This past weekend, my big sister and I got our hands dirty in the kitchen to prepare for our mama’s 60th birthday celebration. It was a historic moment for my sister, as it was her first time baking in her 20-odd years. Nonetheless, she successfully made my Fig Bar Crumble, which was a big hit!
We also prepared the Quinoa Fruit Salad made with fresh pineapples, watermelon, cantaloupe and oranges. The crowd seemed intrigued by the tiny white dots in their fruit salad but we know they liked it when we saw them coming for seconds!
And here’s a cute little treat that I prepared. I call it Matcha Granola with Strawberry Drizzle. This was also a big hit! You can make this as I did, a small party treat, or a protein-packed breakfast bowl.
Serving size: 40 (using cupcake liners for a bite-size treat) or 10 (eaten in a breakfast bowl)
Ingredients:
- Matcha granola bars (See recipe)
- 2 tbs canola oil
- 3 cups fresh strawberries (de-stemmed and thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tbs pure honey
You’ll also need about 40 cupcake liners
Instructions:
- Follow the instructions for Matcha Granola Bars.
- While the bars are in the oven, let’s get started on the strawberry jam. Place canola oil into a medium size frying pan on medium heat. When heated, add the strawberries. When you start to see the strawberry juice seep out, reduce to low heat. Add cinnamon and honey. Mix thoroughly. Cook until the strawberries are super soft and mushy—about 10 minutes. [TIP: If the pan looks dry before the strawberry juice seeps out, add another tbs or two or canola oil to avoid burning the strawberries.]
- Remove the jam from heat. Transfer to a bowl and store in the fridge.
- Once the bars are out of the oven and completely cooled, use your hands to crumble the bars. Gather the crumbs into a large bowl.
- Set cupcake liners onto a tray. Fill each cup to the halfway point with granola. Drop one teaspoon of strawberry jam into the center of each cup. [TIP: Hold off on adding the strawberry jam until just before serving. Nobody likes gushy granola!]
- Voila! Now step away—your guests will come swarming like ants!
