Coconut Honey Granola

Coconut Honey Granola with toasted coconut chips, almonds and sunflower seeds

Granola, a longed hippy favorite popularized by Woodstock, is a healthy alternative to cereal. I love this granola as a road trip snack or quick breakfast. This recipe is also very basic and you can use whatever you may have on hand, almonds are my favorite, but walnuts or cashew too work well. Sunflower seeds and pepitas are also a great way to bulk up your granola. If you don't have the old fashioned rolled oats, in a pinch you can use quick oats. The key to a top notch granola is all in the brown sugar/honey and oil mixture. Toast your oats with your sugar/oil mixture and a crispy snack will be yours! Play with different combinations to make this granola your own. 

Coconut Honey Granola

makes about 5 cups

1/2 cup almond, chopped

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

3 cups whole rolled oats

handful unsweetened coconut chips, roughly 1/2 cup

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp almond extract 

1 cup craisins/raisins or chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350. On a large sheet pan with sides, lined with parchment paper, combine oats, salt, brown sugar, almonds and sunflower seeds. In a sauce pan combine honey & coconut oil, stir to dissolve and add extracts. Pour over oat mixture and toss into a thin layer. Bake for 5 minutes and stir. Bake until golden (roughly 5/10 minutes). Once cool, add craisins. Store in an airtight container. Bon appetit!

Socca

Skillet Socca with summer pesto, sausage, snap peas, basil and fresh chèvre 

Skillet Socca with summer pesto, sausage, snap peas, basil and fresh chèvre 

Socca or Farinata has recently become popular among the gluten free community as its a quick way to get your pizza fix without that pesky gluten. I first heard of socca when I was in La Spiza, Italy. We wandered into a hole in the wall pizzeria and ordered a quatro fromaggio pie but noticed that all the locals seemed to be eating this mysterious chickpea pizza. I had to know what all the fuss was about. 

The key to an excellent socca is a well seasoned skillet, good chickpea flour and tasty toppings. I got my first recipe from my girl Grace over at Food Fitness Fresh Air and made it for a lunch at the farm. It was a big hit. Socca seems intimating but it really is a painless process. Simply make your batter with equal parts chickpea flour and water. Heat your skillet under your broiler, pour in batter, cook until golden, and top with whatever please! Enjoy! 

Summer Socca

Crust-

1 cup chickpea flour

1 cup water

Extra virgin olive oil

Combine chickpea flour, water, 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper to season. Set aside for and allow to rest. Prepare pesto.

Garden Pesto-

1/2 cup nuts

5 cloves garlic

5 cups fresh basil/herbs leaves, packed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients in food processor and gradually add olive oil. Blend until desired consistency is reached. 

Preheat broiler. Allow a 10 inch cast iron skillet to heat under the broiler for 5 minutes. Carefully remove skillet and pour in chickpea batter. Return to broiler and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until golden brown. Top with pesto and cheese, sausage and other veggies. Enjoy! 

 

Plum + Ricotta Galette

Santa Rosa Plum Galette with house made licorice basil goats milk ricotta

This Galette was a fourth of July inspired pastry. Once again we had a tremendous amount of Santa Rosa Plums at Camp Joy just screaming to be used. Galettes are simple and surprising easy to prepare. The crust that hugs the ricotta and plum filling can be used in both sweet and savory galettes; tomatoes, peaches, spinach and cheese are all excellent choices! 

Plum + Ricotta Galette 

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Zest of half a lemon

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup ricotta, yogurt or sour cream

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Combine flour, salt, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add butter pieces and work into a coarse meal, so the butter turn into roughly the size of a pea. Add water to ricotta and knead into dough. Make a ball and wrap in plastic. Flatten into a disc. Chill for at least an hour. 

Filling
3-5 plums, sliced

1 sprig licorice basil, minced

Pinch of salt

1 cup ricotta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On parchment paper roll out dough until about a 1/4 of an inch thick. Cut into pentagon shape. Lay ricotta in center and lay plums atop in a spiral pattern and sprinkle with basil. Gently fold dough around filling.

Glaze
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

coarse sugar, for sprinkling

With a pastry brush, brush yolk mixture on outside of pastry and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool & enjoy!

Goats Milk Ricotta

4 cups goats milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons distilled vinegar, fresh lemon or lime juice

butter muslin

In a non reactive pot, simmer milk until 185 degrees. Remove from heat and add salt and vinegar. Strain through butter muslin for 10 minutes. 

 

Cucumber Tea Sandwich

Armenian Cucumber on French Sourdough with Garlic Dill Chèvre, Herb Salt, + Olive Oil 

I live for good bread. For as long as I can remember I have had an affinity for gluten, my body accepts it as fuel, an in-between meals sort of pick me up. My first affair with bread probably started when I used to work at the chic faux-French cafe Parc on the even chicer Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The enormous sprawling restaurant could seat up to 400 people at once, and would do 1000 for brunch on Sunday without batting an eye. It was, to say the least, intense. My first day, I waltzed in through the staff entrance which led through the expansive bakery that baked bread for a majority of the restaurant group. The bakers were just finishing unloading the gorgeous baguettes and boules onto the cooling racks, the smell permeating through the kitchen. They all smiled as I walked through aimlessly trying to figure out where I belonged, whistling and chatting but I was too mesmerized by their bread to converse. Parc was a hard machine to work in but any place that has a whole drawer full of room temperature whipped salted butter and unlimited bread whenever I want, will forever hold a special place in my heart. Tea sandwiches or crostini or whatever you want to call them are simple and perfect for snacking on at picnics or when hosting unexpected company. Its a surefire way of impressing with no effort but as always, good ingredients are the key to this treat so be sure to find a quality baker or if you're desperate enough, make it yourself. Anything tastes decent onto of some baguette or a nice loaf of sour dough and works toasted, grilled, or plain. A nice cheese is a great idea, snacking veggies like cucumber work wonderfully as well as canned sardines, pickled peppers or pesto. 

Cucumber Tea Sandwich

1 piece good bread, sliced how you please

1 heaping spoon full chèvre

slices of cucumber

salt & pepper + olive oil, to taste

Assemble all ingredients atop toasted bread. Enjoy!