I love coconut. And, I make no apologies for using copious amounts in this recipe. And, lets not even mention the sweetened condensed milk. Granola bars are meant to be high calorie snacks to eat while hiking or participating in your sport of choice. So, if you’re just lounging around the house, think twice before eating half the tray. (You know who you are. Mmmhmmm… I’m talking to you, honey.)
Coconut Granola Bars
makes 1 10 x 15″ baking sheet
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups grated coconut (fresh or unsweetened)
1 cup dried currants (or cranberries)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup olive oil (choose a light and fruity one)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, finely ground
Combine dry ingredients thoroughly. Add wet ingredients and stir vigorously. Brush 10 x 15″ baking sheet (or jelly roll sheet) with melted butter or olive oil. Press mixture evenly over the baking sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Next to Florida mangoes (Edward, Gold Nugget, Haden, & Valencia Pride), Haitian “Madam Francis” mangoes top my list of favorites. For this recipe, just be sure to find the ripest mangoes available.
Mango Braised Pork
4-6 1″ thick slices of pork loin chops
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup Cento diced hot cherry peppers with a small amount of spicy vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2-3 large ripe mangos (peeled, chopped and pureed)
2 cups vegetable stock
salt, to taste
In a large dutch oven over moderate heat, sear each piece of pork loin on both sides until golden brown. Remove and set them aside.
Add a small splash of olive oil to the pot and saute onions until golden. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Then, add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir to remove golden bits from the pan. Cover the dutch oven and place it in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours, or until tender.
Serve with oven roasted potatoes, sweet peppers, and onions tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper.
Next time: I’ll try to remember to save enough cilantro to garnish my plates! Oh well…
Mr Stripey
Our garden was an expensive hobby last year. But, we did harvest some of the best tomatoes we’ve ever tasted. So, with hopes for even more success, we’re giving it another try.
Seeds & Seedlings: $75
Fresh Soil for Raised Beds: $70
New Plants for 2010:
2 Rosemary
2 Rhubarb
6 Sweet Banana Peppers
6 Hot Banana Peppers
6 Black Krim
2 French Lavender
plus more seedlings to plant… soon
(Easter Egg Radish Blend, Heirloom Rainbow Cherry Tomato Blend, Italian Red of Florence, Gourmet Beet Blend, Sugar Snap Peas, Florence Fennel, dill, Black Beauty zucchini, Moon & Star watermelon, Carnival Carrot Blend, Purple of Romagna Artichokes and a bucket load of basil seedlings)
Thriving since 2009:
2 Greek Oregano
1 blueberry bush
1 raspberry bush
several sprouts of chamomile ( I want more… they smell divine)
Thriving since 2005:
1 Brown Turkey Fig Tree
(biggest growth spurt to date in 2009)
Tomato Harvest 2009
I must find Mr Stripey
I have dozens of recipes for cornbread. But, this is my all-time favorite. It has a delicate kick of spice with hot diced cherry peppers, onions and black pepper. When I want some real heat, I add 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne.
Italian Cornbread
makes one 8×8 square
1 cup AP flour
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, finely ground
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon basil, powdered
1/2 cup corn kernels, (approx. 1 ear of corn)
1/4 cup Cento diced hot cherry peppers
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or 50/50 with sour cream)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jumbo egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all of the dry ingredients. Add corn and stir briefly. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. (Stirring as little as possible) Butter a 8×8 square baking dish and add the batter. Gently smooth the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
And, yes, trust me. This is great for breakfast with a fried egg or two.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1/4 granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp basil, powdered
1/2 cup corn kernels, (approx. 1 ear of corn)
1/4 cup Cento diced hot cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or sour cream)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jumbo eg
Technically, this is a conserve, or whole fruit jam. I made this very small batch with only the barest semblance of a recipe. The result was startlingly good. Having sampled a number of golden berry, or cape gooseberry, jams prior to this, my expectations were fairly low. But, given the incredible flavor of this simple recipe, I will be making this every time I see fresh golden berries at the market.
Golden Berry Jam
makes 1/2 cup
1 small basket of golden berries (cape gooseberries)
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 Tablespoons water
Peel and wash your berries. Then, slice each berry in half and place in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 2 Tablespoons of water. Place the berries over moderate heat. Simmer gently until the mixture achieves the consistency of a loose jam. Raise the heat and allow to boil vigorously until the desired consistency is achieved (2-3 minutes).
Serve with pancakes,toast, crepes or breakfast carb of choice.
This pasta dish won’t win any beauty contests. But, with a handful of finds in a near-empty fridge , the end result was surprisingly tasty. It’s a rather impromptu dish of baked ziti with pesto filling in for the red sauce. Due to the richness, we needed a very small serving for dinner.
Pesto Pasta Bake
makes one large casserole
1 lb whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente
1 large container whole milk ricotta
2 cups sour cream
1 cup pesto paste (see below)
6 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
Prepare paste (below). In a large bowl, combine pesto paste, ricotta, sour cream and 4 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano. As soon as the pasta is cooked al dente. Combine hot pasta with prepared sauce. Pour into a casserole dish and top with a mixture of bread crumbs and the remaining 2 oz. of Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes.
Serve small portions with one grilled chicken breast per person and a family style tomato salad.
Pesto Paste
makes approximately 1 cup
1 cup of tightly packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
olive oil, as needed
In a small food processor, grind leaves and pine nuts. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. Add just enough olive oil to make a thick paste.
The majority of the time spent preparing this dish goes into browning the pork belly and caramelizing the onions. However, you can make the most of this time by prepping the vegetables at the same time. Just be careful to keep an eye on the stove, burnt onions are useless. (and stinky)
Pea Soup with Crispy Pork Belly
makes 8-10 servings
10-12 thick slices of lean pork belly (4-5″ long slices)
2 large onions, diced
4-5 stalks of celery, sliced
5 carrots, sliced into rounds
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
5-6 cups vegetable stock
1 lb split peas, washed
splash red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon thyme, ground
1 teaspoon basil, ground
1/4 teaspoon clove, ground
1 bay leaf
3-4 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
In a large dutch oven over moderate heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and layer pork belly slices allowing sufficient space to properly brown the bacon. Brown bacon to a deep golden brown and set on paper to drain.
Discard all but 3-4 tablespoons of rendered bacon fat. Add diced onions to dutch oven and caramelize to a nice golden brown. Add garlic and saute for an additional minute. Then, add celery, carrots, vegetable stock, peas, a generous splash of red wine vinegar, bay leaf and spices. Add half of the reserved & browned pork belly(reserving the remainder to garnish). Stir briefly and cover dutch oven. Place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 – 3 hours. When peas and pork belly are tender add the parsley and stir to incorporate.
Garnish each bowl with one slice of crispy pork belly. (Leftovers don’t get a garnish.)
Next time:
I’ll be adding a fine chiffonade of fresh basil and a dollop of sour cream to the garnish.
Ya Pear (or Chinese White Pear)
I’m in love with these pears. While this white pear might not have the depth of flavor or smooth creaminess other pears offer, they have a number of desirable attributes. They have a crisp, yet tender, flesh that has very little of the fibrous unpleasantness of other pears. And, when I say crisp… I mean CRISP. The ultra-crispy interior creates a sound-effects style bite, but, the flesh almost melts under the gentle pressure of your teeth. The flavor defines the word fresh to perfection. It’s refreshingly light and delicate with the skin offering a tiny hint of tart bite. They’re perfect just as they are. But, they’d also be divine in sweet or savory salads. I love them.
Buford Highway Farmers Market
5600 Buford Highway NE
Atlanta, GA 30340
770 455 0770
With a taste reminiscent of upscale Hershey’s syrup, this wasn’t exactly my goal. But, the smooth consistency made lovely drizzles. This is a perfect chocolate sauce to use as a garnish. And, it makes a near-perfect chocolate milk, as an added bonus!
Chocolate Sauce
makes over 2 cups
1/4 cup unsweetened Special Dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup milk (use cream to make richer)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces good bittersweet chocolate,chopped <<<<<——-I used 4 oz.
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
In a double boiler, combine all ingredients except chocolate, vanilla extract and butter. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. When the mixture comes to a proper temperature to melt the chocolate, add the chocolate and stir gently. Before all the chocolate is melted, remove the mixture from the heat and add the vanilla extract and butter. Continue stirring off of the heat until the chocolate sauce is smooth and silky.
Use to garnish dessert plates, drizzle over ice cream or use 2-4 tablespoons of chocolate syrup to make chocolate milk.
(Approximately 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup to 1 cup of milk. Or more, if you like it extra dark and chocolatey.)
Another mostly healthy spice bar made with oatmeal. We really enjoyed the flavor. But, it is noticeably lean. (the texture of a crumbly, yet moist granola bar) A bit more fat would add flavor. If I were eating this as an indulgent treat, I’d add another 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
Honey Spice Bars
makes 20 squares
2 cups steel cut oats, freshly ground
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBSP corn starch
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 strips candied grapefruit peel, ground
2 large eggs
1/3 cup tupelo honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350.
( I grind the steel cut oats and candied grapefruit peel together.)
Combine dry ingredients and stir vigorously with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and stir briefly to combine. Pour batter into a buttered 8×8 inch square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
Let cool and dust with powdered sugar. Or, drizzle with the brandy glaze below.
Brandy Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 TBSP brandy
2-3 TBSP butter, melted
Combine sugar, brandy and melted butter. (Start by adding 2 TBSP of brandy and butter. Add more, if needed to create a smooth glaze to drizzle over baked squares.) Drizzle glaze over squares in a zig zag fashion.
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