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Food for Thought Friday: want to play mad scientist for a day?👩‍🔬 make this recipe
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I don’t know about you, but this week I’ve been craving something NEW, something FRESH, something DIFFERENT, something EXCITING!
ENTER STAGE LEFT: a tasty new desk snack*...
- crunchy veggies (cucumbers and jicama!)
- plain yogurt
- minimally sweet, turmeric-spiced granola
- drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt!
YUM it is fresh and crunchy and exciting! And I am happily eating it at my desk while writing this email 🤣
*original idea from a headnote in Alison Roman's Dining In cookbook
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If you’ve been reading for a while, you may recall that I live what I call an 80/20 lifestyle (read more here). One of the key bullet points to this is that 80% of my cooking involves foods I can make on autopilot, and 20% is Fun/New/Effort, in which I follow new recipes and make more exciting things.
When I get bored of all my usual foods, it’s time to tap into the 20% FUN category, and so that’s what I did this week, by making granola!
I love making granola - a while back I used to make it once a month. Granola is actually very simple to make, and it makes a big batch so I think it’s highly worth it! I often find store-bought granola disappointing, OR if it’s good, it’s really expensive and comes in a tiny bag that’s gone super fast.
Granola is also flexible and easily adaptable, so you can often play with the recipe, or at least not be worried about being too exact when you follow one.
Granola is also one of my FAVORITE things to make and give as a GIFT! It’s especially great for mailing to faraway friends because it lasts so long and isn’t too heavy, and I love that it’s healthy-ish AND still feels like a special treat.
Two granola care packages I sent this week:
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SO, today I want to tell you about my three favorite granola recipes that are really worth making, especially if you need something NEW and FRESH and DIFFERENT to spice up your cooking routine a bit.
Fav Granola Number 1:
My original favorite “classic” granola is Granola No. 5 by Molly Wizenberg
This recipe makes two trays - a large batch - and its beauty + tastiness is in its simplicity: no spices, any mix of nuts or seeds. I think the key is in the maple syrup + olive oil combination. Both add SUCH great flavor. I also love measuring by weight, but if you don’t have a scale, you can estimate with the cup measurements she gives - this recipe is very forgiving. I usually reduce the maple syrup to just about 3/4 cup, but do as you wish.
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Fav Granola Number 2: the Ultimate Chocolate Granola by Pinch of Yum
This one is really a TREAT/more like a dessert. If you compare the recipes, this one has about the same amount of sweeteners as Granola No. 5 for about half the oats and nuts, so: MUCH sweeter. Some of that is needed to balance the unsweet cocoa powder, but still, it's notably sweeter than the other. When I used to make this I’d usually leave out the chocolate chips and add nuts instead, but as always - do as you like/use what you have!
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Fav Granola Number 3, a revelation: Sqirl’s Puffed Granola (aka Turmeric Millet-nola)
This recipe basically blows the idea of granola out of the water and (in my chef-y opinion) is a an utterly unique creation of textural wonder, with complex flavor to boot. It is slightly more complicated than the other two recipes, adding a relatively quick heat-and-mix-the-liquids-on-the-stove step, but it's SO MUCH FUN to make! I really encourage you to try it!
Making this recipe gives you the brief pleasure of feeling like a mad scientist. It will happen for just a minute at the step where you add baking soda to the hot liquid, which will foam up and suddenly double in size instantaneously and you will be amazed! Next, you’ll be soothed with the comforting nostalgia of making rice crispy treats as you use the hot, buttery liquid foam to join together all the spiced, nutty puffs into a sticky, pliable mix. Then you’ll bake it for a quick 15 minutes, let it cool, and finally snap it off into delectable, crispy, airy chunks. Yes, you will have to order puffed grains online (I’ve found them hard to come by in stores) but it will be SO WORTH IT! You have options, many of them gluten-free: puffed rice, puffed millet, puffed kamut, even puffed quinoa! The addition of turmeric will make everything golden and earthy... OMG it's just SO GOOD!
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I hope you'll entertain a granola-making adventure this weekend. It's a little different than my usual content, but... I gotta keep you on your toes, right?!
But - if you don't have time and still want to make a savory yogurt cucumber granola bowl, might I suggest ordering some from one of my favorite SF granola companies - Nana Joe's. I know the founder, she's awesome; and though I haven't eaten her granola in a while, I know it's some of the best! Plus they have some TASTY looking flavors, and paleo/keto varieties too if you're into that! You can order online - in my granola research this week, I was SO TEMPTED by her everything bagel variety(!) and cashew butter and peach.
Happy weekend!
Love,
Jess
PS. All of my granola this week was made with turmeric from my favorite food company, Diasopora Co. They are doing incredible awareness work and fundraising for India's Covid crisis right now. I donated last week and encourage you to consider donating as well (You can get 20% off your next spice order), or at least read up on what's happening there (check out journalist Rana Ayyub's coverage on Instagram or Google). In the past year, there have been many times when I've "kept scrolling" because I've felt like "I just can't handle any more bad news." I sometimes have to remind myself that it is important not to turn away, to continue to at least bear witness, even when it's painful to do so (this podcast inspired me to remember that). The truth is that we are all connected, even when we don't realize it, and we need each other.
The fact that I know where my spices come from (because Diaspora Co does such a great job educating about how theirs are sourced) helps remind me that there are real people and communities behind ALL the food I eat. I personally don't have any friends or family in India, but because I feel connected to this company/the farmers/my spices, I didn't think twice about donating as soon as I was asked. In these sad and scary times, that gives me hope about what is possible when we lean in, connect, and bear witness to each other's pain - most especially when it's heartbreaking. For everyone with family and friends in India, I am thinking of you 💔❤️. (Read / Donate through Diaspora Co)
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All photos are taken by me and recipes written by me, unless otherwise noted.
If you like this email, it would mean so much to me if you'd forward it along to your favorite food-loving friends. Wannabe subscribers can sign up here. Thanks for reading!
In case you missed out, here are a few past issues to check out:
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Hi, I'm Jess! I help health-conscious, busy people transform their cooking from chore to lifestyle through intuitive cooking, which I teach through online classes, free content, coaching and more. This is my newsletter, Food for Thought Fridays, where I share highly actionable tips and inspiration to help you cook more intuitively (which makes cooking feel easier and SO much more fun!). Once a month, I share a recipe that's really worth making, and I only share those with my email subscribers. Sometimes the text above may include affiliate links, meaning (at no additional cost to you) I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps me to continue to share free content, so I would love it if you buy through my link! Thank you for supporting Garlic Press Jess!
I currently work + live on land that is the unceded territory of the Ramaytush Ohlone. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Ohlone! Check out this article about them.
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