Rediscovering Musli

I went through this phase earlier of eating granola obsessively and being really proud of myself for being so healthy. Then I started making my own, and realized how fattening it actually is (unless you make a modified granola recipe, which I have and can share). Whoops.

Sort of like how I used to be all self-righteous about drinking canned Arizona Green Tea instead of soda only to realize it has like 12 tablespoons of sugar.

So then I went back to basics and started eating musli and I actually don't even miss the butter and sugar. Then I deconstructed that even further by just pouring a tablespoon or two of uncooked oats right into my yogurt along with some fresh fruit and cinnamon and/or cardamom. Is that bad? I've been doing it for weeks now to no ill effect. It actually tastes great. If it's bad to eat uncooked oats, forget I said it. If not, try it!

Or you can try this yummy musli recipe I just found and am going to make tomorrow. I will translate it if any English speakers want it. I like the idea of using coconut and sunflower seeds, though I only like the white ones, not the black ones. (Does anyone know the difference?)

Mmm, Carrots...

This is a fantastic recipe from Alice Water's Chez Panisse Vegetables. (Mom, I really do use that cookbook you got me 15 years ago!)

It's great because it uses ingredients you probably have on hand most of the time. And it goes down faster than a fresh bag of Sour Patch Kids (is that just our house?). You won't be able to stop... Did you hear me? I'm talking about carrots, people!

Although it's a smidge spicy, I feel like this could be a good recipe to get kids to eat their carrots. Try it and report back please.

Spicy Carrot Salad
2 lbs. carrots (or whatever you have)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 cup olive oil (or less if you want)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Peel the carrots and cut into julienne ("quick work with a Japanese mandolin" says Alice. If you don't own a mandolin, see my Le Creuset posting about becoming an adult. Just kidding, try using a vegetable peeler and just keep "peeling" the whole carrots into thin little slices. Or just chop them thinly.)

Mash the garlic clove with the salt, and mix it with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add more acid, salt or cayenne if needed. Toss with the carrots, add the chopped cilantro, and serve.

Serves 4.

Broccoli Rabe with Toasted Garlic and Breadcrumbs

Here's a simple recipe for pasta with broccoli rabe, which is so good for you I suspect there is a conspiracy by the always conniving OBL (Ordinary Broccoli Lobby) to keep it so under the radar.

"Broccoli rabe is low in Saturated Fat. It is also a good source of Pantothenic Acid, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc and Manganese." (source: nutritiondata.com)

I would use whole wheat or some other kind of enriched pasta to make it even more crazy healthy.

Check out the video at the end of the article for the recipe.