Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Orange, Cardamom and Almond Granola

 If you like cardamom, you will want to make this granola. It is a very easy and it makes 2-1/2 cups which is a good amount. Sometimes 5 or 6 cups of granola is too much, especially for two people. It bakes on one pan and it bakes for 20 minutes. I enjoy a little granola on my yogurt so this was the perfect amount for me, especially since I am usually the only one in our house that eats granola. 

I used a teaspoon of cardamom in my batch which might be a little to much for most, unless you are a big cardamom fan like me. The other thing I realized in making this granola is; if you only stir it once half way through, you get more granola clusters rather than just individual pieces of oats and nuts. I love my granola crunchy and this was very crunchy. Next time I make this recipe, I plan on using half agave nectar and half honey.

                               

Orange Cardamom Granola

       

cardamom, dried orange peel, almond, rolled oats, agave nectar, wheat germ, vanilla

       

        See Orange Cardamom Granola on Key Ingredient.    

   


Enjoy!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Easy Chicken Tacos

I have my DVR set to record all episodes of Cook's Country on PBS. When I have the time, I enjoy watching to see the recipes they have developed with better flavor and sometimes with great shortcuts. I often find myself thinking, why didn't I think of that. I guess my answer would have to be, because I don't get paid to spend all my daylight hours in the kitchen! Lucky us! The Cook's Country staff do spend hours in their kitchens reworking recipes and then they pass those recipes on to us. All the benefits without all the extra work.

I recently made Easy Chicken Tacos, a recipe I saw on Cook's Country. They took about 30 minutes to make from start to finish and they were moist and full of flavor. They do have a couple unusual ingredients that might surprise you, but don't let that stop you. They got a good review from my food critics. This is a recipe that I will probably make a couple more times this summer.

The other thing that made these tacos especially good was the tortillas. I might be the last one to know about these, but I just happened to see them in a refrigerated case at Albertsons grocery store one day when I was looking for something else. They were on an end aisle next to the eggs in my store, so good luck finding them in your store if they are new to you too!


They don't look like much when you take them out of their package. They are super thin, a little greenish and don't look like any tortilla that you would want to eat, but never fear, you will.


Heat up a non-stick pan and after 30 seconds on each side they puff up and become oh so soft and tender! You will never want to settle for the pre-cooked tortillas again!



With the chicken tacos, I served tomatoes, avocados, sour cream and a mixture of cheddar and montery jack cheese. I also made Funky Refried Beans and Lori's Mexican Salsa

Dear hubby offered his taco for a quick picture

                                       

Easy Chicken Tacos

         

chicken, tacos,

         

        See Easy Chicken Tacos on Key Ingredient.     

    


Enjoy!