Gourmet Granola

Maple-Pecan Granola

February was 'Snowpocalypse in Seattle' - this happens once in a few decades and everything just shuts down. Freeways become a parking lot and all the grocery stores are striped bare. We were lucky to have a stocked pantry, plenty of gas and all the family safe at home.

During the grocery stockpiling, I had brought home a new variety of almond granola from Trader Joe's that turned out to be really delicious. Well, it got devoured with 15 minutes and we all wanted  more. So, we googled and read a bunch of recipes and started experimenting. Being cooped up during the snowmageddon has its benefits - we learned to make granola at home and there is no way we will ever buy it from a store again!

Here is the link that inspired us to try different variations on our granola - 

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-granola-without-a-recipe-article

Maple-Pecan Granola
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups flaxmeal
Salt to taste
1/3 cup avocado oil
2/3 cup maple syrup

Almond Butter-Coconut Granola
3 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut (dry and unsweetened)
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup almond meal
Salt to taste
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup almond butter (untoasted and unsalted)
1 cup black raisins (optional)

Vanilla Blueberry Granola
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup almond meal
1 cup flaxmeal

Salt to taste

1/2 cup avocado oil

3/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup dried blueberries

(I used the Wild Blueberry Mix from Trader Joe's)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 250 deg. Take a large cookie sheet with a short edge (or a jelly roll pan) and line it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (no dry fruits at this time). In a saucepan, mix the wet ingredients and warm slightly (on a stove or in microwave). Whisk the wet ingredients to mix well and add to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula to coat the ingredients thoroughly.

Vanilla Blueberry Granola

Spread this mix on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the middle rack of the oven and set a time for 15 minutes. When the timer rings, gently stir and turn over the granola mix in sheet for even browning. Set the timer again for 15 minutes. Repeat 3 more times until golden brown. Total time in oven - around 60 minutes. It will keep toasting even after you pull it out of the oven.

Stir in the dry fruits like raisins, cranberries or blueberries, right into the hot granola after it comes out of the oven. Tip: If you prefer the dry coconut to be less toasty, add it halfway through the baking process.

After it cools completely, transfer to an airtight, dry glass jar. Serve with yogurt and fresh fruit, or with fruit compote or with cold milk or just snack on it plain.

Aval Vilayichathu

A traditional snack for teatime in Kerala, it is best eaten with a ripe banana. Jaggery is an energy booster with innumerable health benefits. It is rich in minerals, esp. iron. Both my kids have loved eating this snack after a long day at school. I tell them now to make it for my grandchildren :)

Ingredients:

Matta Rice flakes (Brown Aval) - 4 cups (250 gms)
Jaggery - 1 lb (around 450 gms)
Water - 2 cups
Grated coconut - 2 to 3 cups (as preferred), I used around 250 gms
Black Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp.
Roasted Bengal gram (Pottu Kadala) - 4 tbsp.
or Yellow Moog dal (split) - 1/3 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp.
Dry ginger powder- 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee - 3 tbsp.

Method:

In a hot pan, melt 1 tbsp. ghee. Roast the sesame seeds and the pottu kadala (or yellow moong) separately and set aside. Warm Aval in a hot pan to remove the raw taste and keep aside. Crush lightly to crumble the flakes.

In an urali (or kadhai or thick bottomed wok), melt the jaggery in water over medium heat. When all the jaggery is melted, remove from fire and let it cool a bit. Then pour through a metal sieve to remove impurities.

Pour the jaggery syrup back into the urali and add grated coconut. Let it boil for 5-8 minutes. Remove from fire before it becomes sticky i.e. before it starts to become one thread consistency.

Add the rice flakes and the roasted sesame, pottu kadala / yellow moong. Sprinkle cardamom powder, dry ginger powder, cumin powder and the remaining ghee. Mix well and let it cool to room temperature before serving.
 

Homemade Sausage Patties

An old-time favorite recipe, that I often made when my kids were young. I was telling my Mols that they can make this and freeze the steamed patties. It can be fried quickly for an appetizer or a quick lunch with pita and veggies.

Ingredients:
Minced Meat - 1 pound or 1/2 kg
(can be chicken, turkey or any of your choice)
Bread - 1 slice or Breadcrumbs - 1 Tbsp
Egg - 1
Butter - 1 Tbsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 Tsp
Montreal Steak seasoning - 1 Tbsp
(or any meat seasoning of your choice)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
Put the minced meat in a bowl and add salt, pepper, steak seasoning and nutmeg.

Dip bread slice into water. Remove and squeeze out the water. Crumble and add to meat mix. If using breadcrumbs, add it directly to the meat mix. Beat the egg and add it as well.

Now, add butter and knead the mix well. Make round patties or pat the mix down into to a square buttered pan. Steam for about 10 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

If using the square pan, cut the sausage into small pieces. Fry the patties in hot oil till slightly brown. Makes a tasty appetizer or sandwich filling. Serve with a spicy mayo dip or just ketchup.

Wheat Flour Murukku

Summer holidays with my grandchildren are so much fun. I enjoy cooking for them. This crunchy anytime snack is one of their favorites.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 3 cups
Gram flour (besan in hindi) - 1 cup
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (hing in hindi) - 1/4 tsp
Black sesame seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Butter - 1/4 tsp
Oil for frying

Method:
Sieve both the flours together and tie loosely in a muslin cloth. Steam this cloth pouch for about 20 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and break the lumps if any. Now add all the spices and seeds. Knead into a soft dough by adding water, little by little. Finally, add the butter and knead into a ball.

Now pass the dough through the murukku press, into the hot oil and fry till lightly brown. Remove, cool and store in an airtight container.

Ethakka Appam (Plantain Fritters)

Also known as Pazham Pori, this is my favorite snack since childhood. I can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My kids have developed  taste for it too. I wish that ripe plantains were more readily available here in the Northwest. This recipe uses wheat flour instead of all-purpose flour (or maida). Not only does that add more flavor, it stays crisp even when cold. Amma suggested I add some black sesame seeds as well. I liked it. Yum!!!

Ingredients:
3 ripe plantains
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 tsp black sesame seeds
2 tsps sugar
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Mix all ingredients except the plantains. Add some water and make a batter (like a pakoda batter). Peel the plantains and cut each in half. Slice each half into three slices.

Heat oil in a kadhai (or a deep fry pan). Dip each slice in the batter and fry in hot oil until done. Drain onto a paper towel. Serve with chai.

Note: Plantains are ripe when the skin starts to darken and it is soft to touch. Plain yellow plantains are still raw.

Cheesy hearts

My four-yr old mol loves to be the sous-chef in my kitchen. In fact, she finds this title quite endearing and jumps at any chance to help me cook. So, when she got a cookbook (The Usborne Yummy Little Cookbook by Rebecca Gilpin and Catherine Atkinson) from her school library, she was very excited. We picked a recipe for which we had ingredients at hand and spent a wonderful morning grating, kneading, rolling and baking. This is an easy recipe, with almost 80% cooking by mol. For a change, I was the sous-chef :)

Ingredients:
Mild cheddar cheese - 3 oz.
All-purpose flour - 1 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Unsalted butter (refrigerated) - 1/4 cup (1/2 stick)
(Note: if using salted butter, reduce salt to a pinch)
Egg yolk - 1
Cold water - 4 tsps
Heart shaped (or any other shaped) cookie cutter
Greased cookie sheets

Method:
Grate the cheese and keep aside. Sift flour, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Cut butter into chunks and add to the bowl. Mix butter into the flour so that its blended into the flour like granules. We used a pasty cutter (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Pastry_Blender). One can also rub the mixture with fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. Now add half of the cheese and mix well.

Beat the egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Reserve 2 tsps of this mixture in a cup and pour the rest over the flour mixture. Stir and mix. Knead into a a smooth round dough ball. Wrap the dough into plastic foodwrap and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven at 375 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Sprinkle flour onto a clean work surface and roll out the dough with a rolling pin, until 1/4 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Put them on the cookie sheet. Squeeze the scraps into a ball and roll it out again. Cut more shapes. Repeat until no dough is left.

Brush the tops of the hearts with egg mixture and then sprinke them with the remaining cheese. Bake the hearts for 12 minutes. Let them cool for about 5 minutes. Tastes wonderful when eaten warm.

Recipe adapted from The Usborne Yummy Little Cookbook by Rebecca Gilpin and Catherine Atkinson. You can find the book on http://www.usbornebooks.com/