Granola Bars

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Granola Bars

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

 

I wanted some granola bars that didn't taste like chocolate bars, and I'm so happy I found this recipe on SmittenKitchen. It tastes like hearty breakfast in a bar, and they leave me feeling much better about my morning snack! I pull them out of the freezer in the morning, and they're thawed by my 10am morning coffee/snack break.

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup sliced raw almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup agave nectar (if you can't find, use more honey)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cup dried fruit, I used chopped apricots, cranberries and raisins
• 1/3 cup small chocolate chips (chipettes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine oatmeal, coconut, almonds and wheat germ and pour onto baking sheet. Toast in oven, stirring periodically for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove and place in large bowl. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
3. While mixture is warm, stir in honey, agave nectar, vanilla bean paste and salt. Stir until well coated and then stir in dried fruit and chocolate chips.
4. Pour mixture into a 9x13" pan, greased and lined with parchment paper and press down as hard as you can, all over. I used a rubber spatula on its side to push with my fist. 
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool for 2-3 hours before removing from pan and cutting. I cut into bars and freeze in snack size bags!

Spinach Ravioli with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

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Spinach Ravioli with Brown Butter & Sage Sauce

Made by Guest Cook (My Dad)

 

My parents came over for dinner the other night, and brought with them about 30 of these little guys, ready to cook. He provided me with his ravioli recipe and then we whipped up this impossibly delicious brown butter sauce together (read: I helped with my taste testing skills).

Raviolis

• 1 package frozen spinach, thawed
• 5 gloves minced garlic, sauteed
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 500 grams ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 eggs
• a scape (or pinch) of nutmeg
• 3 egg pasta
• 2 1/4 cups AP flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Butter Sauce

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions: 

1. Make a well of measured flour and crack eggs into center. Break the yolks without disturbing the sides and add salt, olive oil and water.Whisk the eggs gently and incorporate some of the flour little by little. With your hands bring the flour from the outside of the well to the center and form a ball. If the ball is sticky, pick up with hands and mix further. Once dough feels soft and no longer sticky, knead for about 8-9 minutes until dough is smooth and shiny. Cover with tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
2. You can now roll out and create your raviolis. You may want to use a pasta machine to roll out your dough, or if you don't have one, use a rolling pin to roll out quite thin (1/8"). My dad used a press (which is why these look so annoyingly perfect) but since I don't have one, I general roll dough into long strips, lay one strip down, place tablespoons of filling(recipe to follow) about 2" apart, brush with an egg wash in a circle around filling and then top with second strip, trim and pinch to seal.
3. To create filling combine thawed frozen spinach, garlic, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs and nutmeg in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once raviolis are made (alternatively, you may decide to buy fresh raviolis- You can find them in the refrigerated pasta section of the grocery store) it's time to make the Brown Butter Sauce. Start by heating the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium high heat.
5. Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add raviolis and cook for 6-7 minutes if fresh, or according to the package if store-bought.
6. Watch & stir the butter carefully as it starts to foam and then subsides. At this point it should start browning. Add your sage now and continue to stir. Once the butter reaches a caramel color you want to remove from heat. You want it to be browned not burnt. Drizzle over raviolis and top with toasted pine nuts.
7. It seems like a lot of work, but you can make the raviolis in advance and freeze, allowing you to create this meal in about 10 minutes!

Cheddar & Dill Scones

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Cheddar & Dill Scones

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

 

Desperate to use some of my out-of-control Aerogarden dill, I sought out any recipe which would use it up and came across this little ditty. These are wonderful directly out of the oven with some butter, and the co-workers munched them up the next day with much praise!

• 4 cups plus 1 tablespoon AP flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 pound cold butter, diced
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1/2 pound extra-sharp old Cheddar, diced in small cubes
• 3/4 cup fresh chopped dill
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk, for egg wash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine 4 cups of flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and cut in butter until pieces are pea-sized.
3. Mix the cream and eggs and add to the flour/butter mixture. Combine until just blended.
4. Toss together cheese cubes, dill and 1 tablespoon of flour and add to dough. Toss until almost incorporated.
5. Turn out dough on floured surface and knead for 1 minute, until dill and cheese are incorporated. Roll out dough 3/4" thick, cut into 4x4" squares and cut diagonally into triangles.
6. Brush tops with egg wash and bake on parchment paper lined baking sheets for 20-25 minutes until outside is crispy and inside is fully baked.