granola

This recipe is from Joyful Abode blog.    Sounds delish!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Gather your ingredients:

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup peanuts, crushed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit

To crush your peanuts, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a heavy mallet, measuring cup, or sauce pan.  Then, mix the peanuts, oats, wheat germ, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. Toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned. 
Meanwhile, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.
Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but it looks so pretty!)
By now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. The grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. Oh, and turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.  Mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. Now, dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.  Spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Now fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS HARD all over the granola. You want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them. 
Wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.
Then, open the waxed paper …  And carefully turn the granola onto a large cutting board, peeling away the rest of the paper.  Now, firmly pressing down with a big knife (not sawing), cut your granola into whatever size bars you’d like. 

Avocado egg rolls and sauce

Tamarind Sauce

1/4 C cashews
2/3 C fresh cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 green onions
1 T sugar
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp cumin
4 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 C honey
1/2 tsp tamarind pulp (or substitute 1/4 C raisins)
1/4 C olive oil

Combine all in food processor until smooth. You can freeze leftovers for up to 8 weeks.

Egg rolls

2 T sun dried tomatoes
1 large avocado
2 T minced red onion
chopped, fresh cilantro
pinch of salt
egg roll wrappers

Gently combine the avocado with the tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and pinch of salt. Be careful not to smash the avocados. Place 1/3 of the filling into an egg roll wrapper. Look at the back of the egg roll wrapper package for more directions. Fry egg rolls in a deep fryer or pan over med heat for 3-4 minutes.

Orange Chicken with Rice and Green Bean Stir Fry (from Food Network)

RICE:

Rinse 1 cup rice. Heat some oil in a pan. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic. Add rice and toast, stirring. Add 2 cups chicken stock and cook rice. When done, add some chopped scallions and chopped peanuts. Add salt to taste.

CHICKEN:

Cut chicken thighs into nuggets. In a bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, pinch of salt, pepper, and cayenne. In another bowl, combine 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts flour, some salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in egg mixture, then into flour mixture. Remove and place on a tray and let rest for several minutes.
Fry in oil that has reached 350 degrees for about 5 minutes, until done.

Orange glaze:
Heat pan. Add 1 stick butter, 1/3 cup brown sugar (no need to pack), about 2 cups orange juice (pulp free), some Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, and some orange zest. Cook and reduce until thickened.

When chicken is done, add to glaze and stir to coat.

Green Bean Stir fry:

Wash beans and cut into bite size pieces. Heat pan and add oil. Press 2 cloves garlic into oil, and add green beans. Grate some fresh ginger onto the beans and saute. Do NOT overcook! Leave crunchy. Prepare dressing for beans: Equal parts rice vinegar and honey. Add half that amount of sesame oil, and some red pepper flakes. Whisk together and pour over beans.

Voila! Chinese take-out at home! It tastes just as good, too! Our family gives it 2 thumbs-up.