Recipes – Page 80 – The Pajama Chef

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal

June 18, 2012 Sarah

So, I realize that hot breakfasts seem like a thing of winter and cooler weather, not days of 90 degree heat and 80% humidity. Not to me! I spent two summers in college working as a camp counselor at Camp Tecumseh, so I woke up to a hot breakfast six days a week, enjoyed in the freezingly cold air conditioned dining hall. It was glorious. Well, some breakfasts anyways. French toast, bacon, hashbrowns, coffee cake, fruit salad. Rubbery eggs… not so much. You can bet that the onlyonlyONLY reason us counselors looked forward to sleep-out nights was getting to sleep in a little later while enjoying breakfast in bed, aka sugary cold cereal, powdered doughnuts, and apples.

By far, the breakfast that Camp Tecumseh is known for is their baked oatmeal. I’ve shared the basic recipe before, but this time I’ve jazzed it up… made it a little more flashy, a little more flared.

This version combines juicy, sweet strawberries with the tropical coconut to make a phenomenal baked oatmeal that will really wake up your morning [and wish you were at the beach… sigh.]. I used coconut milk and coconut flakes to double the nutty fun of my new favorite flavor. If I had had coconut extract, you can bet that some of that would have been included too!

I mixed up the fruit and oat mixture the night before, then baked it in the morning while I was getting ready for the day. After I finished doing my hair, breakfast was ready with time to spare. If your mornings are a little more rushed, this Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal can always be baked ahead of time and heated up in individual servings in the microwave. Since no additional toppings are needed, this is a great breakfast to take to the office instead of the usual yogurt and granola… and if you’re in the air conditioning, as most of us are this time of year, hot breakfasts don’t have to be avoided in the summertime.

What have you been eating for breakfast lately? I need some new ideas, cause I can’t eat this oatmeal everyday!

Strawberry Coconut Baked Oatmeal [adapted from Camp Tecumseh Baked Oatmeal]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced strawberries, divided [fresh or frozen, I used frozen]
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flakes, divided [sweetened or unsweetened, your choice]
1 1/4 cups coconut milk [I used lite]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray. Place 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, and egg. In a small bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, chia seeds, and 1/3 cup coconut flakes. Fold dry ingredients into the wet, then pour in coconut milk and stir until just combined. Mixture should be the consistency of thick cake batter. Pour over strawberries in pan, then top with remaining 1/2 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons coconut flakes.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Time: 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Note: Can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight.

Bars, Desserts, Recipes

Dark Chocolate Crumb Bars

June 14, 2012May 22, 2014 Sarah

***Edited April 5, 2013–this recipe can now be found on my site here 🙂

Do you like dark chocolate?

If so [and who doesn’t??!?]… go check out my post on Today’s Housewife for this awesomely ooey gooey recipe. I know you’ll love it! Happy Thursday!

Breakfast, Muffins, Recipes

Banana Crumb Muffins

June 13, 2012June 4, 2015 Sarah

Mmmm, muffins. One of my favorite treats. And I say treats because, of course, the best muffins aren’t those healthified kinds, but those decadent, unfrosted, glorified cupcakes. I mean, I absolutely adore healthy muffins. Looking through all the other muffin recipes I’ve blogged about before, I’m pretty impressed with myself and my healthy muffin ways. Carrots, zucchini, rhubarb, whole wheat flour, low sugar.

Don’t fret, I haven’t lost my way. Truth is, I like healthy muffins. I like them for a quick before-dinner snack or as an addition to my lunch. But I also like rich, ooey gooey sweet muffins. Muffins with chocolate. Muffins that taste bakery-fresh. Muffins with a little pizazz. Muffins like these.

When I go home for the weekend, inevitably my mom, sister, and I end up baking something or other. Sometimes multiple things. My mom has these giant folders filled with recipes she’s torn out of magazines and printed off the internet, just waiting to be made. Some are from the 80s and have funny names, while others we just laugh at as we’re leafing through. “That sounded good once?!?” Other times, there are gems in those folders. Banana Crumb Muffins are one of those gems.

These banana muffins are sweet, pillowy soft, and like most muffin recipes, whipped up in a matter of minutes. They’re a great way to use up those lingering bananas going brown on your countertop–the monkeys on the muffin liners wholeheartedly agree, but they did wonder how humans let so many bananas go bad. I told them I didn’t know, but I suspected it had to do with making delicious creations like these!

I loved the way the pure banana flavor came through, though I’m sure the addition of vanilla, nuts, or chocolate chips wouldn’t be problematic. What makes these muffins extraordianry is the crumb topping. Our topping melted into the muffin a little bit, but if you wait to add the topping until the muffins are almost done, I think it would hold its own a little more. Either way, they are sure to be very yummy!

Banana Crumb Muffins

Servings: 14-16 muffins
Time: 30 minutes
Print

from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:

for muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted

for topping

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease standard sized muffin tins with cooking spray or line with paper liners.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. In a large bowl, mix together bananas, sugar, egg, and butter. Slowly fold in dry ingredients until incorporated.

Spoon batter into prepared pans, about 3/4 of the way full.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour in butter and mix with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins, then place pans in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. When muffins are done, they should be golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Cool in pans for 10 minutes before cooling on a rack.

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes

Orange-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry

June 11, 2012June 8, 2012 Sarah

So I enjoy Chinese takeout about as much as anyone else… but not as much as Ben. If he had it his way, he’d be chowing down on pseudo-Asian food every other night, with a healthy dose of meat and potatoes on the other night. Why doesn’t this happen in our house? Well, let’s see… salt, salt, MSG, salt, salt, lack of veggies, salt, salt… I think you get the picture. Oh, and I like to cook, not just get takeout. So what’s my compromise? Making takeout at home! [I bet you never saw that one coming. Ha!]

My latest attempt is a play off the ‘ole [un]authentic orange chicken. Instead of a gloopy, fake-colored sauce coating a few sad vegetables and the classic “little chicken/lots of breading,” sauted chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, and water chestnuts are tossed with a sweet-spicy orange glaze. The orange glaze is made with orange juice and [gasp!] a whole real orange. It’s amped up with fresh ginger and garlic, honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, and two kinds of pepper. Can it get any better than this?

I’m sorry, but this sweet-spicy citrus glaze has flavors that the corner Chinese place just cannot achieve! I know those places aren’t authentic, and in no way do I think my version is either. But I do know it’s good. So good in fact, that we both wanted the leftovers… a rareity in this house! Now, if only I could make brown rice as soft and pillowy as that Chinese place can…

Orange-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry [adapted from Pretty Delicious by Candice Kumai]
click to print

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
1 3/4 cup orange juice, divided
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes
zest of 1 orange + 1 orange, peel removed and fruit chopped into bite size pieces
3/4 pound chicken breasts, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
3 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
hot cooked brown rice, for serving

Directions:

In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and saute, stirring continually, for 60 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in 1 1/2 cups orange juice, honey, soy sauce, cayenne, red chile pepper flakes, and orange zest. Zest Simmer gently until sauce is thick and syrupy, approximately 20 minutes.

Next, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in an electric wok at 350 degrees. Add chicken and toss to stir-fry, cooking until all sides are golden, approximately 3-4 minutes total. Then add broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and orange chunks. Pour remaining 1/2 cup orange juice over everything, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until hot. [Alternatively, you could cook everything in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat.

Pour in orange sauce and toss to coat. Serve over hot cooked brown rice.

Time: 30 minutes.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

Breads, Recipes

SRC: Parmesan Garlic Rolls

June 4, 2012November 22, 2016 Sarah

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again! If you’ve missed past SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. Everyone else posts about their secret blog the same day. It’s fabulously fun to try out new blogs. If you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.

This month I was assigned to Amanda’s Cookin’, a blog written by the founder of the Secret Recipe Club herself! Though she has many delicious looking sweets and enticing main dishes on her blog, I was immediately drawn to these babies:

Yes, you read that right.

Parmesan Garlic Rolls.

Oh my goodness. Skipping the sweets for something cheesy was a VERY good idea. Excuse me for shouting, it was necessary in this case.

Think savory cinnamon roll, except without the cinnamon-brown sugar filling. These soft, doughy rolls are stuffed full of herb garlic butter, Parmesan cheese, and Mozzarella cheese, then topped with tons of parsley and more cheese. Each bite is cheesy and gooey, more delicious than the first.

These rolls would be a perfect companion for a simple soup and salad night, or are great enjoyed appetizer-style on their own. I actually made two batches of dough [using 3 tablespoons of sugar instead of just 1 tablespoon in the second batch], so one could be used for maple-iced cinnamon rolls [filling and icing found here]. Then I took both pans of rolls–savory and sweet–to our church small group for snack one night. See below… they were both a big hit! I mean, why wouldn’t they be?

Sweet rolls + savory rolls = amazing deliciousness!

Please excuse my messy kitchen. I know everyone will excuse yours if you take the time to make this tasty, cheesy treat or another recipe whipped up by other SRC folks. Check ’em out below my recipe!

Oh, one last thing–don’t be scared of the two hours these take to prepare. Most of the time is spent letting the dough rise, so you’ll still have plenty of time to watch old seasons of 24 on Netflix [or whatever else is taking up allllllllll your time these days! Is watching marathons of 24 just what we do?]. 🙂 But really, you need to try these. No excuses–the cheese is calling!

Parmesan Garlic Rolls

Servings: 12
Time: 2 hours
Print

from Amanda’s Cookin’
Ingredients:

for the dough

1 1/3 cup milk (105 to 115F degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoon [or 1 package] instant dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour or whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

for the garlic butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

for the topping

3 tablespoons grated Mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Directions:

Begin by making the dough. Heat the milk in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to warm. Then pour into the bowl of an electric mixer and add yeast and sugar. Stir together, then add 1 cup flour, olive oil, and salt. Beat until smooth, then stir in enough flour until soft dough forms. Be sure to continually scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate everything. Remove dough from bowl, then spray the inside of the bowl with cooking spray and place dough back in bowl. Cover and let rise until double, about 45-50 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the garlic butter. Beat butter in mixer until creamy, then add garlic, cheeses, and herbs. Beat until combined, then cover and set aside.

Next, coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

After dough has risen, punch down and knead several times on a floured countertop. Press dough into a thin rectangle sized 10 by 14 inches, then spread with garlic butter, using all but 2 tablespoons. Roll up dough into a tight cylinder beginning with the long edge nearest you. Wrap dough in parchment or aluminum foil, then place in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer, then slice into 12 rounds. Place in prepared pans.

Melt remaining garlic butter by microwaving for 15 seconds, then brush over top of dough. Top with Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Cover and rise for 20 minutes, preheating the oven to 400 degrees at this time. Finally, bake for 17-20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Enjoy your day by checking out other great SRC recipes!