Tag Archive for 'brown rice syrup'

Seeded Granola

Published on June 30, 2011 in Breakfast and Cookbooks + Cooks. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Sorry for such a lull in the posts, kids. Things have been a bit nutty around here. All our birthdays are clustered in a one-month period, plus we’ve been away for the last two weekends, plus it’s hot and when it gets hot, the kitchen shuts down at Casa Nitz. Not entirely, of course, but I just haven’t been particularly inspired to make anything that requires much of an effort.

Of course, I’ve been drooling over this and all its contents, but the idea of turning on the oven has stopped me from making anything…until now. I had to try the seeded granola. And turns out, while my original recipe is still delicious and healthy, this one is kind of ridiculous. Why? Well, I blame/thank the butter. Yes, everything really is better with butter. That’s not marketing; that’s the God’s-honest truth. And also the cooking of the syrup/wet mix. That gets everything really nice and crunchy.

I made a couple substitutions for things I didn’t have, which you can certainly do, but the key is to use mostly seeds (versus nuts, but nuts are okay too).  And the absolutely essential ingredient that really takes this granola over the top?  Cayenne pepper. It gives it just a hint of heat, but it’s more than that. It’s a smokiness which somehow fits so well with the seeds. Ridiculously good. In fact, going forward, I think I may need to make ALL of my granola with cayenne.

NOTES:  This recipe makes about 10 cups, which is a lot of granola. I halved it, but if you’re some kind of granola maniac, go for the whole batch. Also, the original recipe says to bake it at 325º, but I find that granola cooks better at a lower temperature, so I ended up cooking it at 300º and a bit longer than the 30 minutes called for. The important thing is to keep an eye on it and if it looks like it’s getting too dark, take it out. There’s really nothing worse than burnt granola. Well, maybe this.

Seeded Granola

Adapted from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain

DRY MIX:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
4 cups whole rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced raw almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

WET MIX:
1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 325ºF/165ºC. Toast the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet until light golden brown, about 10 minutes (the original recipe said it would take about 18 minutes, but mine were done much faster, so make sure to keep an eye on them!).

Combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl, adding the toasted pumpkin seeds when they’re done. Turn the oven down to 300ºF/149ºC. Butter two baking sheets (I used one small and one large rimmed sheet pan).

Meanwhile, combine the wet mix in a small heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir it once and then just let it sit until it comes to an even boil, which means the center of the syrup needs to be bubbling (not just the edges). Take the pan off the heat and pour it over the dry mix, making sure to coat all the dry ingredients with the syrup.

Spread the granola evenly onto the baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Take the pans out of the oven (closing the oven door to keep the heat in) and stir to bring the outside edges of the granola into the middle of the pan and push the stuff in the middle out to the edges. Rotate the sheets (meaning put the top sheet onto the bottom oven rack and the bottom on the top) and cook for another 10 minutes. Cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring and rotating as above every 10 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and allow the granola to cool completely on the pans; this allows those delicious crunchy clusters to form. Stored in an airtight container, it should last at least a week.

Granola Bars

Published on April 5, 2011 in Desserts. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Whole Foods has these ridiculous granola bars, which I’m sure you’ve seen, laying in wait near the check-out lines, just waiting for you to pass by, glance over, pick them up and think, “Well, granola bars. These must be healthy.” To which the granola bars snicker quietly to themselves and then guffaw all the way home, once safely buried in the bottom of your eco tote.

Because once you get those little suckers home, bite into the chewy goodness, it’s too late to realize that they’re not so healthy, one sign being your hands covered in grease from all the oil in there. I’m sorry to say it, but you’ve been had.

But, I’m fighting back, damnit. No granola bar will laugh at me without serious repercussions. I told myself that I can and will recreate the same delicious flavor without all that (or any, actually) oil. And so I did.  The nice thing about these bars (besides how good they taste, that is) is that you can really mix it up flavor-wise. Substitute pecans for the almonds, or add dried cherries or apricots instead of cranberries. Dare I say it? Throw in some chocolate chips. Blow off the coconut if that’s not your bag, baby. Just keep it in the 2 cups range, give or take a 1/4 cup or so.

You can even fiddle with the sweetener part. Brown rice syrup can sometimes have a sort of chemically taste, so try it with more honey or use maple syrup or even sugar instead. I’m thinking peanut butter could be crazy good as well. As long as you keep the proportions the same (about 1 to 1-1/4 cups), you’re good.

Join the fight against unhealthy granola bar mockery. Make these bars. And you, my friends, will get the last laugh.

Granola Bars

Nonstick spray (or 1 T butter)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2/3 cup (unsweetened) shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups unsweetened brown rice crispy cereal
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Sprinkling of sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. On a few sheet pans, spread out the sunflower seeds, almonds, pepitas, flax seed and coconut. Roast in the oven for about 5 minutes, stirring everything around once or twice to make sure nothing burns. When the coconut turns golden and you can smell the nuts, they’re done.

In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown rice syrup, honey, brown sugar, salt and vanilla. Bring to a bubble over medium heat and cook until it thickens up a bit, about 3 or 4 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rice cereal, oats and dried cranberries. Mix in the roasted nuts and coconut, then pour the hot syrup over the mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a greased (with either spray or butter) 8″x8″ or 9″x12″ pan — depending on whether you like your bars super chunky or regular thickness. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the top if you like. Firmly press the mixture into the pan with a piece of waxed paper, compacting it down to help keep it together. You can also line the pan with sprayed/buttered parchment or waxed paper first and use the overhang to press and wrap. This way, you can turn out the bars in one big piece for easier cutting (I’ll do this next time). Let the bars sit for at least 2-3 hours before cutting.

Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

Published on March 17, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts and Holiday. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .


Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As I am 1/8 Irish, we will be drinking green beer, sporting “Kiss Me, I’m Irish!” pins and playing bagpipes in the parade today (although I always thought bagpipes were Scottish, which I’m also 1/8 of, so it still works).

photo credit: http://nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org

Actually, not really. Although the Irish are very inclusive and welcome anyone to be Irish today, we are actually doing none of the above. But we did make carrot muffins this morning and I briefly thought about adding green food coloring to the cream cheese frosting, so does that count?

Great. So, these carrot muffins, also known as “cupcakes” in our household (much more appetizing, no?) are basically an update of this carrot cake recipe based on the fact that I’m not in Argentina any more and can get things like brown rice syrup and Greek yogurt. Yippee for brown rice syrup availability…boo for not being in Argentina (it really is a lovely place, you must go. Now. Really. Just stop reading and get on Kayak and buy a ticket. Or wait. Finish the post, make the muffins/cupcakes and then do that. OK, good).

So, what are y’all doing for St. Patty’s (Paddy’s?) — wearing your favorite green jumpsuit? four-leaf clover stickers on your face? playing bagpipes in a parade somewhere? Do tell.

Carrot Muffins/Cupcakes

Makes 15 standard-sized cupcakes

Muffins/Cupcakes:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, sifted
1/4 cup oatmeal
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 brown rice syrup
1/8 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
1-1/4 cup carrots, finely grated (about 2 big or 4 medium carrots)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
3-4 tablespoons low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°F/165ºC.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, canola oil, sugar, brown rice syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients; stir just until moist. Stir in carrots, yogurt and walnuts. Fill cupcake liners slightly more than half full and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

To prepare frosting, combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Mix until combined. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth.

Banana Bread and…my 100th Post!

Published on February 21, 2011 in Breads + Muffins, Desserts and fruit. 7 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .


Yeah, I kinda can’t believe it myself. 100 posts. That’s a lot of talkin’ ’bout food. And other things too, of course. I’m rather proud of myself, I must say. And to celebrate, let’s make something sweet and yummy and happy. I need that. Because after an amazingly beautiful 60ºF day on Friday, we woke up this morning to snow. More snow. And it’s still falling, folks.


So if we’re going to make it through this winter, we’re going to need sustenance. And I mean the kind of sustenance one can only receive from butter. But before you start feeling guilty, take note that there’s no refined sugar in this banana bread. And there’s yogurt and bananas and nuts too, which means it’s also quite healthy. Really.

So if you’re in this east coast blizzard (or even if you’re not), hunker down and make some of this banana bread with your loved one(s)*. And while it’s baking and filling your kitchen with warm happy smells, raise a glass (or a mug of coffee, if it’s before noon) with me and toast to the big 100. Thanks, readers (all five of you), who support this little endeavor of mine. To the next 100 posts…!

Banana Bread

Adapted liberally from Martha Stewart’s Entertaining

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1/2 whole-wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flours)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (about 2) ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Toast the nuts in the oven for 7 minutes, then chop. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together, then gradually add to the wet ingredients. Add the bananas, yogurt and vanilla. Stir in the flax seeds and nuts and pour into a greased 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan [or muffin tin].

Bake for about one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean (start checking around 50 minutes). Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack for additional cooling (and cutting and eating).

* A special congratulations to Nadia and the birth of her latest loved one, beautiful boy Miles!