Hazelnut, Walnut and Blueberry Granola

This is a short and quick one. It's your chance to love the humble and otherwise bland morning cereal by upping it with some great stuff. so here's the deal: i love my breakfast cereal way too much to leave it at 'just cereal'. I improvise, add stuff, and most importantly, don't restrict myself to eating it with just milk. Thing is, i start my day very early and head to work in what can best be described as a whirlwind of activity in a sleepy stupor. As it turns out, i tasted amazing homemade granola a couple of months back in Bangalore and loved it and that's how the experimenting started.
One of my fav twists is the hazelnut, walnut and blueberry version. i'm not going to sell the ''it is very healthy and yada yada'' talk to you. Making this is no biggie. It's brilliantly simple and an example of how something as simple as store bought muesli can be turned into something wonderful and refreshingly different with the help of few but very potent ingredients.

You will need:

-450 g standard store bought Muesli

-200 g toasted and coarsely chopped hazelnuts

-200 g toasted and coarsely chopped walnuts

-150 g dried blueberries

-1/4 light cup brown sugar

-1/4 cup raisins (optional)

-Pre-heat the oven to 160 C and line a flat, not too deep baking tray with baking paper.

-Mix everything up and in an even and not too thick layer, fill the tray with mueseli. Note:  You are anyway going to be doing it in batches, so please do not pile it on. 

-Toast the mueseli for 15 min or till golden brown. Make sure you keep checking for over browning. Do not forget to rotate the try. Also, keep mixing it up so that any bit under may come up and get toasted.

-Continue till all batches are done. Let it cool to room temperature. Store in an air-tight sealed jar.

Served best with cold milk and topped with fresh strawberries. I also gorge on it as is. just like that. plain, straight out of the jar. :)

Chocolate chip and Pistachio Belgian Waffles drenched in Caramel syrup

 If the title does not get you going, I do not know what will. This match is made in culinary heaven. Think about it: Pistachios, chocolate, homemade caramel syrup and crispy-on-the-outside and soft-inside waffles! 

On another note, I am extremely blessed to have friends and family who know what gets me grooving, amongst other things. So when this good friend gifted us a Belgian waffle maker on her return from her France trip, I was over the moon, to say the least. This was awesome!! So waffle recipes are now on the cards dear amigos. Here’s to friends and family who brighten our days with love and warmth and here’s to wishing we get many more of our wishes granted! :)

Side note: Maple syrup is not a very feasible option for many of us here in India as it's tough to find and so i went with the flow and thought caramel syrup would do the trick. and it did! :)

For the caramel syrup, you will need:

-1 1/4 cups sugar
-3/4 cups boiling water
Place the sugar in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
Stir constantly with wooden spoon until sugar changes to greyish lumps and then starts turning to amber (Do not wait till it gets dark amber, you will end up with bitter caramel). Slowly pour the boiling water down side of pan, stirring liquid sugar as you do. Be extremely cautious as it will steam and bubble. Boil for around 3 minutes and take it off the flame. Keep warm. Makes 1 cup.

The waffle recipe is adapted with changes from here and it is a fabulous find. A dream of a recipe to begin my waffle making adventures!
For the waffles, you will need:

½ cup AP flour

½ cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg, separated

1 cup milk

25 g unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 tablespoons castor sugar

1/4 cup toasted and chopped pistachios

1/4 cup chocolate chips
Note: This makes 6 waffles

-Butter the waffle iron. Most come with a non stick coating but we butter it lightly in any case.

-Whisk and sift together the dry ingredients: AP Flour, wheat flour, salt and baking powder, keep aside.

-Beat the egg white till the soft peak consistency and keep aside.

-Beat the yolk with the sugar till pale and fluffy, add the vanilla extract and keep blending. Add the milk and melted butter and mix till thoroughly incorporated.

-Sift in the flour mix into the egg yolk mix and mix till just blended. Do not overmix!

-Using a rubber spatula, fold the egg white into the batter gently.
-Fold in the chocolate chips and the pistachios next.

-Pour the batter with the help of a spoon into the waffle grid and make sure you reach every nook and cranny for a uniform looking waffle. Close and cook till golden brown (around 3 minutes).

Serve immediately with caramel syrup.
P.S: There’s no color like the color of caramel, and no taste like caramel syrup on waffles. A happy morning to you!!:)