Matt's Munchies - Ginger Spice Granola

Ugh. Ok guys, I gotta admit I'm really slacking here. After hearing so many wonderful (and much appreciated) compliments on my little blog here last weekend, I feel like I owe you more. But ya know how it goes...work and stuff. Harry Potter happened and Jags wanted to go swimming. Had to get my glasses fixed, had to sleep forever on Saturday, etc, etc. I haven't even been going to the gym lately! GOD, who am I even? I promise I will go this week. I promise I will go this week. I promise.... blah. (I need some new gym tunes! Send me some shit!)


But all that aside, let's get back down to it shall we? Oh. thank. god. Time to talk about food again. Recently a friend of mine approached me to create a recipe for his line of fruit leathers, which I am actually totally obsessed with, so naturally I was pretty excited about all of this.

Serving suggestion!
(For vegan friendly, use almond milk! Vanilla? Yumm)

Fruit leather. Hmm. Because I mean, even I gotta admit it doesn't sound like it's going to taste all that great. Or at least the consistency should be awful. Right? Leather? But honestly I. LOVE. THIS. STUFF. Self described, Matt's Munchies, "are pure and natural Fruit Leathers in 9 palate pleasing flavors, all less then 100 calories per one ounce serving," (Ok, it should read "than", but I'll let that slide. God, I have issues.) and they aren't kidding. Check out their site for specifics, but they are gluten-free, vegan, and organic. They never contain more than like 4 ingredients (most have just 1 or 2) and are all fruit based (either banana or mango are used as a base - even for the apple flavors!). 


But most importantly, do they taste good? Fuck. YEA. they do! Island Mango is my fave (Matt gave me one to consider for a recipe, but I ate it instead. Oops.) then Ginger Spice (who also happened to be my favorite Spice Girl). Plus, how can you not support something that uses as many exclamation marks on it's packaging as Matt's Munchies? (I'm actually serious about that.)


This recipe was made with the Ginger Spice flavor (because, like I said, I ate the Island Mango flavor). I tried my best to stay true to the healthy and all natural snack that is Matt's Munchies. Oooh!! And I learned something! Oats can be totally gluten-free! The gluten-free varieties will be marked on the package, because they are not always grown gluten-free due to cross pollination issues. 


So this granola is gluten-free, vegan and all natural as well. It can be a snack, it can be your breakfast. I don't have to tell you how to eat your granola, now do I? (Ok, I will give you one suggestion and then I promise to stop being bossy. Toss some apple slices in some cinnamon and sugar. Nuke them for a few minutes or so, until they are soft and look a little like pie filling. Top with this granola and a little vanilla yogurt.)


Oh yea, and thanks to Alton Brown for providing the inspiration for this recipe. I love him. That's really all there is to say.


Soundtrack: Aloe Blacc 


Ginger Spice Granola


3 c. gluten-free rolled oats
1 c. almonds, chopped
1 c. walnuts, chopped
3/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp molasses
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp salt
2-3 packages Matt's Munchies, Ginger Spice Flavor (honestly I used 2 and it was great, but I
could have used another!)


Preheat oven to 250.


Start by measuring the oats, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir until totally combined.


In another bowl, whisk together the molasses, syrup, oil, vanilla and salt until fully combined. 


Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir to coat. Coat 2 sheet pans with parchment paper (or use cooking spray). Spread the granola mixture evenly over the sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to get an even toast.


Meanwhile, begin chopping the fruit leathers. Fruit leather can be a sticky product, (I made this on pretty hot day, no AC.) but in this case the freezer will be your friend. Simply stick the fruit leathers in the freezer for a few minutes and then chop into raisin-sized pieces. It might ball up a little, that's fine. Store the chopped pieces in the freezer while you chop. This way they will be easy to separate once you are ready to add them to the granola.


After 1 hour, remove the sheet pans from the oven. Move granola to a large bowl and stir in the pieces of fruit leather, separating as you add them. Do not wait for the granola to cool, do this as 
soon as possible.

Horse food?

Feeling nutty!

The dry stuff

Liquids. It's literally impossible to store molasses
without the container being sticky. Impossible.

Left-handed photography, not bad!

Pre-toast

Little pieces of fruit leather - it's not going to look perfect.

Slainte! (Toasted... c'mon people!)

Tofu, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

You know what's tricky?? Showing off a delicious burrito!

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome myself back from my mini-vacation, aka the good life. Oh hey reality, nice to see you again. You sorta suck. Not completely, but comparatively speaking you just can't hang. With your responsibility. And your schedules. I'm not getting any younger people! Reality, you're just sucking the life outta me here!


But let's just all calm down for a moment and focus on burritos. Because they can take away our lives, but they will never take our freedom.... to eat burritos.


Aaaaathankyou, aaaathankyou, aaaathankyou.


Let me admit here first that I rarely ever cook with tofu unless I'm throwing it in a stir fry. It's just one of those foods that is for some reason perplexing to me. I can't take it out of it's element without feeling slightly uncomfortable myself. It's the texture. I'm terrified of the texture (eee-aaa-eee-ooo). Something about this recipe works though. It's mush, but in all the right ways. Spicy, yet flavorful mush. With a slight crisp of corn and fresh lettuce.


Soundtrack: Four Tet (Saw this guy this weekend and it was fan-friggin-tastic)

Tofu, Black Bean & Corn Burritos
Serves: 3-4


1 clove garlic, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into large strips
1 medium onion, wedged into eighths
splash of chicken stock (or vegetable!)
1 package extra-firm tofu, pressed for 20 minutes and cut into small pieces
1 c. sweet corn, cut from the cob (preferred!) or canned
1 c. black beans
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp chipotle seasoning
3 tbsp hot salsa
EVOO
Salt & Pepper
3-4 flour tortillas
cheddar cheese
romaine lettuce, chopped


Drizzle EVOO in a medium saute pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and toast until it begins to brown. Add onions and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper, and saute until cooked (about 7-10 minutes). Remove to a bowl and cover.


Splash chicken stock into the saute pan to wet the bottom. Add tofu, beans, and corn. Cook in stock for 1 minute. Season with coriander, chipotle, chili powder, salsa, and salt & pepper. Cook about another 5 minutes until heated throughout.


Meanwhile, heat tortillas in a fry pan until warmed. Into each tortilla, scoop a healthy amount of tofu, corn & beans. Top with sauteed onions and peppers, cheese and lettuce. Wrap into a burrito and serve!

Saute stuff!

Filling!

All wrapped up and ready to go!

Eek! My insides!

(Mine fell all apart... eyes to big for my tortilla)

Chipotle Mango & Zucchini Bread

That's right. I said chipotle. Just a little, don't get any crazy ideas here. Just a tang.

Looks so innocent and sweet, but don't let that fool you!

Long weekends are aaaa-mazing aren't they? It's Sunday today, but no Monday blues tomorrow! The thing about Philadelphia 4th of July weekend, is that it's deserted. Not desserted, that would be awesome, but deserted. Everyone's gone "down the shore." It's sort of nice, the peace and quiet. Until Monday when the hoards will come in from the suburbs and descend upon the Art Museum area for the fireworks and live music (Just reminded myself of this movie trailer, 1:00 minute in lol). But for now, I feel like I'm alone in the big city! Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration; there are certainly people around, but you catch my drift. This has been one much needed long weekend of relaxation. And I'm certainly going to need it considering my plans for next weekend. (No sleep 'til Brooklyn, people.)

Btw, I'm still thinking about a desserted Philadelphia and wishing I was better at Photoshop. I would put donuts around the sky scrapers, a giant Franklin Fountain ice cream sundae atop the state building, William Penn on city hall would be holding a birthday cake (for America obvs)... etc.etc.etc. All in good ole' red, white and blue. It's the thought that counts sometimes.

Anyway, this bread is NOT one of those "thought that counts" instances. It's delic. It's a great summer bread; Florida mangoes are in season (making them cheaper!) and zucchini is coming out of the garden (or you can definitely find some locally grown very easily!). The bread is moist and flavorful; the chipotle adds just a tiny zip to make things interesting.

The recipe was derived from the basic Sweet Zucchini Bread from The Joy of Cooking. Subbed half the oil for some yogurt to cut the fat (I also just think it makes for a moister bread), subbed in some wheat flour, and added some cut up mango and chipotle seasoning.

Soundtrack: Old Crow Medicine Show (ROCK ME MAMMA LIKE A WAGON WHEEELL. No question, it's going to be stuck in my head all day.)

Chipotle Mango & Zucchini Bread 

Makes 1-9x5 loaf

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground chipotle seasoning

2 large eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. vegetable oil

2 tbs plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups finely chopped zucchini, squeezed of excess water (interesting process)

1 large mango, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x5 loaf pan; set aside. Combine in a medium sized bowl the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and chipotle with a whisk; set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the eggs. Add in the sugar, oil, yogurt, vanilla and salt. Continue to beat until blended. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Add zucchini and mango, and using as few strokes as possible, stir these into the mixture.

Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes. The bread will pull away from the sides when done. Don't try the toothpick trick, you might still get some stuff on it, as it's a very moist bread!

Chopping, using my immersion blender attachment

Cutting mangoes is really very pretty, huh?

The dry stuff

GOD I LOVE THIS THING! hehehe

Mixin' it together

Stir in chopped zucchini

Mint Iced Tea

For about 3 years of my young life, I lived in Atlanta, GA. Something around middle school to freshman year of high school. Living in that locale in contrast to the Northeast, a person is bound to notice endearing little cultural differences fairly often. As I typed out the title of this post, one particular thing popped into my head: the meaning of the word "tea." Tea in GA (and I can only assume the rest of the south) is served iced and sweetened. And LAAAWWDD, is it sweetened. Tea to me, should be hot. Iced tea, is not. 

Looks refreshing huh?

The best part of differences like this, is always the instance in which you figure out the disparity. I actually have a pretty vivid memory of my mom ordering tea in a restaurant and being served a sweetened iced tea for the first time. Weird how I can remember that, yet so many more useful things just seem to go right out the window (the one pictured above, of course).

This tea is made from Lipton tea bags, which cost like what? A dollar for 1 million? Fresh mint (which, if you planted any this year, you probably are like me and have more than you know what to do with!), 1 lemon, and a couple tablespoons of sugar (for good measure!). So it's cheap, and it's really fan-freakin-tastic!

This dude knows what's up!
Except he's a bird so he's also evil, watch out.

And it's homemade. And you can impress anyone that comes over with your delicious homemade iced tea!!

Soundtrack: Amazing Baby - Rewild (It only felt appropriate after the last post's soundtrack)


Mint Iced Tea (Serves 8)


6 Lipton tea bags
water (a little more than 2 quarts (so you can boil it) then 4 cups cold)
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp sugar
A few sprigs of fresh mint


To start you will need 2 quarts of boiling water. (I boiled the water with some extra in a kettle, then measured out the 2 quarts into a saucepan, using another saucepan. It was pretty resourceful and awesome.) Steep 6 tea bags in water, covered, for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the mint leaves from the stems and set aside. 


Remove the tea bags and whisk in the sugar and lemon juice. Pour into a container and add 4 cups of cold water. Stir in the mint leaves. Chill until cold!

Oooh, how artistic of me?

If you are a pot, just don't call this kettle black

Steeping and measuring

Whisking!

Sweet and Sour, oh, the contrast!

Just chill, yo!

Fetta-zuc-chini Alfredo with Chicken and Kalamatas

Fetta-zuc-chini? I made it up! I'm afraid to google it though, in case that proves otherwise. God, I hope it's not copyrighted. It's my word. Thanks. Zucchini takes on a whole new role (a window into editing, originally typed roll) in this dish, as a mock pasta! I've been thinking about trying this for months (after my favorite Top Chef did the same). My first failed attempt became this dish (not enough zucchini) and I gotta say, try #2 was pretty impressive! 

Fetta-zuch-ini! Can I say it enough?

I've been feeling pretty stressed at work lately, so this week I've been trying to focus on the little things in life that make me smile. If it's cool with you, I'd like to share my list. And maybe it will bring a smile to your face as well! And then I promise we will get back to food. (But some of these things are food, so it's totally relevant.)


Little things that happened this week that make me happy:

• Fetta-zuc-chini!
• Dresses with pockets
• Chocolate chips that are stuck together butt to butt (the flat side is the butt, in case that's not obvious to you)
• This little bun and the person it always reminds me of
• Iced coffee, in a cup with a straw
• Free Kindle books (reading The Secret Garden right now; A Tale of Two Cities which I've been trying to reread for years is next!)
• Olive bars
• Watching little kids do weird things and then picturing them as adults doing the same things and thinking about how weird that would be
• The mini garden gnomes I stuck in some of the pots on my rooftop "garden"
• The actual flowers in the aforementioned garden
• Wedge heels, because they are possible for me to walk in
• Clean bedrooms
• Lime green grocery totes
• Opening a new eyeliner
• This little boy (I love when his face gets itchy)
• And then, when all else fails, beer!

So, now that we are all good and happy, let's talk healthy Alfredo. I didn't use butter or heavy cream, so I'm not sure you can really call the sauce an "Alfredo." I used a technique similar to what I use to make macaroni and cheese, and whisked flour and milk into a little chicken stock, allowed it to thicken, and then stirred in the cheese. The sauce comes out thick enough to rival a classic Alfredo. This time around I cooked the zucchini IN the sauce, next time I won't do that. By cooking the vegetable in the sauce I added a lot of water and thinned it out. So I will instruct you to do it that way and that is why. Do as I say, not as I do! Also, I will add olives to anything. You can leave them out and it won't take anything away from the dish. But let's get started! You seem hungry.


Soundtrack: American Babies


Fetta-zuc-hinni Alfredo with Chicken and Kalamatas
Total Time: 30 minutes Serves: 2 (or double for 4!)


2 chicken breasts, cleaned and cut into slightly-larger-than-bite-sized pieces (scientific, I know)
3 medium zucchini
1/2 c. chicken stock, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. 2% milk

1/2 c. grated (freshly if possible!) Parmesan cheese (or similar), plus more to sprinkle
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
about 10 kalamata olives, halved
cooking spray
salt and pepper


Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Spray saute pan with a layer of cooking spray and add chicken. Cook through, until no pink remains.


Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat 1/4 c. of chicken stock over medium heat. Add zucchini, lightly season with salt and pepper and cook just until it begins to soften, tossing often with tongs. This will take about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.


Once chicken is finished, move to a bowl and cover. In the same saute pan, heat the remaining 1/4 c. of chicken stock and add garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the milk and flour, making sure to eliminate any lumps. Add milk to chicken stock and stir until combined. Bring mixture to a boil, using a rubber spatula to scrap the bottom to avoid burning. Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and simmer until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Add cheese and stir until incorporated. Remove from heat.


Using tongs, move zucchini to the saute pan, making sure to leave behind any liquid in the frying pan. Add chicken and olives and toss. Serve!

Little pieces of chicken.. creative caption huh?

Technique demo - cutting the zucchini into ribbons. Or pasta!

Must be hot in there!

Sauce ingredients... man I suck at this part tonight.

Look at you, all healthy and stuff...

Raspberry Sweet Potato Muffins

Let's just be honest with ourselves for a minute. Most muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. That's right. I said it. Because, let's just consider the difference between muffins and cake for a minute: ....wait... does anyone know what it is? I would expect that cupcakes should be sweeter and lighter, while muffins are slightly denser and fruity. But who here has never had a chocolate chip muffin? Strawberry cupcake? Certainly a cupcake will always have frosting right? Wrong. C'monnnn!.

Breakfast anyone?

But, all that confusion aside, this recipe makes it easy to say with certainty, "I am eating a muffin, not a personal cake for breakfast." Because these muffins are actually healthy and a great way to start the day. Promise! (PS I can't say muffin this many times and keep a straight face, thanks to this video right here). They are made with healthy grains (oat bran and wheat flour) and plain yogurt. The raspberries and sweet potato are great antioxidants and have many other great health benefits as well.

PS again, that Photoshop program I downloaded about 6 months ago... finally learning to use it! Go me! Go me! I've really recently been realizing that my camera just doesn't do some things justice, so my plan is to just learn to retouch the colors, do some background work, etc and really make you guys drool! And, if that means I can make sure I look great in every picture I have of myself, then so be it! That's a side effect I am just willing to live with. Check out my first attempt here:

Radioactive muffins! Eat one, and you could become.... THIS!
In which case, I'll have six!

So, for example, doesn't this look amazing:

Relax, your screen isn't growing raspberries

So, great things to come I promise! Like I said, it's only getting better from here, people!

And so, we are back to muffins. Let's get baking! This recipe was adapted from an original I found here, which also happens to be amazing (I like to add craisins to these). So give it a try as well! Maybe in the fall...

Soundtrack: Yacht - Shangri-La (interesting, I know)

Raspberry Sweet Potato Muffins 

Makes approximately 20 small muffins.

3/4 c oat bran
3/4 c whole wheat flour

2/3 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 c. sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

2/3 c plain Greek yogurt

3 tbs vegetable oil

3/4 c fresh whole raspberries 

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare 20 muffin cups in trays and spray the bottoms with cooking spray.

Combine oat bran, wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Combine sweet potatoes, eggs, oil and yogurt in a large bowl, using a whisk. (This will look really gross for quite some time. I'm sorry - tough it out.) Using a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a batter is formed. Add in the raspberries, crushing them with the spatula as you stir.

Spoon 1/4 c of batter into each cup. Bake for 20-25 mins or until done (check with a toothpick!).

You will need to boil/mash a potato about this size!

I warned you... this part is gross!

Ok, I actually did this the opposite way that I instructed you.
I don't lead by example.

Batter up!

PS, I love this picture and had to share. From Cakespy