cooking ala mel

Whole Wheat Crêpes

March 5, 2011

I love crêpes. My friend, Lex, and her family go to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware every summer for almost two weeks. I’ve gone with them during two different summers, and every day for breakfast we get crepes from this little french crêpe stand off one of the side streets called Café Papillon. They have sweet and savory crêpes, but we always ended up getting the same thing every morning: strawberries and chocolate for me and strawberries, bananas and chocolate for Lex. I tried to venture into the savory a few times, with their tomato and cheese, but I just couldn’t quite part with the strawberries. Whenever I make crêpes, I always think of those summer mornings..and I usually end up making one with strawberries and chocolate.

I learned how to make crêpes from one of my dearest friends, Maria, when I was visiting them in Seattle over the summer. They’re quite easy to make and so so delicious. You have to be rather patient, though, to be able to flip them nicely, but once you get the hang of it, it’s all about rhythm.

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Ginger Molasses Granola

March 3, 2011

It’s been a while since I’ve had any granola. I had it every morning for breakfast for about 3 weeks, and then I decided I needed to switch it up a bit. I had been planning on making peanut butter granola, but I never got around to it, so I ended up having either apple slices with peanut butter or some fruit & nut cereal that we have from Aldi. Then I saw this recipe on Nourishing Eats via tastespotting, and I knew I had to make a granola similar. I love nuts in my granola, so I just combined the flavors of this recipe with the granola recipe I already use.

I like eating my granola with a splash of milk, and this granola is SO perfect for that. The spices and the molasses soak into the milk and really emphasize the flavor. I love molasses cookies, and gingerbread of any sort, so this is right up my alley. I’m so excited to have this for breakfast for the next week! 🙂

Molasses Ginger Granola
4 cups old fashioned oats
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 T flax seeds
½ cup applesauce
¼ cup honey
¼ cup molasses
1 cup nuts, chopped (I used sliced almonds and walnuts)
½ cup coconut
1 ½ t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
2 t ground ginger
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t nutmeg
¼ t salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Heat the molasses, honey, applesauce and vanilla over medium heat until just boiling. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and mix until all of the oats are coated evenly. Pour mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes, until nice and toasted.

Potato Skins and Veggie Mashed Potatoes

March 3, 2011

Alex has been wanting to make potato skins or twice baked potatoes for a while, now. We usually only have a few potatoes at a time, so we just never got around to it. Yesterday, though, we gave in and decided to get a 10-lb bag of potatoes, since we DO go through them, and it’s much, much cheaper to buy that way. So of course, tonight we made potato skins. And then we mixed some veggies into the potato fillings and made some yummy mashed potatoes from that. Thank goodness we didn’t make anything else; I was SO FULL after that potato!

I made my potato skins with mozzarella, a tiny bit of cheddar, pepperoni and some spices. I have been loving my pepperoni lately!

Alex made his like the classic potato skins – cheddar, bacon, a few spices, and then a TINY bit of mozzarella.

The mashed potatoes had roasted broccoli, spinach, onion, and lots of spices, all topped with cheddar and mixed up with some milk.

Potato Skins

yields four potato skins

2 russet potatoes

1 cup cheeses (about 1/4 cup for each potato skin)

salt, italian seasonings, pepper, to taste

Crumbled bacon (about 1 strip per potato skin) or about 4 oz. pepperoni, chopped

Bake the potatoes at 375ºF for 35-40 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil. While the potatoes are baking, fry up your bacon until crispy (if using) or chop up your pepperoni. Let cool for about ten minutes, unwrap and remove most of the potato filling with a spoon except for about a quarter inch around the edges. Top skin with cheeses, spices and meat. Put under the broiler until cheese is slightly browned and the edges of the potatoes look nice and crispy.

Veggie Mashed Potatoes

yields two generous servings

the insides of 2 russet potatoes

about 1 1/2 cups of roasted broccoli

about 3/4 cup fresh spinach

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup milk

1 T olive oil

Garlic Garlic, italian seasonings, salt, pepper, to taste

cheddar cheese, for sprinkling

Sauté spinach and onions in olive oil until onions are translucent and spinach is wilted while the broccoli roasts (can do this while potatoes bake). Place into large bowl once finished, all together. Add the insides from the potatoes and begin mashing with a fork (or potato masher). Pour in the milk, a little at a time, until you reach a creamy consistency (it’s okay if it is a bit chunky). Add your seasonings and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and serve!