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Buckwheat Granola {with Dried Cherries and Cacao Nibs}

Buckwheat Granola | Gather and Dine

 I recently came across Emmy’s Super Cereal on some recent travels and decided to buy a box as a snack for the road.  The cereal is basically sprouted buckwheat sweetened with coconut sugar and then dehydrated until the buckwheat becomes super crunchy and toasty. So delicious and satisfying!  I immediately began thinking of all of the things I could do with toasted buckwheat.  Despite having the word “wheat” in it, buckwheat is actually a seed and not part of the wheat family.  It is full of nutrients and also gluten-free.

Buckwheat Granola | Gather and Dine

This buckwheat granola comes together quickly and your whole house will smell wonderful as it bakes.  I’ve always liked the idea of sweetening my granolas with coconut sugar, but I’ve always had problems getting the coconut sugar to dissolve and it always ended up very granular.  This time I made a simple syrup from the coconut sugar by dissolving it in some water before mixing it with the coconut oil and that worked beautifully.  The buckwheat ended up being lightly sweetened with just a hint of coconut flavor from the sugar and oil and it remained crunchy for days when stored in an airtight container.  The flavor combinations for this are endless.  Substitute any type of dried fruit for the cherries and add nuts in addition to or instead of the cacao nibs.  I love cacao nibs, but my kids are not big fans so I made them a cherry and sliced almonds version and they loved it!

Buckwheat Granola | Gather and Dine

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Dried Cherry and Cacao Nib Buckwheat Granola
 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups raw buckwheat groats
  • ⅓ cup dried cherries, chopped
  • ¼ cup cacao nibs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300.
  2. in a small saucepan, combine the coconut sugar and water and whisk together over low heat until coconut sugar is completely dissolved and mixture becomes a simple syrup. Add the coconut oil and whisk together until coconut oil is completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt.
  3. Spread the buckwheat groats and dried cherries out on a large rimmed baking sheet. Pour the coconut sugar mixture over the buckwheat and dried cherries and stir with a wooden spoon until buckwheat and cherries are evenly coated.
  4. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until buckwheat becomes light golden brown.
  5. Cool completely on pan, stirring occasionally to avoid clumps. Mix in cacao nibs. Transfer to an airtight container for storage.
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Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone

Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone

My baby girl turned 5 over the weekend and to celebrate we had a little backyard tea party for her and a small group of friends. Birthday parties usually completely overwhelm me, but this small gathering was just right this time.  All of the food could be prepared ahead of time and it was so fun to watch the girls enjoy themselves.

I had a some leftover mascarpone cheese from when I made a double recipe of Turkey Spinach Taquitos so I used it to make a half batch of these Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone parfaits.  The white chocolate mascarpone comes together in minutes and it makes for such a pretty and elegant dessert.  The girls loved getting their own individual portions and it was first thing they wanted to eat.  If you don’t feel like assembling parfaits or have extra white chocolate mascarpone leftover, it’s also a great fruit dip.  I’ve served this in a bowl alongside some strawberries and sliced peaches.  With the  abundance of fresh fruit now available, it a perfect simple summer dessert!

Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone

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Berries and White Chocolate Mascarpone
Serves: 10-12 mini parfaits
 
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces white chocolate, broken in pieces
  • 1 8-ounce container of mascarpone cheese
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • fresh raspberries and blackberries
Instructions
  1. Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the glass bowl from the heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  2. While the chocolate is cooling, whisk the mascarpone, whipping cream, and vanilla together until smooth.
  3. Add the melted white chocolate and whisk again until smooth.
  4. Transfer the white chocolate mascarpone mixture to a piping bag or a plastic ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
  5. For individual parfaits, alternate a layer of berries with a layer of white chocolate mascarpone, ending with berries.
Notes
barely adapted from Bon Appetit
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Turkey Spinach Taquitos {with Black Beans and Mascarpone}

Turkey Spinach Taquitos | Gather & Dine

In my freezer, I almost always make sure to keep some variety of taquitos prepared so that I can quickly take them out and heat them in the oven whenever I need a quick meal.  As much as I love to cook, the reality is that I do not have time to cook everyday, especially now that it’s summer vacation. Having fun takes up so much time!

I make a few different versions of taquitos and although I’m not sure which one stands out as my favorite, these Turkey Spinach Taquitos are SO GOOD.  Mascarpone cheese adds creaminess to the delicious filling of cumin-scented ground turkey, fresh spinach, and black beans.  The original recipe from Giada de Laurentiis adds grated cheddar cheese to the top of the taquitos, but I omitted the extra cheese to keep things a bit lighter and also to make these more freezer-friendly.  Instead of the cheese, I brushed the taquitos with some olive oil and sprinkled some fleur de sel salt on top.  I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra taquitos on a big baking sheet.  Once the taquitos are frozen, I transfer them to gallon-sized ziploc bags and take the taquitos out as needed.  Taquitos can be heated directly from the freezer, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.  Serve with guacamole and salsa.

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Turkey Spinach Taquitos {with Black Beans and Mascarpone}
Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground turkey thigh
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 packed cups baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ¾ cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature (6 ounces)
  • 12 8-inch whole wheat or spouted grain tortillas
  • olive oil for brushing on the taquitos
  • fluer de sel salt or other course sprinkling salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-hight heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Saute until the onion softens and starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the ground turkey and cumin and continue cooking until turkey is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain about half the fat from the ground turkey mixture and discard.
  4. Add the spinach and cook until spinach is just wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the black beans. Use a pastry cutter to mash some of the beans and then add the mascarpone and mix thoroughly.
  5. Spoon about ¼-1/3 cup of filling onto the middle of a tortilla. Roll up taquito and place seam side down on a lightly oiled baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  6. Use a pastry brush to brush a light coating of olive oil onto each taquito. Sprinkle with some fleur de sel to finish.
  7. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes, until taquitos are lightly golden brown.
Notes
adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

 

 

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