Granola Bars

Keeping healthy snack foods around is one of my challenges.  There are seasons when fresh fruit and vegetable options are pretty limited, and there certainly aren't many healthy ready-made snack options to purchase.  I was looking for a low-sugar snack to make when I had a group coming over this week, and I found a great recipe for Grab'n'Go Granola Bars at Southern Distinction.  I tweaked them a bit based on what I had around and what is available here, and I was really excited with how they turned out, so I thought I'd share.

Granola Bars
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans from my stash I had from the States, but I think almonds would also work nicely in these. Any kind of nut you enjoy would work but would just change the flavor a bit.)
1 cup oats (I used the quick-cooking ones, as those are all that is available here.)
1/4 cup flaxseeds (These can be hard to find here but are available.)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
2/3 cup unrefined sugar (I used a brand of "mineral sugar" that is sometimes available here, and I've included a photo below. Demerrara or even the local brown sugar would work. Really, regular brown sugar would work as well. I was just trying to go for as unrefined of an option as possible to maximize the "healthiness.")
1/2 cup honey
3 Tablespoons molasses (I kind of just dumped a bit in, but I think around 3-4 T.)
50-60 grams butter (3-4 Tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I used Himalayan pink salt because it is easily available here and much healthier than regular table salt.)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups puffed rice cereal (This is sometimes available here but there is also a local puffed rice that would easily work.)
1/2 cup dried fruit (I had planned to use some apricots which are available here now, but they were bad when I took them out, so I ended up subbing dried blueberries that I had on hand. Many options could work well for this, even raisins.)
1/4 cup shredded coconut



(Mainly from Southern Distinction but edited slightly for what I did.)
 
Preheat oven to 350°F/175C. In a large bowl mix together nuts, oats, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet and bake until fragrant - about 5 minutes. (The quick-cooking oats start to burn if left much longer, but if you are using regular rolled oats, you could leave it a couple extra minutes to give the nuts and seeds a more toasted flavor.) Transfer the mixture back to the large bowl. If you don't have an oven, you can put the mix in a large pan over low heat on the stovetop and shake occasionally until it starts to become fragrant.

In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, butter, honey, molasses, and salt. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Simmer until sugar has dissolved and a light brown caramel forms - about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour caramel all over oat-and-nut mixture. Stir in puffed rice, dried fruit, and coconut and mix until evenly coated.

Line an 9x13 baking pan with foil, extending a bit over the sides. Lightly oil the foil with a bit of cooking oil so that the mixture doesn't stick. Scrape granola mixture into the baking pan in an even layer. Use a second sheet of lightly oiled foil (or waxed paper would work well, I think, but I didn't have any), and press down to compress the mixture. Let it stand for 2 hours or until firm. Using the overhanging foil, lift out the cereal square and transfer it to your counter top or work surface. Cut into bars or squares. Store in an airtight container.

Lip Smackin' Ribs

Now I know this is not an everyday meal for most of us, but when you want to do something special for your family or guests, it’s an easy knock-your-socks-off main dish. So few ingredients to produce something incredibly delicious and tender! I had been planning on experimenting with my rice cooker as a slow cooker for making ribs, but an extended nap in the afternoon left me with less than 2 hours for braising. Most recipes I came across suggested a minimum braise of at least 2 hours so that was out of the question. Out came my pressure cooker to the rescue, and in an hour I had mouthwatering, fall-off-the-bone-tender ribs. You’ve seriously got to try this! I bought my ribs from a cold storage meat supplier, but they are the local ones—not the crazy expensive imported ones. I would imagine you could just point to your own ribs at a local butcher and get the same thing, too. It might just require some trimming of skin and excess fat at home—from the pork, that is, not you. 

Barbecue Pork Ribs 
1 slab pork ribs, cut into smaller sections of 2-3 ribs

2 Tablespoons oil

¾ cup brown sugar

2/3 cup barbecue sauce (homemade or bottled)

1 ½ cups liquid (broth, red wine, beer, etc.)

Salt and Pepper

Once you cut the ribs apart, lightly cut an X into the back of them to keep them from curling during cooking. Heat the pressure cooker over medium heat and add the oil. You’ll need to vent your kitchen as this next part may get a little smoky. Sprinkle the ribs with a small amount of the brown sugar and season liberally with salt and pepper on one side. Lay the ribs sugar side down (do two batches) into the pan, allowing them to get some brown searing. Seasoning the other side while they are in the pan. When the ribs lift easily from the bottom, flip them and sear the other side. Remove from pan and sear the second batch. Once you’ve removed all the browned ribs, add your liquid to the bottom of the pan. As it heats, scrape the browned bits off the bottom to flavor the sauce. I used ½ cup red wine for this deglazing and 1 cup chicken stock. Add all the remaining brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and liquid. Keep on medium heat, stirring until the brown sugar has dissolved. Add the ribs to the pan, and clamp on the pressure cooker lid. Bring the cooker up to pressure on high heat, and after the first “whistle” or reaching of pressure, reduce the heat to low. That’s it! Wait 1 hour with it on low, release the pressure, and enjoy. The sauce will thicken some on standing. Serve with something that can soak up all that delicious sauce like roasted or mashed potatoes, rice, or bread.

Massaman Curry

This curry is one of my favorites in Thailand. Typically, restaurants or stalls run by Muslim families would have this curry as an option. Though the curry part has a long list of ingredients, it really is simple and produces delicious results using things you probably already have in your kitchen if you eat the local food. Try putting everything in your pressure cooker to speed it up or add tenderness to any tough cuts of meat. Fresh lemongrass is becoming more available locally, but if you don’t find it, the pure dried lemongrass tea works just fine. Also, you may notice from my picture that I made the mistake of allowing the dried lemongrass to float freely in the curry. While it tasted great, I would not recommend this unless you want stab wounds in your mouth! It would be good to wrap it up in a small bit of cloth that you later remove from the curry. 

Massaman Curry

500g beef or chicken, sliced thinly

2 cups water + 1 stock cube

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cut into small chunks

Fresh coriander, optional

Curry Sauce:

1 thumb fresh ginger, appx. 1 inch by 2 inches

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons lemongrass, fresh or dried

1 dried red chili (more or less to taste)

¼ cup peanuts or cashews

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin seed

½ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 cardamom pods, opened

1 teaspoon tamarind paste or lemon juice

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

¾ teaspoon shrimp paste (sub: tom yum paste)

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1 can coconut milk

Chop the ginger, garlic, nuts, and black seeds from the cardamom pods as finely as you can. A mortar and pestle does this really well. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large saucepan and add all the curry sauce ingredients except the coconut milk. Fry in the oil about 1 minute until the curry paste smells really fragrant. Add the water and stock cube stirring until the curry paste has evenly spread out into the liquid. Add the meat, onions, potatoes, and coconut milk to the pot. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. If you like the curry sauce thicker, then remove the lid after about 25 minutes and allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Check that the potatoes are fork tender. If not, continue cooking a few more minutes. Remove the lemongrass pouch, and serve over rice.

Herb and Pomegranate Salad

I promised this little Mediterranean salad back when I posted the Moroccan Chickpea Stew, but I never got around to posting it. If you have a very narrow definition of what constitutes a salad, this may not be for you, but I found it to be so refreshing alongside a Mediterranean-spiced main. This recipe first caught my eye while I was reading BBC Good Food (Oct. 2013, Asian ed.), my favorite magazine, over the holidays. It was part of the front page picture, and it looked gorgeous. Having given it a try with a few tweaks, I think it's a winner. Vary the amounts of herbs according to your taste to get something that works for those at your dinner table.

Another high-class paper plate dinner

Herb and Pomegranate Salad
1 cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
Arils of 1 pomegranate
3 medium tomatoes, diced finely
1 small bunch of each fresh parsley, mint, and dill
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar or pomegranate molasses
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp sugar or honey

In the bottom of the salad bowl, combine the lemon juice and zest, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. Whisk until you get a loose emulsion. Here you can also add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. To this mixture, add all the other salad ingredients and toss until the dressing coats everything. Taste again to adjust seasoning. If it does not taste like much, increase the salt to bring out the other flavors more.

Note: I thought the dill might overpower my salad so I only used parsley and mint. You can experiment to see what you like.

Greek Style Yogurt

So this is the sound of silence, huh? I so apologize for being so long without posting anything. Thanks to Rachel for not making January a totally quiet month! The good news is that I have been cooking and taking pictures all along. I just have not been able to get posts written and put up. Anyway, let's get this ball rolling again.

Looks like an egg, doesn't it?

If you’ve lived in a developing country for any length of time, you may have at least once considered how people make yogurt. I’m a weirdo so I’ve researched and dabbled in yogurt making with varying degrees of success for years. Sometimes it’s easier to settle for just okay yogurt rather than doing it yourself. Recently, my body has been in a rebellion against sugar and sweets so I have been on a quest to find a yogurt that is somewhere between the super sweet local yogurt and its super sour watery counterpart. Over the years, I’ve also tried a number of different incubation methods, but think I finally found one that is pretty brilliant—the hot case for tortillas and roti! Easy yogurt that only takes about 10 minutes of hands on time and won’t give you diabetes or a sour puss face. Make this about midday or in the morning so you can pop it in the fridge before bed to have it cold for breakfast. Just pick up a little cup of sweetened or unsweetened yogurt from your local dairy to get you started.
 

Greek Style Yogurt
1 liter milk

1 heaping Tablespoon yogurt

2 heaping Tablespoons powdered milk

Heat milk to a boil. Switch the heat to low and let it boil for about 5 minutes. This ensures the milk reaches at least 200F so the proteins in the milk begin to denature. You don’t want to drink milk that has been pasteurized like that, but it is perfect for yogurt. Allow the milk to cool, stirring to avoid hot spots, until you can stick your pinky in and still feel it warm, but not too hot. Try to keep it in for about 10 seconds without it burning you, and that is the right temp. So technical! Place the scoop of yogurt and powdered milk into the hot case. Pour in the warm milk and stir to dissolve the milk powder. Cover the mixture and place in a warm area where it will not get jostled. I then put a hot water bottle on top of the hot case. Give the yogurt a taste test around the 4-6 hour mark, looking for coagulation and how tart you like it. 

Yogurt Making Tips: An oven or microwave is a good spot to park your yogurt during incubation because they are less drafty than the counter. Less time incubating equals sweeter yogurt, but you need enough time for it to solidify. This time of year it takes about 6 hours to reach the flavor I like. Drain the yogurt for several hours over cheesecloth or a towel in the fridge to enjoy a nice thick yogurt. Use a whisk to whip the yogurt to a smooth consistency, and dump off any whey that comes to the top. Flavor your yogurt with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and some fruit.

Shepherd's Pie

I was supposed to post this when Lizzy was away on a trip, but I am quite late in finishing it up!  Anyway, I was just thinking about it tonight at the end of a cold and gray day because shepherd's pie is a total cold-weather comfort food and pretty easy to make.  It's also another one that is so flexible to sub some different veggies or use different kinds of meat.  Also, if I have it that someone has sent us, I really like to use brown gravy mix for the meat mixture, but I tried to actually write down my recipe this winter without using that, as it isn't available here where we live.

Shepherd's Pie

1 kg potatoes

50 g butter

So, here's the thing.  Basically, you just want some mashed potatoes for the top. Different kinds of potatoes are available here different times of the year, and certain kinds feel like they need more liquid or something.  But, basically, peel and cut about 1 kg of potatoes and boil them in some salted water until tender.  After draining them (but while they are still hot), I added some butter and a pinch of salt.  Sometimes I also add a bit of milk, and as you mash them, you can add more milk to get the consistency you want.  Set the mashed potatoes aside to put on top of the casserole.

5-6 small carrots, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

500 g ground meat

3 T flour

1 c broth

1/2 t thyme

1 T ketchup

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to around 190 degrees Celsius (375 degrees F).

Cook the carrots until crisp tender.  I often steam them or even boil them for just a couple minutes.  It doesn't take long, as they will continue to cook in the casserole, so you want them still fairly crisp, but I have found that if you don't cook them a bit before, they stay a little too crunchy.  If you wanted to skip this step, though, you could probably chop them up in quite small pieces and just add them in without cooking first, and I think they would be fine.

In a bit of cooking oil (depending on how lean your meat is), brown the ground meat with the onions and garlic.  Once the meat is browned, add the flour.  Mix it in completely and cook it for 1 extra minute.  Then add the broth, thyme, ketchup, salt and pepper and the carrots.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat and cook for another minute or two until it starts to thicken.  Then, pour this mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish.

Top the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes and spread them evenly over the top. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top. Place the assembled casserole into the oven, and bake it until it is hot and the meat mixture is bubbly, which takes around 30 minutes.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Everyone recovering from all the crazy amounts of food you ate over the past month? I have actually had to cut out sugar temporarily due to daily headaches--so sad!! In an effort to get back to some more sensible eating and beat the cold air that has taken over our house, I made this Moroccan Chickpea Stew. Over the past year I have played with this recipe a bit, trying out different variations, but this one by Dave Lieberman seems to have the best flavor as far as the spice combination. The cinnamon and cumin give it a warming feel for winter. If you have trouble digesting beans, refer to my post on sprouting a few days prior to cooking your beans or use that digestive trouble as a way to keep warm. Hah!

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
2-3 Tbs oil (olive oil is preferred)
2 medium onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch red chili powder, more if like
1 teaspoon paprika
1 400g can tomatoes (or blanched and peeled tomatoes)
3 cups cooked chickpeas
4 cups water
2 vegetable broth cubes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch sugar, if tomatoes are tart
Handful roughly chopped greens

Heat oil over medium low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Stir spices into the pot and cook until fragrant. As you add the tomatoes, crush them. Add the water, vegetable cubes, a few pinches of salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Add the greens, bring back up to a boil, and allow them to wilt on low for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve with crusty bread.

If you want the soup to be more creamy, mash up some of the chickpeas in the pot before serving. This soup is totally flexible as far as how thick or thin you like it. At more or less broth to your liking. Pair it with the upcoming Pomegranate Herb Salad for an exciting Middle Eastern side.