Warm, Gooey, Granola Bars

Seeing as how I am just learning to cook, I can't say I've mastered the art of baking just yet. However, I did find this amazing recipe for granola bars that taste so good when served warm. They're great for breakfast or as snacks! In this recipe I used coconut, cranberries and chocolate, but you can really use any dried fruit or chocolate that you like!

Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the cranberries and chocolate and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown.

Kale with Fried Garlic and Chopped Almonds

This dish was inspired by my sister in law, who happens to be one of the best cooks I know! As a vegan, she's always making a bunch of vegetable side dishes and has taught me a lot about healthy cooking. Her approach is simple, seasonal and always delicious!

For this recipe, I decided to use Kale, a winter vegetable and type of cabbage readily available in the Union Square Farmer's Market. Whereas some recipes suggest using bacon for added flavor, I opted for protein-rich almonds instead.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds kale, leaves removed from stems

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups water
a handful of copped almonds

2 tbsp olive oil

Stack a few kale leaves and roll lengthwise into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining leaves

Heat some olive oil and cook garlic over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale (pot will be full) and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute.

Add water and simmer, partially covered, until just tender, 6 to 10 minutes. Top with almonds.

And you'll have a very good (and green) side dish!

The Perfect Guac

I love making guacamole. I've actually competed against a friend to see who could make it better (it was a tie, believe it or not). There are so many different ways to make it - spicy vs mild, chunky vs smooth, etc...

Here are the ingredients essential to making my guacamole, so those of you who have had it, know how great it will be :)

Ingredients:

ripe avocado

minced red onions

minced jalapeno (with seeds for extra spiciness)

fresh cilantro

chopped red tomatoes

juice of one lemon

salt & pepper

(optional: dash of tabasco sauce for more heat)

Carrot-Mushroom-Barley Stew

I love making stews and soups in winter -- almost as much as my husband enjoys eating them. Last night, I wanted to try a recipe I found in my FoodNetwork magazine and I have to say it came out pretty, pretty, pretty delicious. The only difficult part about making this recipe was the fact that I couldn't find carrot juice anywhere and, on my fourth try, ended up going to the Whole Foods juice bar.

Does anyone know what would make for a good carrot juice substitute?

• Ingredients:
• 2 cups carrot juice
• 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and reserved, caps sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup instant barley (* emphases on instant - Barley has a hard shell and it takes a while to break down)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery with leaves, finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 cups kale or mustard greens, stems removed and leaves torn
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger (because I love the taste of ginger and felt this wasn't enough, I also added a couple
• shakes of ginger powder)

Prepping all the ingredients took a little while!

Bring the carrot juice, 3 cups water and the mushroom stems to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a pot over medium-high heat.

Add the mushroom caps and barley and cook until the barley is toasted, about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, celery and rosemary to the pot and season with salt and pepper. (I left out the Rosemary because my husband is quite allergic). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook 2 more minutes. Increase the heat to high and add half of the carrot juice mixture, leaving the mushroom stems in the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 6 minutes.

Add the remaining carrot juice mixture, the kale and ginger and cook, stirring, until the barley and vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, then ladle the stew into bowls. (I skipped the extra butter at the end and added some chicken stock instead because, honestly, who needs clogged arteries?)

"He Just Smiled and Gave Me a Vegemite Sandwich"

Just this week, I returned from a fantastic two week honeymoon in Australia (you may have noticed a recent lack of postings). The land down under was amazing and I had the opportunity to taste some new things and have some of the most incredible seafood! I know this blog is supposed to be all about the meals I make but, since I appreciate all food (whether I make it or someone else does), I can't help but share some photos of my favorite Australian grub!

Passion fruit is a flavor I am very familiar with, but in more of an artificial way. The fruit, grown mainly in Southern Australia, with its slimy interior, tangy flavor and crunchy seeds was a favorite of mine!

The seafood in Australia was among the best I have ever had. Because the cities we visited were right on the water, everything was really fresh. Australia, a former British territory, still displays a strong British influence; hence the omnipresent "fish and chips." This particular version, from Doyle's at Watson Bay, used Barramundi, aka the Australian seabass, and tasted just as good as it looks!

Fried Calamari. No. Words. Can. Describe. This. Dish.

BBQ Prawns - these were amazing and tasted like they had just been caught.

They took me forever to open (lack of skill) but kept me full as I climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge

These are from a wine store where you're able to mechanically pour your own tastes or glasses of Australian wine.

The Australian Wine Industry is the fourth largest exporter in the world and I have to say that several wines from the city of Adelaide were among the best I've ever had; particularly those from Iron Gate Estate in the Hunter Valley Region.

No trip to Australia would be complete without a taste of vegemite.

I was curious to try this condiment, made known to me through the Men at Work song "Down Under."

Made from concentrated yeast extract, it was salty and pungently strong -- a taste one needs to develop.

My husband and I were not fans, but Australians swear it's delicious on white toast with butter!

A Delicious Dinner Party

Last night, Lauren and I put together a really nice dinner for the men in our lives. On the menu: mixed greens with breaded goat cheese rounds and caramelized pecans and homemade butternut squash ravioli. It was a long day of cooking, but our guests were pleased :) Below, the results of slaving over the stove all day:

Ingredients for Goat Cheese Rounds

goat cheese log

beaten egg

bread crumbs

all purpose flour

olive oil

Start by separating log into sections - thickness may vary.

Next, dip the cheese round in flour, followed by egg and then coat with the bread crumbs.

(I would add some salt, pepper and a dried herb like parsley to the breadcrumbs for extra flavor.)

Next, heat a pan and pour in the olive oil once it is very hot.

Place the coated goat cheese round in the hot oil, frying for about a minute, or until the side is a light golden brown. Flip and repeat on the other side.

Ingredients for Caramelized Pecans

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup pecas

Start by melting the butter in a frying pan over low heat.

Add the brown sugar and pecans. Stir until evenly distributed. Spread out on wax paper to cool.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Ravioli

Package of wonton wrappers

1 beaten egg

2 lbs pre cut and cubed butternut squash

2 tbsp marscapone cheese

1 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 dash cayenne pepper

handful of sage leaves

olive oil

butter

salt and pepper

Toss the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast the butternut squash by placing in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and let cool.

To make the ravioli filling, combine the butternut squash, marscapone cheese, parmesan, salt, pepper

and cayenne - for a little kick - in a food processor.

Scoop a spoonful of the filling onto one wrapper.

Coat all four edges with the beaten egg and place another ravioli over it.

Using a fork, press down all edges to seal in the filling.

Lastly, drop the ravioli in boiling water and leave until it rises .... about 1 minute or so.

To finish, heat up some olive oil and butter in a pan, drop in the chopped sage to fry,

and add the ravioli. Cook on both sides until lightly browned.

Remove and serve with contents of pan. Lastly sprinkle with parmesan.

What My Husband Calls " The Best French Toast, Ever"

Even though it took us a while to get out of bed this morning, I still found the energy to whip up some homemade challah french toast for my husband. Using mini whole wheat challah rolls that I store in the refrigerator, I was able to make my husband what he calls "the best french toast, EVER!" (He actually did say that)

Ingredients:

challah roll, cut into slices

3 eggs

half and half

Aunt Jemima syrup

vanilla extract

cinnamon

butter

salt

Start by cracking three eggs into a baking dish.

Add a large splash of half and half (milk is fine too) and syrup, a small splash of vanilla extract,

and a pinch of salt and cinnamon. Whisk the ingredients together.

Next, cut your challah roll into slices and place them in the batter so they can soak it up.

Make sure to flip the pieces so both sides can absorb the mixture.

Melt about a tbsp of butter into a hot pan, then add the challah.

Cook each side on low for a couple minutes, frequently checking to make sure your breakfast isn't burnt.

Serve with some fruit (you'll need something healthy to counteract all that butter!)

Arborio Rice and Escarole Soup....A Family Affair

In between eating lunch and dinner out for Restaurant week, I found a couple of hours this afternoon to replicate a soup I had made in last week's class. Seeing as how my mom suggested I put the recipe (not just the picture) online, and my sister actually helped me make it, this soup truly is a family affair!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrot

1 tbsp butter

1 cup escarole

1/4 cup arborio rice

3 cups chicken stock

juice of half a lemon

salt and pepper

Start by making a mirepoix (the French for a combination of celery, onion, and carrots).

Next, add the butter and stir, allowing the fat to coat the vegetables. Cover and let the vegetables sweat for around 8 minutes.

Next, add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover the pot, and allow the mixture to cook until the rice is al dente.

Below is my handy sister-assistant, mixing the mirepoix!

Just before serving, stir in the escarole and lemon juice. Season more if needed.

Escarole

Lemon Juice

Serve and enjoy!