Granola Bars ll

I made them today without the bananas and added the butter and they were superb. Of course they cost more to make than el cheapo store brand ones are to buy but they taste better than even Kashi bars, plus I know exactly what went into them! I got fourteen nice sized bars and they are very filling. Make sure you toast the cereal mixture because it really ups the flavor.

Kale

If you buy a lot of kale and then end up being in a spinach smoothie mood all week try this:

Sauteed Kale

1 big bag of Kale, washed, big stems removed
1 sweet onion chopped
oil to coat pan, 3 Tbls?

Heat oil in a very large pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until they barely start to turn golden. Add kale in about thirds so it can wilt a little and fit in the pan. Cook for about five minutes until it is wilted but still has a nice bite. Salt and pepper to taste, a little red wine vinegar is also good.

You could also add garlic but the kids sometimes complain so I left it out. You can chop the kale but I just tore mine into pieces when I took off the big stems.

We had this last night with Mayacoba beans and cornbread, healthy southern cooking at it's best.

Granola Bars

Here is my recipe for granola bars, I modified a recipe by Food Network's Alton Brown to use stuff we have on hand including bananas. We always seem to have a couple sitting around getting spotty. You can add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the sugar mixture like he does but I leave it out to trim fat.

4 cups 5 Grain Rolled Whole Grain Hot Cereal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/3 cups walnuts
1/4 cups Flaxseed, Ground
1/2 cups Wheatgerm
1/2 cups Honey
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2/3 cups Brown Sugar
1 cups Chopped Dates
2 Bananas
1 cups dried cranberries


Heat oven to 350. In a shallow pan toast cereal, nuts, flax and wheatgerm for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small pan mix honey and sugar and heat until the sugar is dissolved. (you can also substitute agave nectar to taste for the sugar) Add vanilla and remove from heat.

Mash bananas and mix with sugar mixture. Stir in cereal and dried fruit and press into a greased 9x13 pan using waxed paper or plastic wrap to pack it firmly. Bake for 25 minutes and let cool before cutting into 12 bars.

Muesli

Yesterday for lunch I had Bob's Red Mill Muesli. My weird kids asked for oatmeal for lunch so while I cooked their regular kind I mixed mine uncooked with some yogurt and stuck it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. It is really delicious, it has oats, wheat, rye, triticale, barley, raisins, dates, sunflower seeds and flax and tastes just as good raw as it does cooked. I sprinkled it with a little pumpkin pie spice and about a teaspoon of honey before I ate it.
Some people make it with juice or milk and the Swedish let it sit all night but I like it best with a little yogurt and a shorter sitting time.

Salad Dressing

I have been gone from home for 3 weeks but I am back now! My eating didn't go so well while I was visiting my parents but I was able to get in some good exercise in their pool and on the stationary bike.

So I thought I would mention salad dressing. I have a hard time finding ones that I like and ones that aren't loaded in sugar and stuff that is unpronounceable. I like to use just lemon and salt and pepper but sometimes you want something a little more.

One of my favourites is salsa, especially homemade!
For an Asian style salad with snap peas and broccoli and maybe some tuna I love Annie's Naturals Gingerly Vinaigrette.
Seeds of Change makes a Greek Feta Vinaigrette that is great with greens, tomatoes and artichoke hearts! It is very flavorful and low fat.
I normally do not like Ranch Dressing but I tasted some of Annie's Cowgirl Ranch that I had bought for the kids and it's not bad. I used it in their tuna salad for sandwhiches today and they loved it!