Homemade Granola Bars

These are easy to make and are a great grab-and-go. Oh, I forgot delicious. Totally delicious. And addictive.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

3/4 cup ground flax seed

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 tbsp butter

vanilla to taste

approx 8 oz. chopped dates (I buy whole and chop myself)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Stir the oats, wheat germ, flax seed, 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. Line a baking pan with wax paper and spray with nonstick spray.

Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, and vanilla into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Combine the toasted grains, honey mixture, dates, and sesame seeds and mix very well. Put the mixture into the lined pan, cover with a second piece of sprayed wax paper, and use a rolling pin to flatten the mixture into a sheet. Once it cools, carefully peel away the wax paper and cut the sheet into bars. You may wrap them individually (I reuse the sheets of wax paper for this) or you can store them in a container. Just make sure there is something between them so they don't stick together.

Best Brand-name Salsa

I don't usually go for the quick, brand-name recipes, but this is OH SO YUMMY. A coworker brought it one day, I begged the recipe out of her, and when I recreated it at home, I almost ate the entire batch before we even got to the marinating stage.

A few things to note:

• I usually dislike corn in my salsa. If you dislike corn in your salsa, fear not: this stuff is delicious.
• The recipe is completely MILD. If you want kick, you can add some diced fresh jalapenos/chilies or some ground cayenne pepper.
• This takes only a few minutes to make and is awesome even before it marinates overnight. Great for unexpected company or a quick side for a party.
• This recipe calls for Italian dressing, but does not taste Italian in the final product.

Ingredients:

1 can of corn

1 can black beans (can add more to taste)

1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes. I used, and LOVED, the Rotel brand.

1/2 chopped red onion

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 package of Good Seasons Italian dressing, made per package directions. I used Italian wine vinegar and part olive oil, part vegetable oil.

Dump the above ingredients together and marinate overnight. That is, if you can resist the smell for that long.

Enjoy with corn chips.

In fact, I am going to do that right now.

Guptis Soupi (Georgian Meatball Soup)

And by Georgian, I mean from the Republic of Georgia, not down home peaches and Falcons Georgia. There is a lot of leeway in this recipe. You can add dried/fresh basil/parsley to the meatball mix. You can add a little bit of fresh garlic to the meatball mix. You can basically add anything you want to the meatball mix. The tomato in the broth/water is optional as well. It's hard to go wrong here.

Meatballs:

1 cup cooked rice (maybe a little al dente)

3/4 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix the above ingredients together in a large bowl. Wet hands with cold water Shape into walnut-sized or slightly larger meatballs.

The Soup:

~ 5-6 cups of water or any stock

~ 14 oz of crushed tomatoes or 1 tbsp tomato paste

If using water, 1/2 tsp salt

Boil 5-6 cups of water (or stock, or any combinati

on of the two) in pot such that it is full 2/3 of liquid. Add tomato, if desired. Season water with 1/2 tsp salt (no salt needed for broth). Bring to a rolling boil and drop in a few meatballs at a time, letting the water return to a boil between adding meatballs. Turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add chopped fresh parsley and serve. Or better yet, refrigerate overnight, reheat on the stove, and then serve.

Indian Butter Chicken As Good As My Favorite Restaurant's

3 bone-in chicken breasts (6 halves), no skin, each half sliced in two

1 and 1/2 cups of nonfat yogurt

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup oil

3 tbsp tandoori spice mix

Combine the above ingredients in a glass baking dish, mix, and place chicken pieces in to marinate. Marinate for at LEAST one hour, preferably over-night. Place dish in the oven to bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

oil for sauteing

1 tbsp ghee

1 large onion, chopped finely

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tsp garam masala

3-4 tbsp of ground corriander

dash of salt

1 large (16 oz) can of tomato puree

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

While chicken bakes, heat oil and ghee in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add garam masala and corriander. Fry for a minute or so. Add the can of tomato puree. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add chicken from the baking dish and most of the tandoori cooking liquid. Cook until chicken is done. Turn off the heat and add 1/3 cup whipping cream and cilantro.

Serve with warm naan or rice.

BEST Baba Ghanoush EVER

Please note: This recipe is not for a little, dinky, wimpy "dip bowl" of baba. This is for a SALAD BOWL sized batch, which is the only amount of baba ghanoush worth making. It's enough for a party, or for a family. The difference is leftovers. And leftovers are delicious. On second thought, I would make two batches of this recipe for a party.

1. Get together all of your equipment (baking sheet, large ceramic or glass bowl, spoons, and a fork) and ingredients.

2. Roast the eggplant:

4 large eggplants

2 large cloves of garlic, sliced

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make three or four evenly spaced slits across one side of the eggplant. Stuff the slits with garlic slices. Poke a few more holes in the top with the tip of a knife. Set the eggplants (garlic side up) on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Then, remove from oven and let cool (enough to touch). slice the stems off, slice open the skin lengthwise, and use spoons to scoop out the flesh into a large ceramic or glass bowl. Once the skins have been emptied, add the liquid from the baking pan into the bowl.

3. Season this already delicious-smelling bowl of goop.

Add all of the following ingredients to the bowl. Mash together with the fork until smoothish:

1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt (sea salt would probably be yummy too)

about 3 teaspoons of ground coriander

about 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/4 - 1/3 cup of tahini (or to taste)

2 large cloves of crushed garlic

about 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

about 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

4. Let sit for a few hours to let the flavors really meld together.

5. Grab some toasted pita and ENJOY.

Troubleshooting: Ok. So if you managed to somehow do the seemingly impossible, and put in too much raw garlic. Don't panic. And don't you dare throw out this masterpiece of slop. Simply put it into a deep pan/pot and saute it for a little while on low heat. The garlic will mellow and once your baba ghanoush is cooled back down to room temp, it will be delicious.

Pad Thai

1/2 package Thai rice noodles

Soak noodles in lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes. They should be somewhat flexible and solid.

4 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 scant tablespoon tamarind extract/concentrate, or 2 tablespoons tamarind pulp

1 teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce

Mix fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, and chili in a small bowl and set aside.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons peanuts (optional)

1/3 cup extra firm tofu, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon preserved turnip (optional)

1 egg

green onions, chopped 1inch or smaller

1/4 - 1/2 pound cooked shrimp (optional)

1 1/3 cup bean sprouts

Heat oil in a wok, or large pot. Fry peanuts until toasted, and remove them from the pot.

Add shallot, garlic, and tofu to the oil. Stir until they start to brown. Add noodles (stirring quickly so stir-fry doesn't stick). Add sauce mixture. Add preserved turnip. If there is a lot of liquid in the pot, turn up the heat. Make room for the egg by pushing the other stuff to one side. Add egg and scramble (combining into noodles once set). Stir in shrimp. Add half of the bean sprouts, stir. Add green onions, stir.

Remove to serving plate, and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve lime wedges, raw green onions, and fresh bean sprouts on the side.

Note: this dish is very tasty without peanuts too.

Chicken Satay

turmeric*

ground pepper

cumin

chicken breast (sliced into strips)

coconut milk

plain yogurt

lime juice

*Wear gloves when working with turmeric, unless you want diseased-looking, yellow fingernails.

Mix together turmeric, cumin, and ground pepper. Coat the chicken strips in the spice mixture (I like to rub it in). Mix together coconut milk, yogurt, lime juice, and a little more turmeric in the marinading vessel. Add chicken pieces so that they are submerged. Marinade for a couple of hours, or overnight.

If cooking inside, sear the strips in a pan and transfer to a baking dish to finish in the oven (20 minutes or so at 450F).

If grilling, thread the strips on bamboo skewers (make sure your skewers were soaked in water for at least 30 minutes) and grill on charcoal.

Serve with peanut butter dip.