Heart Healthy Yummy Granola

I am not very keen on cold breakfast. If it was possible, I'll always have a hot cooked breakfast. I think it's because this is what I am used to. I grew up having a hot cooked breakfast ready and prepared when I woke up. That's just the way it was. My mom or our help would make it for me and my siblings and we were expected to eat and finish it all. Often it would be rice, naturally, with either eggs and some meat or fish dish. I really loved it and to this day, I wish I can have a daily Filipino breakfast.

However, the story changed after I got married. I don't have my Mom here and I certainly cannot afford a maid so while I often still make a hot breakfast, there are days when I am thankful for a box of cereals or granola that I can quickly grab and prepare instantly. Nonetheless, since I know that many of the store-bought cereals are pumped full of ingredients that are not always wholesome, not to mention sugar-loaded, I have decided to make my own homemade granola mix. With this, even though it's a cold breakfast, I can be assured I know what's in it and can take comfort that it is actually quite healthy and good for the heart because of its naturally nutrient rich ingredients.

This recipe was handed to me by a friend that we visited a few years ago in New Jersey. I am thankful to her for sharing this as my family truly loves this. I only made very minor tweaking to it. For those who have wheat sensitivity, just replace the wheat with ground flax seed. Enjoy.

Ingredients

8 cups old-fashioned rolled Oats
1/4 cup brown Sugar
1 cup shredded Coconut
1 cup Wheat Germ (or ground flax seed)
1 cup chopped Pecans or Walnuts/Almonds (or a mix)
2/3 cup Coconut Oil*
2/3 cup Honey
Dried fruits (optional)

*If you don't have or don't like Coconut Oil, you can replace it with a good quality neutral-tasting vegetable oil.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Mix the oats, sugar, coconut, wheat germ (or flax seed) and nuts. Set aside. Mix the oil and honey. Pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread the mixture evenly in a lightly greased deep pan (like a 9x13 pan) and bake for 30 minutes.

Stir the mixture after baking and then let cool completely. Add some dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, apricots, etc. if you like. Store in an airtight container and enjoy with some fresh milk.

If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images box" for easy and convenient printing.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we'd love you to subscribe to our posts or join our site. Needless to say, we'd love you to like us on Facebook too where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!

Coconut Rice

This coconut-flavored rice is deliciously healthy and a great and versatile side dish!!

You already know by this time that we eat rice at least 3 times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner though that would not necessarily stop us from having rice (cold rice even) as a snack and definitely as dessert, too. Yes, we do love rice. However, though we are surrounded by coconut  trees all over our country, I have never tried cooking rice with coconut milk except when it's cooked as dessert but not as a side dish. We often associate the coconut and rice combo with dessert and not so much as a side dish for a savory viand. Ha, I realized after cooking this dish that I have been missing a lot (I thought I had pretty much tried all types of rice dishes and realized I was wrong) so this week I corrected my mistake and made this delicious and flavorful Coconut Rice.

Thai Ginger Chicken

I love stir-fries. They are  not only easy to make, they cook in minutes and the flavors are always awesome! Because it's done in a flash, the veggies tend not to be overcooked and so still retain their nutrients. So, if there is a style of cooking that also showcases fresh flavors from each ingredient, it has to be a stir-fry.

When I was growing up, we had a helper who almost always made us a stir-fry practically every night. It was really flavorful and she would always tell us that her secret ingredient in making it tasty is the fresh ginger. Of course, when I was young I didn't really care much for it. At that time, I still didn't know how to appreciate the importance of using spices such as ginger to liven up the flavor of a dish. I just wasn't much of a ginger fan then. But now that I have been cooking for more than 10 years, I am happy to add fresh ginger to a dish whenever suitable. It just lends a wonderful aroma, just enough pungency and zest to any dish, whether sweet or savory. That is what you will get from this Thai Ginger Chicken dish, a gingery flavor that adds complexity and depth to this yummy stir-fry without overpowering it. Of course, the flavorful sauce combo of fish or soy sauces plus oyster sauce makes this a truly delicious dish! Don't forget to serve with freshly cooked Jasmine rice.

Ingredients

1-2 Tablespoons Fish sauce or Soy Sauce, or to taste*
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2-1 Tablespoon brown Sugar, or to taste
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 lb Chicken breast(s), cut into bite-size chunks
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
3-inch size fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced thinly (you can also cut them up like matchsticks)
1/2 cup Mushrooms,* sliced
1 medium yellow Onion, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips*
1-2 Thai Chili peppers, chopped (if you like it spicy though you can remove the seeds so it won't be too hot)
1/4 cup or a small bunch of Green Onions/Scallions, cut into 1-inch length
Some fresh Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Note: I used fresh Shiitake mushrooms as I had them at hand. If using this, use about 6-8 pieces, depending on their size.

I added yellow peppers because I had some but 1 red bell pepper is enough.

If you don't fancy fish sauce or cannot find it, you can replace it with soy sauce. Feel free to adjust the quantity to suit your taste.

Procedure

The key to making a successful stir-fry is to ensure that all the ingredients are prepared/measured beforehand, placed in individual bowls/plates and are within easy reach when cooking. The cooking itself would be so quick that there's no time to be looking for or measuring ingredients so make sure you have everything ready.

Combine the fish or soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar  in a bowl. I usually taste this and see if I like the flavor combo that comes out 'cause sometimes I don't measure when I cook so feel free to so use your taste buds, too. Set aside. Have the bowl nearby. 

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan on medium high. When hot add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. Push the chicken pieces to the side and quickly add the ginger and garlic and let sizzle just until aromatic; this is just a matter of seconds. Add the chopped onion, mushrooms and bell pepper and continue to stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the veggies are tender. You can also add the Thai chili peppers, if using. Pour the sauce then stir to ensure everything is nicely glazed. Add the green onions then give it another quick stir. Remove from the heat, garnish with some fresh cilantro and serve with jasmine rice. 

If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images box" for easy and convenient printing.

If you like what you see and would like to receive new recipe updates, we'd love you to subscribe to our posts or join our site. Needless to say, we'd love you to like us on Facebook too where you can get more recipes and updates. Thanks and happy browsing!

Sausage and Egg Fried Rice

If there is one dish that I make a few times a week (yes, a week not a month) it has to be Sinangag or Fried Rice. It should not come as a surprise, after all, I have grown up eating rice 3x a day and my hubby, who prefers a more gluten-free diet, also loves it, too. My kids, naturally, are big rice eaters too so it makes a lot of sense for me to always cook a big batch of rice. Perhaps, I am just too lazy to make a small batch of rice each time (after all, I only need to push the cook button on my rice cooker and it does all the job!). However, the truth is, I make a huge batch of rice each time so I have left-overs which means, extra rice for making fried rice the next day. This time I don't mind the extra effort of cooking it - in fact, we don't have any microwave so everything has to be heated up on the stove top every time, anyway.

Wonton Soup

I am so glad that after several years, I made this truly tasty Wonton soup again today. It was just perfect for the arctic temperatures we have been having the past few days. I am equally delighted that even my kids enjoyed this and hubby especially loved it with rice. I tried it with rice the second time around and I fully understood now why he wanted to eat it this way. The rice soaks up the delicious broth and is so perfect to eat with the delicious wontons. Perhaps we will try it with some noodles next time. Hope this winter you will enjoy this comforting and flavorful soup. It will surely warm you up and make you feel so refreshingly good!