Another great granola recipe

Recently a friend shared some of her homemade granola with me, it was so tasty. She used this Alton Brown recipe with some modifications.
I tried it and was very happy with the results. It is slightly more labor intensive due to all the stirring but I think the lower temperature does help to keep it from burning. I think I'll have some for lunch with my fresh peaches and yogurt !!

Here it is:

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews( I used a combination of walnuts and pumpkin seeds)
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut ( I used the unsweetened flake coconut that I had around)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup (  I used honey, my friend used agave )
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins (  I didn't put any in, although I would have used dried cranberries if I had them)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. ( I think with my large cookie sheets I could have put it all on one pan)

Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

Making mayo in a food processor

Wow this was much easier than the first way I tried. So quick and easy I forgot to take my own photos. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil, next time I would use my garlic/rosemary infused olive oil, it would make if very tasty !! It's a short quick video worth watching.
http://youtu.be/wqfXKhIzSNo

I use 3 egg yolks, 1 Tbsp of French mustard, 1 tsp of salt (1-2 cloves of garlic).
Whiz that  thoroughly , then as it is continues to whizzing add 3/4 cup olive oil, slowly. My mini food processor has two little holes at the top of the lid for this very reason.

Peach Cobbler

As promised, another way to use those delightful summer peaches.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Start with 8 to 10 peaches, peel and slice them.

Hopefully you can compost all those skins (or if you are lucky like we are, you can feed them to the chickens).
Add the zest and juice from one lemon.
In another bowl mix together: 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of allspice or cardamon(optional).

Toss the flour/sugar/spice mixture into the bowl of peaches and mix to coat the fruit. Pour the peaches into a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish.

For the topping I used my scone recipe: http://laurieslittlekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/scones.html 
If you want the cobbler a little sweeter add 1/3 cup sugar instead of the 3 tablespoons it calls for.

Now you are going to roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.

Here comes the fun part, get out a couple of your favorite cookie cutters.

Make enough "dough cookies" to cover your fruit.

You can sprinkle them with a sugar and cinnamon mixture before baking. I meant to but got distracted and forgot.
Bake at 375 F for 40 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream or plain yogurt. It's great for breakfast too !!
This same recipe works for other fruit as well, plums, berries, apricots.

Peach Clafouti

Just the name makes me smile, what a funny word and what a tasty dessert. I made this version with peaches but you can use plums, cherries, apricots, or nectarines. Use enough of whatever fruit you have to cover the bottom of the pie plate. It makes a great breakfast served with plain yogurt instead of whipped cream.

Peach Clafouti

 Ingredients:

 6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
3-4 peaches, peeled and sliced
 3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. almond meal
 grated zest from one lemon
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract
 1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

   1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 10 inch pie plate, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the bottom.
   2. Arrange the peach slices so that they cover the entire bottom of the pie plate. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top of the peaches. Using brown sugar is an option.

I used brown sugar to go with the peaches in this version.

  3. In a blender, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, eggs, milk, flour, lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes.

   4.Pour over the fruit in the pan.

   5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and lightly browned.
 

6. Let stand 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Dust with confectioners' sugar  and serve with whipped cream.

Hummus

Hummus is a simple garbanzo bean spread often featured in Middle Eastern cooking.
It's a great thing to make when your vegan friend is coming for lunch ;-)
Bob found it to be a great snack later the same day.
I love it because it is so adaptable to what you have on hand or your food preferences.

Here is the recipe I made up.
1 can of garbanzo beans (or 2 cups cooked beans if you want to make them from scratch)
2 lemons, juiced
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup sesame butter (tahini )
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup dried tomatoes, re-hydrated

If you want to make it low fat, leave out the oil and sesame butter.
No lemons on hand, use vinegar instead.
Don't want to breath garlic later...it really is better with garlic but you can leave it out.
The dried tomatoes and smoked paprika are optional but make it sooo much better.
You can also use a small amount of whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand: oregano, parsley, marjoram, etc...I would use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon to start with.

I like to put the two cloves of peeled garlic into the food processor first for a few seconds. Then add the rest of the ingredients.

Blend until smooth, if you want it thinner add more liquid from the beans.
Serve with pita bread, tortilla chips or use it as a sandwich spread. It's great with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

Front Yard Tea

I take this version of iced tea to parties all the time and it always a big hit. I think people like the name :-) I keep a jar of it in my fridge most of the summer. This tea is such a great alternative to sugary sodas or expensive juices.

I am lucky enough to have lots of fresh herbs in my front yard: several kinds of mint, lemon balm, lemon verbena, bronze fennel, white lavender, all pictured above. I will even use raspberry leaves, lemon tree leaves, rose petals, oregano, parsley, yarrow and white clover. You can throw in slices of lemon or orange, too. I do make sure I am using plants I know won't poison me ;-) otherwise anything can end up in my tea.
Mint is so easy to grow everyone one should have some in their yard or in a pot. If you don't have fresh herbs for whatever reason, you can use tea bags or loose herbs.
It's a good idea to balance the flavors, too much of a strong herb can overpower your tea. Go easy on the lavender for example.
You can make it sun tea by filling your jar or pitcher with the herbs and water and leaving it outside to steep. I stuff my herbs in the jar and pour boiling water over it to the top. Let it steep for an hour before setting it into the fridge. If you use dried herbs you should probably strain it first.

My favorite lemonade.

This is such an easy and very tasty lemonade. It is very versatile too. Perfect for a hot summer day.
You will need:
6 to 7 lemons, I prefer Meyers lemons
1 cup sugar
7 to 8 cups boiling water
1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen berries

Wash any dirt off the lemons, then slice them in half and place them in a large pot.
Add the one cup sugar and one to two cups berries if you like.

Bring 7 to 8 cups of water to a boil, pour over the lemons and sugar. Mix carefully to dissolve the sugar and release the juice from the berries.

Cover the pot and let cool for a couple of hours. Squeeze the lemons, pouring the juice back into the pot. Strain the mixture.

Pour into a pitcher or jar and refrigerate.

You can certainly make this without the berries and it is still very tasty.
You can also make lavender lemonade by adding 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried lavender when you pour in the boiling water.