This edition of Tasty & Simple features a hippie classic: granola. Forget the crap you get at the supermarket (or even the health food store, for that matter), making granola at home is cheap, fully customized to your tastes, and makes a great gift.

Full disclosure: this basic concepts of this recipe comes from Mark Bittman’s New York Times column, “The Minimalist”. Since the Tasty & Simple feature is all about straightforward recipes, I fully acknowledge the influence Bittman’s column has on my everyday cooking.

For my spin on Bittman’s granola recipe, I’ve upped the nuttage, tweaked the spices, and discovered a secret ingredient that really takes it to the next level: French coconut cubes. I don’t quite know how they do it, but the French have discovered a way to distill a coconut down to sweet, chewy perfection, without any additional ingredients. In granola, it melts beautifully and forms irresistible coconutty clusters. I’ve only been able to obtain these from NYC’s Fairway Market, so I guess this one may be out of reach for many… if anyone discovers them outside of NYC, please put a note in the comments.

I highly recommend Trader Joe’s for all the raw ingredients — excellent quality and prices. The bulk food section at the health food store is also fairly economical.

Ingredient Guide:
Makes 8-9 cups

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place oven racks in lower-middle and upper-middle positions.
2. Combine grains, seeds, nuts, and “other ingredients” in a large bowl.
3. Combine sweetener and spices in a small bowl.
4. Pour sweetener/spice mixture over dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
5. Spread uncooked granola mixture onto 2 cookie sheets.
6. After five minutes, rotate pans and switch racks. After another five minutes, stir granola (it’s easier to do this if you pour both pans back into the large bowl). Repeat until the grains are browned, about 30 minutes. If using any of the “decadent options,” add to granola during last 10 minutes of baking.
7. Remove pans from oven, add dried fruit, and cool on wire racks, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
8. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 
Suggested Base Recipe:

• Grains: 4 cups oats, 2 cups multigrain cereal
• Seeds: 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup sunflower, 1/4 cup flax
• Nuts: 1 cup sliced almonds, 1 cup other raw nuts
• Sweetener: 1 cup maple syrup
• Spices: 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cayenne
• Other Ingredients: 1 cup dried unsweetened flaked coconut, 1 cup wheat germ

 
Suggested Combos:

• coconut cubes, macadamias
• dried cherries, pistachios, vanilla extract
• dried mango, lime zest, extra cayenne
• crystallized ginger, roasted peanuts
• clumpy granola: add 1/2 cup vegetable oil to liquid ingredients, heat all liquids until warmed, combine with dry ingredients (wheat germ is essential to the clumpifaction process), and use your hands to create clumps before baking

Enter your favorite combo in the comments section.

Let’s start with one that is sure to come in handy: poached chicken. Poaching is a cooking method that submerges the main ingredient in a flavored liquid and simmers it until cooked through. It is usually employed for lighter flesh like chicken or fish, but can also be used for eggs, vegetables (such as artichokes), and other fragile food items. As an added bonus, poaching is (usually) a low-fat, healthy cooking technique.

Chicken — especially the breast — is an excellent candidate for poaching. Poached chicken can be applied to many dishes: sandwiches, salads, soups, pasta, tacos… you name it. Based on the ingredients in the simmering liquid, you can tweak the flavors soaked up by the chicken.

Ingredient Guide:
Makes enough for 4 sandwiches or salads

Directions:

1. Give the chicken a quick rinse, then place in a single layer in dutch oven or other wide-bottomed pot with a lid.
2. Add desired items from every option category, then add poaching liquid until it just covers the chicken.
3. Heat just to boiling, lower to a simmer, and cook for 2-3 minutes (add an additional few minutes if the chicken still has its bones).
4. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let sit for 30 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from poach. Wait for it to cool a bit before shredding with hands, discarding skin and bones. Boneless parts can be added to a dish intact.

 
Suggested Combos:

• carrot, celery, 1 minced shallot, white wine, parsley
• sliced whole lemon, garlic, basil, oregano, peppercorns
• balsamic vinegar, a few sprigs of rosemary
• tequila, cumin seeds, cilantro, oregano
• coconut milk, ginger, chili peppers, lime zest

What’s your favorite poach?