Hangover Kitchen Day

I made some apple chips yesterday. Spiced Apple Pie Chips, that is. Today, I've already eaten half the batch.


Then I made seared tofu with bok choy and coconut ginger curry sauce for dinner. Which I made before back in June. Baby bok choy was better. Also, if you substitute lemon instead of lime in a coconut curry sauce, it is not as tasty. LESSON OF THE DAY.


Finally, I couldn't get enough of making things, so I made my own granola (it's my intention to start eating breakfast everyday). The recipe is from Jamie Oliver's magazine ("jamie") and IT IS DELICIOUS. I don't know if I got the measurements right because they were all in grams, but here is my adapted North American version:

Super Toasted Granola with Chewy Fruit

8 Tbsp honey
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
7/8 cup skin-on almonds, chopped
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup dried cherry juice-infused dried cranberries
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried peaches, chopped

Note: The recipe calls for dried sour cherries rather than dried cherry juice-infused dried cranberries, but those were hard to find and when I did find them they were really expensive.

Also: Dried peaches are hard to find, but at Safeway in the bulk section they have "mixed dried fruit" which is peaches, apricots and prunes, so you can just pick out the peaches, and go through the self checkout and no one will be any the wiser.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. (I assumed this was 300°F but I almost burned the granola, so maybe I'll go for around 250°F next time?) Spread the oats, seeds, nuts and coconut out over two baking trays. Heat honey in a saucepan, pour over the trays and mix with a spoon. Bake for 20 minutes (or less! Keep checking to make sure it doesn't burn!), stirring every so often.

Add the fruit to the trays, stir once and put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then break it up and store in a special granola jar that you keep on your counter so that it makes you happy every time you look at it.

Special Jamie tip: Don't be afraid to toast the oats until really golden; this gives the granola a more caramelized flavour.