Apple Pecan Granola

I've failed making granola 9 out 10 times...literally. I either burn it, roast it, make a cajun blackened granola (aka BURNT), or it doesn't have any taste. I really want to start eating Greek yogurt again, but I HAVE to have something crunchy with it. I'm really weird with food textures, especially foods that giggle such as pudding, tapioca, or cottage cheese.  Am I the only person who does that?

I wanted really crunchy hearty tasting granola with nice clusters! The secrets ingredient to crunchy granola is: egg whites! When making this it'll seem really gooey but don't worry it just makes for a crunchier granola in the end. I also added chia seeds for more fiber! 

One thing to look out for when your granola is baking is the color and texture. Your granola WILL NOT get crunchy while baking. Once it's lightly browned take it out to cool completely, once it's hardened you can break into clusters. 

Why I'm Cutting the Crap!

A Few Hungry Girls

Cut the Crap 21 Day Detox Program

Bottom line, I needed to cut the crap out of my diet, that’s it! After having my gallbladder taken out at age 19 things quickly changed my eating habits, no more greasy foods they said. Well me, being the collegiate athlete who thought she could eat anything she wanted SOON realized she couldn't. Honestly, it still didn't start there…not until I graduated from college did it all catch up with me. I gained nearly 15 pounds in a year…that’s only 365 days!! Even then, it didn't start there!

Fast forward 2 years, I suffered from IBS, on a weekly basis I had problems, and then came the fibromyalgia diagnosis. Shortly afterward I was prescribed a medication for my pain, the doctor left out some of the side effects such as: weight gain, water retention and increased hunger. So I was hungry, pudgy, and always felt bloated. This was not a miracle drug, in fact it was a nightmare…I stopped taking it but my body went through withdrawal and I suffered migraines daily. I felt alone. I work in healthcare and often heard how co-workers judged other fibro patients. I was alone. Even then 20 pounds later… It still wasn't the turning point.

Flash forward to NOW. I’m 26, work long hours, suffering from what I call FATigue, and probably some depression. When I was 21 this is not how I pictured my life, nonetheless I have a job, the bills get paid (eventually), I have food in my fridge, I have no life threatening conditions, and a wonderful man in my life, I’m thankful. I wouldn't necessarily call myself fat, but I am quite thick like no plastic surgery video girl thick (some of ya'll know what I'm talking about). I don’t care about weight; I want to be healthy all around! So now I’m ready to Cut the Crap, this not only includes unhealthy dietary habits, but negativity in my life, and as much stress as possible. Are you ready to join me…? 

The program is free, I just ask that you update us with your progress, reach out when you are tempted, and be there so we can all congratulate you when you've completed your program! 

What Crap are we cutting?

1.       Alcohol (which is hard, I love wine about as much as Olivia Pope)

2.       Bread (muffins, waffles, garlic knots, etc.)

3.       Fast food (I've created a meal plan for you)

4.       Sweets (even dark chocolate…)

5.       Pasta (Ciao Pasta Bella)

6.       Processed foods ( anything in a box)

Click the link here for full meal plan...

Easy Pesto in a Presto

A lot of folks I meet are scared of pesto, between the green goop and complexity of its flavors I can see why. In fact I was one of those folks...

It wasn't until about my 10th trip to Bonefish (the best bread on the planet) did I finally say "hey, I can make this".  So I looked up all these recipes which all called for pine nuts. I had no idea what a pine nut was and honestly I still don't. I'm guessing something to do with a pine tree **Kanye Shrug**. Then I saw the price of a baby bag of pine nuts, the recipes only called for a tablespoon or so. I thought $7 for a teeny bag of nuts was crazy... I still do which is why I developed a recipe without them and it takes about 10 minutes start to finish. AND you can store it for later use!! 

You can cook all fancy in a snap!! 

Ingredients: 

3 cups fresh basil (don't smush them just to make it fit!)

1/4 cup Olive Oil 

3 garlic cloves 

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: 

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. 

(I got a small one for about $20 or less and it works just fine if your budget friendly like me!)

2. Blend until smooth. Basil will likely remained slightly chopped. You don't want to make soup! 

3. Spread on bread, cook with chicken or pasta, or place in air tight container and refrigerate it! Lasts a few weeks... 

I used this recipe for my White Chicken Pizza! 

Stay hungry my friends...

Ray B. 

Special Feature: Otaku South - Nashville TN

 

I'm new...wait I can't use the "I'm new" thing anymore its been 9 months. So I'm slightly a resident of Nashville and for months I'd heard about Otaku South, but I couldn't get over the Ramen noodle thing; I couldn't understand how one could class those things up. I only remember eating the incredibly cheap, salty, and delicious treat either at 12am or before soccer practice because the cafeteria was sub par putting it nicely...very nice.

Actually my boyfriend is the one who convinced me to give it shot after I showed him all the Otaku pics on my phone and my continuous re-gramming on IG! So we showed up on a Friday night looking to try something new, and boy did we find it! The food was phenomenal and I've already recommended Otaku to several people local and even out of state! The dishes are incredibly flavorful, in fact nearly unexplainable because I've never tasted such great food! I don't mind the egg so much either...

Although Sarah is incredibly busy running the versatile, hip, fresh, organic POP Nashville. But POP is another post :). We had a chance to catch up with her and find more about Otaku South...

 

Twitter: @OtakuSouth

Instagram: @OtakuSouth

Web: OtakuSouth.com 

 Address: POP Nashville

                604 Gallatin Ave Ste 201

                Nashville, TN 37206

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 

Lunch: 11:30 

Dinner: 5:30

1. What brought you to Nashville or are you a native?

I am from Columbia TN just south of Spring Hill. I spent 17 years in LA and decided to move back 5 years ago.

 

2. How'd you get the idea to make and sell Ramen? Was is your fave food in college?

Los Angeles greatest asset (in my mind, other then the weather and the beaches) is the incredible diversity of ethnic food available. You can pretty much GO to Japan in Los Angeles. So I did, A LOT in the 17 years I lived there. Traditional ramen (not college, or “Top” Ramen as it were) is a very habitual food. The more you eat it, the more you want it and love it. I had a Japanese grocery store up the road from my house that I would frequent. It had a ramen shop in the food court..it changed my life. It was my favorite meal to eat by myself. Just me, and my thoughts and a bowl of magic. A bowl of Santouka ramen would literally change my mood from a bit gnarly, to really awesome! It’s special.

3. What drew you to using the POP space in East Nashville?

This was the original commissary kitchen for OTAKU SOUTH, and I never thought I would open a place here, but the more we looked at the opportunity the more it made sense. We love it here. Have you seen the sunsets from our patio? Stunning

4. Who inspires your and what is most fulfilling for what you do?

 Oh wow, where do I begin? I am drawn to the creative faculty in so many modalities, not just cooking, but the Chefs I admire the most are the ones who have built veritable empires while remaining close to their kitchen. Chef means “chief” not “cook”, which I realized when I set foot in a commercial kitchen. Two Southern Chefs I admire the most are Frank Stitt and John Currance (sp?). They are incredible business men, with a palpable passion for what they do and a deep connection for their communities. That makes me swoon. 

5. How did you develop your recipes? 

Probably different then a trained chef. For me RAMEN is about knowing the rules and then breaking them. I could never make an “authentic” bowl of Tokyo style Shoyu ramen, because I simply can’t get the same soy, and dashi they use, and those are the key elements of that dish, so I really work to create recipes that ring the memory bell but stand out as unique enough to be accepted on their own.

------- 

GIVE A WAY TIME!! If you can answer these 2 questions correct, you'll win a dinner for 2 that includes 2 buns and 2 ramen bowls!! Please leave answers in the comment box below..

1. Why is it important to SLURP your noodles

2. What is the average time it takes to eat a bowl of noodles and why? 

Happy guessing ya'll!! 

Stay hungry my friends...

Ray B.

Quickie Semi-Homemade Cinnamon Bacon Rolls

Got this idea last night while watching Netflix! This recipe was designed for a quick, creative, and tasty brunch/breakfast meal! Anyone can do it, trust me...anyone! Obviously, we could make our cinnamon rolls from scratch and get the kitchen all dusty from flour, but ain't nobody got time for that (hehe). 

This is perfect if you need to make for a large crowd or something easy to do with the kids! Plus, it has bacon in it... You can never go wrong there unless your a Veggie. Then I apologize you can't enjoy this as much as we did! I suppose you could use veggie bacon though!! 

Ingredients: 

1 can of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls (you want to use the larger rolls that are actually rolled not the small ones that are flat) 

1/2 pack of Bacon (we used maple) 

Instructions: 

1. Brown bacon in a skillet on medium heat. Do not cook until crispy, you won't be able to roll them later. 

2. Pre-heat oven to temperature as instructed on package. 

3. Once bacon is cooked but not crispy, place on paper towel to cool and drain grease. 

4. Open cinnamon roll package and unroll each biscuit. Place one strip of bacon along biscuit and begin to re-roll them back up. 

5. Place each roll in a greased baking pan. I used a circular cake pan but use whatever you have! 

6. Cook as directed on package. 

7. Once browned and cooked, immediately pour frosting over cinnamon rolls. They'll get all gooey this way! 

8. Eat! I don't really allow to cool that much, about 5 minutes because I want to eat them warm and gooey! But please don't burn yourself!! 

Enjoy this semi homemade recipe! 

Stay hungry my friends... 

Ray B. 

Spotlight Feature: The Peach Cobbler Factory, Nashville TN

Anyone who's visited the Nashville Farmer's Market likely has at least sampled The Peach Cobbler Factory and they're glorious peach cobbler. It's sweet, gooey, tangy, soft, melts in your mouth, has a little bit of chew to it. It's the closetest any cobbler has been to tasting like my Granny's...trust me, that's saying A LOT coming from me!

We wanted to know a little more about The Peach Cobbler Factory and I think we got all the answers to the questions we needed plus a little more! Please read, the owner seriously has a great story...

First stop lets get your social media info taken care of, do you have an Instagram or twitter account?
yes!  @cobblerfactory on Instagram & Twitter. You can find The Peach Cobbler Factory on Facebook as well facebook.com/cobblerfactory.