How NOT to make granola bars!

I do not know where I got this recipe...it was in a pile of recipes I had saved some time ago and stashed away. I had been wanting to make granola bars lately anyway, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. Well, I don't know who authored this recipe but it is terrible. It tasted okay, but was chewy and did not form bars at all. In fact, it made a total mess of my baking sheet. I had to keep what survived the process in the freezer to make it edible. If you have a tested granola bar recipe, please send it to me!

Do Not Make Granola Bars this way:

1 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup oat bran

2 T candied ginger, diced

3/4 cup + 2 T maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

Toast walnuts and set aside. In a bowl mix the rice cereal, oats, dried cranberries, oat bran and ginger. In a saucepan mix together maple syrup, sugar, and salt over medium heat until thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Toss with dry mixture and add walnuts; stir until combined well. Press into a greased 8x11 baking dish and let cool. Cut into bars.

These were a gooey, sloppy mess!

Cherry Salsa

This is similar to the method of the mango salsa, just with cherries...which are also in season now. Fresh, wild cherries are so flavorful and are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins. As a runner, cherries or cherry juice are among the best things to consume. Wild Cherries went on a huge sale here at Whole Foods, so we stocked up, made some fresh dishes and froze the rest for smoothies later. 

Cherry Salsa

1 lb fresh wild cherries, de-stemmed and pitted, diced

1 shallot, finely diced (you could also use red onion)

2 fresh limes, zested and juiced

2-3 tsp ground cumin (adjust to your liking!)

salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Taste for adjustment to salt, pepper and cumin to your liking. Refrigerate for a few hours for the flavors to marry. Serve with quesodillas, burritos, grilled chicken, whatever! This can really be customized to your liking, so play with the flavors and even ingredients   

Egg White Ice Cream: Coffee

I have been looking for ways to reduce my sugar intake, but I also like a sweet treat every now and then. I have used a version of this ice cream recipe before, using egg whites and sour cream, but this time I reduced the sugar even more. I figure the best ice cream flavor with little sugar is coffee because you really want to taste the coffee flavor anyway (well I do since I drink my coffee black...if you load up on cream and sugar you probably disagree!).

This really works best in an ice cream maker, but I also have made it without one and it is a bit icey since it had less fat, but still tastes good!

Coffee (egg white) Ice Cream

2 cup very strong-brewed coffee (espresso like); cooled

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

Make the coffee ahead of time, but the same day. You want it cooled, but not stale. Brewing flavored coffee makes it even better.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly incorporate the sour cream and vanilla. Add the milk, cooled coffee and sugar and mix on low just to combine. Place in an ice cream maker and follow directions for your maker, or put in a freezer container and place in the freezer to freeze. If you are doing it this way, take it out about once an hour to stir so it's not so icey.

Another recipe I tried out of an old magazine tear out I found while cleaning is below. This is a very easy, basic ice cream recipe that does not call for heavy cream:

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

2 T sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups whole milk

Whisk all ingredients in a large container and chill for 30 minutes. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to directions. 

Variations:

Chocolate: omit sugar, vanilla and whole milk, add 2 cups chocolate milk and 2/3 cup chocolate syrup

Strawberry: omit vanilla and reduce milk to 1 1/2 cups. Process 1 (16 oz) container fresh strawberries , 2 T lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender. Stir into milk mixture

Coconut: omit vanilla and sugar, reduce whole milk to 1 1/2 cups. Whisk 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk , 2 T lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt into milk mixture. 

Fig-Mint: Make vanilla ice cream as directed above. Meanwhile, stir together 2 cups chopped fresh figs, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 T sugar,  and 2 tsp chopped fresh mint. Stir mixture into prepared vanilla (while it is soft right out of the ice cream maker) and freeze until firm. 

Turkey Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes & Red Onion

This is another dish straight out of Runners World, a dish we love to make, and really is best with heirloom tomatoes, which are just now in season. I can't count how many times I have made this dish. The celebrity chef Rocco DeSpirito contributed the recipe to an issue of Runners World a few years ago and I have hung on to it. This dish is light, but filling, easy on the calories and great if you're watching carbs (as I am since I'm pregnant). The combination of the grilled veggies plus the sauce drizzled on top is what makes the dish...I mean the turkey burger part is good, but to eat it alone it is not a salient dish in itself. 

Turkey Burgers with Heirloom Tomatoes & Red Onion

1 1/4 lbs ground turkey

3 T chopped fresh rosemary (or about 1 T dried)

salt & pepper to season

Olive oil cooking spray

2 heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/2" slices (I like to get one yellow and one red)

1 medium red onion, cut into round 1/2" slices

1 cup milk (I used 1%)

1 T cornstarch

1/2 cup shredded Provolone or Munster cheese (I have used both)

Preheat a grill on high heat. In a bowl, mix together the ground turkey and rosemary, season with salt and pepper. Divide into 4 portions and form into 1" patties. Place on grill. Spray tomato and onion slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on grill. Grill meat and onions for 4 minutes per side. Grill tomatoes for 2 minutes per side (or less, keep an eye on them so they don't turn into mush!). 

In a bowl, whisk together the milk and cornstarch. Pour into a saucepan, bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Whisk cheese into sauce until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Pile onion and tomato slices on top of each patty and drizzle with sauce. Serves four.