Almond-Honey Power Bars

Almond-Honey Power Bars

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

I love these power bars. I eat them for breakfast or for my afternoon snack. It's crispy, chewy, toasty, nutty, and fruity. What makes these bars so flavorful is the toasting of the oats, nuts and seeds which is an essential step. Don't be lazy to skip this part. I prefer to use Trader Joe's brand almond butter because the consistency of the almond butter is thicker than couple of other brands I've tried. If the almond butter consistency is thin, you will end up with softer bars that falls apart while eating.

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (3.0 ounces)

1/4 cup slivered almonds (1.1 ounces)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds (1.2 ounces)

1 tablespoon whole golden flax seeds (0.4 ounce)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (0.4 ounce)

1 cup puffed millet cereal (0.5 ounce) OR 1 cup quinoa pops (1.0 ounce)

1/3 cup dried blueberries (2.1 ounces) or dried bing cherries, cut into fourths (2.1 ounces)

1/3 cup chopped dried apricots (1.7 ounces)

1/3 cup dried cranberries (1.6 ounces)

1/4 cup Trader Joe's brand unsalted creamy almond butter (2.1 ounces)

1/4 cup turbinado sugar (1.7 ounces)

1/4 cup honey (2.7 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray an 8-inch square pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

Place the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss to combine and shake pan to spread out in an even layer. Bake until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes, shaking pan halfway of baking time. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the puffed millet cereal or quinoa pops, blueberries, apricots, cranberries and cooled oat mixture. Toss to combine and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture bubbles lightly, about 2 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the cereal-fruit mixture. Mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain.Transfer to the prepared square pan. Press mixture down firmly with the back of a large spoon to make an even tight layer.

Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Remove from pan and cut into 8 bars.

Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and place them in a Ziploc bag. Store power bars in the refrigerator to keep them firm.

Yield 8 bars

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

I remember when I first watched Ina Garten roast Brussels sprouts on her show, Barefoot Contessa, aired on the Food Network in 1999. Since then, this have been my favorite way to enjoy Brussels sprouts. I like to roast a large batch of these Brussels sprouts so I can refrigerate the leftovers and snack on these straight from the fridge. I acutally crave for these.

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer bad leaves discarded
3 tablespoons olive oil (1.2 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Place Brussels sprouts in a very large bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and ground black pepper. Transfer to a shallow baking sheet in one layer. Bake in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the roasting pan halfway of baking time to brown the Brussels sprouts evenly. When done, transfer the Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl.

Yield 6 servings

Overnight Oatmeal with Apricots and Buttermilk

Overnight Oatmeal with Apricots and Buttermilk

Adapted from theKitchn.com

A reviewer on theKitchn's website recommend tasting your dried apricots before proceeding with this recipe. The buttermilk in this recipe will give your oatmeal some tartness so if your apricots already tastes more on the tart side, you may want to omit the buttermilk and replace with regular milk/cream or decrease the amount of buttermilk and make up the difference with regular milk/cream. If your dried apricots tastes sweet, the tartness from the buttermilk will be a perfect balance with the sweet apricots.

I had tried this recipe using two types of dried apricots: Trader Joe's Turkish Dried Apricots and Trader Joe's Blenheim Variety Extra Choice Dried Apricots. The dried Turkish apricots are more moist, larger, more plump and brighter orange color vs. the Blenheim variety are less moist, smaller, less plump, and darker rusty orange color. Between the two varieties, I preferred the Blenheim variety. The Blenheim variety is more tart than the Turkish variety, but the Blenheim variety is more robust in apricot flavor. I liked to try the organic unsulphured dried apricots, but the dingy brown appearance looks unappetizing.

What I did, I used half the amount of buttermilk and half 2% reduced fat milk. (Another time, I omited the buttermilk and used 100% So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk.) I also increased the amount of brown sugar to1/4 cup packed. I don't usually add salt to my oatmeal so I decreased the amount of salt to 1/4 teaspoon. I slow-cooked my oatmeal for 8 hours. The oatmeal cooked up nice and creamy and the apricots were so soft and plump, it practically melts in your mouth. I ate my oatmeal with So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk. A sprinkling of some toasted sliced almonds will also go perfectly with the oatmeal. The original oatmeal recipe came from theKitchn.

1 cup steel-cut oats (157g)

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (57g)

1/4 teaspoon salt (1g)

1 cup dried apricots, snipped or chopped into small pieces - See Note*

3-1/2 cups water (28 ounces, 794g)

1/2 cup 2% reduced fat buttermilk (113g)

1/2 cup 2% reduced fat milk or So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk (113g)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract (2g)

*Trader Joe's Dried Turkish Apricots (167g) OR Trader Joe's Blenheim Variety Extra Choice Dried Apricots (111g). The two varieties varies in weight measurements.

Spray the slow-cooker insert (liner) with nonstick cooking spray or rub with butter. (If your insert has a nonstick coating, you can skip this step.) Mix the oats, brown sugar, salt and apricots. Pour in the water, milk and vanilla. Stir well. Cover and turn on your slow cooker to LOW temperature. Cook for 8 hours. Serve with So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk and toasted sliced almonds. If your oatmeal needs to taste sweeter, you can add additional natural cane sugar, brown sugar or honey to taste.

Yield 5 (8.4-ounce) servings, approximately 293 calories (not including the extra coconut milk, toasted sliced almonds, and additional sweetener)

Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Salad

Southwestern Chicken Quinoa Salad

2 cups quinoa (12.6 ounces)

3 cups water (24 ounces or 1:8.0 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (2.5 ounces)

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about one-half of a juicy lime)

1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper or to taste

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

One-half of a store-bought rotisserie chicken (preferably Costco brand), discard skin, bones and visible fat, cut chicken meat into large chunks (about 12.5 ounces)

2 large shallots, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup or 2.2 ounces)

2 to 3 slender stalks green onions, thinly sliced white and green portions (about 1/2 cup or 1.2 ounces)

1/2 cup fire roasted red peppers, chopped and drained (about 2 peppers or 3.6 to 4.0 ounces)

One 12-ounce jar Trader Joe's brand marinated artichoke hearts, drained, cut in half lengthwise, if artichokes are large

One 6-ounce can medium or large black olives, drained, cut in half crosswise, if using large size

One 4-ounce can Ortega brand fire roasted diced green chiles, drained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (0.7 ounce)

Rinse quinoa well and drain. Bring water to a boil in a large-size saucepan. Add quinoa and lower heat to low heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, ground chipotle pepper, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, salt and ground black pepper. Whisk together with a whisk or fork until emulsified. Set dressing aside.

In a separate very large mixing bowl, combined the quinoa, chicken meat, shallots, green onions, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, black olives and roasted green chiles. Add the entire dressing and toss gently with a large rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed. Add the cilantro and toss well. Ready to serve or transfer to a large airtight container and refrigerate..

Yields 4 to 6 servings

Sweet Brown Rice with Adzuki Beans

Sweet Brown Rice with Adzuki Beans

Sweet Brown Rice, also known as brown glutinous rice or brown sweet rice is a short grain rice that is very sticky when cooked because of its high glutinous content. This rice is popular among Asians in savory and dessert dishes. Sweet brown rice can be purchased from Whole Foods Market or from a health food store.

Here I have cooked up my own version of a Japanese sweet rice with adzuki beans. Dried adzuki beans (also labeled as azuki beans or aduki beans) are best purchased from an Asian food market where it is reasonably priced. Adzuki beans are low in calories and high in soluble fiber. These beans are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and zinc and also rich in B vitamins. According to Dr. Oz, red beans contains the highest antioxidant of all foods. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with regular sweet rice. The recipe have been modified to be cooked with sweet brown rice. This is a very simple rice dish that is very nutritious and delicious. I can eat this all on its own. You can enjoy this dish as a side dish or eaten all on its own.

1/2 cup dried adzuki beans (3.5 ounces)

4 cups water (32 ounces)

One 3-inch by 2-inch size piece of kombu (0.1 ounce) (Optional)

2 cups sweet brown rice, washed and drained (13.4 ounces)

Cooking liquid from the drained adzuki beans and additional water to measure 3 cups

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash beans well and place in a small pot. Add the 4 cups water and place the kombu, if using, in the pot. Bring beans to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, 15 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes. I forgot how long I acutally cooked the beans so I recommend checking at 1 hour, 15 minutes and taste one. If the bean is still too firm, let it cook longer. You don't want the beans too soft either. Make sure you cook it on medium-low heat where there is very little bubbling activity in the pot (about 1 or 2 bubbling action at a time). If you cook the beans at too high of a temperature, the beans will not stay whole and the outer skins will burst open.

When the beans have cooked, drained the beans, RESERVING  the cooking liquid. Plunge the beans in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the beans and set aside. With the reserved cooking liquid, add enough cold water to measure 3 cups of liquid. Set aside.

Place rice in a medium-size pot and add the 3 cups reserved cooking liquid/water and salt. Bring rice to a boil. Give the rice a good stir, cover pot and reduce the temperature between medium-low heat and low heat. Let the rice cook for 45 minutes, undisturbed.

When rice is cooked, gently fluff the rice using chopsticks or a fork. Rice may be a bit wet, but that's okay. Add the reserved cooked adzuki beans and gently stir the beans and rice until combined. Cover pot with the lid and let sit for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Now the rice is ready to serve. Place rice in a seving bowl. Sprinkle the top with some roasted black and/or white sesame seeds and tear up some roasted seaweeds. So delicious!!!

Yield 2 to 4 servings

Chicken with Millet and Vegetables One-Skillet Meal

Adapted from Whole Foods Market

The first time I cooked this dish, I followed the recipe exactly as written on Whole Foods website. The millet was a bit soggy and scorched at the bottom. It was delicious, but the dish did not look appetizing at all. This will not be a good meal to cook for your dinner guest.

The next time I made this dish, I didn't want the millet to scorch a second time so baking this dish in the oven did solve this problem. Replacing the spinach with kale made this dish heartier and added better texture. I also read that if you stir millet during cooking, it will cause the millet to be more creamier rather than fluffy so I added the millet towards the end just when this dish was ready to go in the oven. Adding sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste added another layer of flavor and color to this dish.

I'm thinking that you can also go meatless and just cooking the millet and vegetables all by itself as a side dish, If you haven't try millet, you will love this dish.

1-1/4 cups millet (8.3 ounces)

8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, all visible fat removed (about 2:4.8 pounds)

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (about 11.3 to 12.1 ounces)

4 large garlic cloves, finely minced (0.7 ounces)

1-1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste (1.0 ounce)

1/4 cup extra-moist, julienne sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (0.7 ounce)

One 14-ounce can Swansons brand 33% less-sodium chicken broth and add enough water to measure 2-1/2 cups broth/water (1:4.0 pounds)

1 bunch lacinato kale, thick stems removed and thinly sliced (about 6.3 to 6.7 ounces)

Chopped fresh Italian parsley or thinly sliced chives for garnish (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven.

Place millet in a fine sieve. Wash millet under slow-running cold water, using your fingers to rub through the millet until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat an oven-proof deep skillet over medium high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Place 4 chicken thighs in the pan and cook until browned on both sides (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add more olive oil to the pan and brown the remaining 4 chicken thighs. Set aside.

Using the same skillet, add another tablespoon of olive oil and add the mushrooms. Continue to cook on medium-high heat until mushrooms are browned and all liquid released from the mushrooms have evaporated, stirring frequently, about 3 to 5 minutes. If skillet becomes dry and looks like it's going to scorch, stir in 1 tablespoon water and proceed with browning the mushrooms. Add the onions to the mushrooms, and continue to cook on medium-high heat until onions are lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Continue to cook until fragrant, about 10 to 20 seconds. Add the chicken broth/water, sun-dried tomato and kale to the skillet. Continue to cook on medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil and kale has cooked down considerably, about 2 minutes. Stir in the millet to evenly distribute the millet. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the millet and vegetables. When mixture returns to a boil, cover and bake for 30 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with parsley or chives as a garnish, if desired.

Yield 4 servings

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Chocolate Chip Oat Bars
Adapted from Whole Foods Market

It's good enough to eat for breakfast!

1 cup whole wheat flour (128g)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder (3g)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup organic unrefined coconut oil, softened (113g)
3/4 cup light brown sugar (170g)
2 large eggs (104g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup So Delicious brand unsweetened coconut milk (113g)

1-1/2 cups rolled oats (170g)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (184g)

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (65g)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position oven rack to the center of the oven. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.

Place flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-size bowl. Whisk flour mixture with a whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Place coconut oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat at medium speed (speed 4) for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the brown sugar and continued to mix at medium speed for another 2 minutes until well blended (on a very cold day, the mixture will form into a large mass. That is OK. Once the eggs are added, the large mass will loosen up). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, stopping mixer to scrape down sides.

On low speed (speed 1), mix in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the coconut milk, starting and ending with flour mixture (i.e., start with one-third flour mixture, then 1/4 cup coconut milk; another one-third flour mixture, remaining1/4 cup coconut milk; ending with the remaining one-third of flour mixture), scraping down sides of bowl after the last addition. (Not necessary to stop mixer between each addition of flour and milk.)

Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts until well combined with rubber spatula. Batter will be very thick. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Invert to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.

Yield 16 bars, approximately 265 calories per bar