Hummus

I currently live in the land of hummus. It's a pretty regular part of the diet in these parts so I haven't really felt a need to make my own, especially since I've tried to make it in the past unsuccessfully.  However, I was at book club a while back at my friend Kelly's house and she served this delicious homemade hummus.  I couldn't get enough.  I raved about it so much that she brought me the leftovers.  The texture is fantastic and it has a nice balance of lemon and garlic.  You can play with the ingredients to get the texture and flavor you like.

HUMMUS

• 2 cans (15 ounces) chickpeas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup tahini, stirred well
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Place chickpeas, garlic, and Kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for a minute or so.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  

Add the lemon juice, water, and tahini while the food processor is running.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.  

Add the olive oil with the food processor running and process until the hummus is a desired consistency.

Source: Alton Brown and Brad Van

Granola

My friend Gina passed this recipe along to me and now it's my latest breakfast fave. I made yet another batch today.  I've tweaked it a bit to include only ingredients that I like (no thank you on pumpkin seeds) and are easily accessible to me. Feel free to adapt this recipe in any way that makes sense to you; it really is quite versatile.  As for dried fruit, I think cherries are a must. I love this with milk and especially appreciate the fact that it fills me up for much longer than my other breakfast options.  Enjoy!

GRANOLA

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• dried fruit 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Line a rimmed backing sheet with parchment paper.  

In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, coconut, nuts, and salt.  Stir to mix. 

Add maple syrup and coconut oil and stir until well blended.  

Spread mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet.  

Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until the granola is brown and toasted, about 45 minutes.  

Cool completely. 

Add dried fruit.  

Store in an air tight container.  Glass jars work nicely.

Source: Emily Cavanaugh

Granola Bars

When I first moved to this far away place and was figuring out where to grocery shop and what food to buy, I ate a lot of Nature Valley granola bars.  They were easy and familiar.  And, since the ingredients and nutrition information were in Arabic, I didn't even have to know how bad they were for me.  Ignorance can be bliss, or at least convenient.  But, deep down, I knew there was probably a truckload of sugar in them and little nutritional value.  That's when I started making these yummy breakfast bites.  And, as much as I love those guys, I thought it was time to mix it up and have another breakfast-y item in the mix that I can grab for an easy, at-school snack, which is where this recipe comes in.  

I was drawn to this recipe because of the sesame seeds, which I love, but a little deterred by the dates, since they can be pretty sweet.  Surprisingly, the dates really made these; they gave the granola bars a nice chewy texture.  I listed the chocolate chips as optional in case you want them to be a little more breakfast-like.

I love these granola bars.  So much better than store-bought and full of good, hearty, natural ingredients. Thank you, David Lebovitz, for another winner of a recipe.
    

GRANOLA BARS

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup pitted and diced dates
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/3 cup dried sour cherries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Line the bottom of an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.  

Spread the oats and sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast for 10-12 minutes, until they are slightly browned.  

Scrape them into a large bowl. 

Spread the almonds on the baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes.  

Let cool, then coarsely chop and add the almonds to the oats and sesame seeds.  

Add dates, chocolate chips (if using), cherries, and peanuts to the bowl.  

Heat the peanut butter, honey, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring until warm, but not boiling.  

Pour the peanut butter and honey over the mixture in the bowl and stir until completely incorporated.  Use your hands if you want.  

Transfer the mixture to the pan and pat down so it's as flat as possible.  (Use a tart tamper if you have one.) 

Freeze the granola bars for 30 minutes.  

Cut and store in the refrigerator.  

Source:  David Lebovitz

Breakfast Bites

I've been playing around with the recipe for awhile trying to find a healthy combination of things that will work for a breakfast bite.  I wanted something with protein, minimal sugar, and that would be easy-to-grab since mornings aren't my best time.  I'm not hungry in the morning, but if I don't have something to snack on during morning recess, I end up hangry (hunger that leads to anger), which makes for an unpleasant morning.    

I've found it works best to send the oatmeal, nuts, and flaked coconut through the food processor beforehand.  Using the food processor eliminates the need for chopping and makes forming the bites a little easier since the ingredients are uniformly chopped and small.  Shredded coconut won't need the food processor.  

BREAKFAST BITES

• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup crispy rice cereal
• 1 cup coconut, shredded or flaked 
• 1/3 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I've used peanuts and cashews.)
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 

Combine the oats, rice cereal, coconut, flax seed, and nuts in a large bowl. 


In a medium saucepan, heat peanut butter, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla until melted and combined.  


Pour peanut butter mixture into dry ingredients and stir gently to combine.  


Place bowl in refrigerator for 20 minutes. 


Roll into small bites and store in the refrigerator or freezer.    


Source:  modified from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Muddy Buddies

This is a good ol' classic.  I'd forgotten how delish it is until I made it for my kids at school a while back.  There's something very addictive about this little peanut buttery-chocolate-crunchy mixy mix. 

 MUDDY BUDDIES

• 9 cups Chex cereal (I like to use rice Chex.)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Measure cereal into large bowl. (I use the biggest bowl I have. It makes mixing much easier.)


In bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter for 1 minute. Stir.


Microwave for 15-30 more seconds and stir until smooth.


Add vanilla to chocolate mixture.


Pour mixture over cereal and mix until well coated.


Add powdered sugar and mix well.


NOTE: You can put the mixture into a plastic bag and add the powdered sugar and shake. I feel like this can easily be done in the bowl instead.


Spread on wax paper and cool.


Source:  Chex Website