homemade granola- there is no turning back!

18 Thursday Oct 2012

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breakfast, cereal, coconut, dried fruit, granola, homemade granola, nuts, oats

I have to warn you… Once you make your first batch of homemade granola there is absolutely no turning back. Store-bought will never taste this fresh and good. Your friends and family will gobble this healthy breakfast up in no time and beg you to make more. It really takes very little time to make it and it is cheaper to make it yourself using your own favorite ingredients. I like to make a double batch and store it in a glass gallon jar on the counter. Serve this with milk or yogurt and fresh berries for breakfast or eat it as a snack later in the day.

Granola

4 cups large flake oats

3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds

1 cup raw almonds, walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts (or a mixture of these)

1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1-1/2 cups dried fruits, such as raisons, currants, dried

grated zest of 2 oranges

3/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1/4 coconut oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F). Combine oats, nuts, dried fruit and zest in a large bowl. Heat the coconut oil and maple syrup in a small saucepan on low heat until warm. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Divide mixture between 2 cookie sheets and spread into a thin layer. Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Allow mixture to col completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Yield: about 10 cups of granola

fruit and nut oatmeal bars

23 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook, whole grains

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bars, breakfast bars, dried fruit, flax seed, fruit and nut, hazelnut oil, nuts, oatmeal, oatmeal bars, rolled oats, snacks, walnut oil

I sampled another one of Lorna Sass’s recipes this weekend. These Fruit and Nut Oatmeal bars were very moist and did tend to fall apart a little. I found that toasting them in my toaster oven just before eating them dried them out a bit and prevented them from falling apart. Otherwise, these are very flavorful! Feel free to use any combination of dried fruits and nuts.

Fruit and Nut Oatmeal Bars

1-3/4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil (or canola oil)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup raisons, preferable golden

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup hilled, raw unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted

3 tablespoons ground flax seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease an 8×8 square baking pan. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the rolled oats on the bottom of the pan and reserve two tablespoons to sprinkle on top.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and blend in the honey, orange juice concentrate, oil, salt and cinnamon. Cover and turn off the heat.

Place 1/2 cup of the rolled oats in a spice grinder and process into a flour. Stir the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining cup of oats, apricots, cranberries, raisons, grated orange zest, almonds and sunflower seeds into the honey mixture in the pot. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seed and 1/2 cup of water. Whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes gummy, about 1 minute. Fold the flax seeds slurry into the oat mixture. Pour into the prepared baking pan and and smooth off the top. Sprinkle the remaining oats on top and gently press them into the batter. Bake until the bottom and sides are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool in a rack. Slice the cake down the middle while it is still in the pan. Then cut each half into 1-inch wide bars. Enjoy warm, at room temperature or chilled. You can refrigerate the bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Resource:

Sass, L. (2006). Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. New York: Clarkson/Potter Publishers.

West Haven Date Bars

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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bake, chocolate chips, cocoa, date bar, dates, dessert, dried fruit, pecans, snack, walnuts, West Haven Date Bars

I like dates and am trying to incorporate more dried fruit into my diet. This date bar recipe was a real find as it is quite different from the ‘Fig Newton’ style of date bar. Instead, this is a moist, chocolately treat!

West Haven Date Bars

1 cup boiling water

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar or natural sweetener of your choice

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Lightly grease a 13x 9-inch pan. Pour boiling water over the dates in a small bowl and let stand until cool.

Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until light. Blend in flour, cocoa and baking soda to make a smooth dough. Stir in date mixture. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over the top.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until center feels firm. Cut into 2x 1-1/2 inch bars while still warm. Makes about 3 dozen bars.