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Banana-Strawberry Granola - Courtesy of Michael Ruhlman's Blog

June 22, 2009

Photos by Donna
Strawberry-Banana Granola
1 or 2 bananas
1 cup strawberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
several gratings of nutmeg (optional)
2½ pounds rolled oats
½ cup wheat bran
½ cup flax seed
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup almonds, sliced, slivered, or roughly chopped
1-1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Combine the bananas, strawberries, sugar, honey, oil, water, cinnamon and nutmeg in a blender and blend till thoroughly pureed.

Combine the remaining ingredients except for the dried fruit and mix with your hands till the ingredients are evenly distributed. Pour the fruit sauce over the oat mixture and stir till it's all evenly mixed. Bake for 45-60 minutes at 300 F., stirring every 15 minutes or so.

When the mixture has cooled, add the dried fruit and store in an airtight container. Excellent with homemade yogurt. Yield: Plenty! Can be halved.

Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette
1/3 cup – balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup – Ohio Honey Co. honey
1/8 teaspoon – garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon – salt
3 tablespoons – oil

Salad
6 cups – mixed baby salad greens
2 cups – fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1 medium – red onion, thin sliced, and separated into rings
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/3 cup – chopped walnuts

Directions
Place all Dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with enough prepared vinaigrette to coat (about 1/3 cup).

SCOTTISH SCONES served with Ohio Honey Company honey.
Oats give these scones a unique taste.
The wedge shape gives them a unique look.

1 ½ Cups Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup Butter
¾ Cups Oats (quick or old fashioned), uncooked
¼ Cup Raisins or Cranberries
2/3 Cup Milk
Generous quantities of Ohio Honey Company honey.

Pre-heat the oven to 425º. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture has a mealy appearance. Mix in the oats and raisins. Slowly mix in the milk. Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Knead briefly (1 minute). Roll out to an eight-inch circle that is 1/4-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12-15 mins. (until golden brown). Serve warm with butter and Honey.

Moist Honey Cornbread

1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. whipping cream
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. Ohio Honey Co. honey
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened. Pour into greased 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Honey Lemon Butter

1/2 c. butter, softened
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. fresh grated lemon peel
1 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice

In small bowl, combine all ingredients, blending well. Makes about 1/2 cup.

RAW HONEY FOR ALLERGIES: Honey contains bits and pieces of pollen and honey, and as an immune system booster, it is quite powerful. Honeybees will collect pollen from trees, flowers and grasses to make their honey, and it will be present in small amounts in honey that was gathered by bees that were working areas where these species are growing. When people living in these same areas eat honey that was produced in that environment, the honey will often act as an immune booster. The good effects of this local honey are best when the honey is taken a little bit (a couple of teaspoons-full) a day for several months prior and during the pollen season. That is why we recommend you have some honey every day!

It may seem odd that straight exposure to pollen often triggers allergies but that exposure to pollen in the honey usually has the opposite effect. But this is typically what we see. In honey the allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses and the effect over time is very much like that from undergoing a whole series of allergy immunology injections. The major difference though is that the honey is a lot easier to take and it is certainly a lot less expensive.

Here are a few Benefits of RAW HONEY

Easily digested: Because sugar molecules in honey can convert into other sugars (e.g. fructose to glucose), honey is easily digested by the most sensitive stomachs, despite its high acid content. It helps kidneys and intestines to function better.

Good source of antioxidants: It plays a big role in the prevention of cancer as well as heart disease.

Has a low calorie level: Another quality of honey is that, when it is compared with the same amount of sugar, it gives 40% less calories to the body. Although it gives great energy to the body, it does not add weight.

Does not accommodate bacteria: This bactericide (bacteria-killing) property of honey is named "the inhibition effect". Experiments conducted on honey show that its bactericide properties increase twofold when diluted with water. It is very interesting to note that newly born bees in the colony are nourished with diluted honey by the bees responsible for their supervision - as if they know this feature of the honey.

Do you have a cut? Honey is a natural antiseptic. Medical journals cite more than 600 cases in which honey was employed to treat wounds. By applying honey to your wounds, you prevent infections. Honey contains antimicrobial agents, which prevents infections by killing the bacteria in and around your wounds. When using honey it may help to heat it up before putting it on your wound (caution test the heat before you place it on the wound). Many types of bacteria can’t survive in honey, so wounds heal, swelling eases, and tissue can grow back.

RAW HONEY - the only way to go...

Raw honey is 100% pure honey, which has never been boiled or heated artificially. Long used as a culinary sweetener, RAW HONEY is valued for its many healing properties as well. Treatment with RAW honey is referred to as Apitherapy and includes replenishing energy, enhancing physical stamina and strengthening those weakened by illness or stress.

RAW Honey can also help calm the mind and promote rejuvenating sleep. RAW Honey relieves indigestion and is used to treat cardiovascular disease and respiratory complaints. Finally, a thin coat of RAW honey can be applied to the skin to disinfect and heal minor skin wounds and chapped lips. This is because raw honey is not only soothing, but also anti-bacterial.

The honey on the grocer’s shelf is most likely from a large honey packing company. These companies pasteurize the honey to lengthen the time before it crystallizes on the store shelves. When honey is pasteurized, the “good stuff” that Mother Nature put in, is cooked out! Good things, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, flavinoids, anti-oxidants, as well as most of the flavor. Take the TEST! Take that jar from the grocer and a jar of Ohio Honey Company honey…sniff, taste….the differences are amazing! You’ll never buy store-bought honey again!

Since honey is made up of honey, wax, pollen, nectar, and other wondrous natural properties, it is only a matter of time for honey to crystallize, to get itself back to some kind of 'original' state. In fact, when some of the tombs were opened in Egypt, they found honey (it was put there for the entombed, so they would have it in their next life) that had crystallized, it was still perfectly good, even though it was more than 5,000 years old!

HAS YOUR HONEY CRYSTALLIZED?
If your honey has crystallized, it simply means that it is trying to get itself back to the state of honey/nectar - kind of a self-preservation mechanism. It is still perfectly good honey! To restore honey to its liquid state, boil some water in a pan...REMOVE FROM HEAT. Place the container in the hot water, cover with a towel, let it sit there, turn the container periodically, and the honey will go back to its liquid state. This is not pasteurization. Keep in mind that some varieties of honey will crystallize faster than others.

Remember, never refrigerate honey...always keep it in the cupboard, as cold temperatures hasten crystallization - better yet - and this is highly recommended - keep the jar on your table, so you will remember to have it every day! Do not feed honey to children under 1 year old.

For more information, visit www.ohiohoney.com

Honey varies in color, texture and flavor depending on the source of pollen and nectar,

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