Cinnamon Granola with Cherries, Almonds and Coconut

Over the course of the last few weeks, in the midst of attempting to decide where I wanted to go to medical school, I stayed over at my grandparent's apartment in philadelphia a number of times. The last of these visits occurred less than a week before I had to make my choice. I'd decided, entirely last-minute (and not entirely calmly) that I needed to go back (again) to the two schools that I still couldn't choose between, one of which happens to be in philly. I was a total mess - to put it nicely - but my grandparents blew up the air mattress (again), made the bed (again), and stocked the fridge (again). They also patiently listened to me (again) - rambling, laughing, crying - as I tried to sort out everything in my head.

I've since made the decision - I hope you'll all be happy to hear that I'll be staying in new york! - and calmed down rather dramatically - enough to realize that I owed my grandparents a pretty big thank you. My grandmother was easy (nothing in the world makes her quite as happy as a vanilla cupcake from crumbs bakery), but my grandfather was a little tougher. He and I share a slightly obsessive love of cereal so, flipping through my recipe book, I decided I'd make him a batch of my favorite granola. The recipe comes from an Ina Garten cookbook. It's incredibly easy and incredibly delicious - on its own, tossed with fresh berries, sprinkled on a little yogurt or vanilla ice cream. It's also a fantastic gift. Most importantly, my grandfather gives it five stars. What more do you need?

    

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil
Combine oats, coconut, almonds and cherries in a large bowl
Pour oil and honey over mixture, and toss with a big spoon until coated
Sprinkle with cinnamon, and stir to combine
Spread out mixture on prepared baking sheet and bake 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes
Let cool, stirring occasionally. Store in an air-tight container. 

Moroccan Spiced Couscous

This recipe, from a close family friend, is another crowd pleaser: the couscous is light and fluffy, plumped up by the chicken broth and sweetened by the cinnamon and currants. It takes twenty minutes, start to finish, and goes well with roasted chicken, lamb, and/or any kind of simply prepared white fish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 box plain couscous
2 cups chicken broth
1 package Lipton's Vegetable Soup Mix
1/2 cup currants
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp sugar

Directions:
Combine currants, chicken broth and vegetable soup mix
Boil in the microwave, on high, for about 9 minutes
Add couscous, olive oil, cinnamon and sugar, and stir to combine
Cover and let sit for 10 minutes
Fluff with a fork and serve


Serves 4

Baked Rice with Peas & Parmesan

This is my take on a classic weight-watchers recipe. I think the tiny bit of butter and extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese are well worth the couple of extra calories, and I cannot recommend the leseur peas enough: they're easy to find, and the teensy bit of added sugar hugely enhances the flavor of the peas. I made this for my brother, who lives off of pizza, grilled cheese and pasta alfredo, and he loved it. The chicken broth adds a warmth and impressive depth of flavor to the brown rice, and the butter and cheese give the dish a gooey and delicious decadence. Once you've mastered this recipe, there's no reason to ever bother with risotto.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
15 oz fat free chicken broth
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup canned Leseur peas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine rice, chicken broth and 1/4 cup cheese in baking dish
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes with the foil still on
Remove foil, and stir in butter and peas
Fluff with a fork, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and serve

4 servings

Healthy Vegetable Lasagna

Yesterday, a huge cardboard box filled with fresh, organic vegetables arrived at my apartment. When I got home after work, my doorman (who now thinks I'm completely nuts), asked if I was the girl who'd had this 'box of salad' delivered. I was - I'd ordered the delivery from Farm Share Ltd (with a groupon, of course), which is a great organization that brings freshly harvested and locally grown crops into New York City. But sadly the timing wasn't great: my parents were coming up to the city over the weekend, which meant lots of meals out and not a whole lot of time (or reason) to cook. So rather than let any of the vegetables go to waste, I decided to make a vegetable lasagna. This recipe, a kind of amalgamation of the veggie lasagna recipes from this month's Cooks Illustrated and last January's Cooking Light, is easy, healthy and delicious. I replaced the heavy cream, butter, and oily pesto with part-skim ricotta, basil and garlic, and sprinkled fat-free mozzarella on top. Best of all, this lasagna freezes incredibly well. I cut mine up into 6 servings and froze them in individual freezer bags so that, in the future, all I'll have to do is grab a bag and defrost it for a fantastic, veggie-filled dinner. I love the combination of zucchini, eggplant, carrot and mushroom, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Peppers, onions, and yellow squash all taste great, too.

Ingredients:
vegetable filling:
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup sliced mushroom
3/4 cup chopped zucchini
3/4 cup chopped eggplant
1/2 cup sliced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 24 oz bottle tomato pasta sauce (I used a tomato-basil variety)

cheese filling:
12 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tbsp fresh basil
salt and pepper, to taste

noodles:
6 oz cooked lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Boil a large pot of water and cook noodles according to package directions
Remove from pot and reserve
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat
Add veggies, garlic and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently
Add pasta sauce: bring to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes
Remove from heat
Combine ingredients for cheese filling in a small bowl
In an 8 x 8 inch pan, spread 1/2 cup tomato mixture in bottom
Top with 4 or 5 noodles
Top with half of ricotta mixture
Repeat, ending with noodles, and sprinkle with mozzarella
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes
Uncover, and bake for another 20 minutes
Before slicing (to either serve or freeze), let stand 15-20 minutes

Serves 6
(large portions - picture below shows two)