food. according to me. » grains

Classic Granola

Janine — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:15:41 +0000

Though it's not quite Granola Weather yet, I decided to get a jump on refining my recipe for the cool fall mornings ahead. This recipe is based on one by the same name in America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. You're welcome to use 3 cups rolled oats instead of the triticale; it's just that I had some of the latter hanging around [because I like being able to say things
like, "Can you please fetch the triticale from the cupboard, Dear?"].

Unlike other granola recipes I've auditioned, this one calls for heating the oil, honey, and maple syrup before adding it to the dry goodies. Loosening up the sticky stuff made it very easy to distribute evenly.

Ingredients:

rolled oats	2 cups	thick, not instant
triticale	1 cup	or replace with more rolled oats
shredded coconut	½ cup
slivered almonds	½ cup	or consider cashews — yum!
sesame seeds	¼ cup
raw millet	¼ cup	I seriously cannot get enough of this stuff
sunflower seeds	¼ cup
vegetable oil	1/3 cup
maple syrup	¼ cup
honey	¼ cup
dried cherries	1 cup	or maybe raisins

Procedure:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325ºF.
Mix together oats, triticale, coconut, nuts, and seeds.
Combine oil, maple syrup, and honey in a small saucepan and heat until warm.
Pour liquid over oat mixture and toss to coat.
Spread granola in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake, stirring every five minutes, until the granola is light golden brown, about fifteen minutes. When it's ready, the granola will still look a bit "wet," but will smell quite toasty.
Stir in raisins or cherries.
Let granola cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container.

Delicious Molasses Bran Muffins

Janine — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:21:10 +0000

Just 'cause they're bran doesn't mean they aren't sort of incredibly delicious.
Yields 12 standard-sized muffins.

Ingredients:

white sugar	¼ cup
brown sugar	¼ cup
whole wheat flour	1 cup
wheat bran	2 cups
baking soda	1¼ teaspoon
raisins	1 cup	or bananas, blueberries, apples, walnuts – anything delicious!
milk	1 cup
orange juice	½ cup
vegetable oil	6 tablespoons
molasses	1 tablespoon	or honey, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
whole egg	1	at room temperature
egg white	1	at room temperature

Procedure:

Combine sugars, flour, bran, soda and raisins (or other delicious thing. If a wet thing, combine in step 2 instead.)
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, juice, oil, molasses (honey/vanilla) and eggs.
Combine wet and dry.
Portion into prepared muffin tins.
Bake @350º until set.

Gluten-Free Flax Bread

Janine — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:33:37 +0000

Not sure where to find whacky ingredients like xanthan gum? First, check the natural foods section of your local grocery. Then try Bob's Red Mill.

Ingredients:

flax meal	1 cup
garbanzo bean flour	¾ cup
tapioca starch	¼ cup
baking powder	1 tablespoon
xanthan gum	1½ teaspoons
sea seal	1 teaspoon
anise seeds	¼ teaspoon
olive oil	1 tablespoon
molasses	1 teaspoon
water	¾ cup
whole eggs	2	at room temperature
dried apricots	½ cup	roughly chopped, optional
sesame seeds	2 teaspoons	optional

Procedure:

Mix dry ingredients (first seven).
Whisk all wet ingredients together.
Mix wet ingredients into dry.
Beat for approximately thirty seconds to activate the xanthan gum.
Stir in dried apricots.
Drop dough onto nonstick baking sheet in four pieces.
Form dough into rounds with wet hands.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
Bake at 425º F until golden.
Remove from oven and let cool.

Breads will fall, but they are still tasty, especially toasted with jam.

Wild Rice with Spinach and Hazelnuts

Janine — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:27:40 +0000

The thing about wild rice is that it's really much better as a component in a rice "medley." I like to use equal parts long-grain brown rice and wild rice in this dish. You may do whatever you like. This dish isn't exactly efficient as it requires three different cooking vessels - but darned tasty.

Ingredients:

wild rice	½ cup
long-grain brown rice	½ cup
shallot	2 medium	minced – or a good-sized leek, or a small yellow onion
garlic	3 cloves	minced
fresh spinach	1½ cups	packed
hazelnuts		toasted and chopped
butter
kosher salt
black pepper		freshly ground

Procedure:

Rinse wild rice. Set a medium sized saucepan full of water to boil and cook rice until tender, 30-40 minutes.
In a separate pot, bring 1 cup water to boil and add brown rice. Cover, turn heat to low, and cook until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
If rices are cooked before you are ready to assemble the dish, take care to keep them moist and warm.
In a small sauté pan, heat butter with a little bit of olive oil.
Caramelize shallot, leek, or onion, then turn heat down slightly and add garlic. Cook a bit more, until the "bite" is dissipated.
Combine rices, the butter-and-onion mixture and raw spinach.
Cover and heat until spinach is wilted, just a few moments.
Sprinkle on hazelnuts and season to taste with pepper and salt.