Flapjack - Granola Bars

Granola bars... such a healthy snack which provides a good boost of energy to make it through the morning. Granola bars are so addictively delicious that it doesn't feel right to eat just one. Still the price of these healthy snacks are outrageously expensive, don't you think? For quite a long time, my brother and I were searching for the perfect granola recipe. The granola that one wants to mix with a spoonful of rich and creamy Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

During my travel in the UK, I came across this little treat called flapjack which is simply an oat bar. Interestingly, these bars require only three pantry ingredients to bind the oats: butter, muscovado sugar and dark corn syrup. 

Using the concepts of flapjack as source of inspiration, I made my own Canadian twist to these flapjacks. I added some nutritious ingredients like pecans, wheat germs, cinnamon, and flax seed for its health and nutritional benefits.These granola bars are so easy to make that I made it eight times now, tweaking the recipe until perfect. 

Do you have a favourite granola recipe? Feel free to post your recipe link in the comment section.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Baking Time: 20-25 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

2 1/2 cups large or quick rolled oats

1/3 cup cranberries/raisins

100g pecans, roughly chopped

1 tbsp flax seed

1 tbsp wheat germ

Syrup

1/3 cup margarine (or butter)

2/3 cup brown sugar (or muscovado sugar)

4 tbsps maple syrup (or dark corn syrup)

2 cinnamon sticks

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

2. Turn stove top to medium heat. In a small saucepan, melt margarine and incorporate the brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon stickes. Stir mixture until sugar has melted. Cook syrup for 5 mins. DO NOT BOIL THE SYRUP.

3. Remove cinnamon sticks. With a spatula, incorporate syrup to the dry ingredients.

4. Preheat oven to 350F.

5. Lightly oil bottom of a 8-inch square baking pan. Line a parchment paper. 

6. Transfer granola mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 20 mins.

7. Take pan out from the oven...

  7.1 For granolas, let it cool for 20 mins, spoon some of the warm granolas, serve over Greek yoghurt.

  7.2 For granola bars, cut into rectangles after 20 mins of cooling, let it cool completely about 1 1/2 hours.

Parsley Hummus with/without Tahini

I am now officially in UK, staying at Trinity College, one of the oldest residence in Cambridge University, built in the mid-1500s and founded by Henri VIII. Famous scientists, mathematicians as well as numerous Nobel prize winners used to stay in Trinity, so it is quite wonderful to know that I am staying where the fundamental science has started. 

My body hasn't gotten used to the jet lag. So basically I am writing this post at 3 in the morning (10PM in Montreal time). I guess I have free up some time for food blogging. The past weeks, I have been practising my presentation for the conference in front of various groups of people, those who knows my research and those who doesn't. It gives a good indication on how well I am transmitting my key messages to the audience. The more practice, the more confident that I will be able to answer audience's questions. This is always nervous part of the presentation. You will never know what kind of trick questions that will be asked. The most terrifying moment is not able to answer the question properly.

A while back, I made hummus, great for spreading on bread every morning, rarely I have time to make fancy breakfast in the morning. I create many variations of hummus so I won't get tired of eating hummus everyday. Try to blend some flavours, explore alternatives. For example, tahini paste has a silky texture and nutty flavour, why not substitute with peanut butter or raw coconut butter or even almond butter.

If you like hummus, what flavours would you put in it?

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 19oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo) beans
1/3 cup tahini or smooth peanut butter or coconut butter (Artisana Raw Coconut Butter)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch salt
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 apple, quartered (optional)
1 handful of parsley
2-3 tbsp water (if necessary)

Procedure

1. In a food processor, blend chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt until smooth.

2. Add in garlic and apple. If necessary, add few tbsps of water if mixture is too thick. Blend in parsley.

3. For decoration, make a circular well on the hummus and drizzle with hummus. Place unblended chickpeas in the well.

Chocolate Pikelets

Have you made the perfect pancakes? Perfect meaning tall and thick, fluffy and light on the inside while evenly golden on the outside with the tiny hint of crispness. I learn quite a few tricks from my baking experience to achieve this kind of texture such as folding stiff peaks egg whites to batter, adding carbonated beverage or simply use a double-acting baking powder and let the batter sit in the fridge for several hours before being cooked. These tricks help form bubbles in the batter for a very light and airy pancakes, otherwise it will be flat and dense.

Recently, I was introduced to pikelets which are mini unsweetened pancakes, usually served with jam and whipped cream. I found a few pikelet recipes requiring a fair amount of cream of tartar, about 2 teaspoonfuls. I was very sceptical of this large quantity as usually, when baking cakes, I only need 1-2 pinches of cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites. I look through Wikipedia, and surprisingly enough, cream of tartar is an acidic powder and it has more utilities than simply stabilizing egg whites. It also activates the baking soda when folding cream of tartar which help form bubbles in the batter. Try it out! I can guarantee you that they are even fluffier and airier than your usual pancakes.

Makes about 12 pikelets
Adapted from Food.com
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: about 2-3 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 egg

3 tbsps white sugar

1 cup flour

2 tbsps cocoa powder

2 tsps cream of tartar

1 pinch salt

1 tbsp margarine or butter, melted

Procedure

1. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in milk. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, beat egg and sugar until thick and pale.

3. In another large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, cream of tartar and salt together.

4. Alternatively fold in the dry ingredients and milk/baking soda into the beaten egg mixture until just combined. Lastly, fold in the melted margarine. Avoid overfolding the batter.

5. Heat skillet over medium heat. Lightly grease with margarine and drop by large tablespoonfuls onto the hot skillet. Cook batter until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip and cook until golden brown, about 1 min.

6. Serve with jam and/or whipped cream.

Mini Marble Rum Chocolate Banana Bread

This is not your regular banana and chocolate marble cake where you will not only taste banana and chocolate. There are few teaspoonful of extra ingredients that are added to this bread, creating a surprising pleasant and non-overpowering complex flavour profile. All these ingredients are distinguishable if one eats a tiny bite of the bread at a time. 

This morning, I distribute a slice of the bread to my co-workers and friends at work to see if they have a good palate and are able to distinguish some of the hidden flavours. Some manage to get it all right and some got 1-2 ingredients correct, apart from the basic and obvious ones. This marble cake is sweet, nutty, moist, and zingy, and the rum helps to accentuate the flavour combinations for a rich and mellow taste. Consider this as a fun game to give to your guests at your next dinner party.

Makes 8 mini loaves (or 1 loaf)
Adapted from Nos 200 Meilleurs Desserts et Biscuits
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Baking Time: 30-35 mins (or 55-60 mins)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2-3 tbsp dark rum
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Oil bread loaf or mini-bread loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add in lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

3. In an another bowl, whisk bananas, eggs, sugar, butter, rum until blended.

4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.

5. With a fork, slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ones until moist. Do not overwork it.

6. In another small bowl, melt chocolate over simmering water. Stir 1/3 of the banana batter into the melted chocolate until combined.

7. Spoon banana batter alternately with chocolate batter in a loaf pan or mini-loaf pan. Swirl batter with a knife for a marble effect.

8. Bake for 30-35 mins for mini-bread loaf (or 55-60 mins for bread loaf) until it passes the toothpick test.

Poach An Egg Without A Single Drop of Vinegar

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"How can you poach an egg without vinegar?" you might wondered. The idea of poaching an egg might seem difficult to most of us, whether it is the fear of getting it wrong, fear of turning it into egg drop soup, fear of unpleasant vinegar taste, fear of solidifying the yolk or simply fear of wasting an egg. In my case, it would be the first three. Let me know what do you fear the most about poaching an egg.

Poached eggs are not that hard to make, provided that you forget the traditional techniques of pouring some vinegar in a large pot of boiling water. You won't even need to invest on a $20 egg poacher. This trick is neat and foolproof, I even got it perfect the first time considering that I never poached an egg before. You might have noticed that the shape of the egg white is not oval nor smooth like the classic poached eggs. The shape looks like a Chinese steamed bun. All you need basically is a plastic wrap, a teacup, and simmering water. After reading this tutorial, you will no longer fear of making poached eggs anymore. You will get addicted of making it every breakfast.

Update March 13, 2010: This technique is definitely foolproof, check out the poached egg made by Laura Jeanne, author of A Healthy Jalapeno.

Update March 16, 2010: This technique has also been used by fellow blogger, Lena from Frozen Wings.

Preparation Time: 2 mins

Cooking Time: 4-5 mins

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 egg

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, then turn heat down to a simmer.

2. Lay out a plastic wrap on top of a teacup or ramekin, about 5-6 inch square. Lightly rub olive oil on the plastic wrap.

3. Push gently onto the teacup and then crack the egg.

4. Pull wrap upward. Twist and tie a knot together tightly.

5. Drop egg in simmering water. Simmer for 4-5 mins or to your liking.

6. Take out poached egg with slotted spoon. Remove plastic wrap with scissors. Serve on toast. Season with salt and pepper.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

Have you ever made granola bars? What is your favorite one? It is not very often that I use oats for baking. I tend to use it to make oatmeal for breakfast or simply mix it in yoghurt. I know that there are endless possibilities of using oats such as in cherry crisps, date squares and sweet granola bars. This time, I decided to try and make my own granola bars which is totally Victor. The inspiration came from what I usually put in my Corn Flakes. As some of you know, this cereal does not contain any flavors nor sweeteners. Apart from milk, I usually add dried fruits, chopped almonds and a teaspoonful of flax seeds in my cereal (a good source of Omega-3). So I translated these ingredients into making the granola bars. No sugar were added, the only source of sweetness originates from the dried fruits.

The texture was a bit weird in a good sense. The granola bars were crunchy on the day that were baked. Strangely, store it in plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature overnight, its texture becomes slightly chewy. These granola bars are healthy, nutritious and great for snack on. If you want to sweeten up, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar along with the dry ingredients or dip these granola bars in your favorite yoghurt.

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Baking Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

about 2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries, raisins or any other dried fruits
1/3 cup chopped almonds and/or cashew nuts
1/4 cup flax seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Oil a 8'' x 8'' baking pan. Line it with parchment paper and lightly oil.

3. In a large bowl, combine quick oats, dried fruits, chopped almonds, flax seeds, cinnamon.

4. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients and whisk in the egg. Gradually fold into dry ingredients. If necessary, add more oats if all the milk is not fully incorporated.

5. Transfer mix to prepared dish.

6. Bake for 45 mins. Serve.

Strawberry Banana Muffins

I have to admit that I haven't bake muffins for a while, the last ones were Moist and Healthy Banana Muffins and Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. Here's another banana muffin involving fresh strawberries. Any other fresh fruits left in your fridge can also be used. This recipe can also be found on Joy of Baking.

Makes 12 muffins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Baking Time: 25 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2-3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter and flour 12 muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, mash bananas. Whisk in eggs, margarine, sugar and vanilla extract.

3. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gently fold in the strawberries. Incorporate gradually the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture.

4. Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. Rotate muffin pan halfway.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Have you ever tried to make your own meringue pie? I have to admit that this is my first attempt in making lemon meringue pie and surprisingly, it turns out great. The balance of sweetness and sourness is incredible, everyone should give it a try if you never made one in your life. This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite blog, Kitchen Parade. If you're busy and want to skip the "making piecrust" step, feel free to buy store-bought piecrust.

Here's a neat trick to know if your egg whites have reached stiff peaks found on Christine Cushing's cooking show (Fearless in the Kitchen). Simply invert the bowl of egg whites and hope that they would not fall on the ground. Another trick is found on the Dark Chocolate Mousse post.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Baking Time: 15-20 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 baked pie shell or 1 store-bought graham pie crust

Lemon Filling
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
3 tbsp butter
4 egg yolks
2 lemons, juiced and zested

Meringue
4 egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Filling: In saucepan, stir sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. Turn to medium heat, cook until it bubbles, stir often.

3. Cook for an additional 3 mins, stir constantly. Turn heat off.

4. Beat egg yolks in bowl, then add in half cup of the hot mixture, immediately whisk.

5. Whisk combined mixture to the saucepan.

6. Turn to medium heat, cook for 3 more minutes, stir constantly. Turn off heat. Add butter, zest and lemon juice.

7. Meringue: In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Gradually add in the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks.

8. Pour filling into pie shell.

9. With a spoon, spread meringue around the perimeter. Don't cover edges. Fill the center.

10. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Cool and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.