Homemade Granola!

This is our stand-by breakfast; homemade granola over some homemade Greek yogurt, delicious! There's really not much to making it at home, but after a recent house guest tried it and demanded the recipe, I thought I'd post it.


Homemade Granola!

Equipment: large bowl, mixing spatula, jelly roll sheet, parchment or silicone liner

Ingredients:

• 4 c. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. wheat germ
• 1/2 c. favorite dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots are our favorites)
• 1/2 c. nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc..., chopped)
• 1/4 c. sugar (I usually use brown or raw)
• 1/4-1/3 c. oil (I've used olive, vegetable or canola with success)
• 2 Tbsp. honey (can replace with maple syrup or agave syrup, but honey makes the best granola clusters)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
• 1-1/2 tsp. sea salt
• spices of your liking (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc...)

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 275 and prepare jelly roll pan with parchment or silicone liner
• Mix all ingredients together, start with just 1/4 c. oil and add more if mixture looks dry, the oil helps it crisp up when baking.
• Lay mixture out in a flat even layer on pan
• Bake 25 minutes, pull out, stir ingredients around and spread back out in an even layer, bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until crispy.

 A great way to start the day!


XO, Debbie

Buckwheat crepes (galettes)

Buckwheat crepes, very common in France, are a nice alternative to a white flour crepe. Here's my version.

Buckwheat Crepes

Equipment: Spatula, a good non-stick pan (non-stick optional, can use additional butter), large mixing bowl, whisk, measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 additional Tbsp. butter if using a not-non-stick pan

Directions:

• Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
• Add milk, buttermilk and 1/2 cup of the water
• Add in eggs, one at a time, whisk to incorporate
• Add melted butter and whisk until smooth, should be the consistency of pancake batter without lumps, if it's too thick, add more of the water.
• Place in fridge for at least an hour before using.
• Check consistency (should be runny enough to swirl), add a bit more water if needed.
• Heat pan on medium until a drop of water dropped on surface instantly steams and evaporates.
• If not using a non-stick, drop a small drop of butter in pan and swirl.
• Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, drop a cup of batter in pan and immediately pick it up and swirl it around to form a thin coat on bottom of pan.
• When small bubbles have formed and the edges begin to curl up, flip it over and place fillings on it, then fold into burrito shape or square, let cook a few more moments and remove onto plate.

These are so good. This morning we indulged with a filling of homemade mozzarella and sauteed pears, then topped them with some cinnamon whipped cream. Also packed them for school lunches filled with spinach and fontina cheese.

XO, Debbie

crepes

Crepes! They're what's for dinner! (and lunch. and dessert. and yes, even You, breakfast.)

                            spinach, feta and ricotta stuffed crepe
                                         

I love the versatility of crepes. Often I'll start up a batch with no dinner direction whatever and by the time the batter's done I've got a meal plan. The batter can be saved for an easy breakfast and the individual crepes can also be wrapped and saved. A good make-ahead item. But we usually use any leftovers for dessert!

                            candied ginger ice cream in baked crepe cone




Fool-proof crepes

*makes 6-7 crepes

Equipment: mixing bowl, whisk, lightly oiled or *non-stick pan, spatula


Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. melted butter
• real vanilla extract or paste, if making sweet crepes, omit for savory crepes
• fillings of your choice

Directions:

• In large mixing bowl, whisk flour and eggs. Add in milk and water drop by drop as whisking. Add salt and butter. Whisk until smooth and silky, with no lumps. 
• Heat skillet on medium, using 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop crepe mix into pan and immediately (this is the most important step) lift up pan handle and swirl your crepe mix around until it evenly coats bottom of pan (this recipe was made using a 10 inch skillet. If yours is larger, use more crepe batter, smaller, use less). There are crepe spreaders available for purchase but I find them largely unnecessary.
• Cook about 1 minute on each side, flipping when edges are crisp. lift from pan using a narrow spatula, first loosening edges, then slipping it under and flipping in one swift movement. A light browning indicated doneness, you may continue flipping if your crepe seems too moist. 

*note about non-stick pans: If I could go into each one of your homes and personally remove them from your cooking arsenal myself, I would. Most people don't understand the importance of getting rid of them once they begin to chip and peel and are then ingesting all of those toxic ingredients. Not to mention the environmental consequences. If you love your non-stick, though, I recommend getting a Scanpan. They're non-petroleum based, the non-stick elements are cooked into the pan, not sprayed on; so they won't chip, you can use metal utensils on them, and their non-stick claim: totally. true.

XO, Debbie