If you’re a granola lover like I am then you know that it can be a spendy item to buy on a regular basis. That’s the beauty of making your own granola…it’s super easy to whip up a batch of it and you get a lot more granola for a lot less money.  

This recipe is a great one to play with. You can use different dried fruits and nuts depending on what suits your fancy. I decided to use dried apricots and a combo of chopped pecans and sliced almonds. I didn’t have unsweetened coconut so I used the sweetened variety. I also added 1 tablespoon of flax seeds, 1/8 cup of wheat germ and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. The granola turned out great! I like to mix it with plain yogurt drizzled with a bit of honey. Yumm!

Everyday Granola
-recipe from Bon Appétit Magazine

Yield: Makes about 5 cups

3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut*
3 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup assorted dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Stir honey and oil in saucepan over medium-low heat until smooth. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; toss. Spread on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes, about 30-40 minutes. Place sheet on rack. Stir granola; cool. Mix in fruit. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight.

* Available at specialty foods stores and natural foods stores.

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Tags: almonds, apricot, Breakfast, cereal, dried fruit, granola, honey, old-fashioned oats, pecans, shredded coconut

Years ago, I had a great salad at a friend’s house. What made the salad great wasn’t the salad ingredients but the unusual dressing. I say unusual not meaning weird but more like unexpected because I’d never tasted a dressing like it before. Basically, it’s a Mexi-inspired vinaigrette. The dressing gets bold flavor from the chili powder, a bit of heat from the cayenne, a slight sweetness from the honey, and a tang from the red wine vinegar. Yumm! It makes a great salad for a Mexican, Tex-Mex, or Southwestern-themed meals.

I believe the dressing recipe came from an older Mexican Williams-Sonoma cookbook but I’m not sure which one. When I make this vinaigrette, the salad I serve it with includes: mixed greens, tangerines, avocado, jicama, red or green onions, tomatoes, red bell pepper, olives. Other additions could be corn, black beans and cilantro. Toss the salad with the dressing just before serving so you don’t get wilted greens. Enjoy!

Southwestern Vinaigrette
-recipe from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook (I think)

Makes about 3/4 cup.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and toss with salad just before serving. Refrigerate leftover dressing.

Tags: cayenne pepper, chili powder, honey, Mexican, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salad dressing, salt, Southwestern, vinaigrette

This salad is soooo good! I love the mixture of citrus, soy sauce and sesame oil for the dressing, and the combination of moist chicken, crunchy vegetables and tender greens…delicious! I made it for my Mom’s birthday luncheon recently and everybody loved it (especially Mom)!

I substituted fresh spinach for the watercress, and added some Sriracha Hot Chile Sauce to the dressing for a little kick. To make the salad a meal, I served it with a variety of spring rolls that I got at Trader Joe’s. Yumm!

For other recipe ideas, check out: Friday Favorites, Foodie Friday, Finer Things Friday, Friday Food, It’s a Hodgepodge Friday.

Chicken Salad with Crunchy Vegetables and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
-recipe from Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes From Foster’s Market by Sara Foster

I’m always looking for new ways to satisfy my customers’ insatiable appetites for chicken salad. This one can be made several hours in advance, so it’s the perfect thing to take to the office for lunch or on a picnic. If you like to eat lots of vegetables, toss in a handful of shredded savoy or napa cabbage, snow peas, or julienned carrots for more crunch.

Serves 4 to 6.

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (one 3 1/2 to 4-pound roasted chicken)
2 ribs bok choy or celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal into 1/4″ pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
2 cups watercress, washed and trimmed of tough stems
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, bok choy or celery, red pepper, cilantro, scallions, and 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the watercress and more vinaigrette to taste. Season with salt and pepper and toss again gently. Divide the salad evenly among individual plates or place on a large platter and serve immediately.

Note: If you make this salad to serve later, add the watercress and toss with the dressing just before serving.

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Makes about 1 cup

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (about 1 2″ piece)
2 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Stir the orange zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, scallions, and garlic together in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the sesame and canola oils until they are incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sesame seeds just before serving. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve for up to 1 week.

Tags: bok choy, Chicken, cilantro, ginger, honey, orange juice, rice wine vinegar, Salad, sesame oil, sesame seeds, sesame vinaigrette, soy sauce