Fabulous Granola

3 ¼ cups Oats (Old Fashioned or Quick—any combination)
1 ¼ cup white wheat flour-freshly ground if possible
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
¼ cup flax seed (optional)
1 cup or more coarsely chopped almonds and/or pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup water
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom

Preheat oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, flour, flax seed, coconut and nuts. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and water and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture together until smooth, and then stir in the salt, vanilla and spices. Pour mixture over the oats mixture and stir will to coat. Let stand for about 10 minutes.

Spread mixture on a large baking sheet, separating it into irregular clumps with your fingers, and allowing space between clumps for the hot air to circulate. Slide it into the middle of the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to break up the mixture into medium sized clumps. Return to the oven and bake again for 15 minutes before stirring again. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the granola is uniform golden brown and completely dry—this usually takes me about 45 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.

(I wish I had taken a picture of it when it was in the oven. For some reason, it smelled like Thanksgiving and I looooved it.)

I got this recipe from sisterscafe.blogspot.com and they have many others that I want to try!

Marc's Algerian Couscous

Marc learned to make this while on his mission to Belgium and France, and fine-tuned his recipe along the way. (He doesn't use actual recipes, so I forced him to write down his proportions one time when we were teaching a cooking class for Enrichment.) Each time I eat this, I feel like my body is thanking me, and it's very tasty as well!

1 large onion, chopped
3 T olive oil
3/4 t. turmeric
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
dash of cinnamon
3-4 whole cloves
1 1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small can tomato paste
3 medium zucchini
4 small yellow summer squash
4 large carrots
4 medium yellow potatoes
1 red or green bell pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, drained

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add all spices, including bouillon, and cook for a few more minutes, stirring as needed. Add tomato paste, stir and simmer 2 minutes.

Cut all vegetables into large chunks and add to the pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for at least an hour.

Add the garbanzo beans about 5 minutes before serving. Serve vegetable ragout over couscous.


Preparing couscous:

Put couscous in a bowl. Boil water with a bouillon cube. (use a 1 1/2:1 ratio of water to couscous) Put a pat of butter on dry couscous. Pour boiling water over the grain and wait about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

**My friend Gayle who lived in Morocco for several years makes her couscous differently: she first cuts up a chuck roast into about 6 sections, browns the meat, and then cooks it with the onion, spices, and 2 cans tomato sauce. After cooking the meat for about an hour, she adds the vegetables and cooks about an hour more. She also adds sweet potatoes to the vegetable mixture and steams cabbage on the side, and of course, serves it all over couscous. Hers is delicious, and we make it sometimes as well.

Chicken Couscous

This is one of those quick & easy recipes that always tastes good to me.

1 1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 T. olive oil
1 5.7-oz. box couscous
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 t. salt
1 3/4 c. water

Mix spices in a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken and shake to coat. Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet and add chicken. Sauté until cooked through, ~8 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

In skillet, sauté bell pepper and scallions until softened. Stir in raisins, orange juice, salt, and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous.

Remove from heat, cover, and let stand until liquid is absorbed, ~5 minutes. Add the chicken; mix thoroughly with a fork. Serves 4.

Shannon's grandpa's homemade granola

3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/3 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1 t. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and vanilla.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

After baking, mix in 1/2 . dried cranberries, if desired.