Superb Mixed Berries Bar

Today I wanted to prepare something sweet for my family that I wouldn’t make me feel guilty about it. I didn’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen either. I came up with a recipe turned out really great. It’s perfect with vanilla ice cream! On top of that, it is healthier than a traditional pie crust. I used whole wheat and all purpose flour for this recipe but I am confident it will be delicious with only whole wheat flour, if you prefer.

Berries Oats Bar

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour, plus 2 tablespoons

1 ½ cups of brown sugar

2 ½ cups of quick oats

1 teaspoon of canola oil

½ cup of butter at room temperature

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 cups of orange juice

1 teaspoon of orange zest

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

22oz of fresh berries (black berries, raspberries, blue berries)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 8 inch square baking pan with cooking oil. Set aside.

Place 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, quick oats, orange zest, oil and vanilla extract in a food processor bowl. Pulse for about 20 seconds or until combined. Add butter and orange juice. Pulse for another 20 to 30 seconds or until fully combined. Remove and reserve 1 ½ cup of the crumb mixture.

In a clean bowl, combine the berries, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of flour and ½ cup of brown sugar. Toss gently with a spatula just until combined.

Spread the crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of prepared baking pan then add berries mixture. Top it with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for about hours. Storage in the fridge in an air tight container.

Delicious Sausage Rolls

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
½ cup of red onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
¼ cup of fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon of paprika
3 large eggs
Ground cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
1 lb of breakfast sausage, thawed
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed


Preheat oven to 400F. If necessary, remove sausage meat from case.

In a sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix thoroughly sausage, lemon juice, onion mixture, parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper and 2 eggs. Set aside.

Unfold pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and gently roll out dough to make a 22” x 10” rectangle. Cut each rectangle in half. Cut again each strip in half (lengthwise) to make four 5 ½” x 10” strips. Beat remaining egg and set aside.

Place ¼ of sausage mixture on the center of each pastry strip. Brush the edges with beaten egg. Fold pastry over filling and press down to seal. Repeat the same steps with remaining pastry strips.

Place filled pastry strips on a baking sheet and bake for 18 to 20 minutes – or until golden. Cool slightly and cut into 1 ½ inches slices.

A Great Game Day Snack: Fish Bites!

The Super Bowl is coming up and I need to come up with snacks that the adults and the kids will like. If you are in those same shoes, I have a winner for you: homemade fish sticks. They are easy to make and it is not your usual Game Day Snack.



Catfish Bites:

Ingredients
1 pound of catfish fillet
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning
3 eggs
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon of onion powder
2 cups of Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons of salt
Pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil

In a large bowls, beat the eggs with the paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper - just until combined. Cut the fish fillets into bite size pieces and add to the egg mixture. Toss gently with a rubber spatula until fully coated. Cover and refrigerate. It can be refrigerated overnight for flavor infusion.

Heat the vegetable oil in large sauce pan. Meanwhile, remove the fish cubes from the egg mixture, drain and dredge in Panko (Japonese style bread crumbs). When oil is hot (350F), fry the fish for 3 to 5 minutes, turning it only once. Work in batches, if necessary. Drain fried fish with paper towels to remove excess oil. Serve hot with lemon wedges and the Yogurt Dipping Sauce (recipe follows).


Yogurt sauce:

Ingredients

2 cups of plain yogurt
2 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoon of dried dill
1 clove of garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt, to taste


Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and test the seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. It can be refrigerated for 2 weeks.