toasted buckwheat granola with tahini and dark chocolate

Hello people!

Today’s the day! It's the final post in the holiday blognanza I put together for you with Megan from Cream + Honey! In case you missed them, you can check out our previous posts here:

• hazelnut amaretti with orange and vanilla

• pine shortbread cookies

• small is beautiful holiday gift guide

• stilton-pear cheese ball with pistachios and pink peppercorns

• alison roman's slow roasted pork with garlic, citrus and cilantro

• potato, cheddar and onion focaccia

Every year, I like to share an easy last-minute edible holiday gift recipe with you. This year, I’ve got this Buckwheat Granola with Tahini and Dark Chocolate. This one goes out to all the procrastinators among us (including myself) who are scrambling for a last-minute homemade gift idea. And to all you overachievers who want to spread a little extra holiday cheer! Whichever camp you fall into, you most definitely need to make this granola.

In an effort to switch things up this year, I dialed back the oats in my go-to granola formula and decided to throw in a generous amount of lightly toasted buckwheat groats. This turned out to be a pretty good move on my part (thank you Alison Roman for the inspiration) because the buckwheat lent an earthy complexity to this granola and made it extra crunchy and sog-proof. 

I hate getting hungry halfway through my morning, so to make this more filling, I added protein-packed quinoa to the mix. I’ve got hazelnuts in there too because, duh, I AM OBSESSED WITH HAZELNUTS. (I might lay off the hazelnuts in the new year. Can’t make any promises though…). 

Lastly, I’ll admit that the super sexy tahini + dark chocolate combo could be considered showboating (mostly by people who eat bran flakes for breakfast). In my defense, however, it elevates this way beyond your basic bulk-bin affair and turns it into the sort of granola your brunch guests will ooh! and ah! about and your children will fight over. (Don’t blame me, blame the chocolate.)

This takes about 15 minutes of active time plus 50 minutes in the oven, which gives you just enough time to whip up a batch of Megan’s Amaro Sprtiz Punch and kick the holiday weekend off in boozy style!

I myself will most likely be subsisting on handfuls of this granola over the next 48 hours as I attempt to distribute the last of my holiday baked goods, prep the house for our AirBnB guests (so nerve racking!) and pack my bags for Paris.

I’m not sure if I’ll have time to post before the new year, so I’ll take this opportunity to tell you how immensely grateful I am to all of you who joined my workshops, followed my adventures on Instagram and stopped by to read this blog. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Your kindness and support over the past year mean so much to me. 

I wish you a beautiful, restful and delicious holiday and I can’t wait to see you in 2018!

XOXO!

Olaiya

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Toasted Buckwheat Granola with Tahini and Dark Chocolate

• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ vanilla bean
• 2 cups raw buckwheat groats
• 3 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1 cup raw hulled sesame seeds
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• ½ cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ cup avocado oil, refined coconut oil (or other neutral-tasting oil)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ¼ cup rice bran syrup or agave
• 6 tablespoons tahini
• 1 cup (4 oz) shaved dark chocolate (I used Callebaut 60%)

*Note: There are two kinds of buckwheat groats--raw (or lightly toasted) and darkly toasted (also known as kasha). For this recipe you want raw or lightly toasted buckwheat groats since they're going in the oven for quite a while. These will be green or light brown and shouldn't have much of a scent to them. It's pretty easy to distinguish from kasha which is dark brown or reddish brown and has a nutty, toasted smell to it. If you can't find raw buckwheat groats where you live, feel free to substitute more oats or a mix of other dry ingredients like flax seeds, raw sunflower seeds, spelt flakes, etc.

Preheat your oven to 300° F.

Place the sugar in a small bowl. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the sharp edge of the knife to scrape the seeds from the pod. Add the seeds to the sugar and use your fingers to rub the vanilla into the sugar, breaking up any clumps. Place the buckwheat, oats, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, quinoa, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. Add the vanilla sugar and stir to combine thoroughly.

Combine the oils, syrups and tahini in a medium bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are completely coated.

Divide the granola between two parchment-lined sheet pans. Spread the granola out and place the pans in the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pans and stirring the granola every 15 minutes or so. You want to remove the granola from the oven when it's golden brown. Don't worry if it's not completely dry; it will crisp up as it sits. Place the sheet pans on wire racks to cool. When the granola is completely cool, stir in the shaved chocolate. 

Transfer the granola to an airtight container (I like a big mason jar) and store in a cool dry place. Tightly covered, the granola will keep for several weeks.

almond-oat berry bars

Around this time of year, I usually get a bad case of end-of-summer FOMO. As the days grow shorter and the nights cooler, I feel an overwhelming urge to cram in as many summer-only activities as I can manage. A picnic at the shore. A trip to the fair. Just a few more melty popsicles.

More camping.

More swims.

More pie.

But this year, something’s different. I head to Paris in just over a week; when I get back, summer will be long gone. I keep waiting for the panic to set in, but it has yet to make an appearance.

I have a hopeful theory as to why this might be; this year, I haven’t been pushing myself like a crazy person. I’ve realized that my body usually knows what I need--all I have to do is listen. (Which is of course much harder than it sounds, especially when your head is swimming with tons of “shoulds” and “ought tos” and other annoying thoughts.) 

This summer, I’ve managed to stay tuned in to what my intuition and my body are telling me. If my body says it wants pancakes for breakfast, we have pancakes. If it says it isn’t hungry, we wait to eat until it is. If it says it’s tired of sitting at the computer and wants to take a walk in the middle of the day, we lace up our shoes and head out the door. If it says take a nap, we snuggle up on the couch. (Mostly. Naps still aren’t my fave.)

I still struggle with not going to bed when I’m tired. And zoning out on Instagram when I’m bored. And eating chocolate when I know I’m not hungry. But I’ve been amazed at how much better I feel when I listen to my body and trust my intuition. 

When I was first experimenting with listening more closely to what my inner compass had to tell me, I was afraid I’d never want to do work again and slide down into a black hole of sloth. The opposite has been true. When I tune into what I really want and need, whether it be a nap or a new pair of shoes, I have more energy and enthusiasm for work. Some days I spend most of my time doing things I find fun and energizing: shooting with my camera, walking, knitting, cooking for pleasure, reading. Then when my tank is full, I usually feel like getting some work done. The part I’ve been most astonished by is that when I engage from a full tank, I can turn out better quality work in a fraction of the time--and not feel drained by it. For someone who has always been more stick than carrot with herself, this feels like an absolute miracle.

I think all the pleasures--large and small--I’ve managed to fit into my summer have chased the FOMO away. If summer ended tomorrow, I wouldn’t feel cheated. That said, in the time I have left before I take off for France, I intend to relish all the summer treasures that come my way--including more sweet summer berries from the farmers market. 

These jammy bars are about as simple as summer baking gets and a delicious way to work a few more juicy berries into your life before we head into fall. I hope you’re soaking up all the goodness the season brings, with lots of sunshine and very little FOMO.

xo,
Olaiya

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Almond-Oat Berry Bars

• 8 oz. (2 sticks) butter, softened, plus more for the pan
• 9 ½ oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup raspberry preserves
• 1 cup mixed berries (I used raspberries and blackberries)
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)

*Note: baking these in an 8- or 9-inch pan yields a fairly thick, cake-like bar. If you want a thinner, crisper bar, bake them in a larger pan.

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. Butter an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan.

Combine the flour, sugars, oats, almonds, salt and ginger in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse just to combine. Add in the butter and pulse to combine. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, scraping down the bowl as needed. Set aside 1 ½ cups of the crumble mixture.

Press the remaining mixture into the bottom the prepared pan. Spread the berry preserves over the mixture, leaving 1/2-inch border. Press the berries into the preserves then crumble the reserved 1 ½ cups mixture over the preserves. Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting into bars.

Take your berry bars to the next level by serving them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe adapted from Anne Thornton

turmeric frittata with peas, shrimp and fresh herbs

Hello friends!

I hope you’re enjoying the start of spring. This might be my favorite season in the kitchen. I love all the delicate flavors the season bring us: The faint nuttiness of fresh asparagus. Spicy-sweet wild strawberries no bigger than the tip of your pinky. Tender morels, smelling of the forest floor. 

The shortness of the season renders these spring delicacies all the more appealing. Here and gone in a few short weeks, their ephemeral nature makes rhubarb and pea greens much sexier than their heartier cousins, apples and kale. 

We’re still in no-man’s land when it comes to produce--winter fruit and veg is starting to feel boring and heavy, but all the treasures of springtime have yet to make an appearance at the market. But I couldn’t help jumping the gun just a bit with this recipe. I decided we needed a breath of spring air in the kitchen and splurged on a pound of fresh peas from California (produce nirvana) to make this frittata. 

I had some of the Sunshine Dust my friend Sherrie sent me hanging around, so I whisked that into my eggs to make this frittata extra healthy. The spicy mix of turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and peppercorn brightened up the whole affair and gave it a little more zing. 

Now, I’m on something of a frittata kick. It's a cinch to throw together and happily accommodates almost anything you have knocking around in the fridge, making it an ideal weeknight supper. Throw in some of the beautiful spring produce headed our way and it will be the star of your Sunday brunch.

Happy Weekend and XO!

Olaiya

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Turmeric Frittata with Peas, Shrimp and Fresh Herbs

• 6 large eggs
• Sea salt, to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoons Sunshine Dust (or ½ teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ginger and black pepper)
• ¼ teaspoon ground pink peppercorn
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 scallions, white and green part, sliced into thin rounds
• 1 cup shelled English peas (from about 1 lb. unshelled peas)
• ½ pound medium or large shrimp, shelled
• ¼ cup roughly chopped basil, tarragon and mint, plus extra to serve
• 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled (I like to use a semi-aged goat cheese like Bûcherondin or Caña de Cabra)

*Notes: This frittata recipe is super flexible. Make a vegetarian version without the shrimp. Try it with or without the turmeric, with different herbs, veg or cheese. The variations are pretty much endless!

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a generous pinch of salt, the Sunshine Dust and the pink peppercorn. Set aside.

Preheat your broiler. Place an 8- to 10-inch nonstick, cast iron or carbon steel sauté pan over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of the butter. When melted and sizzling, add the scallion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the peas and cook for 2 minutes more. 

Add the reserved tablespoon of butter. When melted, add the shrimp, herbs and another pinch of salt. Cook for 30 seconds, then pour the egg mixture into the pan. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cook for 3 minutes (to form a crust on the outside of the frittata) then turn the heat to low, cover and cook until almost set around the edges, but still a bit runny in the center, 8-12 minutes more.

To finish, place the frittata under the broiler and cook until the top is puffed slightly and the cheese just turns golden brown. Rest for a few minutes before garnishing with reserved fresh herbs and serving. Can be served warm or room temperature. 

Makes 3-4 servings.