Oats & Honey Granola

My daily breakfast is Cascadian Farms' Oats & Honey Granola, fruit, and plain or vanilla yogurt. When I ran out of CF, I decided to create my own. So, after spending some time reading other recipes online, here is what I came up with.

Oats & Honey Granola
1 1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp vanilla

Move the baking rack in an oven halfway between the top and bottom. Set the oven to heat to a temperature of 325 degrees.

Step 2 Toast the oats & germ by spreading evenly on a baking sheet. Place the sheet with the oats into the heated oven and allaow to toast for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir the oats and bake another three to five minutes.

Step 3 In a mixing bowl add the honey, vegetable oil, cinnamon and salt. When thoroughly mixed pour the toasted oats into the bowl and continue to mix. Cover the baking sheet with wax paper and spread the mixture from the bowl evenly across the pan.

Step 4 Return the baking sheet to the still warm oven and bake 6 minutes, stir, bake another 6 minutes, stir, and bake a final 5 minutes. The goal is to achieve a gold brown bake so it will be necessary to watch the mixture closely. When finished baking, remove the sheet and allow to cool completely.

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BBQ Chicken Salad

Last night I hosted Girls Night at my house. I knew everyone loved CPK's BBQ Chicken Salad, so I recreated it. It was surprisingly easy! Everyone loved it, but I expected a larger crowd, so I have plenty of leftovers now!!! Oh, but the best part might have been that I was able to serve it on a bed of garden fresh lettuce! Hubby has done such a great job so far with growing our organic lettuce!

CPK BBQ Chicken Salad
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Jenny's BBQ Sauce (recipe below)
12 large fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1 lb jicama, cubed
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup canned black bean, rinsed, drained
1 cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 pint fresh ripe cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 assorted bell peppers, cubed

Boil or pressure cook chicken until no longer pink. Remove from water and shred while still hot. Cover pulled chicken with BBQ sauce and store in refrigerator. Can be served hot or cold, according to preference.

We had a "build your own" salad bar, so that everyone could chose their toppings.

Jenny's BBQ Sauce
This sauce is the perfect "anytime" sauce.

3/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp honey
1/4-1/2 tsp chipotle powder, to preference
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until desired thickness. Stir often.

CPK Copycat Garden Herb Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
8 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon minced dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil

Whisk all ingredients until well combined. Store in refrigerator.

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Honey Whole-Wheat Bread

Honey Whole-Wheat Bread
Adapted fromWilliams Sonoma Essentials of Baking

5 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
6 cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting (I used white whole-wheat)
2 tsp sea salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cubed

In the 5 qt bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a wire whisk, stir in the honey and eggs. Add the flour, salt, and butter. Place the bowl on the mixer, and using the dough hook, knead on low speed. Add a little more flour as needed for the dough to come away from the sides of the bowl after a few minutes of kneading. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5-7 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Punch down the dough and put on clean work surface. Cut in half using a bench scraper. For each half, evenly flatten the dough with the heel of your hand. Roll the bottom third up onto itself and seal it by pushing gently with the heel of your hand. Continue rolling and sealing the dough until you have an oval log. Place the log, seam side down, in buttered loaf pans. Press on them to flatten them evenly in the pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the loaves rise until they are doubled in size, 45-60 minutes.

Dust the tops of the loaves with whole-wheat flour. Bake in a 375 degree oven until they are honey brown and sound hollow when tapped on top, 35-40 minutes. Carefully remove the loaves from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks before slicing.

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