This concoction is really too simple to have a name, but for Friday I thought I’d share a simple way to make a bowl of granola a little more exciting. This recipe makes a great breakfast for Saturdays, or for any day when you have a few minutes to cook up something special for yourself, but aren’t quite up for a traditional full hot breakfast.

The great thing about the recipe is that you can change any of the components for a completely different breakfast, and every ingredient is optional. Fresh fruit is preferable, but frozen fruits, or a combination of fresh and frozen fruits are pretty tasty as well.

For my concoction I used

¼ cup flaked coconut
One pat of butter
One peach
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup granola
1 cup yogurt

Pick out a heavy sauté pan or wok.

Over a medium flame, toast the coconut in a dry pan. You can toast it as much or as little as you like; I prefer to toast mine very lightly.

Once the Coconut is as toasted as you like it, add your sliced fruits, the pat of butter, and a tablespoon (or two) of brown sugar. Again, you really don’t need to add a pat of butter, but I love butter.

Together the fruits, butter and sugar will dissolve pretty quickly to make a nice syrup. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, feel free to cook as long or as little as you like. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes because I like the peaches to be soft and sugary but still have a little bit of a bite to them.

Different fruits work better with different cooking times, but a good rule of thumb is always to put the harder fruits in the pan first. So say if you were going to try a pear and strawberry concoction, you’d probably want to cook the pear for a minute or so before you added the strawberries.

Put the granola and yogurt into a serving bowl. Top with the hot fruit mixture, and serve warm. If you’re feeling fancy, you could serve this layered in a parfait dish.

This recipe serves two people, but I ate the entire thing myself.

Vanessa Maltin, author of Beyond Rice Cakes and Food & Lifestyle Editor for Delight gluten free Magazine, has released The Gloriously Gluten Free Cookbook, a new book filled with delicious gluten free recipes for Italian, Asian and Mexican dishes. Vanessa was kind enough to send us a copy to review and give away to one lucky blog reader.

The gorgeous cover has been calling to me ever since it arrived on my desk, though life kept getting in the way and it wasn’t until our long holiday weekend that I could take it home and give it some of the love it deserved. Upon opening the book, my only disappointment was the lack of beautiful photos inside. I’m a visual leaner and it helps me to see what I’m making, especially when delving into cuisine that is not my forte.

It only took a few pages before I was making a shopping list and marking recipe after delicious recipe to make over the weekend. Page after page of delicious variations on risotto and Thai noodle dishes called to me, but we have some dietary restrictions in our house and I had to find something that was vegetarian and dairy-free. I happened upon Fried Eggplant with Garlic Ginger Sauce and Jasmine Rice which met all of our requirements and sounded both drool-worthy and a wee bit challenging. When testing a cookbook, I like to try a recipe that will challenge me. If I can pull it off- that’s a pretty good indication that the recipes are written well.

Fast forward to Saturday. I had everything I needed, except Jasmine Rice (d’oh!). I used Brown Basmati Rice because I had it on hand and thought it would work just fine (it did). I followed each step and ended up with a delicious, exotic dish unlike anything I’ve ever made at home. Yes, the recipe did involve a good amount of frying; frying is one of my challenges. I’m afraid of it. That’s the truth. The idea of a hot pot of oil is a little scary and something I usually avoid like the plague, but the recipe sounded oh-so-yummy that I couldn’t resist giving it a whirl. It was delicious and glorious and gluten free! See below for the recipe.

Vanessa worked with three well-known chefs, Keith Brunell of Maggiano’s Little Italy, Katie Chin of Thai Kitchen and Edgar Steele of Café Atlantico, to be sure her recipes were authentic and easy on the beginning gluten-free chef. Asian and Italian dishes intimidate me, they use ingredients I’m not familiar with and call for techniques I’ve never tried.  What I loved about this book, beyond the delicious, well-written recipes, was that it didn’t feel overwhelming. I have always wanted to try making moo shu and gnocchi and now I feel that I can tackle them with Vanessa’s guidance.

Did I mention a giveaway? YES! I have one beautiful copy of Vanessa’s book to give away to one lucky reader. All you have to do to enter is tell me about an Italian, Asian or Mexican dish that you’ve always wanted to try, but been afraid to give it a go. I’m not promising that the recipe will be in her book, but I’d love to hear what challenges you in the kitchen. Leave your comment here on the blog post, on our Facebook wall or direct message us on Twitter (@bobs_red_mill). I will select a winner from all those who enter by midnight on 07/12/10. That gives you a week to enter. If you don’t win, we’ll be selling Vanessa’s book on our website soon.

Fried Eggplant with Garlic-Ginger Sauce and Jasmine Rice
From Gloriously Gluten Free
Serves 4

For the Garlic-Ginger Sauce:
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp chili flakes (Note: if you don’t like things spicy, you may want to decrease this to 1 tsp)
1 Tbsp ground ginger

For the Rice and Eggplant
1-1/2 cups jasmine rice
2 large eggs
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp salt
2 large eggplants
3 cups (or enough to submerge the eggplant halfway) vegetable or canola oil for frying

For the Garlic-Ginger Sauce:
In a large sauce-pan, combine the carrots, mushrooms, stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, garlic, chili flakes and ginger. Cook over medium heat until reduced by half and a thick sauce is formed, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

For the Rice and Eggplant:
1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and soy sauce. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornstarch and salt.
3. Slice the eggplants into 2-inch squares about 1/2-inch thick. Dip the eggplant into the egg-and-soy-sauce mixture and then coat it with the flour-and-cornstarch mixture.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat; it’s ready when you see little bubbles forming in the oil. Fry eggplant until the batter turns golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
5. Gently stir the fried eggplant into the sauce. Pour heaping portions of the eggplant and sauce over the rice and serve.

Happy Monday, folks! I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday yesterday.

After hundreds of requests from our customers, we have compiled a gluten free resource page on our website for our gluten free customers. While still in its infancy, the site is functional and has lists of the best resources for people following a gluten free diet or for people who simply need more information about the gluten free diet. We have listed some of our favorite organizations, recipe sites and blogs to make your life a little easier. Head on over and check it out! To reach the page from our homepage, simply click on “Gluten Free Guide” at the bottom right side of the screen.

Do you have a suggestion for how we could make this page something really special? Please let me know in the comments section of this post. We’d love to hear your ideas!

There are many different ways to shape a loaf of bread. At the Whole Grain Store bakery we have several methods that we utilize: challah rolls, baguettes, modified batards, pan loaf rolls, single twists, just to name a few. In this post I will talk about three methods we use that are easily adaptable to the home bakery.

Dough Roll

The dough roll is a good starting point for making a loaf of bread. It is most easily used when making a traditional pan loaf. To begin, take a piece of dough (ideally somewhere between 1 and 2 lbs.) and place it on your kneading surface. Gently press or punch the dough into a general rectangle-like shape until all the air bubbles have been removed. Next fold both of the longest sides inward and punch out the air bubbles in similar fashion. Now start on one end and roll the dough tight enough to form a solid loaf but not so much that the outer layer tears. Place in a loaf pan (greased or ungreased depending on the bread) and let the loaf proof in the pan until it has risen just above the top. It should rise slightly more in the oven (a trait referred to as ‘oven spring’) and produce a nice finished loaf.

Twist

In this method you start by rolling two separate pieces of dough and twisting them together to make a pan loaf like the dough roll one above except it will have a fancier look to it when it is all finished. Start by taking your piece of dough and cutting it into two equal pieces. Next roll each one into a cylindrical shape, just slightly longer than the pan it will eventually go in. You should roll enough to remove the air bubbles but not so much that the dough becomes worn out and/or torn. Then lightly twist the two together and place into the pan. It is not necessary to fold the dough under or try and form it into a loaf any more than simply placing it in the pan as shown in the picture. As the dough rises it will take on the shape of the pan by itself and will produce a nice finished pan loaf without any additional shaping.

Challah Braid-6 Strand

The Challah braid is an excellent way to make a fancy looking loaf without a ton of trouble. It can be tricky at first but once you master the method, it may quickly become one of your favorites.

Begin by cutting the desired loaf size into 6 separate pieces of equal size and weight. Roll each one out until it is long and thin and arrange them in a fashion that loosely resembles a six legged spider (even though none of those exist, to the best of my knowledge). Press down the middle (or body) of the spider so as to prepare a good anchor for what comes next. Below is a picture that might help give you an idea of what this looks like. Then cross your arms so that your right hand is underneath your left and grab each of the top two strands coming off of the body. Pull the right hand’s strand underneath the left hand’s strand and place the left one down so as to create what would be the spider’s new bottom leg on the right side. You should still be holding the other strand in your right hand. Now with your left hand do the exact opposite motion and pull the top leg on the right side underneath the one that your right hand is holding. This should leave you with a strand in your left hand and the one your right hand was holding should now be the lowest leg on the left side. Continue going back and forth until the loaf is fully braided and place on a pan. Let rise until almost double in size and either glaze with egg or just place in the oven as is. Bake until desired color is achieved (we bake ours for approx. 24 minutes).

This should sound pretty confusing but don’t get frustrated! This method takes some practice and it’s difficult to learn from words on a page. If you’d like to get serious about this method I would suggest searching some videos on youtube.com and ehow.com.

Here’s another six strand method to try out:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2191617_braid-6-strand-challah-bread.html

At Bob’s Red Mill, we think the Fourth of July is one of the very best holidays. First, people usually get together with friends and family. Second, the weather is almost always gorgeous. Third, um, fireworks!! Finally, food usually involves things that are easy to throw together and/or grilled! That presents and shopping aren’t part of the holiday is a bonus, in our opinion.

Who doesn’t love to make something crazy and fun for the holidays? Independence day need not be excluded from wild and wacky creations. Here are some awesome, fun and creative ways to show your patriotism.

Red:

Ok this one is more red-ish, but it does sound very American: Root Beer Baked Beans from Bon Appetit
Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake from Paula Deen
Red Velvet Cake (One of our favorites!) from Joy of Baking
French Tomato Tart from David Lebovitz

White:

• Artichoke and White Bean Dip from Flavor Vegan
• New York Style White Pizza from Serious Eats
• Vanilla Milkshakes from Paula Dean
• Mozzarella “Smores” from Epicurious.com

Blue:

• Blue Corn Walnut Biscuits
• Blue Cornmeal Pancakes
• Potato Chips with Blue Cheese from Bobby Flay
• Blueberry Ketchup from Delish.com: Yes, I know it sounds weird, but it’s got you intrigued, admit it.

Red, White and Blue!

• Sun Dried Tomato and Blue Cheese Burgers from All Recipes.com
• Red, White and Blue Pie from Better Homes and Gardens
• Red, White and Blue Potato Salad from Epicurious.com: I’ve actually tried this one- truly delicious and wonderfully fun if you can find purple or blue potatoes (if not, I bet food dye would do the trick).
• Fruit Tart Flag from The Food Network: For those of you who are especially industrious.
• Where would we be without the classic? American Flag Cake from Ina Garten

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, FOLKS!

To perfect your favorite cookie, here are a few tips.

1. Always start with cold butter and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. This prevents over mixing and proper incorporation of the sugar and fat. 350 degrees works well for all cookie sizes.

2. When creaming the butter and sugar, constantly scrape down the sides to ensure that all of the butter is mixed in. The creaming process forms tiny air bubbles in the fat and dissolves the sugar. When this step is finished you should barely be able to feel granules of sugar in the butter. You want to achieve the color of a latte, a very light brown. This is the step where many bakers over mix, incorporating too much air and ending up with a flat cookie. If the mixture is under mixed and the sugar is still in its original form, you will end up with a dense/ heavy cookie.

3. After your butter and sugar resemble fluffy clouds, it is time to add the eggs. Add all the eggs and vanilla or other flavoring, and begin on speed one. Scrape down the sides and set on speed 2. This step usually takes about a third of the time that your first step takes. The butter mixture will break down into tiny beads, then become one with egg mixture, again forming a latte like color. If you are making an oatmeal cookie, now is the time to add your rolled oats. Oatmeal cookies work best when the oats have time to soak. A good amount of time to soak is 10-15 minutes. If you are using quick oats, just add them in the next step.

4. Now it is time to add your dry ingredients. It is important to have all dry ingredients combined before you place them in the mixing bowl. Unless you would like to adorn your kitchen and yourself with flour, start this process on speed one. Stay on speed one for about 15 seconds, then move up to speed two for 5-10 seconds and scrape down. If more time is necessary then go for it, but be careful not to develop too much gluten by over mixing. Gluten development makes for a displeasing chewy texture. Add your chips, nuts or dried fruit and give it a quick mix.

5. The mixing process is over, and you are one step closer to oven fresh cookies. Your oven should be hot and ready for your cookies. When portioning your cookies, it is smart to make them all the same size for even baking. Lightly smash down the cookies and pop them in the oven. Appropriate baking time for a tablespoon cookie in a 350 degree oven is about 8 minutes, give or take, depending on the power of your oven. When checking cookies for doneness, look at the edges and try not to look in the middle. Cookies finish their bake on the pan after you take them out of the oven. Contrary to popular belief placing cookies on a cooking rack isn’t really necessary, unless you need the pan again.

I hope that these tips and instructions help you improve your cookie making skills. After many years of baking I can say these have definitely helped me, so give ‘em a try. Thank you for reading, and happy baking!