Mixed Berry Oatmeal Bars

Mixed Berry Oatmeal Bars are bursting with summer berries and are the perfect treat for breakfast, snacking, or dessert!

 

Mixed Berry Oatmeal Bars

We love granola bars but they are often filled with stuff that you don't really want.  We recently went on a late summer beach vacation and I usually bring snacks, including granola bars.  This time I decided to make these quick homemade bars for our snacks/breakfast treats.  The are easy to pull together, bake quickly, and then can be cut in to squares so they travel well.

These homemade bars are filled with healthy oats, a mix of summer berries, coconut sugar, and cinnamon.  It makes a small batch using and 8x8 square pan, and can be made in under 1 hour.  Treat yourself to some homemade bars that taste delicious and are good for you!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• frozen mixed berries
• oats
• flour 
• coconut sugar
• cinnamon
• unsalted butter
• cornstarch
• fresh lemon

Substitutions and Variations

• Use your favorite frozen fruit. peaches or mango would be good.

• Leave out the cinnamon, or add in some ginger instead.

• Try chocolate chips and peanut butter chips along with sliced almonds instead of fruit.

• Add dried fruit like cherries, apricots, raisins, or cranberries instead of fresh fruit.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Layer cut up bars with pieces of wax or parchment paper.

• Use the juice that comes from defrosting the frozen fruit to pour over yogurt or use in a smoothie.

• Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

• Heat up a bar and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a great dessert.

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Mixed Berry Oatmeal Bars

14 - 16 ounces frozen mixed berries
1 cup rolled oats
¾ cup flour 
½ cup coconut sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons cornstarch
juice and zest from ½ a lemon


Partially defrost the berries at room temperature for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line an 8 x 8" square pan with parchment paper.  Leave excess parchment paper so you have handles for removing the bars.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Add the butter into the oat mixture and stir until everything evenly incorporated.  Remove a ½ cup of the oat mixture and reserve it for the top.

Press the oat mixture into the pan and press it firmly with the back of a measuring cup to compact the oat mixture and distribute it evenly.  Drain the juices from the berries and stir in cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Pour the berry mixture evenly over the crust.  Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture on top of the berries.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the bars are bubbling and the top is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and set pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Remove bars with the parchment paper and allow the oats to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Strawberry Crostini

When fresh berries are available Strawberry Crostini is the perfect summer appetizer!

 Strawberry Crostini 

We stopped by the farmers market today and found the most delicious strawberries.   These will be perfect used in an appetizer for this evening's get together with friends.  So playing off of a traditional crostini appetizer I decided to incorporate the strawberries. 

Toasted french bread is the base for a spread of goat cheese, topped with cut strawberries, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  Luscious and creamy, bursting with flavor. YUM!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• French Baguette
• goat cheese
• strawberries
• balsamic glaze

Substitutions and Variations

• use ricotta, marscapone, or cream cheese instead of goat cheese

• try roasting the strawberries

• add some chopped basil

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Balsamic glaze is a syrup like reduction of balsamic vinegar.  This is a good brand.

• By ripe organic strawberries for the best flavor.

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Strawberry Crostini

(make as many as you wish)

1 French Baguette, sliced thinly
1 log of goat cheese
organic strawberries, chopped in to bite size pieces
balsamic glaze

Toast the baguette slices in the toaster in place them on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven at 350 degrees 10 minutes.

Spread goat cheese on the tops of each slice.  Add the slice strawberries.  Drizzle each toast with balsamic glaze.  Serve.

Copycat Benihana Hibachi Chicken

Eveyone loves going to Benihana's for the scrumptious food. Now you can make your own Benihana Hibachi Chicken dish at home!

Copycat Benihana Hibachi Chicken 

I've always loved going to Benihana's.  The excellent food, the saki, and the show, make for such a fun night in my book.  While I can't re-create the show they put on I can make some of their dishes.  Let's start out with their Hibachi Chicken dish with all the trimmings.

Bites of chicken cooked in an amazing sauce is the star of the show.  But let's not forget about the side dish of sauteed carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, and onion.  The are a so easy to make and are the perfect side dish to the chicken.  Add in some fried rice and a mustard sauce and you have a whole meal that mirrors the one from Benihana.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• chicken breasts
• sesame oil
• soy sauce
• hoisin sauce
• garlic cloves
• fresh ginger
• rice vinegar
• dijon mustard
• mayo
• carrots
• mushrooms
• yellow onion
• zucchini
• Fried or steamed rice - homemade or frozen (I used frozen fried rice for ease of making the dish)

Substitutions and Variations

• Try making this with steak bites for Habachi Steak.  I would use a sirloin steak for this dish.

• Add yellow squash to the vegetables.

• Switch up the vegetables.  Don't like mushrooms, leave them out or add in broccoli.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Do your prep work first.  Cut all the chicken and vegetables so they are ready to go.  Make your sauce for the chicken and the mustard sauce before you start cooking.

• Take a little help from the grocery store and buy frozen fried rice or steamed rice.  This will cut down on cooking time considerably.

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Copycat Benihana Hibachi Chicken 

serves 4

Hibachi chicken

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh minced ginger

Mustard sauce

• 1/2 cup light mayo
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

Sauteed vegetables

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced in half
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, plus salt & pepper to taste
• 
  

Fried or steamed rice (optional)

In a small bowl stir together the mustard sauce ingredients and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the sauce ingredients for hibachi chicken.  Add chicken and toss to coat.   Cook chicken with sauce in a large skillet over med-high heat for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until fully cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Add olive oil to the skillet to heat.  Once the oil has heated add the vegetables and season with salt & pepper and soy sauce, cooking for 5 minutes or so until veggies are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat the fried rice if using.  

Serve chicken, rice and vegetables with mustard sauce on the side.