Jenn’s Cook Book

Another recipe from 2:30 AM: Late Night Rehab, this came from a set of recipes referred to as “Four Energizers.” These smoothie/shake recipes were created for late nights when “you have to burn the midnight oil and need food, glorious food, to supplement your energy.” The original recipe called for things that have never seen my kitchen: protein powder and flax-seed oil. According to the authors, flax-seed oil contains essential fatty acids that are great for focus and concentration, but I substituted some vanilla yogurt because, well, that’s what I had on hand.

And boy, does this concoction energize! The first time I made this was on a Friday night and I was up well past my bedtime, zooming with energy. This will definitely give you a pick-up on an early morning if you wake up grouchy and groggy like I do. Whether first thing in the morning or late at night, “hearing the wailing screech of the blender will also enliven things, as will neglecting to secure the blender lid tightly enough.”

Below is my version of this chocolaty-thick smoothie. If soy milk scares you, regular milk is fine…but don’t let soy milk scare you, the chocolate kind is especially good.

1 cup low-fat chocolate soy milk
1 cup frozen pitted dark, sweet cherries (do not thaw)
1/4 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2-3 ice cubes

Toss everything into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a to-go cup and slurp on your way to work. Delicious!

Or you can be fancy like me, and garnish with a dollop of yogurt, a frozen cherry or two, and a light dusting of cocoa powder. Yes, of course it tastes better that way.

Just made a huge batch of Great Day Granola? Here is the perfect way to enjoy it! This version pairs my Chocolate-Chip Cherry Granola with frozen blueberries and fresh raspberries layered between vanilla yogurt. This parfait puts anything you would pick-up at the drive-thru to shame!

Experiment with different fruits and yogurt flavors until you find the perfect combination. Fresh or frozen fruits work well.

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, unsweetened
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 to 1/2 cup Chocolate-Chip Cherry Granola

Pour frozen blueberries into a large glass or travel mug. Cover with 1/2 cup yogurt, then sprinkle raspberries. Cover with the other 1/2 cup yogurt. Top with granola. Eat immediately or take it to-go.

Once the blueberries begin to thaw, the juice will create the perfect infusion with the yogurt. Frozen peaches are also great in this parfait.

From 5:30 AM: First-Shift Foods, the authors call this chapter “foods to beckon us from bed.” The original recipe calls for coconut, sunflower seeds, and pecans, which I substituted with dried cherries and mini-chocolate chips. The add-ins are open to interpretation as long as you keep the proportions the same, although I would highly recommend keeping the wheat germ, it adds a nutty flavor and gives the granola texture. I’ve posted the original recipe, and then my remake.

2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries or golden raisins

Preheat oven to 300F and coat a 13×9 baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss the oats, coconut, sunflower seeds, pecans, and wheat germ.

Combine oil, maple syrup, and salt in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and toss to coat everything evenly. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add the cranberries or raisins and allow the mixture to cool.

Jenn’s Chocolate-Cherry Granola
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup mini-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300F and coat a 13×9 baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, toss the oats and wheat germ.

Combine oil, maple syrup, and salt in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the vanilla.

Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and toss to coat everything evenly. Spread mixture over prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Add the dried cherries. Add the chocolate chips while the mixture is still warm and stir to melt the chocolate into the granola, or add the chocolate chips after the mixture has cooled to keep in pieces.

Sprinkle granola on top of yogurt and fruit.

Celebrate National Peach Cobbler Day with this easy impostor. Okay, this is more of a crisp than an actual cobbler, but it’s the thought that counts! Since cherries and peaches are a distant memories here in mid-April Michigan, I used frozen fruit and it tasted great. Be sure to thaw fruit completely first. Wheat germ adds a toasted, nutty taste to the crumbly topping.

2 bags (16 oz each) unsweetened frozen sliced peaches, thawed
1 bag (12 oz) unsweetened frozen dark sweet cherries, thawed
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 cup quick oats
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
frozen yogurt, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F and coat a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Pour thawed peaches and cherries into prepared pan, including any juices from the bags. Toss fruit with cornstarch and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Set aside.

In a food processor or chopped, combine flour and butter. Pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Add remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, quick oats, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Pulse until just combined.

Sprinkle topping over prepared fruit. Bake 20-25 minutes, until topping is golden and fruit mixture is bubbly. Serve warm with frozen yogurt, if desired.

Shown below, served with vanilla frozen yogurt and garnished with mint:

I’m back in the kitchen! For your enjoyment and consumption, I bring you this spicy, sweet, savory sauce with cherries, orange, and cayenne pepper. While I served the sauce over chicken, this would also be great over pork chops or a pork tenderloin. I used a blood orange for this recipe, but a regular navel orange would work just fine. Blood oranges can be hard to find, though usually available until Spring, and they have a slightly raspberry taste to them.

I also used a fancy Cranberry-Blood Orange Tea Jam from Republic of Tea in place of the preserves, but you could substitute a number of jams or jellies: orange marmalade, cherry preserves, even another berry-flavored jelly. Using frozen cherries cuts down on prep time and allows this recipe to be made in any season, but pitted fresh cherries would be great too.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag (12 oz) frozen unsweetened dark sweet cherries, thawed 
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 orange, zest and juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbsp cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 350F or broiler. Lightly coat a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking spray.

Season chicken with salt and black pepper as desired. Bake or broil 20-25 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine onion and garlic in a medium saucepan coated lightly in cooking spray. Saute over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add cherries with any liquid from the bag and red wine. Using the back of a spoon, lightly rush the cherries (leave some cherries whole). Zest and juice orange into saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, spoon hot sauce over chicken breasts. Shown with steamed asparagus and Spicy Sweet Potatoes (the Spicy Cherry Sauce goes great with those potatoes!).