Thick, Chewy Granola Bars

From http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/thick-chewy-granola-bars/ - 

This is probably the most flexible recipe I’ve posted. When it comes to granola, what you’re looking for is a basic proportion of chunky (nuts, dried fruit) to sticky (syrups, sugar, butter or oils) and from there, you can really go to town. The vanilla is optional. The cinnamon is optional. You can use no dried fruit or you can use all dried fruit in your 2 to 3 cup mix. You can toss in things like puffed rice cereal or flax seeds. In the comments, I’d love to hear what mix you came up with and how you liked it. I can only imagine the possibilities.
Of note: The original recipe calls for something called “sticky bun sugar” which can be made at home with sugar, butter and corn syrup. It is for this reason that corn syrup is listed within one ingredient but also separately, and I used all butter rather than two different fats. Whether the corn syrup can be entirely replaced with honey or maple syrup or the butter can be entirely replaced with a healthier oil is worth auditioning, I just didn’t. Yet. I can tell you this: as is, this is the best granola bar I’ve ever eaten.

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats (if gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oats)
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)
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 cups dried fruits and nuts (total of 10 to 15 ounces)*
1/3 cup peanut butter or another nut butter (I used almond butter) (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional, namely because I was not convinced that the flavor came through)
6 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey, maple syrup or corn syrup
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (see Note above)
1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8″ x 8″ x 2″ pan in one direction with parchment paper, allowing it to go up the opposing sides. Lightly grease the parchment paper and the exposed pan, or coat with a non-stick spray.
Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the vanilla, melted butter or oil, liquid sweeteners and water. Toss the wet ingredients with the dry (and peanut butter, if you’re using it) until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Spread in the prepared pan, pressing them in firmly to ensure they are molded to the shape of the pan. (A piece of plastic wrap can help with this, as you press down on the back of it.)

Bake the bars for 30 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown around the edges — don’t be afraid to get a little color on the tops too. They’ll still seem soft and almost underbaked when you press into the center of the pan but do not worry, they’ll set completely once completely cool.

Cool the bars in their pan completely on a cooling rack. (Alternately, after about 20 minutes you can use your parchment “sling” to lift and remove the bars, and place them in their paper on the rack to cool the rest of the way. This can speed the process up.)

Once cool, a serrated knife (or bench knife) to cut the bars into squares. [Updating to note, as many had crumbling issues:] If bars seem crumbly, chill the pan of them further in the fridge for 30 minutes which will fully set the “glue”, then cut them cold. To store, wrap the bars individually in plastic or stack them in an airtight container. In humid weather, it’s best to store bars in the refrigerator. They also freeze well.
*Suggestions: Dried cranberries, apricots, pecans, sunflower seeds, coconut, walnuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, dried pples or even chocolate chips. My mix: 1/2 cup wheat germ, 1 cup dried cherries, 1 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened coconut flakes. Because my pieces were all pretty coarse, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times to break it up a little, though this isn’t necessary if you don’t mind yours chunkier.

EASY homemade Mint chip ice cream

No raw eggs, no cooking, no complicated ingredients. Just YUM!

2 cups whole milk (or half and half if you prefer)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 ice cream maker

Pour the milk (or half and half) into a bowl and whisk in the sugar until well blended.

Gently whisk in the whipping cream and peppermint. Don't whisk the whipping cream too much or it will turn into weird butter stuff.

Take the canister of your ice cream maker out of the freezer, assemble and turn the maker on.

Pour the mixture into the canister as it's spinning.

While it's going, roughly chop up the chocolate chips.

After 15 or 20 minutes, pour the ice cream into a bigger bowl and stir in the chocolate chips.

Try to refrain from eating the whole thing so you can freeze overnight because it's even better the 2nd day.


*Note: You can also make cookies and cream ice cream with this recipe. Just substitute a teaspoon of vanilla instead of the peppermint and chop up a bunch of oreos instead of chocolate chips. Equally yummy!

The BEST Oatmeal cookies

1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
2 ½ cups rolled oats (not the quick kind)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter softened
¾ cup brown sugar (I prefer to use 1/2 cup)
¾ cup raw cane sugar (also called turbinado, can buy at trader joe's or other health food store. It really won't taste the same if it's not raw)
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 egg (for Max, Kristin subs 1/4 cup milk)
1 cup chocolate chips or craisins or whatever you want

Combine Dry ingredients

Cream butter and sugars together, add vanilla and egg

Mix in dry ingredients (if too dry, add a little milk) and chocolate chips

Make into round balls about the size of a golf ball or smaller

Bake @ 375 for 10-12 minutes

Leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to cooling rack

Blackened Tilapia Fish Tacos

1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

2 T fresh lime juice

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion

1 ripe chopped avocado

2 t brown sugar

1 t dried oregano

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t ground red pepper

4 tilapia fillets

1 T canola oil

8 whole wheat tortillas (or corn or flour, whatever you prefer)

4 lime wedges

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

2. Saute onion in butter until crisp-tender. Combine onion, avocado, and jalapeno sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Combine brown sugar and next 5 ingredients. Gently rub onto both sides of fish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork. Break into chunks.

4. Warm tortillas according to package instructions. Divide fish and onion mixture evenly among tortillas. Serve with lime wedges and ENJOY!

Serve with lime cilantro rice

General Tso's Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBSP canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBSP cornstarch
3 TBSP water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup vinegar (I used rice wine)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly grated ginger OR 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
red pepper flakes (optional)
4 green onions, sliced

Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Mix together flour and cayenne pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and cook over medium high heat in oil. While that is browning, combine sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Slowly whisk in water, soy sauce, pineapple juice and vinegar. Mix in garlic and ginger. Cook and stir over medium high heat until thick and bubbly. Add red pepper flakes to taste. Once chicken is cooked through (about 5-8 minutes) drain onto a paper towel. Place chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over. Gently toss to coat. Sprinkle with green onions and serve over rice.

Shrimp Tacos and Mango Salsa

• 1 lb shrimp
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• Salt/Pepper or lemon pepper to taste
  
• Tortillas
• Mango Salsa
• Cheddar cheese (if you want, I didn't use it)
  
  If using frozen shrimp, thaw it and and cut each piece in half (depending on size). Melt butter and stir in honey and seasoning. Heat honey butter in a pan until bubbly and then add shrimp to pan, stirring until shrimp is cooked through (won't take long).
  
  Mango Salsa
  
  2 Mangoes, chopped
  1/2 Cup red onion, diced
  2 Tablespoons Cilantro
  1 teaspoon brown sugar
  1/2 lime's juice (about 1/8th cup)
  1/8 teaspoon chili powder (I didn't have this so I added paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne to taste) 

I also served them with mango rice and black beans.

For the rice, I used about 1 1/2 cups brown rice, 1 can coconut milk, 1 diced mango, 1+ cup water, and some sugar. 

Quinoa...Dip?

JJ threw this together the other day for dinner, but there are endless possibilities. 

1.5 cups dry quinoa, cooked
1/4-1/2 chopped onion (we used raw onion)
1 apple, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes (we used olive oil and garlic tomatoes, you could also use fresh tomatoes, which we didn't have)
some form of meat (the first time we used leftover steak and the second time we used leftover sausage)

The second time I made it I also added avocado and shredded cheddar.  You could also add olive oil, garlic, spinach, chicken, nuts, sauteed onions, and a variety of other things. 

chips (if you want to eat it as a dip...which we did)

After the quinoa is cooked just mix it all together!

Baked Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt the butter with the garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir the breadcrumbs together with the Parmesan cheese, thyme, basil, oregano, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Dip the chicken breasts in the butter, then press into the seasoned bread crumbs. Place the chicken into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 50 to 55 minutes.

I used panko bread crumbs, which were so good, and didn't have fresh thyme or oregano so I used the dried versions.  I also poured the remaining garlic butter in with the chicken.  Delicious and super easy to alter!

Healthy "Ice cream"

Wait until you have banana's that are about to go bad. Very spotted and black. Peel them, dice them into chunks and freeze them. Then blend them in a food processor until it looks creamy! I "dice" first and then "grind" until it looks like ice cream. And I LOVE ice cream, so this is an awesome treat for me and Claire that I don't feel guilty about. You have to eat it right away, because once it starts to melt a little, it gets sticky and gooey.

Feed your kids ice cream for breakfast, they'll never know!

In the 1st pic, I added fresh strawberries.
In the 2nd pic, I chopped up some chocolate chips, and added a little bit of cocoa.
In the 3rd pic, I threw some frozen blueberries in.

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/01/mini-series-with-our-best-bites-healthy.html

Maple Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple flavor

In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over medium heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and maple flavoring. Tastes best after the first day. Refrigerate, fits perfect in an old maple syrup jar.

This also works great with just white sugar and orange extract, though you need to add more than 1/2 tsp. I'm sure you could use it with any flavor to make great syrup!

Sheperd's Pie

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 carrots, chopped (I used a bag of baby carrots)
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• frozen veggies (corn, peas, carrots etc)
• seasoning for the beef (I used salt, pepper, garlic, and an all purpose season)
  

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes (I cooked the potatoes and carrots together, and took the potatoes out first with a slotted spoon and let the carrots continue boiling) and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese (I added a little milk and more butter). Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef, season and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, add an frozen vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes.
   
4. Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Kristin- I think your kids would like this

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shepherds-Pie-VI/Detail.aspx

Chicken Carbonara

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
olive oil
1 lb bacon, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 eggs
3/4-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2-1 lb cooked, cooked diced chicken (I have no idea how much I use, I just fill the pan)
1-2 cups cooked peas
salt and black pepper to taste
extra parmesan for table

Directions:
Cook chicken with salt and pepper, dice.
Cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels (I cooked, then chopped). Reserve bacon fat; add olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more.
Beat eggs very well, add parmesan cheese to eggs.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Add frozen peas when pasta is done cooking (or you can just cook them separately, this just makes it easier). Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and add the chicken, bacon, onions; toss well.
Add the egg mixture and (optional) heat on the stove while tossing constantly until eggs are slightly set (I don't heat it up since the pasta is hot when I add everything).

Delicious!

Adapted from here

Chicken Enchiladas

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 1/2 cups Chicken, shredded or chopped (we just get one of those already cooked whole chickens from the deli and chop it up)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4.5 oz) can of chopped green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) Cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
8-10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
2 (8 oz) packages of shredded cheese, Mexican blend
1 pint whipping cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Add green chilies; sauté 1 minute 1 minute. Stir in cream cheese, cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Add chicken and stir until mixed well.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, add some cheese. Roll up tortillas and place, seam down, in a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with more cheese and drizzle whippng cream.

Bake for 45 min or until cheese melts

Yeah, these are low fat ;) but super delicious. Oh, I'm pretty sure tripp adds some garlic too. I like the mixture stuff to just dip tortilla chips in too, you could probably put it all in a crock pot and use as a dip at a party or something...ummm, good idea!




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Baked Chicken Bacon Alfredo

8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta

1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (1 16-oz. jar would work in a pinch)

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 c. chopped chicken)

6 oz. (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped

1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped ( don't use the whole jar)

1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce (below). When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.

Transfer mixture to an 8x8" baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.




Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.

Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh...butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don't want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it's nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

8 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking cocoa
4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

In a saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until the marshmallows are melted, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Ladle into mugs.