Breakfast: Granola

Here we are- back to breakfast. I just like breakfast. Somehow there is an inherent permission to utilize much less variety and less complicated meals. So here's my granola recipe. This simple but delicious breakfast weaned us off storebought cereals until we were ready to graduate to overnight oats. Give it a try!

Granola

Ingredients:

½ cup coconut oil

½ - ¾ cup honey

one capful vanilla

cinnamon

6 cups rolled oats 
Optional: 1 handful of dates, food processed and mixed in as an extra sweetener

Toppings to taste: raisins, craisins, apple pieces, slivered almonds, ground flax, chia seeds etc.

1.    Melt honey and oil together on low temperature

2.    Mix in cinnamon and vanilla

3.    Once the mixture is completely melted and combined, add oats

4.    Stir until coated

5.    Mix in any other add-ins

6.    Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper

7.    Pour the mixture onto the sheets, spreading to make a thin, even layer

8.    Bake at 325* for about 10-15 minutes, then take out and add the dried fruit. This will prevent the dried fruit from burning and also allow you to mix the oats up a little since those around the edge tend to cook faster
9. Put back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Watch closely because it can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly.

I mix up plain Greek yogurt with honey and put mix the granola in

My husband adds frozen berries and pours milk over it

 I don't really have anything else to say about this except: let me know what you think!

A Message from Our Critic Regarding Enchilada Casserole

We now move to dinner. It looks like a lot of ingredients and steps, but don't you worry-I don't make hard things. Just healthy and yummy. My #1 food critic would like me to leave these words with you: "A great way to break your fast!" 

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

Salsa (see my salsa recipe)

Chick peas (or ground beef, chicken, etc.)

Black beans

Corn

½ to 1 onion or combination (I used 1 stalk green onion and ½ of 1 sweet onion)

½ to 1 Bell pepper

2 cloves of garlic

Celery

Corn tortillas

Mozzarella cheese

Sharp cheddar cheese

Cumin

Chipotle chili powder

Coriander

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Lime

Tortilla chips

Let’s get started

1.     Rinse chick peas (if you are using chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes; if you’re using beef, go straight to step 2)

2.     Add to hot pan with olive oil and garlic (either using a garlic crusher or diced very fine)

3.     Season generously with chipotle chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin and coriander

4.     Rinse black beans

5.     Add to another hot pan with olive oil

6.     Chop Celery, onion, and bell pepper

7.     Add chopped vegetables and corn to black beans

8.     Season with cumin, salt, and pepper

9.     While everything is cooking, preheat the oven to 400* F

10. Grate mozzarella and cheddar cheese

11. When everything is cooked start layering in a pan

12. Pour down a layer of salsa

13. Rip up tortillas and create a mosaic-like layer

14. Top with a thin layer of mozzarella cheese

15. Add black bean mix

16. Add chick peas

17. Add a layer of salsa 
18. Repeat all layers 1-2 more times, depending on how high your dish is and how thick your layers are 

19. On the top do one last layer of tortilla and top with a generous layer of cheddar cheese

20. Bake at 400* for 15-25 minutes or until the top layer of cheese starts to get crispy

21. Serve with cilantro, lime, and a little more cheddar cheese on the side as extra toppings and chips to scoop it up with

Now for the post-recipe commentary. I don't really have much to say about this except it's hearty, healthy, and feels good on the gut. Also, one time I made it, the neighbor kids could smell all the delicious aromas wafting outside and went inside and asked their mom what was for dinner only to find out that it was not their food that they were smelling (although I'm sure that they too were having something delicious). If you want more insider tips then read my last two posts on sauce and beans. As a suggestion, read the ingredients before using store bought enchilada sauces. In the early stages I made this with the canned stuff my husband reported tummy issues, so I would highly recommend homemade.

 

Alterior Motives

Ok. I'm going to be honest, this recipe is a work in progress. It's good now but will likely change next time I make it so it can go from good to great. The more lime you put in, the more mild it gets. I'm really just posting this one in preparation for my next post. All things lead to... enchilada casserole!

Enchilada Sauce

5ish tomatillos

2-3 tomatoes

1/2 - 1 cloves of garlic (start with 1/2-you can always add more if you like it more garlicy)

2 bell peppers (preferably of different colors)

½ onion

¼ bunch of cilantro stalks

chilis to taste

salt

1-2 limes (optional)

Put tomatillos and tomatoes in a medium hot pan until the side is barely blackened, then turn and repeat until 2-3 sides are barely blackened

Cut bell peppers and onion into chunks (don't worry about making them fine or even, just make them small enough to fit into a blender

Dice cilantro stalks, chilis, and garlic (or use a garlic crusher)
Put tomatoes/tomatillos in blender with garlic and take in the glorious aroma
Use a wooden spoon to smash the tomatoes down a little so they break open, otherwise the blender blade won't be able to do its job

Add everything else into blender

Add salt and lime juice to taste (lime juice will help neutralize too much spice)

The Magical Fruit... But Really, Though

I have come to have a beautiful relationship with beans. So let's talk about it. If you read the labels on canned beans you'll find that they're packed with sodium! Now. I'm not a salt hater. And I do use canned beans when I have to (although I try to find the ones with reduced salt), but why put all the extra, unnecessary sodium in my diet when it's doing nothing to enhance the flavor of my food? Therefore, I would like to introduce...dried beans! They seems intimidating at first with all the soaking and whatnot, and I, myself, went back and forth for a while on whether I had the time, patience, and forethought to use them. Enter: crockpot. You still need to plan ahead, but here's what I do.

1. Find a store near you with bulk bins. We have tons of options of beans and lentils for super cheap (although do not follow these instructions for lentils since they are very fast and easy to cook)
2. Purchase the beans of your choice
3. You can rinse the beans beforehand if you're worried about them being dirty, but I'm going to be honest, I forget sometimes and it doesn't really seem to make a difference
4. Pour beans into crock pot (again, I don't measure things-use as much as you want but I wouldn't recommend filling the crockpot more than 1/4 - 1/3 full since they will expand a lot)
5. Cover the beans with water. There should be about 1- 1.5 inches of water above the beans
6. Put the lid on and allow the beans to soak either overnight or the length of a normal work day. DO NOT TURN THE CROCKPOT ON AT THIS TIME.
7. Once they have had ample time to soak you will see that they have expanded and probably have come close to the top of the water. At this stage you can add a little more water but not more than .5 inch above the beans
8. Turn the crockpot on high overnight or before leaving for work (depending on when you soaked them). They should take about a day or night, but it varies depending on the type of bean. Chickpeas/garbanzo beans, for example, take a little longer and black beans are done fairly quickly. For this reason, I would not advise cooking different beans together (been there, done that, not good). If you're not sure, just take one out and either taste it or just try to squish it. It should be soft.
9. The water level will go down below the level of the beans. This is ok. This is how the water gets thick and starchy and is good to use in some recipes. If you're worried about the top beans getting dry, mix the beans up to get them all wet. If they still look too dry then you can add a little water, but be careful not to overdo it.
10. You can use them directly while still hot, or put them in bags and freeze them. I used to freeze them in bulk in gallon size bags, but I found that it's cumbersome to thaw them that way, especially if I only want a little bit for quesadillas or something. I've now started portioning them into sandwich bags to freeze.
11. If you choose to go the freezing route, just run under warm water or put in a bowl of warm water to thaw. It doesn't take long.

In way less wordy terms: soak overnight, cook the length of a workday, eat or freeze. Or if pictures are more your thing:

Rinsed and ready to go.

Soaking. Don't actually put the chord on top. I was just showing that it was off.

After a night of just soaking. Hopefully you can see the difference in water level.

Cooking...

Ta-Da! As you can see the water is very low. I have stirred them and they look perfect!

Seriously, beans are magical indeed! They're great sources of protein, are low on the glycemic index (that's a good thing), and come straight from the earth so you know they have lots of great health benefits. I am not a vegetarian, but I'm usually too stingy to buy meat, so I use beans and lentils as substitutes in everything. And yes, my meat-loving husband has learned to love it. He constantly tells me how good he feels after eating the bean-substitute meals. One time he said it was my best yet so I asked him what he thought about its meatlessness. He said it's always better with meat, so I then reminded him that I had used meat previous times but he just said this one was the best.

Again, I AM NOT AGAINST EATING MEAT as long as it fits in the budget and isn't to excess. The function of my anecdote is simply to show that beans are an option. And a great option at that--even for a hungry husband.