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.

carrot cake (or apple cake)

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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apple, apple cake, cake, caramel, caramel frosting, carrot, carrot cake, cream cheese, cream cheese frosting, dessert, muffin, nuts, raisons

I had a craving for carrot cake the other day and wanted to share the recipe with you. I usually don’t frost the cake (if it’s just for me) and this time around I added a handful of raisons and then poured the batter into stoneware muffin pans for individual little cakes. This recipe can easily be turned into an Apple Cake simply by substituting apples for the carrots. I included two optional frosting recipes below.

Carrot Cake

1-½ cups organic sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups shredded carrots (about 5 medium)

1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease and flour rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Mix sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except carrots and nuts. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting if desired.

Apple Cake

Substitute 3 cups chopped apple (about 3 medium) for the carrots). Frost with Caramel Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, milk and vanilla in medium bowl on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and of spreading consistency. Frosts a 13×9-inch cake or fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch cake layers.

Caramel Frosting

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup milk

2 cups brown sugar

Heat butter over medium heat in a small saucepan until melted. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling then remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm.

Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Place saucepan of frosting in a bowl of cold water. Beat until smooth and of spreading consistency. If frosting becomes too stiff, stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Frosts a 13×9-innch cake or fills and frosts two 8- or 9-inch cake layers.

Resource:

Zeman, A. (1991). Betty Crocker’s 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook. New York: Prentice Hall

how to make almond milk

18 Tuesday Oct 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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Tags

almond milk, almonds, ground almonds, milk, nut milk, nuts, soak almonds

I have been making and drinking almond milk for over three years now and I really love it. Not only is it fun and easy to make, but it also tastes great and adds a subtle nutty flavor to hot cereals and black tea. I dry the leftover ground almonds in a warm oven and then store them in a glass jar to be used in baking cookies and muffins.

Almond Milk

Place 1 cup dry raw almonds in a bowl and cover with water. Place in refrigerator and soak overnight.

Drain water and rinse the almonds. Put 2 cups fresh water in a blender. Add the drained, soaked almonds and blend for 2-3 minutes. Pour through a jelly bag to strain into a bowl, squeezing all excess liquid out of the bag. Put milk in a glass jar and keep refrigerated. Shake well before using.

Note: when soaking the almonds, choose a bowl that will not stain (or a bowl that doesn’t matter if it gets stained). Also, I only make one small batch at a time as the milk will not keep for more than 4-5 days in the fridge.

Almonds, revered for centuries, were once a prized ingredient in breads served to the pharaohs of Egypt, and the Romans showered newlyweds with almonds as a fertility charm. Thought to originate in China and Central Asia, almonds are now grown throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East and in the U.S. ~ Rosie Schwarz

Pictured above: raw almonds before and after soaking.

Almonds are a source of monounsaturated fats (MUFAs), which lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Other health benefits to including almonds in your diet include reducing inflammation and improving blood flow. Almonds and their skins are also high in antioxidants- vitamin E and polyphenols, which provide protection against heart disease and certain cancers and may improve immune function.

Almonds are a very versatile culinary ingredient in the kitchen. You can get them both in-shell or shelled, blanched, slivered, chopped, roasted, ground, sweetened, salted, and they are the main ingredient in marzipan.

Resource:

Schwarz, R. (2003). The Enlightened Eater’s Whole Foods Guide: Harvest the Power of Phyto Foods. Penguin Books: Toronto, ON.