Matcha Bowl & Honey Granola

In a hopeful effort to usher in springtime weather, I'm going to post two delightfully green recipes in a row. There's a considerable bit of snow still on the ground, but I've already started picking out seeds to start for this summer's garden and a plot in our backyard to try to bring them to harvest. Speaking of, I'm excited to share that the Springfield-Green County Library District just started a fantastic new Heirloom Seed Library program in which patrons may check out locally sourced heirloom seeds for free with their library card. The seeds are currently available for checkout at The Library Station and Midtown-Carnegie Branch Libraries. If you're living in Springfield and ready to get started, stop by these branches and visit the following online resources.

• Seed Catalog and Planting Guide - details available seeds with planting instructions.
• Seed Harvesting and Saving Instructions - provides detailed steps for returning harvested seeds, which is encouraged but not required. 

The inception of the Heirloom Seed Library will be coupled with events over the next few months on basic garden planning, community gardening and seed saving. Admittedly, I'm partial, but this is a really cool new service and I'm so proud of my co-workers for bringing this dream to life. If you're living in Springfield, I hope you'll take advantage of the chance to check out seeds from the library and connect with other growers in the process. 

Onward to a new recipe that I'm excited to share with you, a Matcha bowl! I had my first Acai bowl a few weeks back and was spellbound by the experience. The bowl contains a thick acai berry smoothie topped with granola, fresh fruit then drizzled in honey. As a quick aside, I'm missing you lovely #womenincoffee and my #USCoffeeChamps breakfast pal, Heather. This breakfast bowl is inspired by that experience, but with Matcha green tea as the focal point. The thick smoothie brings together frozen pineapple, frozen banana, coconut milk, matcha powder and honey. It's garnished with a simple homemade granola, fresh fruit, honey and cocoa nibs. If you've not yet cooked or baked with matcha powder, test it out in a bit of hot water to taste it. While the cocoa nibs echo some of the soft bitter qualities of the green tea, their fruitiness brightens the experience and the honey sweetness ties everything together. Consider this on St. Patrick's Day if you're looking into green breakfast possibilities. -Mallory

Matcha Bowl
Makes 2 matcha bowls
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 frozen banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoons matcha powder
2 tablespoons honey, divided
1/4 cup granola, recipe below
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
1 fresh banana
1 cup fresh strawberries

Blend frozen pineapple, frozen banana, coconut milk, matcha powder and 1 tablespoon of honey in a blender until smooth. Divide the smoothie between two bowls and top each with granola, fresh fruit, cocoa nibs and the remaining honey.

Quick & Easy Granola
Makes 4 cups
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Combine oats, almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat combine honey, butter and vanilla extract. Stir until the butter is melted. Pour onto dry ingredients and mix until everything is well coated. Spread out evenly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes, stirring half way through. Remove from oven, let cool and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Butternut Squash Waffles & Bourbon-Maple Creme Fraiche

I like waffles best with some sense of savory. The butternut squash offers a hint of heartiness to these waffles, making them both filling and satiating. It's a nice way to slip squash (or vegetables in general) into breakfast. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree
Makes 1 1/2 cups from half of the squash
1 butternut squash
1 tablespoon olive oil 

Only about half of the squash is needed for the waffles. Reserve the remaining half for a separate recipe, or roast, puree, and freeze it for future use. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. 

Remove the top and bottom from the squash and slice in half, lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Roast the squash cut-side up on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the squash is extremely tender. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Puree the roasted squash in a food processor, blending until smooth and stopping to scrap down the sides of the food processor as need. The puree will be thick and dense. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the butternut squash puree for the waffles.

Maple-Bourbon Creme Fraiche
Makes just over 1 cup
1 cup creme fraiche
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon 

Whisk together creme fraiche, maple syrup and bourbon. Break up any clumps then refrigerate until the waffles are ready to serve. Skip the bourbon if you like and replace it with brewed coffee or additional maple syrup. 

Butternut Squash Waffles
Makes 12 waffles
2 cups flour all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butternut squash puree
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 eggs

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, combine butternut squash puree, buttermilk, melted butter and maple syrup. Beat eggs in a separate bowl and whisk them into the wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Set aside and heat the waffle iron according to its instructions. 

When the waffle iron is preheated, pour in and cook 1/3 cup of batter until golden brown. Garnish with maple-bourbon creme fraiche and fresh mint leaves.

-Mallory

Rosemary Cayenne Granola Bars

Mark and I closed on our first home yesterday. After we signed the sizable stack of papers and officially took ownership, we drove straight to our new little bungalow with a bottle of champagne. Last night we set up camping chairs in the empty living room and had over a few friends for pizza. It was a wonderful day. I'm soaking in every bit of it because now the packing, painting and moving continues. 

The pace isn't going to slow down anytime soon, which means we're falling back on our favorite quick-and-easy recipes right now. These granola bars are at the top of the list: delicious, uncomplicated and great to eat on the go. A weekend batch lasts throughout the week.

As a somewhat related aside, my mom playfully gifted me this tea towel a few weeks ago as a reminder that a lot of stress can be assuaged by having something to eat. Hello breakfast. 

Rosemary Cayenne Granola Bars
Makes 12 granola bars
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

This recipe calls for raw and unsalted nuts, but you can adjust as needed to use what you have on hand.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit. Line a 12x8-inch baking dish with parchment paper then grease it with butter it for good measure.

Mix together rolled oats, cashews, peanuts, pecans and almonds in a medium-sized bowl. Spread onto a half-sheet pan and toast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If you’re working with any already roasted nuts, omit them from this step.

While the oats and nuts are toasting, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, salt, rosemary and cayenne in a small saucepan over medium heat. If the nuts you're using in the previous step are already salted, use less salt than this recipe calls for in this step or skip the salt entirely. Stir over the heat until the butter is melted and the brown sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the oats and nuts are a finished toasting in the oven, combine everything in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

Pour into the greased baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. The bars will still have a bit of chewiness to them, so if you prefer a crunchier bar, extend the baking time an additional 5 minutes. The bars pictured went the extra 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool until completely hardened, about an hour. Use the sides of the parchment paper to lift the granola bars out of the baking dish and onto a cutting board. Cut into bars and store them in an airtight container for up to a week, placing parchment paper between layers to keep them from sticking to each other. 

-Mallory