portable granola.

I love granola. seriously, I do. I like them plain, with nuts, with fruit, on yogurt, in bread...you name it, I like 'em with, it, on it, and made from it. I remember a few years back, I went out on a granola binge and for days on end granola would be the only thing that people would see me eating. I had six or seven boxes at any given time and they would all be gone in a couple of weeks. that's not even including the bars i kept everywhere. yeah..it was bad.

but for all that granola loving that I did, I never once made my own granola or granola bar. which is weird, considering it's relatively easy to make. so I decided to make some bars. I decided on this recipe since the pictures looked so damn good. I love them chewy granolas! I made some substitutions based on what i had on hand and the resulting granola bars weren't as chewy as i'd hoped. but! they were good none the less and came out having a strong peanut-butter taste. next time, i'm gonna follow the recipe and see what they're supposed to taste like. :) here's the original recipe:

Thick and Chewy Granola Breakfast Bars
(from Smells Like Home)

1 2/3 cups oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned)
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (use more for a sweetness akin to most purchased bars; use less for a mildly sweet bar; omit altogether if your add-ins are super sweet)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
2 tbsp finely ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, coconut, seeds, etc. (total of 10 to 15 ounces)
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (optional but recommended)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons corn syrup (light or Lyle’s Golden)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper leaving the ends of the paper to hang up and over the two opposite sides of the pan. Lightly grease the paper and the exposed sides of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir the oats, sugar (if using), oat flour, flax, salt, cinnamon, and your dry add-ins together. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the peanut butter, vanilla, butter, honey/maple syrup, and corn syrup together until will combined and smooth. Immediately pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and with a rubber spatula, mix everything together until the oats are well-coated and sort of crumbly.

3. Transfer the granola mixture to the pan, pressing it down firmly and evenly into the pan. Make sure the granola is tucked into the corners and sits tightly up against the sides of the pan – this will help when cutting them. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is nicely browned. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes then transfer the uncut bars on the parchment paper from the pan to the rack to cool completely. Once they’ve cooled, transfer them to the fridge to set up well before cutting. Cut into 2-inch square pieces.

EDIT: found another good recipe that's somewhat similar to this one but a little less peanut buttery. tried this recipe and it was killer! gotta make more...!

moroccan heat.

in the past few weeks, my sister has been moving in with me and the best friend. and just like our previous sixteen years of life together, we were once again sharing a room. it's crazy how much one person accumulates things that make up their surroundings. a candle dish here, a couple chairs there...pretty soon we realized that with already two people's worth of stuff in the apartment, her things was *not* going to fit.

the solution?

well, we had to get rid of a lot of things. it was a very hard lesson of letting go and deciding which was garbage and which ones were definite keepers. and coincidentally, this exercise of "letting go" was also an existential metaphor for dealing with her recent break-up. and with that meant time in the kitchen to push back some memories and make some new ones that were just a tad less painful.

my sister can sometimes be very delicate when it comes to matters of the heart. but food, especially ethnic food, could always bring up her spirits when she's in a slump. since we had an excess of shrimp from both of our houses combined, we scoured the internet for something "exotic" to make that didn't stray from our existing pantry items. we found two winners...a recipe for shrimp and something to make with barley. the result? sweet and spicy moroccan shrimp with savoury spiced barley and brussels sprouts salad.

Tip: Make the salad first then shrimp to prevent the seafood from overcooking.

 

Sweet and Spicy Moroccan Shrimp
(from A Teaspoon of Happiness)

1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
1 1/2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp oil

1. Mix seasonings and flour together in a small bowl.

2. Toss the mixture with the shrimp until evenly coated. (i added a little bit more olive oil here to thin out the paste the spices made with the shrimp)

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Add the shrimp to the pan and fry until thoroughly cooked - turning occasionally (shrimp should be completely pink).

 

Savoury Spiced Barley and Brussels Sprouts Salad
(adapted from MiNDFOOD)

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch saffron threads
1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/4 - 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups barley
3 cups chicken stock

1 lbs Brussels sprouts, halved

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, thickly sliced
1/2 cup oil cured olives

1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
2 spring onions, sliced

Combine spices and set aside. Reserve 1/2 cup of stock to the side then cook barley according to package directions using the rest of chicken stock. Meanwhile, in a separate pot, steam Brussels sprouts in the reserved stock in medium heat until the pot is almost dry. Add the olive oil and onion and cook until the onion is slightly translucent. Add the spice mix and the olives and sauté until fragrant. Add the cooked barley and cook additional 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and spring onions, tossing to mix. Serve warm or hot topped with the sweet and spicy morocco shrimp and a small drizzle of olive oil.