A Healthy Recipe for Homemade Granola

My husband has always been my best food customer when it comes to leftovers from a blog post, which I have certainly appreciated considering how much food it takes to create one food blog post there would be so much food wasted if it wasn't for him.  Recently my husband has been on a granola kick courtesy of this recent recipe.  I love that he is into having granola in mornings now, but of course his recent interest in granola has sparked an interest for me as well in learning how to create a healthy and affordable version. 

After a bit of recipe testing I have landed on what I believe to be a really delicious and nutritious homemade granola that honestly couldn't be easier to make!  This is a dump, mix, bake recipe (my personal favorite!) and I promise you wont be disappointed with the results.  Here is how to make this healthy and oh so delicious breakfast cereal:

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
• 1/2c Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1/3c Agave 
• 2 Tbs Light Muscavado Sugar
• 1/2c Raw Sliced Almonds
• 1/2c Dried Cherries
• 1/2c Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 3 Tbs Flax Seeds (toasted or raw)
• 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit and place rack on the bottom third level of the oven
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl using clean hands (my preference) or a spatula to mix ingredients until combined.  
3. Spread contents onto rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes
5. Remove from oven and stir granola around
6. Place back into the oven for an additional 10-15minutes until just golden brown
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool. *Note- Granola will still appear damp when first out of the oven.  As it cools it will harden.  
8. Once cool, store granola in an air tight container.  **Granola will keep for 2-3weeks

Breakfast Parfait Bites

As you all may recall from this previous post, I recently had the privilege of being part of a select group to receive a preview of the latest product launch from 34 Degrees - Vanilla and Chocolate Crisps!  Boy did I have fun creating all sorts of delicious dessert bites using both the vanilla and chocolate crisps.  However, after taking time to think about it I realized that the pairing options didn't have to be limited to just dessert.  Why not use these crisps to make a delicious and healthy breakfast treat?!? This recipe for Greek Yogurt Parfait Bites is super easy to make, healthy and delicious.  Definitely a crowd pleaser and an absolute must try.  See below for recipe details. 

Ingredients

• 34 Degrees Vanilla Crisps
• Greek Yogurt (I prefer plain, but vanilla works too)
• Honey Almond Flax Granola (or similar)
• Fresh Blueberries
• Good Quality Honey

Instructions

1. Arrange 34 Degrees Vanilla Crisps on a serving platter
2. Spoon about a tablespoon of greek yogurt onto each crisp
3. Top each dollop of yogurt with about a teaspoon of granola
4. Place 3-4 Fresh Blueberries (Blackberries and Raspberries work well too!)
5. Finish each parfait bite with a light drizzle of gourmet honey
6. Serve and enjoy!

3 Quick Dessert Ideas

About a week or two before Labor Day, I received an email from 34 Degrees informing me that something new was coming to their line of crisps and that I would be receiving the new products shortly.  Let me just say that I was beyond flattered and appreciative to have been included in their initial launch of this new mystery product and also super excited to see what the heck they had come up with!  The box arrived a couple days before my recent mountain vacation and when I opened the package I couldn't help it, I screamed with delight!  34-Degrees has created a line of sweet crisps!  Chocolate and Vanilla to be exact with an official release next month, but of course I wanted to give you all the same sneak peek I had been privy to.  

I am such a big fan of these delicious crackers and was absolutely thrilled to find out that they are expanding their current savory product line to now include sweet crisps as well! The ideas and pairing possibilities immediately started rushing to my head, so I decided to pack up my new crackers and do a little taste testing while on my vacation in North Carolina.  After taste testing an array of pairings there were four stand-out recipe/pairing creations that I just had to share with you all.  Three of those recipes fell under the dessert category and the fourth was a breakfast idea.  Today I am going to share the three dessert pairings and next week I will be unveiling the details on my breakfast parfait bites (which you may have seen on my instagram feed), so stay tuned!

Banana Cream Pie Bites 

• 34 Degrees Vanilla Crisps
• 2 Ripe Bananas (sliced thin on the diagonal)
• Instant Vanilla, Banana or Coconut Pudding
• Whipped Cream 
• Mini Nilla Wafers
• Walnuts (toasted and chopped)

Instructions: Place one to two slices of banana on top of a 34 Degrees Vanilla Crisp.  Top with a small dollop of pudding, followed by a slightly smaller dollop of whipped cream.  Finish by placing a mini nilla wafer on top of the whipped cream and lightly sprinkling each bite with a few pieces of chopped walnuts.  

Chocolate Candied Bacon Bites

• 34 Degrees Chocolate Crisps
• Candied Brown Sugar Bacon (roughly chopped)
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
• Maldon Sea Salt 

Instructions: Place a few chopped pieces of candied bacon on top of a chocolate 34 Degrees crisp.  Melt about a cup of semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave (heat for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until chocolate is melted and smooth).  Drizzle a small dollop of melted chocolate over the candied bacon and finish with a sprinkle of Maldon Flaked Sea Salt.  

Ice Cream Sandwiches

• 34 Degrees Crisps, Chocolate or Vanilla
• Edy's Slow Churned Mini Ice Cream Cup (I used vanilla, but any flavor can work)
• Topping of your choice: Heath Bits, Mini Chocolate Chips, Chopped Nuts, Coconut, etc.

Instructions: Using a sharp kitchen knife, cut the ice-cream cup into 1/2inch thick medallions.  Carefully remove the paper from the perimeter of the ice-cream and sandwich the ice-cream medallion between two 34 Degrees Chocolate or Vanilla crisps.  Roll the perimeter of your sandwich in any topping of your choice (I opted for Heath bits) and then return the sandwich to the freezer to firm up before serving.  

Weeknight Taco Ideas

I have to admit that for the longest time I could never understand why tacos were a weeknight dinner go-to for so many people.  In my mind tacos seemed like a very involved dinner option with lots of steps and clean-up associated.  How could tacos possibly be a weeknight friendly dinner idea?

After mulling this idea over for quite some time, I finally decided to put homemade taco making to the test and see if it was really as weeknight friendly as people had made it out to be.  The result?  Absolutely a weeknight friendly dinner option!  

Tacos can be made a zillion different ways using an endless array of toppings.  For this post I wanted to show you how I have gone about creating a healthy taco night that can be made vegetarian friendly and uses a bunch of seasonal produce.  The most labor intensive aspect of taco prep would have to be the veggie chopping and "Mise en Place."  However, the majority of the prep work can be done ahead of time (i.e. over the weekend) leaving you with simply preparing the proteins during the weeknight.   

Ingredients

• Light Tortillas or Crunchy Taco Shells
• Ground Beef or Extra Firm Cubed Tofu (drained and squeezed dry with paper towels)
• Yellow Onion (diced fine)
• Reduced Sodium Taco Seasoning
• Coconut Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Mexican Cheese (Shredded)
• Light Sour Cream
• Salsa
• Watermelon Radish (diced fine)
• Vine Ripened Tomatoes (de-seeded and diced)
• Italian Radicchio (cut in half and sliced thin)
• Jalepeno Pepper (de-seeded and diced fine)
• Fresh Cilantro (leaves roughly chopped)
• Boston Bibb Lettuce 
• Fresh Limes (cut into wedges)
• Roasted Poblano Peppers (skin removed and diced)

Instructions for Roasting Poblano Peppers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and move your oven rack up to the top half position
2. Slice the top off of the poblano pepper and remove the seeds
3. Once the bulk of the seeds are removed, slice the pepper lengthwise and place each half on a lined baking sheet with the skin side up
4. Give each poblano pepper half a light mist of olive oil and a dusting of kosher salt
5. Roast in the oven for approximately 20minutes until the skin is sufficiently blistered
6. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow them to cool
7. Using the back end of a knife, scrape the blistered skin off of the pepper and then dice the pepper into 1/2in pieces

Instructions for Cooking the Protein

1. Heat 2 TBS Olive Oil or Coconut Oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
2. When the skillet is hot, add 1/4 finely diced yellow onion to the skillet
3. Cook the onion until it starts to turn translucent
4. Add the protein to the skillet
   1. For beef - cook according to the taco seasoning packet instructions
   2. For tofu - cook until evenly browned on each side, then add 2 tsps of the taco seasoning to the mixture and cook for an additional 3 minutes

Blackberry and Lemon White Wine Spritzer

According to the weather channel, a good portion of the country is in for a seriously oppressive heat wave this weekend (woof!).  While it would be great to make the most of this super sunshine and hit the beach, I'm stuck in the city this weekend figuring out different ways to keep cool.  While there are certainly plenty of other ways to beat the mega heat this weekend, a cold and refreshing cocktail certainly makes the list!  Specifically, my latest go-to cocktail creation - a blackberry and lemon white wine spritzer!  

Beer is too filling in my opinion and while I am a major red wine enthusiast, this weather is just way too hot for red wine drinking.  Instead, this weekend I am opting for a cool and refreshing white wine spritzer with a fabulous new twist!  Combining two of my favorite things (Napa Cellars Wine and Spindrift Blackberry Seltzer) with a little hint of lemon and a few frozen blackberries has resulted in a drink that is not too sweet and a most delicious flavor profile.  If you are in the market for a new cocktail recipe this weekend, I highly recommend trying this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 Bottle Sauvignon Blanc
• 4 Cans Blackberry Spindrift Seltzer
• 12-18 Frozen Blackberries
• 4 Ice Spheres
• 2-3 Lemons

Instructions

1. Place one sphere ice cube into each tumbler or glass
2. Pour 4oz of wine into each glass
3. Fill the remainder of the glass with Spindrift Blackberry Seltzer
4. Squeeze the juice of 1/4 of a lemon into each glass
5. Garnish with 3-4 frozen blackberries and a slice of fresh lemon
6. Serve and enjoy!