healthier

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Posted by on Jun 28, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, chocolate, gluten-free, healthier | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola is delicious and oh-so-much cheaper than buying the pre-made stuff from the store.

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

My son is autistic and has a very limited diet. With the help of feeding therapy, we have gradually introduced him to new foods and new combinations of textures. He has eaten yogurt for years, and it turned out he really liked the addition of granola on top.

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

Me being me, I saw the prices of granola at the store and decided I’d start making it myself. My son loves peanut butter and chocolate, so I knew that it’d be a great combo for him.

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

When I didn’t see an existing recipe that I liked, I decided to make my own. This is the result.

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

This granola is quick to mix together and quick to bake, too. Just be careful to NOT overbake. It’s easy to do, since it’s hard to tell how crisp the granola will get after you remove it from the oven.

If you eat gluten-free, use GF oats and check your other ingredients!

Bready or Not Original: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

A Bready or Not Original! Make your own granola for cheap with a few basic ingredients. Eat by itself, with milk, or as a topping for yogurt or pudding. This is an easy recipe to make gluten-free, too.
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: chocolate, gluten free, granola, peanut butter
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven at 275-degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and rub with butter or apply nonstick spray.
  • Place the oats in a large bowl. In a small bowl, microwave the peanut butter and honey for 30 seconds; the peanut butter should be starting to melt. Stir them together, then add vanilla extract.
  • Pour the peanut butter mix over the oats; stir until the oats are completely coated. Spread the granola on the foil-lined sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Stir. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, then set out to cool. Note that it will continue to crisp up as it cools, so don't overbake!
  • Once the granola is cool, mix in the chocolate chips. Store in a sealed container.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola

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Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Posted by on May 17, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, chicken, gluten-free, healthier, main dish, maple | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

It has come to my attention that I haven’t featured a maple recipe since March. So let’s remedy that with a meaty recipe for from-scratch Maple Barbecue Chicken.

Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Yep, you create your own BBQ sauce for this recipe! It’s full of maple goodness with just the right balance of savory-sweet. You divvy up the sauce, using some to marinate the meat and reserving the rest for eating time.

Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Use this base recipe to cook the chicken however you want. Grill it. Roast it in your oven. Whatever gets the meat cooked and chewed and in your belly.

Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Maple makes everything better, right?

Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Modified from A Dash of Sanity.

Bready or Not: Maple BBQ Chicken Tenders

Make your own from-scratch maple barbecue sauce to marinate chicken breast tenders! Let the marinade work its magic for two hours to a day in advance, then grill the meat. Serve it with some sauce kept stashed separately in the fridge.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, maple
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 pounds chicken tenders
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon Worchester sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ground mustard
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Place the chicken tenders in a sturdy gallon sealable bag. In a bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients. Pour enough of the sauce into the bag to coat the chicken; reserve the rest of the sauce for serving later. (If the sauce gets contaminated by the raw meat, boil it to make sure it's safe to eat.)
  • Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for anywhere from 2 hours to a day.
  • Heat up your grill [or, alternatively, bake it in your oven]. Grill the chicken at medium heat for 4 minutes, then turn to cook another 4 minutes, and longer as needed. Check for doneness by testing the temperature in a thick section; it should be at least 170-degrees.
  • Serve immediately. Chicken is fantastic hot or cold, and can be frozen with sauce for later enjoyment, too.
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

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Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

Posted by on Mar 15, 2017 in beef, Blog, Bready or Not, crock pot, gluten-free, healthier, main dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Beef Short Ribs

I’m presenting to you the recipe for one of the best dishes I’ve ever made in a crock pot: Korean-style beef short ribs.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

I have made this many times over now. I’ve even tried it using cheaper cuts like chuck roast and rump roast. Those worked out okay (though the meat really dries out before its soak in the juice at the end), but they are nowhere as delicious as the short rib version.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

It turns out amazing whether you use boneless or bone-in ribs–a mix is a great way to go, too! Don’t trim the fat. You want all that flavor. The end result is a sauce that tastes like you added red wine, but you didn’t. It’s like MAGIC.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

Seriously, these ribs taste like something from a great Asian restaurant. Pair it with some broccoli and a good spoonful of the sauce, and YUM.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

Whenever I see beef short ribs go on sale, I do a little dance of joy because it means I get to make this recipe again.

Modified from Heather’s Bytes.

Bready or Not: Slow Cooker Korean-Style Short Ribs

This recipe makes rich, savory short ribs that taste like a dish from a great restaurant! A 5 or 6-quart crock pot is necessary to fit the ribs. Note: A chuck roast or rump roast can be substituted for the ribs and it tastes okay, but the fatty ribs create a much deeper and richer flavor.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: beef, slow cooker
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 Tb sesame oil
  • 2 Tb rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 5 lbs beef short ribs boneless, bone-in, or a mix
  • 1-2 Tb cornstarch
  • sesame seeds optional

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic and red pepper. Place the ribs in a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker; pour the sauce over them. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or on LOW for 9 hours. Depending on how the ribs are stacked in the cooker, you may want to quickly stir them at some point halfway through.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the ribs from the cooker. Place a tablespoon of corn starch in a small bowl and add some juice from the cooker. Whisk them together to create a slurry without lumps, and add back into the crock pot. Stir. If the juice doesn't start to thicken, repeat the process with some more corn starch.
  • Either keep the ribs intact, or pull meat into chunks and discard the bones and fat. Place meat in cooker again on WARM setting for 10 minutes or so to soak in flavors. Serve. Great with rice, broccoli, and perhaps a sprinkling of sesame seeds!
  • OM NOM NOM!

 

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Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

Posted by on Feb 15, 2017 in beef, Blog, Bready or Not, gluten-free, healthier, main dish | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

For this day after Valentine’s Day, we’re not talking chocolate or sweets. Instead, let’s go straight for a big chunk of meat: using a chili and coffee rub to make sliced roast beef!

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

I was pretty intimidated the first time I tried a basic recipe for this dish. It didn’t help that it made way too much rub, which I tried to use up anyway, which meant the roast started smoldering like a log when it started cooking. Whoops.

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

Despite the hassles, my husband loved the end result, so I resolved to re-do the recipe and get it right. I think my husband’s feedback on each iteration was just a big hint to keep making these roasts.

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

He likes these served up as sliders. On a piece of aluminum foil, I use my dinner rolls, add a piece or two of meat, a dollop of coarse mustard, and a sprinkling of shredded cheese. I close the rolls and pour some melted butter on top, wrap the sliders in the foil, then bake until the cheese is melted. Perfection.

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

I think this roast beef has spoiled us. This recipe gives you the freshest meat possible, and if you catch eye of round roasts on sale, whoa is this a bargain!

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

A Bready or Not Original! Use an eye of round roast to easily make the best roast beef sandwiches you've had in your life.
Course: Main Course
Keyword: beef, citrus, coffee
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon dried onion
  • 1 orange zested and juiced
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons coffee finely ground
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 - 2 1/2 pound eye of round roast

Instructions

  • Move your middle oven rack down a slot to be near the bottom and preheat oven to 475-degrees. Use a small roasting pan, or prepare a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a rack on top of it. Apply nonstick spray.
  • Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl. If the rub is too thick, add a touch more orange juice or water. Spread the mixture all over the roast.
  • Bake meat for 12 minutes, then turn it over and bake for another 12 minutes. It may start smoking because of the thick seasoning on the meat; if so, turn on the vent and keep an eye on things.
  • Without opening the oven, reduce heat to 300-degrees. Roast for another 30 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 120-degrees in the center.
  • Let the meat rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Don't remove the crusted seasonings.
  • Wrap the roast in parchment paper and then encase in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Serve the meat by cutting it into thin slices. Serve in hot or cold sandwiches, wraps, on crackers, or eat straight out of hand.
  • OM NOM NOM!

Bready or Not: Chili and Coffee-Rubbed Sliced Roast Beef

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Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

Posted by on Jan 18, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, chicken, gluten-free, healthier, main dish, maple | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

You know I love maple-flavored sweets. Maple works in a savory way, too–and creates meaty magic in this recipe for Maple Chicken Thighs.

Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

This is some seriously good chicken. It marinates for up to a day in the fridge, resulting in tender, lightly-sweetened chicken. It does not create a heavy glaze and it’s not like teriyaki. It is… just plain delicious.

Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

Honestly, I think the leftovers are even better. This chicken is phenomenal cut up in a salad or used with a touch of dressing in a wrap.

Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

This is yet another recipe inspired from the cookbook Maple by Katie Webster. (Seriously, if you love maple, get this book.) The original version of this recipe included shallots (which I never buy) and apples and pears (which I knew my husband wouldn’t want with his supper).

Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

Give this chicken recipe a try, and discover a new way to love maple!

Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

These chicken thighs need to marinate for at least 12 hours, so plan ahead! The sweet-savory marinade penetrates the chicken, creating wonderful flavor and tenderness. The leftovers are phenomenal! Modified from the cookbook Maple by Katie Webster.
Course: Main Course
Keyword: chicken, gluten free, maple
Author: Beth Cato

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3 green onions white parts only, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs each thigh cut into thirds

Instructions

The day or night before serving

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the apple cider/juice, maple syrup, vinegar, white portions of green onions, ginger, thyme, salt, and pepper. In a gallon-size re-sealable bag, place the cut-up chicken. Pour in the marinade and seal the bag.
  • Refrigerate the bag for 12-24 hours, turning the bag every so often.

To cook

  • Preheat oven at 425-degrees. Place the chicken in a 13x9 baking dish with all or some of the marinade; the chicken shouldn't be fully covered.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes, turning chicken once at the halfway point.
  • Chicken is fabulous fresh and as leftovers! Cooked chicken can also be portioned and frozen.

OM NOM NOM!

     

    Bready or Not: Maple Chicken Thighs

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    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    Posted by on Jan 4, 2017 in Blog, Bready or Not, breakfast, gluten-free, healthier | Comments Off on Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    Let’s start off 2017 with something delicious and healthy: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola.

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    It’s super easy to make granola at home, and wow, is it cheaper than buying the stuff at the store. If you have a nearby store that sells oats in bins, that’s the way to go–my Sprouts often puts their oats on sale, too.

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    It’s easy to customize this to your preferences. Switch out the pecans for walnuts. Use raisins or dried blueberries for the cranberries. Whatever. Make it your own.

    If you need gluten-free food, that’s easy, too–just use gluten-free oats! Ta-da.

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    Eat this granola by itself, or with milk or almond milk as cereal, or as a topping for yogurt or ice cream. Heck, you could even use it in cookie or granola bar recipes.

    However you eat it, know that it’s delicious–and good for you, too!

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

    A Bready or Not Original! This healthy granola is great by the handful, mixed into milk as cereal, or as a topping for yogurt or ice cream. Use gluten-free oats to make this gluten-free. Double or quadruple this recipe to jar it for gifts.
    Course: Breakfast, Snack
    Keyword: gluten free, granola, maple
    Author: Beth Cato

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
    • 1/4 cup pecans chopped
    • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
    • 1/2 Tb avocado oil or olive oil
    • sprinkle salt
    • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with foil and apply nonstick spray.
    • In a large mixing bowl, stir together all of the ingredients EXCEPT the cranberries. Spread the mixture on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, gently stir the granola, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until it's crisp and golden. Let set out on stove top to cool; it will continue to crisp up.
    • Once it is room temperature, gently stir in the cranberries. Store in a sealed container up to 1 month.
    • OM NOM NOM!

    Bready or Not: Maple Cranberry Pecan Granola

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