Granola Marshmallow Treat Recipe (+ Giveaway)

I think I've said it on numerous occasions; our family has a sweet tooth (can an entire family share one tooth?). We always have sugary snacks available on the kitchen counter. One of the girls’ favorites are Rice Krispies treats, but today since I had a bag of granola on hand, I decided to substitute the granola in place of the puffed rice. The granola is called “College Staple”, and I got it from Sarah at Nuts About Granola. It’s similar to her “Plain Jane” product, but with dried cranberries. It’s almost like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in granola form. The texture is not crunchy and rather tastes similar to a chewy cookie, which is perfect for the consistency of the marshmallow treats.

The best part of these sweet treats is that they're one of the easiest treats to make. It took me less than 10 minutes to make them. I also added chocolate-covered sunflower seeds; they paired wonderfully with the dried cranberries in the College Staple granola.  Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

Nuts About Granola Giveaway Entry Form:

Pham Fatale Giveaway Terms and Conditions: No purchase necessary. All prizes are generously donated by the company featured. Winners will be chosen at random, and odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Pham Fatale is not responsible for late, lost, stolen, illegible or incomplete entries which will be disqualified. US Residents only please. Only one entry per person per giveaway. Prizes are not refundable or returnable. Giveaway terms subject to change.

Quinoa Patties (Galette de Quinoa Recipe)

Quinoa is my go-to ingredient whenever I'm preparing a light, gluten free recipe. I've used it in the past in side dishes and appetizers. I've always wanted to use quinoa to make a vegetarian main course, and today I think I've accomplished that.

I created little patties flavored with carrots, crimini mushrooms, eggplant and blue cheese. I bound them using a combination of lecithin and xanthan gum. You could always use eggs instead.  Making quinoa patties is simple. The filling should be moist and the outer part of the bite should have a crisp crunch. And after a healthy, light dish like this one, you can splurge on a decadent dessert. At least, that's what I tell myself!

Korma Curry Recipe: Goat Meat with Okra

Goat korma with okra is a spicy Indian curry dish. We usually serve it when my husband Lulu's family comes over for dinner as the rest of his family isn't vegetarian. To the Western palate, goat meat and okra wouldn't be an obvious choice of ingredients but they're very complementary.

To certain people, goat meat can have a strong taste, but I find that the meat at my local Indian market tastes wonderful and is very tender. Okra has a bad reputation as well due to its texture once boiled. I personally love this dish and could eat it by the pound, dipping rotis (Indian flat bread) in the spicy gravy sauce. At the very least, it’s a dish that will broaden your horizons.

Mango Lemonade Recipe

I love Kesar mangoes. The fruit is so soft and juicy that we usually just cut them in halves and scoop the flesh out. Unfortunately, I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach at the Asian market this week, when I bought two cases of mangoes. To put a dent in my stockpile, I made mango purée, cooked it in sugar to enhance the flavor, then mixed it with regular lemonade.

I added cardamom to give a more exotic twist to this already tropical drink. If you're looking for something special to serve for your Memorial Day weekend barbeque, mango lemonade could be it. And to satisfy the adult palate, you could always spike it with rum!

Broccoli Puree (Mashed Broccoli)

Mashed potatoes are my guilty pleasure. I've flavored them in the past with garlic, pesto, plaintains, olives and purple sweet potatoes, just to name a few. This time, I used broccoli. It complements the flavor and gives a beautiful color to the purée.

My favorite way to make this dish is to simply mash them using a potato masher, then add milk, cream and lots of butter. It might not be the healthiest approach, but it's certainly the most delicious for creamy mashed potatoes!