Homemade Chocolate Chip Granola Bites (or bars!)

We eat a lot of granola bars and other fitness bars in our home - so while browsing Pinterest on the way to work one morning, I came across a few recipes to make your own granola bars and thought to myself, "why not?!" We had all of the ingredients that we needed except for the honey and Rice Krispies, so it was an extremely cheap snack! I originally had planned to make granola bars but ended up making them into bites instead (much easier!) Here is the version that I found to be quick and easy. Hope that you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup coconut oil or unsalted butter

- 1/3 cup light-brown sugar

- 1/4 cup honey

- 1/8 tsp salt

- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 cups quick oats

- 1 1/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal

- 3 tbsp chocolate chips

Directions:

• Add coconut oil or unsalted butter, brown sugar and honey to a microwave safe bowl and heat the mixture in the microwave on high power for 1 minute. 
• Remove from heat and stir, then return to the microwave and heat on high power again (1 minute if using coconut oil and 1.5 minutes if using butter).
• Carefully remove from the microwave and blend in vanilla.
• Add in the quick oats and stir until evenly coated.
• Fold in the Rice Krispies and toss well to evenly coat.
• If making bars, firmly press the mixture into one side of a buttered baking sheet then sprinkle tops with chocolate chips and press into bars. If making bites, add in the chocolate chips and roll the mixture into small 1-inch balls, placing them on a baking sheet. 
• Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the refrigerator and if making bars, cut into desired-size bars (should make approx. 9 granola bars). If you made bites, you are ready to enjoy!

Blue Apron Dish 4: Corned Beef-Spiced Flank Steaks with Braised Cabbage and Buttered Red Potatoes

We had this dish the week of St. Patty's Day - a nice little Irish-American dish to celebrate the holiday!

Ingredients:

- 2 Flank Steaks
- 2 Carrots
- 1 lb. Green Cabbage
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 3/4 lb. Red Potatoes
- 1 large bunch of Parsley
- 4 tablespoons of Champagne Vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of Butter
- 2 tablespoons of Honey
- 2 tablespoons of Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- 2 teaspoons Corned Beef Spice Blend

Makes: 2 Servings
Cooking Time: 25 to 35 minutes

Directions:

Prepare the Ingredients!

• Wash and dry the fresh produce.
• Heat a medium pot of salted water to a boil on high heat.
• Remove the steaks from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature.
• Peel and thinly slice the onion.
• Peel the carrots; thinly slice into rounds.
• Remove and discard the cabbage core; thinly slice the leaves.
• Pick the parsley leaves off the stems (discard the stems).
• Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. 

Braise the cabbage!

• In a large pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot.
• Add the carrots and onion.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened.
• Add the cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes, or until the cabbage has wilted.
• Stir in the vinegar, honey, mustard and 2 tablespoons of water.
• Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low.
• Cook 16 to 18 minutes, or until very tender.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and butter the potatoes!

• While the cabbage braises, add the potatoes to the pot of boiling water.
• Cook 13 to 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
• Remove from heat and drain thoroughly.
• Return to the pot and stir the butter until melted.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Season and cook the steaks!

• Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt, pepper and the spice blend.
• In a medium-sized pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot.
• Add the seasoned steaks and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until cooked to your desired degree of doneness.
• Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Finish and plate your dish!

• Find the lines of the muscle of the steaks and thinly slice against the grain.
• Add any juices from the cutting board to the pot of braised cabbage; stir to combine.
• Stir half the parsley into the buttered potatoes.
• Add the potatoes and braised cabbage to your plate and top with your sliced steak.
• Garnish with the remaining parsley.
• Enjoy!

Blue Apron Dish 3: Miso Yuzu-Glazed Cod with Black Rice & Water Spinach

This was my first time trying Cod! I'm not a fan of fish and have stayed away from pretty much all fish up until this point of time, but I actually enjoyed this dish! The East Asian glaze and touches were amazing and smelled so good! The black rice and water spinach were probably my favorite part of this dish.


Ingredients:

- 2 Cod Filets
- 2/3 cup of Black Rice
- 3 Cloves of Garlic
- 2 Scallions
- 1 Bunch of Water Spinach
- 2 tablespoons of Red Miso Paste
- 2 teaspoons of Light Brown Sugar
- 1 1-inch piece of Ginger
- 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon of Yuzu Juice

Makes: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 35 to 45 minutes

Directions:

Cook the rice!

• Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high heat.
• Once boiling, add the rice and cook 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain thoroughly.

Prepare the ingredients!

• While the rice cooks, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Wash and dry the fresh produce.
• Peel and mince the garlic and ginger.
• Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice the scallions on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops.
• Cut off and discard the root ends of water spinach; roughly chop the leaves and stems. 

Make the glaze!

• While the rice continues to cook, in a small bowl, combine the miso paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, yuzu juice and half the ginger.
• Wisk until smooth.

Roast the cod!

• While the rice continues to cook, pat the cod fillets dry with the paper towels and season with pepper on both sides.
• Place the seasoned fillets on a lightly-oiled sheet pan.
• Top with 2/3 of the miso-yuzu glaze, spreading to evenly coat. 
• Roast in the oven 12 to 14 minutes, or until the glaze is browned and the fish is cooked through.
• Remove from the oven.

Cook the water spinach and finish the rice!

• In the same pot used to cook the rice, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot.
• Add the garlic, white bottoms of the scallions and remaining ginger.
• Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Add the water spinach and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until wilted.
• Add the cooked rice and remaining miso-glaze; stir until well combined.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove the heat.

Plate your dish!

• Top your plate with the finished rice and add a roasted cod fillet.
• Garnish with the green tops of the scallions.
• Enjoy!

Blue Apron Dish 2: Za'atar-Spiced Steaks with Rutabaga-Barberry Tabbouleh & Labneh Cheese

This was my favorite meal from my first Blue Apron box - so, so good! I loved the extra spice and the fact that I hadn't ever had the majority of the ingredients (continuing to add things to my 'foods I've never tried list for 2015').

Ingredients:

- 2 Flank Steaks
- 3/4 cup Bulgur
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Lemon
- 1 pound Rutabaga
- 1 bunch of Mint
- 1 large bunch of Parsley
- 3 ounces of Labneh Cheese
- 2 tablespoons of Pomegranate Molasses
- 1 tablespoon of Dried Barberries
- 2 teaspoons Za'atar Steak Spice Blend

Makes: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 25 to 30 minutes

Directions:

Cook the Bulgur!

• Heat a small pot of salted water to boiling on high heat.
• Once boiling, add the bulgur and cook for 12 to 14 minutes, or until tender but slightly chewy.
• Using a fine strainer, thoroughly drain the bulgur.

Prepare the ingredients!

• Wash and dry the fresh produce.
• Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and bring them to room temperature.
• Peel and mince the garlic - smash with the flat side of your knife until it resembles a paste.
• Using a peeler, remove the lemon rind, avoiding the pith; mince to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester).
• Quarter and deseed the lemon.
• Using a sharp, sturdy knife, peel and small dice the rutabaga. 
• Pick the mint and parsley off the stems (discard the stems). Roughly chop the leaves.
• In a small bowl, combine the labneh cheese, a pinch of the garlic paste, half the mint and the juice of 2 lemon wedges. 
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the steaks!

• Season both sides of the steak with salt, pepper and half the spice blend (reserve the remaining spice blend for later). 
• In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned steaks and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare or until cooked until your desired degree of doneness.
• Transfer to a plate, leaving behind any browned bits in the pan.

Start the tabbouleh!

• Heat the pan of the reserved browned bits on medium-high until hot. If the pan seems dry, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
• Add the rutabaga and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until browned and tender.
• Add the remaining garlic paste and spice blend.
• Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fragrant.
• Stir in the barberries, pomegranate molasses and 2 tablespoons of water.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined.
• Remove from heat.

Finish the tabbouleh!

• Off the heat, add the cooked bulgur, parsley, lemon zest and the juice of the remaining lemon wedges to the pan of rutabaga. 
• Drizzle with olive oil.
• Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Plate your dish!

• Find the lines of muscle (or grain) in the cooked steak. Slice the steak against the grain.
• Add any juices from the sliced steak to the tabbouleh, stirring to combine.
• Lay out the finished tabbouleh on a plate and add the sliced steak on top. 
• Garnish with the remaining mint. 
• Serve with the seasoned labneh cheese on the side.

Blue Apron Dish 1: Italian Wedding Soup with Fregola Sarda & Spinach

This was the first Blue Apron meal that I tried from my first box! I love soup and am ashamed to admit that I've never tried Italian Wedding Soup prior to making it (even though I've had plenty of opportunities to). It was delicious (and extremely easy to prepare) - definitely a meal that I will make again in the future. Hope that you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- 10 ounces of Ground Chicken
- 1/2 cup Fregola Sarda Pasta
- 3 ounces of Baby Spinach
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1 Stalk of Celery
- 1 Bunch of Parsley
- 3 Tablespoons of Chicken Demi-Glace
- 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Makes: 2 servings
Cooking Time: 15 to 25 minutes

Directions:

Prep your ingredients!

• Wash and dry the fresh produce.
• Finely chop the spinach.
• Peel and mince the garlic.
• Peel and dice the onion in small pieces.
• Peel and dice the carrot in small pieces.
• Pick the parsley leaves off the stems (discard the stems).

Form the meatballs!

• In a medium bowl, combine the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, 1/4 of the onion, half of the garic, half of the Parmesan cheese and half of the parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper and stir to thoroughly combine.
• Using your hands, form the mixture in to about 24 meatballs, 1 inch in diameter.

Cook the aromatics!

• In a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium heat until hot. 
• Add the carrot, celery and remaining onion and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes or until softened and fragrant.

Make the broth and add the meatballs!

• To the pot of aromatics, add the fregola sarda pasta, chicken demi-glace and 3 cups of water.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat to boiling on high.
• Once boiling, add the meatballs.
• Reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked thoroughly. 

Finish the soup!

• Once the meatballs are cooked through, stir the spinach into the pot of soup.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach has completely wilted.
• Remove from heat

Top your soup with the remaining parmesan cheese and parsley, and you're done!