Best Granola Ever

Hands down, this is the best granola recipe I have tried. I have made it countless times over the past few months, but I keep forgetting to take good pictures of it (since I'm usually too busy eating it). It's Alton Brown's recipe, and you can modify it using different kinds of nuts, but it always turns out perfectly. What I think is distinctive about it is the fact that you slow-roast it - it's not time consuming at all to make, as long as you set a timer every 15 minutes or so and just give it a stir in the oven.

BEST GRANOLA EVER

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds
1 cup pecans or walnuts (he uses cashews)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins (or you can put any chopped dried fruit here)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. In a food processor, pulse the nuts a couple times to chop roughly. Mix oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar in a bowl.

In another smaller bowl, mix syrup, oil and salt. Pour into the oat mixture, mix well, and spread over a big cookie pan. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to turn the oats over.

Once done, mix in the dried fruit.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

This is a super easy, make-after-work recipe that can be done in about 45 minutes or less. If you have fresh ginger, add it when you add the garlic. If you have green onions or other vegetables, throw them in as well. Best thing about this is how few pots you need.

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak, cut into 3 inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups frozen broccoli florets
2 cups baby carrots
1 small onion, cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup water


In a bowl, mix 2 Tblsp. of the corn starch with 2 Tblsp water and garlic powder. Add 2 Tblsp cornstarch, 2 Tblsp water and garlic powder until smooth. Add beef and toss.

In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir and fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil, browning lightly. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add onion and carrots to pan and brown lightly, 4 minutes. Add garlic and frozen broccoli, cook another two minutes. Return beef to pan.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and remaining 1 Tblsp cornstarch and 1/2 cup water until smooth; add to the pan. Stir to combine, test broccoli to see if it's done. Serve with rice.

Slow cooker two-bean chili with quinoa

This is going to be my new go-to recipe for vegetarian chili. I've found that a lot of recipes for vegetarian chili don't have that extra thickness/heartiness that is present in a meat-based sauce, and they end up being more soup-like. This recipe, which was inspired by this one, remedies that. The secret ingredient? Quinoa, which is loaded with additional protein. If you don't have a slow cooker, you could easily make this on the stove, too. It tastes even better after it sits.

Slow cooker two-bean chili with quinoa

1 onion
1 Tblsp minced garlic
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup red quinoa, rinsed (you could use other kinds of quinoa as well)
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 cup frozen sweet corn (or canned hominy)
1 can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tblsp. chili powder (use 2 Tblsp if you have a mild powder)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt


Saute onion and garlic in a dash of olive oil until softened. Add to slow cooker, along with all your other ingredients. Cook on high for three hours, or you could also probably do high for one hour, low for 4-6. Serve with a sprinkling of feta cheese or grated cheddar on top.

Buttermilk biscuits

If you make these biscuits, you may never need to go out for breakfast again - all these need are a couple fried eggs, a side of grits and a cup of hot coffee. These biscuits are amazing. I've made them multiple times, and I keep returning to the recipe again and again. So, I'm putting it here for posterity.

Buttermilk biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tblsp baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 Tblsp. butter or earth balance substitute
1 cup buttermilk (Make your own! Add 1 Tblsp. white vinegar to a cup of milk, let sit for 5 min).

**Tip to getting these just right - don't handle the dough too much. Don't use a rolling pin.

Preheat oven to 450.

Mix dry ingredients in a food processor. Throw in the butter and pulse until crumbly. Mix in the buttermilk. Mixture should be sticky. Turn onto a floured surface and pat and fold the dough over about five times. Pat it out (do not roll it) to about 1 inch thickness. Cut out biscuit shapes with a glass or cookie cutter, place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (Place so they are touching each other if you like them soft).

Bake 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Enjoy!