Homemade Granola Bars

This recipe comes from the good people at: Wit & Whistle. Click the link to see awesome pictures. I made a few tweaks (very minor) to mine for health benefits (and I hate chocolate chips in granola bars)

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup of ground flax seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a large bowl mix oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, flax seed, nuts, cranberries and salt. Make an indention in the center of the mixture, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well. (Using your hands makes it easier to get everything coated.)

Press the mixture into the pan. Wit and Whistle suggests not going all the way to the ends of the pans because it is easier to get out the bars when done baking. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Cool for 5 minutes, cut the bars while they are still warm, and store the granola bars in an airtight container so they won’t dry out

NOTE: Check out the comments on Wit & Whistle - some of the readers had some very cool alternative ingredients

Onion Tart

I am pulling this recipe from memory based on an old episode of Naked Chef. It might not be perfectly recreated, which I am okay with.
This recipe will serve four (you can of course do more).

INGREDIENTS
4 large Spanish onions
4 large pieces of smoked bacon (nice large strips - decent thickness)
1 lb of grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of cream
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Cut the very top and bottom of the onion so it sits upright (make the top and bottom flat). Then start scooping out the middle, but not to the bottom. You want to make a cup shape. Take all the scooped up onion and reserve it. Do this for all 4 onions (or however many you are making)
2. Take the leftover pieces of onion, dice it, and saute it in a small soup pot (use butter if you really want to be delicious). Once translucent, add the cream slowly - you don't want a very juicy mixture, you want it to be thick (you can even add some flour if you want). When the cream is bubbling, add most of the grated cheese (keep a little bit in reserve) and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Wrap the onion cups with the bacon and secure with a toothpick. Full the cup with the onion-cream sauce.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add some more cheese on the top and set in the oven.
5. Cook for 10-12 minutes

Enjoy (don't have a heart attack!)

Buffle-Chicken (Redux!) Quesadillas

I am stealing this one from my wife's blog who stole a part of the idea from my recipe last week.

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Quesadillas
Buffle-Joe Chicken
Pepper Jack Cheese
Blue Cheese Dressing (optional for dipping)

Directions:

1. Coat the bottom of a skillet with butter or olive oil, that is slightly bigger than the diameter of the quesadilla.
2. Place on quesadilla in the pan, cover with grated cheese and shredded chicken.
3. Cook on Medium heat for about 2-3 mins, until crispy
4. Top with a second quesadilla and flip, cooking for another 2-3 mins.
5. Take out of pan and let cool, then slice in quarters.
6. Serve with a side of blue cheese dressing for dipping.

How to make the Buffle-Chicken:

1. The night before: Mix two cups of milk with a cup of Tabasco sauce and 3 table spoons of salt. Add the chicken and seal in a zip lock bag overnight. The next morning, take out the chicken, pat it down with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, mix two cups of hot sauce with an egg. Dip the chicken in the wash, and then coat with paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper. Get a frying pan and coat with oil, cook the strips.

The Buffle-Joe Sandwich

This sandwich only comes out on Superbowl... here's how to make it

INGREDIENTS

1 large crusty baguette (try to get one that is wide)
3 chicken breasts sliced into strips
Celery stalks (cut into strips)
Blue Cheese Dressing
Shoe-String French Fries
Cooper-Sharp Cheese
Two Large bottles of hot sauce (your choice)

DIRECTIONS

1. The night before: Mix two cups of milk with a cup of Tabasco sauce and 3 table spoons of salt. Add the chicken and seal in a zip lock bag overnight. The next morning, take out the chicken, pat it down with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, mix two cups of hot sauce with an egg. Dip the chicken in the wash, and then coat with paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper. Get a frying pan and coat with oil, cook the strips.
3. Use the same seasoning and coat the shoe-string fries. Place in oven and cook as directed.
4. Mix blue cheese with hot sauce and treat as a spread for the sandwich.
5. Add the cooper-sharp cheese, then the celery, then the chicken to the bread and then top with the fries.