Best. Granola. Ever.

Okay, seriously. I've tried different granola recipes over the years for breakfast cereal, but sometimes they're hit or miss. I like mine a bit chunky and crunchy, and sometimes homemade granola comes out more crumbly than the boxed varieties. I started my quest for this recipe when I was packing for an extended family trip to an area where cereal can be quite expensive and was looking for a low sugar variety for me. When this was baking, I knew I had found a winner. The smell was DIVINE--just like banana bread! And the taste...wham bam, thank you, ma'am! No joke. I hope you enjoy my slight twist on this fabulous recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Banana Bread Granola
3 cups oats (GF if you need it)
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1 1/2 sachets stevia (or 3 Tbsp raw sugar)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon flax or chia seed
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (use those black ones!)

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and stir until they are uniformly combined. In a small sauce pan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, honey, and vanilla just until the coconut oil and honey have melted to a liquid. Turn off the heat and add the mashed bananas. Slowly pour the banana liquid over the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the dry ingredients look moistened with the banana mixture. If it looks too dry, mix a little more or add a little more oil. Spread the granola over two baking sheets and place in an oven preheated to 170C/350F. Bake for 20 to 28 minutes, stirring once or twice halfway through baking to get even browning. In the last 10 minutes, watch carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. When it's done, allow to cool and then place in an airtight container.

Now seriously, after smelling that divine goodness, you need to sit down and enjoy a bowl or few handfuls at least! With cold milk, warm milk, plain, or on yogurt, this will be a treat any way you enjoy it.

Sausage and Veggie Bake

I’ll just start with the fact that this is one of my favorite go to meals for pretty much any occasion. It’s simple, versatile and quick, and every time I take it somewhere I get heaps of compliments on it!

The original recipe (check it out here) was meant to be in foil on the grill which would be amazing, I’m sure, but I had to modify it to feed a big group of people and put it in the oven instead of on the grill, and it’s fantastic. I also tend to modify the ingredients as the seasons change and use what is in season and fresh at the time.

Sausage & Veggie Bake (or grill, or sauté, whatever works for you)

1 package Kielbasa sausage, sliced (or sausage of choice)
2 sweet potatoes, cubed
5-6 red potatoes, cubed (I only use these b/c they cook faster, any will do)
1-2 crowns of broccoli
1/2 a medium onion
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Toss all the veggies and sausage in a baking dish or in foil packets or even a sauté pan, give a good dousing of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. In my oven it takes about 30-40 minutes at 400 F/200C.

Added note from Lizzy: If you're in our neck of the woods and thinking, "Wait? We don't have kielbasa?," think again! You can buy kielbasa from a Polish couple at either of the large farmer's markets in our area.  If you're not up for the splurge (which is SOOO worth it), you can experiment with other local sausages, too.

Stuffed Cabbage

Although my husband and I married someone who shares the same nationality, ours was a cross-cultural marriage of sorts as North merged with South. Their ways, their food, their behaviors, etc. were quite different from mine. I learned of all kinds of strange and new types of food when I moved into his area, cabbage rolls or stuffed cabbage being one of them. I like to think of cabbage rolls as being a marriage between Polish and Italian food, both with large numbers of people in the Cleveland area. Really, I have no idea where they originated. These cabbage rolls were adapted from a recipe by Michael Symon, one of our favorite local chefs. This recipe makes 6 rolls so double all the ingredients to get 12-13 rolls.

Stuffed Cabbage
1 small-medium head cabbage
500g ground beef/buff
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup uncooked white rice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 can tomato puree/sauce (smaller size)
1 cup water + 1/2 chicken cube
Salt and Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it with a heaping teaspoon. Core the cabbage the best you can without cutting it apart. When the water is boiling, drop the head of cabbage, core up, down into the boiling water. Boil 3-5 minutes or until a leaf will easily peel off when pulled with the tongs. You need 6 whole leaves. Remove the head from the water and set aside. Making sure the meat is not too wet, in a bowl combine it with the chopped onion, white rice, thyme, parsley, garlic powder, and 1/2 cup of tomato puree. Salt with approximately 1/2 teaspoon salt and add pepper to the mixture. In a small pot, heat all the remaining tomato puree with the water and chicken cube. The consistency should be almost as runny as water.

Separate all the additional cabbage leaves from the head and layer them on the bottom of an 11x7 baking dish. To assemble the rolls, open one of the large leaves and fill with 1/3 cup of the meat mixture. Carefully, fold the ends and sides up to form a roll and place seam-side down in a pan. Once all the rolls are assembled, sprinkle any extra meat mixture down into the pan and pour the liquid tomato sauce over the top of each roll. It should fill up the bottom of the dish.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 170C/350F degree oven for 1.5 hours. If you want to speed it up, you can brown the beef first and raise the temperature to 190, cooking just about 1 hour.

Updated May 2020: If you have a slow cooker, you can cook these on low for about 6 hours. A little cheat that I have for introducing extra flavor into the recipe is using a jar of pre-made pasta sauce in place of the puree. It is seasoned perfectly so in a pinch that's my "go to."

**Note: This recipe is gluten-free ONLY if you use a chicken stock or cube that is gluten free.**

Fermented Radish Pickles

Another of my secret loves is naturally fermented pickles. I love dill pickles, pickled beets, kimchee, tsukemono, and most other pickled foods save for pickled meats. There are many health benefits from eating vegetables pickled through lacto-fermentation, too, (think probiotics and healthy bellies) and these pickles fit the bill. I was also told that once you've mastered this concept, you can use almost any vegetable. Now, local people generally make these during the cooler months because it is a slower, easier to control process, but they work just fine anytime that you have sun. Different people will tell you different things to add, too, but these are just right for my taste and that of my children.

Fermented Radish Pickles
1 kg (or 2.2 lbs) daikon radish, peeled
1 cup mustard oil (probably won't use all of it)
4 Tablespoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon red chili (or cayenne) powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Once you have peeled the radish, cut the radish into small rectangular sticks about 2" long and 1/2" wide. Lay them on a tray and place in the sun with a light cloth on top to keep dust and bugs away. They need to dehydrate until they feel somewhat bendy, not dehydrated. You can also do this in your oven in a couple hours at low temp with the door open. The key is to get some of the water out, but not all. Once your radishes are sufficiently "bendy," place them in a large bowl. Pulse the mustard seeds, 1/4 cup of the oil, salt, chili powder, and turmeric in a blender until you have a nice paste. I used a mortar and pestle this time to crush the seeds then mixed the rest in the bowl. Place all the ingredients in the bowl with the radish and rub so that the radishes get evenly coated. Add another 1/4 cup of oil and mix together. In a sterile jar or plastic container, pack the radish down into the jar(s), trying to avoid big air pockets at the bottom. Using a wooden spoon handle, you can really pack the mixture in well. Pour a little more oil on top of the jar so that all the radish is under oil. This prevents mold growth on top. Close the lid, and keep in a sunny, warm spot for 5-7 days before opening to check if they've reached the desired level of pickling. If not, let them stay in the sun a few more days before checking again.

I like mine on the tart side so I lean more toward the 7+ day mark. In colder winter months, you'll need to let them sit up to a month, but at least 2 weeks. They will continue fermenting after you take them from the sun so when they reach your desired level of sourness, start storing them in the fridge to slow further fermentation. These are sooo good with rice and lentils!

Tingmo

These are one of my favorite little Tibetan treats. I seriously could eat a ton of them. They are like the meeting of Asia with cafeteria rolls. You need a steamer basket of some kind to make these. I have a tall momo stack, but you could also use one of those foldable flat steamer inserts. My kids like them with sauteed greens or peanut butter and jelly so the sky is the limit there. There are just about an equally large number of possibilities when it comes to the design of your little rolls, and I have no clue how to do any of them except a simple round bun or a cinnamon roll-type swirl.

Tingmo
1 Tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon oil

Combine yeast and sugar in a bowl. Add the warm water and allow yeast to bloom until bubbly for about 5-10 minutes. To the foamy yeast mixture, add the flour, baking powder, and oil. Knead on a lightly floured surface until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic. Place in an oil bowl, cover, and allow to rise until almost tripled in a warm place. Punch down the dough and roll it out into a rectangle shape. Roll it up like a jelly roll then cut into equal sized portions (10-15 pieces). Twist the bun into the shape you want then place each bun on a greased steamer basket. Allow to rest 15 minutes, and then place the basket over boiling water, cooking the buns covered for 15-20 minutes. 

These are best enjoyed hot as a sort of fork to soak up whatever you're eating, but they will stay soft after they have cooled if you keep them in an airtight container. You do have to eat them quickly as their steamed "moistness" causes them to mold faster than other breads.

Cheeseburger Casserole

Don't hate me for indulging a little in my childish side. I was just thinking about different ways to use ground beef and thought, "How about a cheeseburger in a pan?" Neither of my kids is crazy about cheese, and they both ate a lot of this if that is any indication. What would win you the "Best Parent Ever" award is if you could figure out how to put crispy french fries on top! I'm pretty sure your kids would do whatever you asked (for at least an hour) after that. This recipe has lots of inspiration, from Paula Deen to her son Bobby, who tried to cut some of the fat, to Gina at Skinny Taste who made further adjustments. Then, I added some more. The pickles are a bit of a splurge, but they take it from "tomatoey pasta" to "Oh yeah. I'm getting the cheeseburger taste."

Cheeseburger Casserole
2 cups uncooked pasta (rotini or farfalle)
2 teaspoons oil
2 medium-sized onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
500g ground beef or buff
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
3 Tablespoons mustard
2 cups grated cheese
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. While you're straining the pasta, use the same pot to heat the oil. Cook the onions on medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant, stirring often. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Saute until the meat is browned and liquid has evaporated. Drain off any fat (usually not necessary here) and add the tomato paste, tomatoes, and mustard. Cook for about 2 minutes just until the sauce thickens a bit. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 casserole or deep dish pie plate. Top with grated cheese. To make it extra "cheeseburgery," add a few cheese slices to the top, too. Bake at 170C/350F until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to rest a few minutes before sprinkling the pickles on top and serving.

Note: If you hate having to save leftover tomato paste, look for the little tiny cans available here. They are about 2 Tablespoons' worth and perfect for this.

What's On Our Plates?

I haven't done one of these posts in a long time, but sometimes it's helpful for people to see what other people are eating for some inspiration. Saturdays and Sundays are usually pretty laid back as far as meals go, often the day dedicated to cleaning out fridge leftovers.

Day 1:
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Spanish Beans and Rice with Salsa and Roti

Day 2:
Lunch - Sandwiches, Chips and Salsa
Dinner - Panzanella Salad + Fridge Cleanout

Day 3:
Lunch - Rice, Sambhar, and Coconut Green Bean Fry
Dinner - Mexican Chicken Casserole

Day 4:
Lunch - Egg Fried Rice
Dinner - Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, Texas Caviar, and Oven Fries

Day 5:
Lunch - Roti with Soy Bean Soup
Dinner - Vegetarian Pad Thai

Day 6:
Lunch - Indian Fried Rice (recipe to come) with Chickpea Curry
Dinner - Steak, Sauteed Green Beans, Roasted Potatoes

Day 7:
Lunch - Tingmo with Sauteed Greens (recipe to come)
Dinner - Lentil Tacos

So there you have it. A week's worth of meals. Hopefully something in there will inspire you, too!