oats

Ina Garten’s Fruit Crunch Sundae

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Ina Garten’s Fruit Crunch Sundae! The Barefoot Contessa is a familiar face on the Food Network these days. Not only does she offer great ideas for any meal, but she makes them seem incredibly simple. Today’s recipe comes from a recent episode where Ina wanted to serve up a special breakfast for her husband. I like the idea of taking everyday food and turning it into something extraordinary. By baking a batch of crunchy granola and storing it in an airtight container, single servings can be assembled in a flash. Use whatever fruit is on hand to make it unique. 

INA GARTEN’S FRUIT CRUNCH SUNDAE 

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut 

1/2 cup sliced almonds 

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons pure honey

4 strawberries 

1/4 cup blueberries 

1/4 cup pineapple tidbits

1 cup Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, oil, and honey together in a large bowl until completely combined. Pour into a baking sheet and bake until mixture turns golden brown. Stir occasionally. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool. Stir once. Combine the strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple in a bowl. Using stemmed glasses or parfait glasses, layer granola, yogurt, and fruit until full. You may alternate ingredients to repeat layers. Serve immediately. 

Easy Energy Balls

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Appetizers to Desserts: Easy Energy Balls! Do you ever get those mid-morning blahs where all you want to do is go back to bed? Well, here’s a way to get a tasty boost of energy without the guilt of a candy bar.  By choosing pure and organic ingredients, you not only reap the health benefits, but you also gain the satisfaction your tummy needs in order to feel full. Make up a batch in minutes, store in the refrigerator, then Grab and Go! 

EASY ENERGY BALLS

Ingredients:

1 cup organic creamy dark roasted peanut butter 

2/3 cup pure honey

2 cups flaked coconut 

2 cups old fashioned whole grain oats

1 cup organic flaxseed 

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/2 cup ground nuts

Instructions:

Warm peanut butter just enough to blend well with the honey. Remove from heat and add coconut, oats, flaxseed, and chocolate chips. Mix well. Sprinkle in cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Roll into 30 bite-size balls, coat in ground nuts, and store in the refrigerator in a sealed container. 

Yummy Salted Caramel Cookie Dough Bars

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Yummy Sea Salt Caramel Cookie Dough Bars! “Honestly, you had me at Salted Caramel”, someone exclaimed to me recently. If you crave chocolate or adore peanut butter, this dessert will grab your attention. Although its golden caramel layer is dotted with mounds of cookie dough infused with white and dark chocolate, underneath lies a layer of peanut butter, oats, and toffee bits. Oh my! You may need a scoop of natural ice cream on top just to cut the sweetness. Trust me when I say, “A little goes a long way!”

YUMMY SALTED CARAMEL COOKIE DOUGH BARS

Ingredients for Cookie Dough:

3/4 cup butter, unsalted

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup instant oats

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup toffee bits

Ingredients for Caramel Topping:

11 ounce bag of caramels

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9″x13″ pan with nonstick oil and line with parchment paper. Using a food processor, cream butter and sugar together. Add peanut butter and blend well. While running, add one egg at a time, thoroughly mixing in each egg. Add vanilla. In a small bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture. Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and toffee bits. Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, unwrap caramels and place in a saucepan with butter and sweetened condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are fully melted. The mixture will be smooth. Slowly pour caramel sauce evenly over dough. Flatten the remaining 1/3 dough like a pancake, cut into squares, roll into balls, and drop randomly over caramel sauce. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle coarse sea salt over all. Cool completely before cutting into bars. 

No-Bake Granola Cookies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: No-Bake Granola Cookies! I’m learning something new everyday. Honestly, I had no idea granola came with a boost of coffee flavor. That makes sense because when I checked the ingredient list on the package, sure enough….coffee was actually there. I sampled a taste before making the cookies and realized this could be a match made in heaven, especially when paired with chocolate and peanut butter. A little more research revealed not only does iced coffee come in this popular combination, but also milkshakes and ice cream. Perhaps I need to explore these other foods that offer a mind-boggling caffeine jolt. Now we’re talking. 

NO-BAKE GRANOLA COOKIES

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

1/2 cup Tupelo honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups coffee booster granola, slightly crushed in a mini chopper

1/4 cup quick oats

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine creamy peanut butter, Tupelo honey, and brown sugar. Microwave on High setting for 30 seconds. Stir completely and microwave on High 60 seconds longer. Stir again and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine coffee booster granola and quick oats. Pour warm peanut butter mixture over top. Mix well. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place mini chocolate chips in a shallow dish. Using a cookie scoop, portion dough into rounded cookies. Firmly press mini chocolate chips into the top. Place each cookie, chocolate chip side up, onto the waxed paper. Repeat until all dough is formed into bite-sized cookies. Chill slightly to set. Store in a sealed container. 

Irish Morning Porridge

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Fabulous Fixings: Irish Morning Porridge! Depending on where you live, porridge can be the correct terminology for this dish versus its familiar counterpart known as oatmeal. Both are grain-based meals yet porridge allows the chef to substitute cornmeal, quinoa, and polenta, if the craving nudges you in that direction. Oatmeal, on the other hand, consists of rolled oats, old-fashioned, steel-cut, whole, and instant oats. Just oats. Yet here we are. They each have health benefits and do the body good, so I say use the terms interchangeably. 

IRISH MORNING PORRIDGE 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1/3 cup steel-cut oats

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

.5 ounces box of raisins

Dash cinnamon, to taste

Fresh strawberry, for garnish

Raw honey, to drizzle

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Gently add the steel-cut oats, sea salt, and raisins into the water; bring back to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with a fresh strawberry. Drizzle with raw honey. Serve immediately. 

Irish Apple Cake

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Bright Ideas: Irish Apple Cake! I can practically hear your first question: How is this cake different from a traditional one? Well, as you mix the ingredients, you may notice the batter is pretty thick and dense. It’s not pourable like a cake mix, that’s for sure. I guess you could compare it somewhat to a sponge cake…..with apples. Plus topping. Streusel is what makes it extra-special, if you know what I mean. When it’s all said and done, you can definitely justify eating it as an early breakfast, a midday brunch, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a late night dessert. If you were at my house, you’d see my husband keeps a spoon propped inside the cake dome. Because, sometimes…you know, you just can’t resist one bite.

IRISH APPLE CAKE

Ingredients for Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

6 tablespoons butter, cold

Instructions for Streusel Topping:

In a medium bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sugar, and sea salt. Mix well. Add the cold butter, using a fork. Blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Set bowl aside in the refrigerator.

Ingredients for Irish Apple Cake

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons milk

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin

Instructions for Irish Apple Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and line a 9” round baking dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Beat eggs, one at a time, and add to creamed mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and sea salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Gradually add milk while mixing as the batter forms. Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish. Arrange a single layer of sliced apples over batter. Cover the apples with the streusel topping. Bake 60-65 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Raw Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Splurge-Worthy Goodness: Raw Honey Peanut Butter Cookies! No baking required. Wait, whaaat? These bite-size morsels are not only healthy as an energy snack, they can be made in a matter of minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand in your pantry. So, what exactly is raw honey, you wonder. Most beekeepers will tell you it simply means the honey is strained right before it is bottled. That translates to nature’s sweetness with all its beneficial nutrients and antioxidants. By eliminating the intense processing stage of heat filtration, what you get instead is honey that comes from the bee hive to your home. No extra sugar is added either. To make sure you are getting raw honey, always check the label.

RAW HONEY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients:

1/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, creamy

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups whole grain oats

Sprinkles, for garnish

Instructions:

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Pour sprinkles into a dish. Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine raw honey, creamy peanut butter, and vegetable oil. Microwave on High for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat. Add vanilla extract. Mix well. Add whole grain oats. Stir to incorporate until cookie dough forms a large ball. Using a cookie scoop, press dough to make bite-size uniform cookies. Dip into sprinkles. Place on prepared baking sheet. Cookies will “set up” on their own. Transfer to a covered container for storage.

No-Bake Granola Cookies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Uplifting Aromas: No-Bake Granola Cookies! I’m learning something new everyday. Honestly, I had no idea granola came with a boost of coffee flavor. That makes sense because when I checked the ingredient list on the package, sure enough….coffee was actually there. I sampled a taste before making the cookies and realized this could be a match made in heaven, especially when paired with chocolate and peanut butter. A little more research revealed not only does iced coffee come in this popular combination, but also milkshakes and ice cream. Perhaps I need to explore these other foods that offer a mind-boggling caffeine jolt. Now we’re talking.

NO-BAKE GRANOLA COOKIES

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy

1/2 cup Tupelo honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups coffee booster granola, slightly crushed in a mini chopper

1/4 cup quick oats

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine creamy peanut butter, Tupelo honey, and brown sugar. Microwave on High setting for 30 seconds. Stir completely and microwave on High 60 seconds longer. Stir again and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine coffee booster granola and quick oats. Pour warm peanut butter mixture over top. Mix well. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Place mini chocolate chips in a shallow dish. Using a cookie scoop, portion dough into rounded cookies. Firmly press mini chocolate chips into the top. Place each cookie, chocolate chip side up, onto the waxed paper. Repeat until all dough is formed into bite-sized cookies. Chill slightly to set. Store in a sealed container.

Oatmeal Options

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Clean Eating: Oatmeal Options! Some people tell me if they eat breakfast, they end up nibbling and snacking all day long. These same people tell me when they skip breakfast, they keep their diet in check. Who’s correct? Is it mind over matter? Studies show that skipping meals can be a trigger for migraines. Others show metabolism irregularities associated with hair loss and, ironically, unexpectedly weight gain can result from unstable choices. Now I don’t know about all that. I do know that maintaining a routine seems to reap optimum results for me. I’ve read that eating oatmeal regularly seems to prevent obesity and weight gain. Could it be due to the feeling of “sticking to your ribs”, so to speak? Makes sense to me.

OATMEAL OPTIONS

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole grain oats

1 cup skim milk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic reduction

1 tablespoon pecans, chopped

Fresh thyme, for garnish

Instructions:

Combine whole grain oats, skim milk, and cinnamon in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir well. Microwave on High 1 1/2-2 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle on brown sugar. Drizzle with balsamic reduction sauce. Add chopped pecans. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Serve immediately.