Like Strawberry Wine...

I’m going to start with the salad as I think I’ve found my new favorite.  Ohmyfreakinggod, this is so good and so easy.  I’ve been on a crazy arugula kick lately.  I can’t get enough of it – it’s crunchy and peppery and a nice change from the romaine I eat several times a week.  This salad is the perfect combination of textures and flavors, which are key in order for me to feel satisfied (keep your comments to yourself!). 

I bought a ton of strawberries so I thought a salad would be a good way to use some up.  I mixed them with some thinly sliced red onion and tossed it all with homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  I topped the salad with some creamy, tangy goat cheese and some nice salty, crunchy sunflower seeds.  Insanely good.  I almost said screw the pork altogether…but then I remembered how good this pork is too.  Aren’t the colors in the salad awesome though?  How could you not want to eat that?

And the pork?  Well I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and it’s amazing every time.  Surprisingly, it’s a recipe from P90X.  It’s a great mix of earthy and sweet flavors – of course with a pinch of cayenne too.  The top has a crust of brown sugar and fresh garlic – yum!  The tenderloin stays juicy and absorbs so much from the spices.  Definitely give these a try for an uber flavorful, healthy, fresh meal.

If you were stranded on a desert island what food would you need to have with you?  I’d definitely need granola in some form or another – I love it and I really love it with yogurt…in fact my obsession with yogurt is borderline frightening.  Thank goodness it’s so good for you or I’d be quite the fatty.  And for the record, my other foods would include good bread, good cheeses, red grapes, bananas, and most definitely bacon.  Ok, I’m totally getting off topic… 

I’ve wanted to make granola bars for a long time and after seeing Ina Garten make them recently (I’ve been on a late afternoon Food Network kick at the gym) I realized that I had most of what I needed at home already so I was sold.

I like this recipe, but I think I can make it better – well, make it more to suite my tastes I should say.  Also, I think I should have baked them for a few more minutes to harden them a bit more as they’re a little crumbly.  I think they’d still be chewy, which I want, but they would just hold together better.  Anyway, this was definitely an encouraging first try.  Next time I plan to add some cinnamon and some seeds – likely pepitas, sunflower and flax (omega 3’s!).  Chocolate chips and/or peanuts would also be great.  There are countless possibilities.  Here’s how it’s done:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed (omitted – you chew forever and it never goes away - blech!!)

½ cup toasted wheat germ

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

⅔ cup honey

¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup chopped pitted dates (omitted – anyone else think these look like roaches?  Gross.)

½ cup chopped dried apricots (use California rather than Turkish if you can, better flavor)

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried tart Montmorency cherries (my addition)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.  **I only had a 9”x13” pan so I made 1.5x the recipe – worked out well.**

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries (or any other add-ins) and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

I flagged this recipe months ago and set it aside for when I had the itch to make something new and had a good group to cook for.  The opportunity came up last week and I’m glad it did as this one is pretty kick-ass.  Admittedly, I didn’t actually use soba noodles when I made it but that is only because they weren’t available at the grocery store I went to (seriously, why do I ever stray from the uber-reliable Giant in McLean, VA???).  I have since bought some soba noodles and definitely plan to re-do this recipe the way it was meant to be made.  My substitution was rice noodles (pad thai noodles) and they worked out really well, but I think the flavor of the soba would make it even better.  I doubled the recipe and 5 of us chowed on two servings each, finishing off the dish – a definite keeper.  I made a lot of little changes which I’ll note in the recipe below.  Who’s in for round 2?!

Ingredients

Recipe courtesy Brown Eyed Baker (www.browneyedbaker.com)

8 oz. buckwheat soba noodles (subbed rice noodles)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced in thin strips

1 cup shredded cabbage (for a shortcut, used the bagged pre-shredded stuff for coleslaw)

1 cup broccoli florets (use fresh not frozen)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tsps. fresh ginger, minced (omitted and used some ginger powder on the chicken I added)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup almond slivers (toast these in dry pan for better flavor and a little extra crunch)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Crushed red pepper flakes (omitted and added ground cayenne pepper to sauce instead)

Boneless skinless chicken breast, cut in thin strips (my addition – needed more protein – see notes in instructions)

Sauce:

3 Tbsp. almond butter (may need one extra for better consistency)

3 Tbsp. water

3 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Instructions

If adding chicken, sauté in a large skillet (when doubling this recipe I used 3 chicken breasts) with some olive oil, S&P, garlic powder and several shakes of ground ginger), cook just until done and set aside.  Wipe out skillet and use for vegetables.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.  Cook soba noodles just until al dente, rinse, drain and set aside.

In the skillet with a splash of olive oil, sauté the broccoli and red pepper for about 2-3 min then add shredded cabbage and cook a few minutes more.  Add the garlic and scallions (and ginger if using fresh) and cook for a couple more minutes until desired crispness.  Reduce heat to low, add noodles, chicken and slivered almonds then mix everything together.  Pour sauce over and toss to coat, warm through.  Serve immediately.

Oh and we also had this – yum!