring), which each offer a unique flavor and texture for the granola.

I love tossing in unsweetened shaved coconut and dried raisins.  Feel free to skip the raisins, or add a different dried fruit, such as cranberries, currants, chopped figs, blueberries, etc.  The dried fruit offers a nice sweet, chewy texture, different from the crunchy granola and nuts.

Last tip - make sure to stir every 15 minutes while baking.  You don't want your granola to burn, and with the added sugar, it does tend to stick to the baking sheet.  Enjoy some freshly baked granola on a bowl of Greek yogurt tomorrow!

-Jeff

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup cashews, slightly crushed

1/2 cup pecans, slightly crushed

1/2 cup shredded sweet coconut

1/4 cup agave

2 T real maple syrup

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.

2. Combine all ingredients, except raisins (or other dried fruit), in a large bowl.  Stir well.

3. Pour into a single layer onto a large baking sheet (preferably one with ridges to prevent the granola from spilling onto your oven).  You might need two baking sheets.

4. Bake for at least 1 hour 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours (until it smells delicious and has a nice roasted color & texture; sampling is encouraged).

5. Place in a large bowl and let cool, then add raisins. Place into an air-tight storage container(s).  Can be stored at room temperature for quite a while (I've had mine in the cupboard for over a month before).

Recipe inspiration: Food Network - Alton Brown's Granola Recipe

Quick Lettuce Wraps

Thanks to a generous invitation, we enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend in Maine with a great group of friends.  Long days on the beach, plenty of fresh air, and of course lots of seafood!  

Lobster, whether served chilled in a hot dog bun (called a "lobsta roll") or cracked out of a steaming shell, is a classic Mainer meal.  Chowda is another local favorite, which is a delicious combination of cream, potatoes, bacon, and the obvious...clams.  Yum.

Back in Jersey, we were in the mood for some bold flavors, but also something light (lobsta is also served with butta & Mainers also love their blueberry pie).  Cooking Light has a lot of recipes that fit this bill, and are surprisingly tasty despite the reduction in tasty tasty fat. 

We settled on a lettuce wrap recipe that featured tofu, fresh veggies, and a spicy peanut-hoisin sauce.  The watery crunch of the crisp lettuce gives the meal a natural lightness.  

The bold Asian flavors of this dish help you forget about the missing bun bread, tortilla, etc. (or in this case, even the meat).  If you don't like tofu, feel free to swap in finely diced chicken breast.  But give tofu a chance...we're still learning to appreciate it.  One tip is to buy the extra-firm tofu, which improves its texture substantially.

Recipe

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 tsp canola/safflower oil

1 T minced shallot (or sub red onion)

1/3 cup water

2 T peanut butter (preferably the 'natural'/non-Skippy kind)

4 tsp hoisin sauce

Dash crushed red pepper, or more to taste

1 T fresh lime or lemon juice

Filling:

1 (14oz) package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled [see note in directions]

1 T. dark sesame oil

6 green onions, thinly sliced in 1" pieces, divided

2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

3 T soy sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp agave (or 2 tsp white sugar)

1/2 tsp Sriracha, or more to taste

1 cup carrots, julienned

2 cups rice (served hot)

8 lettuce leaves (select fresh, undamaged lettuce; Bibb, Green Leaf, and Romaine are good options)

Directions

1. Cook the rice.  Wash and dry the lettuce leaves.

2. Spread crumbled tofu in a single layer on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 20 minutes, pressing down occasionally.

3. To prepare sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add canola/safflower oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots/onions, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and peanut butter, hoisin, and red pepper flakes, and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in lime/lemon juice.

4. To prepare tofu sauté, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of the green onions; sauté 1 minute. Add tofu; sauté for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and Sriracha; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in carrots and remaining green onions.

Serve with rice, peanut-hoisin sauce, cilantro, and lettuce leaves.  Spoon a little rice onto each lettuce leaf, then top with a couple big spoonfuls of the tofu mixture.  Add the peanut-hoisin sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.

Hope you enjoy this delicious dish just as much as we did.

-Jeff

A little more love for/from Maine:

For the original recipe, check out the Cooking Light recipe link.

Pantry: A Meal’s Building Blocks

After a yearlong hiatus, I finally found the time and energy to return to my food blog.  Over the last twelve months, I graduated from NYU, got married, enjoyed a summer off with my wife, and started a new job in Midtown Manhattan.  Oh, and we moved into a new place in northern New Jersey.  The beautiful part of NJ, not the concrete jungle depicted in the Sopranos, nor the sadly portrayed version in the Jersey Shore.  While I continued to make time for cooking (and eating), and I didn’t do the same for maintaining this blog. 

As a way to kick things off, I am sharing our pantry with you.  

For most of us, life no longer resembles the 1950s.  Dual-career households are now the norm.  And we are all simply too busy in life.  By creating and maintaining a well-stocked pantry, you will have significantly more flexibility in what you can cook without needing to buy countless items every time you run to the grocery store.  It also allows for more creativity.  For example, if you just finished eating a beef roast and have a pound of leftover meat, you could add canned tomatoes and beans, along with a few spices, to make a delicious chili.  Or with those same tomatoes, add quartered potatoes, carrots, celery, and/or mushrooms, a couple cups of stock, and transform leftovers into a beef stew.  My favorite option is to shred the beef, sauté it with garlic, onions, tomato paste, lots of flavorful spices, and serve it in corn tortillas with fresh guacamole and salsa.

Here are my top items, which not surprisingly, are very common & inexpensive:

1. Olive Oil: Nothing is more important in your panty than high-quality olive oil.  From peppery to fruity, to the herb and spice infused varieties, olive oil comes in many forms.  While the “right” olive oil depends on its intended use, I recommended buying Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or as Rachael Ray calls it, EVVO).  Also look on the label for "cold-pressed."  The more interesting olive oils usually identify their source, of which Tuscany is my favorite.  Australia, Spain, and California also make delicious olive oil.  I use it in nearly all forms of cooking, except Indian and Thai cuisines.  It’s supposed to be healthier than other fats, and adds an additional layer of complexity to dishes.

2. Canned Tomatoes: Whole, diced, crushed, and paste - tomatoes are my favorite raw ingredient.  I usually buy Whole Foods 365 organic brand, which retails for $1.99 per 28oz. can.  They’re organic, delicious, and well-priced for this level of quality.  Tomatoes are the base ingredient for any Italian red sauce, several Indian dishes, and chili.  They’re also great for stews, braises, soups, homemade BBQ sauce, and homemade Bloody Mary’s.

3. Onions: Savory, pungently flavored, the onion is an incredibly versatile ingredient.  Plus they last for weeks in a cool, dry spot in your cupboard/closet.  I usually keep a variety of onions on-hand.  My preferred onion is the Vidalia Sweet Onion, perfect for sautéing and caramelizing, as well as on top of a burger.  Red onions are also wonderful, as they are not as pungent as yellow or white onions, nice for salads and other raw onion dishes.  Shallots are awesome too.  Green onions/scallions and leeks are other onion-like options, but I do not buy them as routinely because they tend to have poor "shelf" lives.

4. Garlic: If onions are #3, then garlic has to be #4.  All my favorite cuisines – Italian, Indian, Thai, American BBQ, Mexican – appreciate the strong flavor of garlic.  In addition to the fresh heads of garlic that sit next to my onions, I always have garlic powder and dried garlic on-hand in my cupboard.  It’s also really tasty in olive oil; look out for garlic-infused stuff.

5. Eggs: The incredible, edible egg.  Eggs are a marvelous ingredient.  While delicious on their own, scrambled, hard-boiled, or over-easy, eggs are essential emulsifiers and binders in food.  Mayonnaise wouldn’t be possible without an egg, nor would Caesar dressing.  Angel Food cake and macaroons rely on the magic of egg whites.  Meatballs, as well as many baking recipes, require an egg or two.  I try to always keep a dozen eggs in the fridge.  Like my other “top” ingredients, eggs last quite a while.

6. Butter: My second favorite fat is butter.  I feel bad for vegans missing out on this delicious dairy product.  While I use it much frequently than olive oil, it’s essential for baking.  I also love butter for fresh bread, popcorn, and cooking eggs (see eggs!).  Italian dishes are great when you mix butter and olive oil together when you are sautéing onions and garlic.

Other items I frequently have on-hand include lemons, peanut oil, canola oil, duck fat, celery, carrots, pinto beans, vegetable stock, Jasmine rice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, leftover white wine, buttermilk, and anchovy paste (for Caesar salad).  And of course baking ingredients, such as flour, sugar, baking powder/soda, yeast, and rolled oats.

Did I miss any of your favorite staples?  Comment below.  Maybe I'll have to add yours to my weekly shopping list.

Jeff