This is about as easy as it gets, folks.
Yes, we’re having eggs and toast for dinner but don’t worry, this isn’t your every day run-of-the-mill fried eggs over wheat toast situation.
We’re making fast and easy “refried” beans and spreading them over a slice of toasted baguette, then topping those beans with ripe tomatoes, creamy avocado, and a perfectly fried egg.
For me, this is the perfect Summer dinner.
Grilled chicken, charred corn, ripe tomatoes, slightly sweet nectarines, pasta, and crisp salad greens, tossed with a simple homemade dressing. Not to mention the tomato and peach toasts that I love to eat with this meal and, if we’re being honest, while it comes together.
This is our family’s favorite burrito bowl.
It’s a recipe that Camryn and I came up with earlier this year and she loved it so much that any leftovers automatically went with her to school for lunch the next day.
It’s become her absolute favorite meal so we make it together fairly often. In fact, if your kiddos are old enough to reach the counter and handle a knife, this would be a great way for them to work on their knife skills (with supervision, of course).
This meal has been in heavy rotation at my house for a loooong time because it’s super simple to make, it’s crazy versatile, and everyone loves it.
Meat, fresh vegetables, and yes, sometimes even fruit are seasoned and roasted to perfection on one sheet pan. Dinner doesn’t get much easier than that.
Kids everywhere are going back to school.
Between school supply lists, new clothes, textbooks, haircuts, and all of the little extras that go into sending our little darlings back to school, budgets can take a serious hit this time of year.
I think we can all agree that 2014 was the year of kale.
Kale was everywhere and all we heard was how great it was for us and that we should be eating ALLTHEKALEALLTHETIME.
That worked for me because I like kale so I put kale in everything in 2014. Mashed potatoes, smoothies, soup, wraps, salads, rice, juice, – you get it.
2015 on the other hand isn’t quite over yet, but I’m going to go ahead and call it: 2015 is the year of quinoa.
It’s very very rare that I get a recipe just right on the first try.
This was an unusual exception.
I’m not talking about following an already established recipe. That, I can do.
What I’m gettin’ at here is coming up with an original recipe because as far as I know, none exist.
Normally the process takes time and numerous do-overs and eventually destroys my kitchen, my patience, and my ego before it’s all over.
But this time everything just worked.
Occasionally we get these in our Graze* box:
They’re called flapjacks and they’re fabulous! They’re also very small and you only get three, which is fine if your daughter doesn’t steal them all from you and shove them in her face like a chipmunk gathering nuts for the winter.
Flapjacks are lightly sweetened oat bars with dried fruit and a little spice. They’re somewhere between a chewy granola bar and a soft oatmeal cookie.
I ♥ them. So does my kid.
So naturally I knew that I needed to figure out how to make them myself just in case there is ever a flapjacks shortage some day or Graze discontinues them.
Since flapjacks aren’t technically granola bars, my usual granola bar recipe wouldn’t work here.
And since they’re not technically oatmeal cookies, my oatmeal cookie recipe wouldn’t work either.
So I checked the ingredients for all of the different flapjacks on the Graze website and did my best to recreate them.
The end result was pretty darn close.
If you’re a fan of flapjacks, I really think you’ll like these.
If not, I think you will be soon. 😉
Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of honey or golden syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
I also added these to my bars but you could use any dried fruit you prefer. Sweetened coconut, nuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, toffee chips, and mini-chocolate chips would be yummy as well.
Directions
Add the butter, honey or golden syrup, and brown sugar to a sauce pan and stir over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
Stir the mixture slowly as it bubbles for 2-3 minutes and then take it off the heat. You don’t need to time it, you’re just looking for everything to become well incorporated. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules when you stir.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, add the oats and any additional items you might want in your bars.
Add the caramel mixture to the oats and stir until the mixture comes together and everything is well incorporated.
Lightly spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick spray, or line with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Dump the mixture into the pan and press it with your fingers to even it out. If things start to get too sticky, just dampen your hands a bit.
Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing.
Store in an airtight container.
*Updated 9/5/15: After making these bars several times since the recipe was originally posted, I’ve been able to make a few changes that actually make this recipe much faster and easier than it was before.
I’ve listed a few additional alterations below. I hope you like this new and improved flapjack recipe as much as the original.
Rolled oats can be used instead of quick-cooking oats. Just give them a pulse or two in the food processor or blender first.
I sometimes toast my oats before adding them to the caramel mixture by spreading them onto a dry sheet pan and sliding them into a preheated 350° oven for 1-2 minutes.
For crispier bars: Press the mixture into an 8×8 pan and bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 10 minutes. I’ve actually gotten sidetracked and left them in the oven for up to 15 minutes and they were fine. Allow to cool completely before slicing into bars.
* Graze is a weekly snack subscription service.
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We Should Be Folding Laundry 