What We're Eating Wednesday: Easy Honey Pecan Granola

Granola. This versatile mix of oats & nuts is not only perfect for topping fruit and greek yogurt for breakfast, it's equally amazing as a quick snack in the afternoon. I often have to hide the canister of this goodness in the pantry so that my husband doesn't shove it by the handful into his mouth when he gets home from work. This is a staple in our pantry & it is rare that I ever run out of this crispy, nutty mix. The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart, I just tweaked it slightly. 

Honey Pecan Granola

Ingredients:

• 3 c. old fashioned rolled oats
• 1-1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 c. wildflower honey (In this recipe, the main flavor comes from honey, so use the good stuff! I use a local Texas wildflower honey with amazing flavor- it MAKES this recipe!)
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a rimmed sheet tray with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, pecans and salt. Melt butter in a medium microwave safe bowl. Add honey & vanilla to warm butter. Mix well.
3. Pour honey mixture over oat mixture and stir with a spatula until all oats are covered with honey.
4. Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, mix the granola up and turn over. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until oats are golden brown. Cool completely on sheet tray & enjoy!

What We're Eating Wednesday: The Best Blueberry Scones EVER

I am a huge fan of scones. I love making them, I love eating them. Making them because, well, they're so simple and eating them because, let's face it, they're crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. In one word, 

delicious

.

I make a few different scone recipes around here, but this one is my most loved. I made two batches for a baby shower brunch this weekend and they were the first item to disappear on the buffet. I love these so much that I want to share them with you today. Be sure to share the love and pass them on, too.

Blueberry & Lemon Scones

 (

makes 8 scones) 

adapted from

this

recipe

Scones:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

5 Tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 c. fresh blueberries

1 c. heavy cream (approximately- see note below), plus more for brushing

Zest from 2 lemons

3 Tbsp. coarse demerara sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Sift together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or a food processor to make it faster, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs

(this was about 20 pulses on my food processor- you want to still see some butter chunks in the mix to make them fluffy!)

Place mixture back in a large bowl and mix in blueberries and lemon zest, being careful not to mash the blueberries. Make a hole in the center of the mix and pour in 1 c. of heavy cream. Using a spatula, fold the cream into the dough until it just sticks together when pressed.

(I have found that I usually need a couple of more tablespoons of heavy cream to get it all incorporated here, which is why I wrote approximately above.)

Press the round ball of dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press lightly with your hands

(minding the blueberries!)

until the flattened round is about 1" in height. Cut the circle in quarters, then in eights. Place scones on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar, if using. Bake 20-25 minutes, until the scones are a beautiful golden brown.

They are wonderful if you just stop here, but to make them really amazing, be sure not to skip the lemon glaze.

Lemon glaze:

1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 c. confectioner's sugar, sifted

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Zest from one lemon

Mix the lemon juice with the confectioner's sugar and place over a pot of boiling water in a double-boiler until dissolved. Whisk in the butter and the lemon zest and continue to whisk for about a minute. When butter is melted, place glaze through a mesh strainer to take out the lumps and lemon zest. Drizzle or brush the glaze on top of the warm scones and serve.

Enjoy!

What We're Eating Wednesday: Tilapia with Mango Salsa

I'm always looking for new ways to use tilapia. Compared to other fish, its by far the most economical. It is also mild enough to pair with many flavor combinations. I buy my fish from Whole Foods, so I know that it is sourced responsibly, and not farmed in China. When I came across this recipe by doing a Google search for mango salsa, I knew I had to try it out, and it couldn't be any easier.

Tilapia with Mango Salsa (serves 2)
recipe adapted from this recipe
(make with brown rice for a full meal)

Fish:
4 tilapia fillets (the ones I buy are usually quite small, so I make two per person)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 Tbsp. grated orange zest
1/4 c. fresh orange juice (from one juicy orange)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

Salsa:
1 mango, peeled, seeded and diced in 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. finely diced red onion
1 avocado, peeled, pitted & diced in 1/2" pieces
2 on-the-vine tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime or 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. finely minced ginger root
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a shallow baking dish, combine olive oil, orange zest & juice and crushed red pepper. Pat the fish dry & place in baking dish. Turn to coat with ingredients. Salt and pepper both sides of the fish to taste. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until fish flakes easily with a fork.
2. While the fish cooks, combine all ingredients for the salsa and stir to combine. When fish is cooked, plate the brown rice, top with the fish & the extra olive oil mixture from the baking dish, then the mango salsa.

Enjoy!