Super Simple Granola

When Abby was formally diagnosed as allergic to tree nuts, our ability to buy store made granola become much more difficult. She loves granola in her soy-yogurt so we have been working on a recipe that will work for her needs. I was using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman that I liked but I decided to play around on my own and I have to say this recipe was a HIT! Abby and I sat and ate it by the handful. Best of all, it was SO SIMPLE!

Basic Granola

Ingredients

         3 cups rolled oats

         4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

         1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

         1/4 teaspoon salt

         1/3 cup honey

         1/4 cup coconut oil

         2 teaspoon vanilla extract

         1/2 cup raisins, craisins or dry fruit

         1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds

Instructions:

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.

2.   Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.

3.   In a separate microwavable bowl, combine the honey, oil, and vanilla and stir to combine. Microwave for approximately 30 seconds. Let cool for about a minute and then pour over the oat mixture, mixing well until the oats are evenly coated.

4.   Spread the mixture in a rimmed baking sheet that is well coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, stir and continue baking until the granola is very light golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Make sure to mix the oats at the edges to the middle so they do not burn.

5.   Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool the granola about 20 minutes. You can give it a mix every five minutes or so as it will harden as it sits.

6.   Once cool, add whatever fruit, nuts or seeds you desire and toss to combine.

7.   Store granola in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks, if it lasts that long!

Beef Stew - Our way

One of my favorite "stick to your ribs" comfort food is beef stew and good, warm bread for dipping. I have tried many recipes and melded a few together to make Our Beef Stew.

Our Favorite (Crock Pot) Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1-2 pounds stew meat (I like organic angus beef)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced 
• 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup dry wine (I used a Cab-Merlot blend)
• 2 large baking potatoes cut into 2 inch pieces (small red potatoes would be nice too)
• 1-2 cups baby carrots
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can diced tomato with juice
• 1 TB salt
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup each frozen green beans and peas

Steps:

1. In a large skillet heat a few tablespoons of the olive oil. Meanwhile add the beef and flour into a plastic bag and turn to coat. 
2. Brown the meat, in small batches. When browned place beef into crock pot cooker. 
3. Add a few more tablespoons oil and add onions. Cook over medium heat until tender (about 8-10 minutes). When tender add tomato paste and garlic and coat the onion. Add to the crock pot. 
4. Pour the wine (carefully, it will splatter) into the pan and scrape up any brown bits that have clung to the pan. Add that to the cooker. 
5. Add the potatoes, carrot, broth, diced tomato, seasonings and frozen veggies. 
6. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or low 7-9 hours. 

* I serve this with bread slathered in vegan butter. When you dip the buttered bread into the broth it enhances the broth and the bread!

** Sorry for so few pictures. The migraine headache was keeping me from thinking straight! ;D

Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken

A couple weeks back I was feeling the cooking slump and decided it was time to take some action. I had chicken, I had peppers and I had nothing inspiring me. So I hit the cubbards and found some pineapple in a can. And voila... dinner!

I started with a basic recipe I've had in my binder for some time. I did a little tweeking and made it my own. 

Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless organic chicken tenderloin
• Stop light pepper (red, yellow, green) cut to strips. I used about half of each.  
• Half a red onion
• 20 ounce can of pineapple chunks with the juice
• 2 TB Sesame Oil (optional)
• 1/3 cup Rice Wine Vinegar (I am sure you could use apple cider or another sweet vinegar)
• 1/4 brown sugar
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water

Steps:

1. Dump everything in the crock pot.  
2. Turn it on. (Low, 8-10 hours, high 4-6)
3. Simple, right?!? 

It was delivious. We ate ours over brown rice and it was lovely. It was a little soupy for my taste so next time I am skipping the water. 

Note: When I cooked this recipe a tiny crab appeared in my kitchen... so be on the lookout for that!

Beef and Broccoli

I have to share a couple of my new FAVORITE blogs! As you know, I have been rethinking my blog and it's focus and in the course of doing this I have been researching other blogs out there that I can relate to. In my search I came across the following ah-mazing bloggers:

A Cozy Kitchen

Edible Perspective

Table for Two

Never Homemaker


You can see the obviously common theme here. :D Anyway... I stumbled across Table for Two when I did a quick google search for an Asian Beef recipe. I have some angus beef and wanted to try something new. I found her Take Out, Fake Out Beef and Broccoli Recipe.  We made a few adjustments to suit our family and it is DELICIOUS! I actually want to make it again tonight. :D (Too bad we filled our red meat quote for the month... one or two meals max. ;D)

Crock Pot Beef with Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, angus beef strips 

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (we have a dark soy sauce from Wegmans that was perfect)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil (the original recipe called for 1 tbsp but we upped the ante)

1 tsp jarred crushed garlic

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. peanut butter

2 cups of washed broccoli crowns

Cooked Brown Rice

Instructions:

1. Add the beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic to the crock pot and stir. 
2. Add beef to the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 5 hours.
4. When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch, peanut butter and cooking liquid to create a thickener, pour into crockpot, stir to mix well. 
5. Add the broccoli crowns and toss to coat.
6. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce.
7. Serve over rice.

Best Ribs Ever

Recently my Mom had an extra pack of pork ribs and offered them up for us for dinner. I've been working on a recipe for ribs and jumped at the chance to try my hand again. We've tried crock potting and we've tried the grill. They were both good but not great. This time we went for low and slow in the oven. 

Low and Slow BBQ Ribs

• 2 lbs pork ribs (we were given boneless but bone in tends to be moister)
• BBQ seasoning
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• BBQ Sauce (you will need about 1.5 cups)

Preheat your oven to 250. 

1.     Drizzle olive oil over both sides of your rib rack
2. The next step will vary depending upon your taste. We had two small racks so one I  coated with olive oil, salt and pepper (for the kids) and the other I coated with olive oil and BBQ seasoning. The hubby and I like a little kick. If you like it milder stick to salt and pepper.            

Spaghetti Casserole (Taco's?)

While I try to avoid carbs as much as possible pasta is one of my kids favorite meals. For some reason when I make pasta (specifically spaghetti) I tend to make enough for about 10 people instead of 4. So this means leftovers. While no one in my house minds this (except me) I can't bear plain spaghetti twice in one week. So we came up with a slight variation. 

Spaghetti Casserole

• When you have leftover spaghetti and sauce you will mix the sauce and noodles and store overnight. 
• This recipe works best with plenty of chunky veggies. If your sauce was thin go ahead and add some sauteed onion, peppers, garlic, mushrooms, or whatever else your family likes. 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Coat a 13 x 9" pan with cooking spray. 
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Place pasta, sauce and veggies (pre-mixed) into pan. Top with parmesan then mozzarella. 
4. Cover with tin foil. 
5. Bake covered at 350 for 25 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. 

* Something about the baking process makes the leftover spaghetti taste even better the second time. 

** And the weird kicker... my kiddo's take their spaghetti and put it into a taco shell. Anyone who has seen iCarly knows what this is all about! 

What's for dinner?

Something about a cold, rainy day screams big meal and a delicious dessert. We have had tons and tons of soup so I didn't want to make more soup. I had very little time so I settled on Chili and apple pie for dessert. (The pie was really prompted by the fact that we had a pie crust leftover from the holidays taking up space in my crowded freezer!)

Black Bean Chili

• Two cans of organic black beans (can obviously use kidney beans)
• 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
• 1 14 oz can diced tomato (if your "people" like heat add rotel or diced tomatoes with some zing)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 8 oz can tomato paste
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 small green pepper diced
• 2 TB chili powder
• 2 TB worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

1. Cook the ground turkey and drain any fat (I usually don't have too since it's so lean)
2. Put ground turkey in the crock pot
3. Drain and rinse the beans then place in crock pot
4. Put remaining ingredients in the crock pot. 
5. Cover and cook high 4-6 hours or low 8-10. 
6. You can add some cooked elbow macaroni before serving if you like. 

We serve ours with a little cheddar on top and the kids LOVE to scoop their chili with the Frito's scoops.  

Apple Pie Crumble

• 2 cans apple pie filling (we use two jars of our home canned apples)
• Single pie crust (I don't like to make my own!)
• Crumb topping
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup quick cook oatmeal
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Thaw the pie crust and poke holes throughout. 
2. Place the apples in the crust and spread them throughout the pie plate to make an even surface. 
3. Mix crumb mixture (keep in mind you want cold butter to make better crumbles)
• My secret crumb topping maker is Jack's baby food masher. 

It's the perfect crumb topping musher :D 

4. Top the pie with the crumbles.                        

5. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until the apples are bubbly and topping is browned. 

What's For Dinner

One of our favorite, favorite, favorite meals is BBQ Chicken. We actually call it Chicken Old Ladies on a bus. I found a great BBQ chicken recipe that told a story of the creator of the recipe overhearing two old ladies on a bus talking about recipes and they extracted the recipe from the conversation. We don't really use that exact recipe anymore but the name sure stuck!

"Chicken Old Ladies"

• 1-2 lbs Chicken drumsticks and/or thighs skin on
• Dry BBQ seasoning (you can easily make you own)
• Bottled BBQ sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 350
2. Line a 13 x 9 pan with tin foil (makes for easy cleanup)
3. Drizzle about 3 TB of bottled BBQ sauce on bottom of the pan
4. Coat the chicken with the dry BBQ seasoning. I usually use between 5-6 TB but use as much or little as you like. 
5. Place the chicken in the pan. 
6. Top with BBQ sauce.
7. Bake 350 for 45 minutes. Then turn up the heat to 375 and cook another 15 minutes. 

We almost always eat this with stuffing and green beans. Not sure why I felt compelled to share that part but the pairing is perfect. 

Such an easy meal!!!

The Easiest Dinner you should be making

We are not much for take out around here. It's a 50/50 split between being frugal and limitations by Abby's allergies. For the most part I am thankful to have reasons to not do take out often. However, there are many days where I would love to "phone in" dinner. One of our favorite easy go to's is homemade pizza. We use store bought crust, top and bake. Easy, popular and cheaper than take out.

When we were in Disney the resort we stayed at had a wide variety of dining options on site. Their pride and joy were the Tandoor ovens they used to bake chicken and fish and also make the mosy delicious Naan Bread I have ever had. When we got back I was craving the Naan bread but the store bought was nothing like the fresh baked. We decided to compromise and use store bought to make delicious Naan Pizza. It is outstanding and so, so simple!

Naan Pizza

• Naan Bread (any flavor you like is perfect)
• Pizza sauce (we use canned tomato sauce and "doctor" it with garlic salt, oregano and basil)
• Cheese (or soy cheese... or even no cheese in Abby's case)
• Toppings (green peppers, pepperoni, ham and pineapple, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, etc)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place naan on baking sheet. 
3. Top with pizza sauce (don't use too much) and spread
4. Add your cheese and toppings
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

I definitely should have remembered an "after" picture since it is a pretty pizza. We also like to make an olive oil and herb dip for the crust. Just add a big drizzle of olive oil to a bowl with salt, pepper, garlic, basil and oregano and enjoy!

Chicken Quesadillas

Going back to my high praise of rotisserie chicken I thought I would share our favorite chicken quesadilla recipe. This is easily one of the "go to" meals for a quick night that ALL of us love!

Double Decker Chicken Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cubed rotisserie chicken
• 3 soft shells PER person (we buy the small low carb Mission Brand burrito shells)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese (or really any kind of cheese your family likes)
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• Half an onion, chopped
• olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 325
2. While over is heated saute your peppers and onions in olive oil until soft. Drain excess grease. 
3. Lightly brush one side of a burrito shell with olive oil and place, oil side down, on a cookie sheet. Prepare enough for how many you will be serving. 
4. Layer the chicken and cheddar cheese on the shell. Place a burrito shell over the chicken and cheese. 
5. Layer the pepper and onion mix with the monterey jack cheese. 
6. Place a burrito shell on top and lightly coat with olive oil. 
7. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. 
8. Allow to cool for five minutes and cut into slices (like a pizza) 

We serve ours with guacamole and sour cream. You can obviously have a salad or rice on the side but we find they are enough for a meal themselves. 

Also note that you can easily substitute soy or tofu cheese for the regular cheese. 

Things my kids always eat

I am going to try to document those recipes that BOTH of my children eat 90% of the time or more. I feel like as Moms we fall into ruts and boredom with so much of our cooking. Maybe cooking a crowd pleaser will help. :D

Here is our #1 "go-to":

Crock Pot Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken.
- 1 can diced tomato with the juice
- 1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (we use the organic foursome from Trader Joe's)
- 1 cup of frozen lima beans (optional)
- 1 cup of cleaned and cubed potatoes (I use either red or mini's with the skin on)
- 2 TB worcestershire sauce
- 2 cartons of beef broth (or you can use 3-4 cans if that is what you have on hand)
- 2 dry bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown your ground meat and drain excess grease.
2. In a 6 quart or larger crock pot add all of the ingredients. I usually use about 1 tsp of seas salt and a few turns of my pepper mill. Use more or less according to your families preferences.
3. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours.
4. MAKE SURE to fish out the bay leaves before serving.
5. That's it! Seriously, that is all!

* I often add a small can of tomato sauce to our soup because we like a more tomato based broth. It is really up to you.