Stovetop Granola

Stovetop Granola

This is my favorite granola recipe. I like it because it is made quickly in a skillet. I always add more seeds than the recipe calls for.

Stovetop Granola

3 cups oatmeal (old fashioned; not instant)
1/2 cup dried, shredded coconut, preferably unsweetened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon or coriander
1/4 cup oil (sunflower, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
1/3 cup maple syrup (or your favorite sweetener like honey or stevia)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice (raisins, currants, cranberries, or
chopped apple, apricot, pear, pineapple, prune, etc. or combination;
may omit entirely)

Use a large, heavy skillet, at least 10 inches round, with high sides. (If you don't have a skillet this big, use a smaller one and prepare granola in two batches. Or use a wok, which works great!).

Into the cold skillet place the oatmeal, nuts, sesame seeds, coconut, and cinnamon. Mix well.

Blend the oil, syrup, and vanilla together in a cup. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients in the skillet, stirring well to blend.

Turn the heat under the skillet to medium high. Toast the mixture, stirring frequently, until the oats and nuts are crispy and browned. The sesame seeds will start to "pop" and the maple syrup will smell like burnt sugar --- be careful not to let the mixture burn.

Toasting will take no more than five to seven minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the dried fruits. Let the granola rest in the skillet to cool.

NOTE: Some people don't like a crunchy or chewy granola. If you prefer a tender granola omit or reduce the amount of nuts and add seeds instead. Choose a combination from: sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, etc.

This recipe is very adaptable. If you don't have an item. . .leave it out or find a substitute. It'll still taste great! This is a yummy recipe and takes much less time than "oven" granola. If you use gluten free oats, this recipe is gluten free. If you don't mind a non-gluten free version, you can add 1/2 cup of wheat germ to the recipe.

Veggie Meatballs in BBQ Sauce

Veggie Meatballs in BBQ Sauce - gluten free/vegan

2 - 3 cups textured vegetable protein* OR Soy Curls
4 cups water
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup oats, certified gluten-free
Generous dash of cayenne pepper
Juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp. flour (garbanzo/fava is my gluten free favorite)
1/2 cup pecan meal
2 Tbsp. tamari, wheat free
3 cloves garlic, crushed OR 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. chicken-style seasoning (McKay's or Bill's Best Chicknish)
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs, gluten free**
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

In a saucepan, soak textured vegetable protein (or soy curls) in water to rehydrate. Add oats. Cook over medium heat until mixture reaches a slow simmer. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. 

Prepare a large casserole dish or baking sheet with non-stick spray. Using a cookie scoop, portion small rounds of mixture onto casserole dish or baking sheet. Mixture should be firm enough that the mixture stays in a ball rather than flattening out when placed on baking pan. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes. Makes about 75 meatballs.

BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp. honey
4 tsp. tamari, wheat free
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

Place all ingredients in saucepan and stir well. After combining, cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer.

Before serving, pour warmed BBQ sauce over the meatballs (hot out of the oven). 

Enjoy!

*Textured Vegetable Protein is sometimes called TVP. It can be a gluten or  soy product. The soy version is readily available and is available for gluten-free vegetarians. It's called either TVP or TSP.  The light colored (chicken style) TVP generally does not contain gluten, but the dark (beef style) always does. Soy Curls can be used instead. They are a dehydrated soybean and work very well in this recipe. 

Blueberry Scones with Orange Marmalade

I saved enough fresh blueberries from yesterday's picking to bake a batch of scones. They baked up beautifully with abundant, juicy, blue orbs in each one.

The recipe called for lemon zest, but I didn't have any lemons, so used lemon juice in the dough and baked them without zest. Then I decided that orange marmalade would be an appropriate sweet to go with the scones. The zest of the orange in the marmalade made up for the lack of zest in the scones. They paired perfectly.

Gluten free scones "act" a bit differently than regular ones. Because they don't contain gluten to trap the carbon dioxide gasses when the baking soda and baking powder do their job, I try to choose forms or shapes that are most likely to rise well without much handling. Sometimes I bake gluten free scones in one large mound that is flattened and then cut with a pizza cutter to make wedges. And at other times, like today, I prefer the drop biscuit approach. I was pleased with the lightness and flavor of these scones.

A simple black tea was selected to accompany the blueberry scones. My choice was Yorkshire Gold because it's full bodied without being overpowering. It's produced by Taylors of Harrogate, a company that was founded in 1886 in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. It is a blend of five varieties of tea grown in Assam, Sri Lanka, and Kenya. A review of this tea on Serious Eats reports that: 

• Yorkshire Gold from Taylors of Harrogate is a "luxury blend" of second flush Assam and peak-season East African teas. This is a robust black tea that works well with milk, though given its silky smoothness that's certainly not required. There are hints of cedar and earth; this tea is slightly fruity but mostly savory, perfect for getting your eyes open in the morning.

Although this is a delightful tea with the addition of milk and sugar, I tend to prefer my tea "black" or "plain" so I can taste every undertone as it is, with just a tiny touch of stevia to sweeten.

I chose this teacup because it was blue. It seemed so appropriate for the blueberry theme. It is called Saxony, by Royal Doulton. It is one of my everyday favorites.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Scones

Makes 8 - 10

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used 1 cup garbanzo/fava flour and 1 cup Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour blend OR all-purpose flour).
• 1 packet stevia powder (about 1/2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 6 Tbsp. Smart Balance margarine
• 1 egg OR 1 egg substitute {flax seed gel}
• 2/3 cup soymilk
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 generous cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add margarine and cut in with a pastry blender until the size of small peas. Add vanilla, egg, lemon juice, and soymilk. Stir gently with a fork until dough is moist and blended. Gently stir in blueberries.

Form scones by spoonful and place onto a baking stone. Push stray blueberries into dough so none are left out.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat and allow to cool on the baking stone. Serve with margarine or butter and orange marmalade. Also delicious with lemon curd.

Of course, at the end of every good photo shoot comes the pleasure of sitting down at a pretty table setting to enjoy what's set out to eat and a nice, hot cup of tea. Today I had a little helper. She's such a polite little thing. She was curious, but asked permission with her eyes before attempting to share. Her nose is long, though, and she has a pretty keen sniffer. I gave Sudo a few crumbs which she appreciated and enjoyed. I discovered, though, that she prefers plain blueberries to scones. She's such a dear.

Vegetarian Egg Rolls

1 package egg roll wrappers

2 carrots -- shredded

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 8 oz. can bamboo shoots -- slivered

6 green onions -- chopped

8 mushrooms -- chopped

2 cups bean sprouts

2 stalks celery -- chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound frozen and reconstituted tofu* -- crumbled

2 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari sauce

oil for frying

Heat oil in a skillet or wok. Add celery, carrots, and mushrooms. 

Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage, sprouts, bamboo shoots, and onion 

to stir-fry. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add soy sauce to pan, 

crumble tofu and add to pan. Cook until liquid evaporates. Cool 

filling to room temperature. Fill egg roll wrappers with about 2 

tablespoons of filling each. Deep fry or pan fry until lightly browned.

*For a gluten-free version, use rice wraps instead of egg roll wrappers.  You may need to use two or three to add strength; simply layer.

Alma's Almond Roca

Alma's Almond Roca

1 lb. butter (salted or unsalted)
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons light Karo Syrup
6 Tablespoons water
2 cups raw almonds
1 – 7 oz. Hershey bar

Mix first 5 ingredients in large pan. Cook stirring constantly over high heat till mixture starts smoking, turning dark and almonds start popping. Have a 15 x 10 cookie pan or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Pour mixture into pan, smooth quickly and allow it to cool 10 – 15 minutes (no longer or Hershey bar doesn’t melt). Chop up Hershey bar into small pieces and scatter over candy. Allow it to melt and smooth with spatula. Sprinkle with a few chopped almonds. Cool completely at a cool room temperature. Refrigerate overnight, crack and break into pieces. Take out of aluminum foil or it becomes sticky. Refrigerate and enjoy!!!!

Speculaas Kruiden

"Speculaas Kruiden"

175 gr flour
100 gr butter
75 gr brown sugar
.25 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. water
contents of spice package

Knead until it makes a ball.
Heat oven to 300 - 325 degrees F.
Oil the inside of the figure with kitchen oil.
Sprinkle some flour in it an dpress the dough in.
Cut the rest of the dough off.
Slam the mold, so the dough figure falls out.
Put it in the warm oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

THANK YOU, Lucy, for the Dutch cookie mold!

Alma's Rhubarb Pie

Dad and Alma are wonderful hosts and I shared a great time with them recently. We enjoyed doing fun things together, including reading my blog (and some of yours as well!). When I got home, Dad sent me this picture of the pie Alma had baked for him. Of course I requested the recipe (doesn't it look good?). Alma graciously shared and said I could share with blog readers as well. So, thank you, Alma, for the recipe. Happy baking, everyone!

Alma's Rhubarb Pie

Crust

1 – egg
3 c. – flour
1 tsp. – vinegar
1 1/4 c. – vegetable shortening
5 Tbsp. – water
1 tsp. – salt

Mix together egg, vinegar and water. Sift together dry ingredients. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir with fork until flour particles are moistened. Let stand for 20 minutes. Roll out on floured board. Makes 2 2-crust pies.

Pie Filling

Prepare pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie.

Combine 4 cups fresh rhubarb cut in 1-inch pieces (about 1 pound), 1 2/3 cups sugar, 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour, and a dash of salt. Let stand 15 minutes. Turn into pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Adjust top crust, cutting slits for escape of steam; seal. Bake at 400º for 50 minutes.

If baking pie shells, bake at 450° F. for 10-12 minutes; otherwise bake as specified for a particular type of pie, e.g. rhubarb, etc.

Aunt Cella's Prune Cake

Aunt Cella has perfected the art of baking a dense and delicious cake. She is known for her Jewish Apple Cakes, Oatmeal Cakes, and Prune Cakes. Here is the recipe for the Prune Cake that she baked for our afternoon tea ~

Aunt Cella's Prune Cake

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup chopped cooked prunes
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. soda
1 cup chopped nuts

Blend together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add cooked prunes. Set aside. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add buttermilk to liquid ingredients and alternatively mix liquid and dry ingredients together. Fold in nuts.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Frost and garnish as desired.

Add 1 tsp. nutmeg to dry ingredients if desired (optional)

Aunt Polly's Apple Cake

Aunt Polly's Apple Cake

This recipe was introduced to me when I was dating my husband. It was a favorite dessert made by his mom for both camping trips and company dinners. A dense, moist cake --- it is favored every time!

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup oil
3 eggs or egg substitute
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (or 3 cups gluten-free flour and 2 tsp. guar gum)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup nuts
1 cup coconut
3 cups diced raw apples

Beat sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla for 3 minutes. In another bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold flour into sugar mixture with a spatula. Add nuts, coconut, and apples, folding carefully. Bake in a tube pan for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.

* may substitute liquid natural sweetener for sugar; reduce by half.
**cake is still delicious if oil in recipe is cut in half.