Recipe: Chai Pistachio Granola

I can't get enough of this granola. Swati was inspired to create a batch after we both discovered an upstate New York bakery, Bread Alone, that makes a highly addictive granola by the same name.

I am beginning to think my wife has a future career in food science. She did an amazing job at re-creating this product, even going a step further with the addition of Indian chai spice (a blend of ground cardamom, ginger, cloves, cinnamon). Now you must try it!

Makes about 12-15 servings

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw pistachios, shelled
1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried coconut
5/8 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp Indian chai spice (or ground cardamom)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and spices. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden brown and well toasted. Remove from oven.

Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots, tossing to combine.

Recipe: Polenta Breakfast Triangles

I was really proud of myself this morning. I wanted to make something sweet and different from my usual steel cut oats or oatmeal pancakes, so I decided to get creative with polenta, which had been sitting in my pantry for quite some time.

Making polenta is similar to preparing any whole grain. It's often served savory, but it also works great as a sweet dish. When cooked it will appear like a porridge, but given a few minutes it will harden and form the shape of any baking pan or bowl. I chose to serve mine with toasted walnuts, ground flaxseed and maple syrup. It also would be great with strawberries and blueberries. Oh summer, can't you come a bit sooner?

Here is my recipe. Enjoy!

Serves 3

3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp of butter
1 cup dried polenta (finely ground cornmeal)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
3 tsp ground flaxseeds
maple syrup to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water and salt to a boil. Add 1 tbsp of butter until melted.  Then slowly add polenta and reduce heat to medium low. Make sure to stir frequently for about 20 minutes, watching carefully. If left unattended, polenta will splatter! When it stops bubbling taste to ensure doneness.

2. Remove from heat and transfer to a small square 8x8 baking pan. Let sit here for 5-10 minutes until it hardens. Then cut into 8 triangles.

3. In a cast iron or frying pan use the remaining butter to slightly brown polenta triangles, 2-3 minutes on each side. Serve on plate with toasted walnuts, ground flaxseeds and maple syrup. Yum!

What I'm craving: Raw Granola

Ever since returning from San Francisco last week, I've found myself addicted to the Raisin Cinnamon Buckwheat Crunchies Raw Granola from Kaia Foods.

I've had it with yogurt, strawberries, peaches, and apricots. You can also eat it straight out of the bag.

I've been looking for an alternative to my usual steel cut oats for some time, and think I may have found it. Especially as the weather gets warmer, my body starts to crave lighter breakfasts like this one.

I am by no means a raw foodist, but this product is delicious. Perhaps even addictive. I love that it is made from buckwheat, a whole grain I would like to eat more of. It is also sweetened by agave nectar.

Do you have a favorite granola? I'd love to hear about it.

Recipe: Oatmeal Kefir Pancakes

Have you ever tried kefir?

I've always heard a lot about this fermented milk drink, loaded with probiotics. And last week I thought I'd try it out, as I've been experimenting with high quality dairy products lately.

A couple of sips into it, I had to stop. It was much too thick and sour for my taste - nothing like the 'yogurt drink' I had expected.

As someone who hates to waste food, even when I don't like it, I started to think of other alternatives for my kefir.

Then on Saturday morning, it hit me. I'd use it for making pancakes! Similar to buttermilk, kefir's batter-like consistency was actually a plus in this case. So I tried, using an old recipe for oatmeal pancakes, and was amazed by how good they turned out.

Whether or not you like kefir, I am sure you will enjoy. Topped with ground flaxseeds and strawberries, this dish will welcome you into Spring!

You can also try with apple butter and labne. Yum.

Serves 2 (seven 4-inch pancakes)

3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup kefir
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup corn flour
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)
strawberries, sliced (optional)

Place oats and kefir in a large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Beat the eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir in the soaked oats. Next, add the salt, corn flour, nutmeg, and baking soda. Mix well.

Drop 1/4 cup of batter into a heated cast iron skillet or griddle. Cook over medium low heat until tops are covered with holes. Turn the cakes over and cook on other side. Repeat until batter is finished.

Sprinkle ground flax seeds and strawberries atop the pancakes. Serve with yogurt or labne.

Recipe: Cranberry Walnut Steel Cut Oats

I love starting my day with a nice bowl of steel cut oatmeal. Topped with dried cranberries, walnuts, and coconut this is a perfect start to the morning.

Growing up, I was never a big fan of oatmeal. My grandfather ate it and thought it was something for old people - a soggy kind of cereal, high in fiber, but lacking flavor.

It wasn't until I lived in San Francisco that I discovered Steel Cut oats. My friend Tam had these beautiful looking tins of McCann's Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal in her kitchen, which piqued my curiosity. Previously I had never seen anything other than the Quaker man on a package of oats.

I noticed them later at my local Trader Joes and decided to take some home to try. They required more time to cook (25 minutes as opposed to 5 minutes for rolled oats), but it wasn't like I was cooking rolled oats anyway. So I made them one day and I was sold. Steel cut oats are now a regular part of my breakfast ritual.

I think you'll find the extra twenty minutes well worth it. Unlike the other stuff that 'passes' for breakfast food (e.g. toast, cereal, coffee), steel cut oats will provide a steady, quality source of energy that will last throughout the morning. I mean isn't that the intention of breakfast anyway?

To make oatmeal more exciting, I recommend alternating your toppings. Personal favorites include dried cranberries, raisins, crystallized ginger, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and shredded coconut. I also add a bit of flax, walnut or coconut oil to give it a healthy bit of fat.

Also, who said you need to be in the kitchen while your breakfast is cooking? I often get ready while the oats are on the stove. Here is the recipe:

Serves 3

1 cup steel cut oatmeal
2 cups water
a pinch of salt
dried cranberries
walnuts
shredded coconut
flax oil

Bring water to boil in a medium sized pot. Add oatmeal and return to boil. Then let simmer 20-25 minutes until fully cooked, mixing periodically. Serve in bowls with cranberries, walnuts, coconut, a teaspoon of flax oil, and a pinch of salt. Enjoy!

Another fun tip: Add a ginger tea bag to oatmeal while cooking. Will infuse a nice flavor to the oats.

Recipe: Chilaquiles (Mexican Brunch)

For those looking for new inspiration at breakfast or brunch, this dish is for you. Chilaquiles, is yet another traditional Mexican dish that has found its way into my kitchen.

I remember this dish fondly from my days in San Francisco. On Saturday mornings, I'd line up with the others at the Primavera stand at the Ferry Building Farmers Market to get my fix.

I was inspired to make this dish as I had a package of stale corn tortillas sitting in my freezer. Its taco days were numbered, but potential still remained in chip form. So I cut up the tortillas, lightly fried them and served with scrambled eggs, black beans, poblano peppers, onions and cheese. The results were simply delicious.

Try and let me know what you think!

Serves 1-2

2 eggs, beaten
8 oz black beans (1/2 can), drained
2 corn tortillas, cut into eight pieces
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/2 tomato, diced
2 oz shredded jack cheese, sour cream or labne (yogurt cheese)
juice of 1/4 lime
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
2 tbsp coconut oil or canola oil

First, fry the tortilla pieces. Take a cast iron skillet and bring to medium high heat. Add coconut oil and when hot, add the tortilla strips. Lightly fry for a minute or so, making sure to flip over. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a separate pan, saute the onions and poblano peppers in olive oil over medium heat. Cook until onions have softened. Remove from pan and set aside on separate plate. In the same pan, add a bit more of olive oil and bring heat to medium-low. Add egg mixture and scramble, until fully cooked. Fold in the cooked onions and peppers as well as the black beans. Cook for another two minutes or so. Mix in fried tortilla strips.

Serve on plate with shredded cheese or sour cream. Garnish with diced tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Enjoy!

Getting back to breakfast

We are Americans. We like it quick. Cereal and milk. Toast and butter. Bagel and cream cheeese. Coffee and pastry.

I don't know about you, but I can understand why this meal is often skipped. Where's the passion? Where's the excitement? It seems to me what passes for breakfast food is the result of years of marketing in the American psyche. If we were to go back 100 years ago, before Kelloggs, General Mills, and Starbucks entered the realm of the American diet, I am sure the choices we made were far different.

When was the last time you prepared a breakfast you were very proud of yourself? Most people can remember a dinner, maybe even a lunch. But breakfast escapes most people. Yet it is arguably the most important meal of the day.

I think a solid meal in the morning is a bowl of steel cut oatmeal. While this may sound boring, I find inspiration from the types of toppings: shredded coconut, dried cranberries, raisins, crystallized ginger, dates, toasted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flax seeds. My friend Sacha suggests heating up the water with a bag of chai tea. With the right combination, you'll find you don't even need to add any sugar! I find this approach much more satisfying than a bowl of Shredded Wheat.

I think it also helps to look overseas for inspiration. I've recently taken to a Japanese style breakfast. A simple saute of bok choy, carrots, scrambled eggs, and brown rice can go a long way. It is also a great way to use leftover rice from the day before! Sounds good? Check out the recipe below.

Recipe: Japanese breakfast

Looking for something different from the usual toast or cereal?

Try making this Japanese-inspired dish. I find it a great way to start the day, and also a great use of leftover brown rice. Budget about 30 minutes to prep and cook this meal. You'll be glad you did!

Serves 1-2

2 eggs
4 bok choy stem/leaves
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
Sriracha hot sauce (optional)
Sesame seeds or gomasio (optional)

Beat eggs in a small bowl. Separate bok choy leaves from stems. Chop both into bite sized pieces.

Heat oil in frying pan over medium-low heat. Saute bok choy stems, carrots for 4 minutes. Add bok choy leaves, cooked rice, vinegar and tamari and cook for another couple minutes. Remove vegetables and put on plate.

Add a little oil to pan if it's dry, add the eggs, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until eggs are mostly cooked. Scramble eggs and add to plate. Add Sriracha, Gomasio to taste. Enjoy!

Summer fruits: Enjoy them while they last

I'll admit it. I get lazy come summertime. The last thing I want to be doing is sitting behind a hot stove, especially when it is above 90 degrees outside.

Instead of my usual steel cut oatmeal in the morning, I've found myself gravitating towards the delicious fruits that are available this time of year. One can find local strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches, apricots and nectarines at your farmers market. I like to dice them up and eat in a bowl. Sometimes I will add some yogurt or granola or mueslix, depending on how hungry I am.

There is something wonderful about seeing the bounty of what nature has to offer in my little green bowl. Such beautiful colors. I feel immediately grateful to all the hard work that was put into making and delivering this beautiful produce to me. I am a rich man.

Suddenly the summer heat feels instantly more bearable.