PANTRY PARTY
MIO recipes bring fun to the basics
We're all spending more time in our kitchens these days, and the Made in Oklahoma Coalition has a couple of recipes aimed at making the most of it.
For May, the MIO took a good, strong look at its pantry to turn some basic ingredients into something special.
Spring brings veggies to mind. If you're looking for new ways to get your greens, reach for classic spinach and add some warm bacon dressing. Locally grown Scissortail spinach and thyme are packed with nutrition and plucked from Oklahoma soil, a great foundation for salad. Bacon, balsamic vinegar, shallots, hardboiled egg, local pecans and Cheatwood's Honey turn it into a meal.
Granola is a versatile pantry staple, ranging from light breakfast to healthy snack. Made in Oklahoma's granola includes peanut butter and jelly. Once the granola is baked, it's great for packing into individual snack-size bags for portion-controlled snacks. It also works great mixed with a crock of Amelia Natural French Style Country Yogurt, which is made in Nowata.
Keep clean, keep safe, and remember we're in this pandemic together.
PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY GRANOLA
Serves: 4
• 1/2 cup Cheatwood's Pure Raw Honey
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/ 3 cup Garden Club strawberry jam
• 1 teaspoon Griffin's vanilla • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 cups old fashioned oats • 1 cup honey roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup Miller Pecan Co. chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl combine the honey, peanut butter, jelly, vanilla and cinnamon. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring until smooth. If not yet smooth, heat another 20-30 seconds, and stir. Add oats, peanuts and pecans, stirring until coated well.
Loosely and evenly space the granola mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, mix gently and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes.
Allow the granola to cool and place into sealed containers.
SPINACH SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING For the dressing:
• 6 slices Bar-S Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped Scissortail Farms thyme
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Cheatwood's Pure Raw Honey
• ¼ teaspoon salt
For the salad:
• 1 package Scissortail Farms Spinach
• ¼ cup Miller Pecan Co. Pecans, chopped finely
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• Cook bacon, crumble and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, thyme, olive oil, balsamic, honey and salt.
Add the bacon crumbles.
Just before serving, warm the dressing in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Portion the spinach on four plates, arranging the pecans and boiled eggs on top of each. Drizzle the warmed dressing over each salad.