Dark Chocolate Muesli... Ya, That's Right.

Every year our church puts on "Arts in the Kitchen" in the month of August. This translates into someone at Grace Church sharing tantalizing culinary goodies on a Thursday night in a kitchen somewhere in SLO. This year, I got to share some desserts with everyone!

The first recipe a served as a starter so tummies weren't grumbling too much during the evening. It can be enjoyed pretty much any hour of the day - hot, cold, warm, dry - and by any age... Who doesn't like chocolate?!

Dark Chocolate Muesli with Hazelnuts

From: SpicyRD and “Ancient Grains for Modern Meals” by Maria Speck, copyright 2011.  Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

1)   1/4 cup chopped dried dates

2)   1 Tablespoon packed light or dark brown sugar

3)   2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick-cooking

4)   1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

5)   1/4 cup dried blueberries or raisins

6)   2 1/2 ounce chocolate with 70 % cocoa content, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

7)   2 tablespoons cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process {or cacao nibs}

8)   1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

9)   Pinch of fine sea salt

10)   TO FINISH: 3 cups low fat milk

To prepare the muesli, place the dates and brown sugar in a small bowl and stir to coat the pieces.  Combine all the other ingredients in a large bowl, and stir in the sugared dates.

MICROWAVE METHOD: For each serving, combine 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup muesli in a small bowl.  Heat on high power for 45 seconds, or until it is warmed throughout but melted drops of chocolate remain. 

STOVETOP METHOD: For each serving, heat 1/2 cup milk in a small heavy saucepan until small bubbles appear around the rim.  Turn off the heat; add 1/2 cup of the muesli, cover, and let sit for not more than 1 minute so that the melted drops of chocolate remain.

Molly’s Notes:

* I used a dried berry medley from Trader Joe’s instead of the dates and blueberries/raisins. Use your favorite dried fruits.

* Instead of rolled oats I used a multigrain hot cereal mix (rye, barley, oats, wheat) from Country Choice Organic. Experiment with your favorite grains.

* Also, use any nuts you prefer. I used toasted pecans as hazelnuts are hard to find. Walnuts are highest in omega-3s.
* Packed with fiber, protein, flavonoids {i.e. good stuff from chocolate & berries}

* Great for keeping on-hand and enjoying the second a sweet craving hits you.

Eat up and let me know what you think.

Saying Goodbye... For Now.

My "Grandaddy" passed away at 11:55am today. 

Grammie & Grandaddy

He was a good man. A hard worker. A bomber pilot in WWII. A husband for close to 70 years. A father of three, including my mom. A woodworker. A grandad that always managed to find "honey" in my neck when I was a kid. A story-teller. A "comedian" that would always say, "This looks good enough to eat!" every time he sat down for dinner. Every time. Or, "Would you like some fresh sneezed orange juice?" when pouring juice in the morning.

My "Grammie" is still here on earth. He was her rock. My heart weeps when I think of her heart right now.

The nurse that was with my Grandad today said he did his physical therapy this morning, was pleasant to everyone, then returned to his room and fainted. When she brought him to, he was lying in bed. He looked to the ceiling, toward Heaven, and said, "You're so beautiful" with a big smile on his face. Then, he closed his eyes.

I pray that he was looking at Jesus at that moment, and that I will reunite with him someday. I also pray my Grammie finds peace from the ultimate Comforter, as she has practically never been without my Grandad.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

Honky Tacos, Gourmet Style

I think I'm allowed to call them "Honky Tacos" - even though "honky" is a racial slur for white people - because I'm white. Is that okay? I apologize in advance if I offend anyone with the name. The name does comes with a story...

My sister-in-law {a.k.a my husband's sister; a.k.a. "Aunt Beautiful" to my kids} is married to a man who is half-Mexican, half-Irish. Dad is 100% Mexican; Mom is 100% Irish. When my sister-in-law first started dating Paul she wanted to cook him some Mexican food as she knew this was something he liked. What she made was nothing like he had ever tasted.

Ground beef slathered with barbeque sauce, topped with sour cream, iceberg lettuce, and tomatoes. {What?! That's how she had it growing up.} Thus, Paul dubbed them "Honky Tacos". {He's 50% white so he's got a right... right?!}.

Well, my husband introduced me to these "tacos" when we first dated and I was surprised... they actually tasted kind of good. But they definitely needed some work.

Over the years we have made different renditions of these tacos but recently I think we nailed it.

First, have you ever tried these {new?} tortillas?

I found them in Vons this week and they are incredible. Just wheat flour {not "whole" wheat - only bummer}, water, canola oil, salt, and sugar. {No sugar listed in Nutrition Info but also no fiber.} You heat them for 30 sec per side and viola - the best {white} tortillas on earth.

Okay, to the tacos...

1) Saute extra lean ground turkey in saute pan until almost no pink is seen.

2) Add barbeque sauce {find lowest in sugar and salt} until lightly coated. {Keep any water in pan to minimize the amount of bbq sauce used.}

3) In the meantime, saute up a huge amount of organic spinach. The more the better.

4) Slice up some heirloom tomatoes.

5) Cook tortillas.

6) Assemble taco: Tortilla, {optional: non-fat plain yogurt in place on sour cream}, ground turkey, spinach {pile it!} and tomatoes. Wrap tortilla. Bite. Chew. Swallow. Savor. Yum.

I'm not saying this is to replace the traditional taco with all those traditional spices and flavors, but this is pretty darn good.

Try it and let me know what you think.