Granola Madness!

Sarah's Super Granola

Peanut Butter Granola

Okay, so I know that I just barely posted a granola recipe, but I love this stuff. It's healthy and so scrumptious. (Plus I am having a blast inventing new recipes.) So far, these granolas have been a hit with family and friends. My friend Tennyson really liked the Peanut Butter one, so I am posting that recipe for him. But Leah's favorite is the Fruit and Nut one (which I like to call Sarah's Super Granola). I add in coconut oil, which gives it a wonderful sweet flavor. Whichever you choose, both are pretty amazing.

Sarah's Super Granola

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup oat bran

1/2 cup flax seed

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup raisins

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray two large baking sheets with oil. Combine the oats, oat bran, flax, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl. Warm in the microwave for about 45 seconds, or until mixture is starting to bubble. (This can also be done on the stove.) Make sure mixture is smooth. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets. Bake in the oven until crispy and toasted, about 30-40 minutes. Make sure you stir the granola every 10 minutes (this is very important). Cool. Stir in the raisins, cranberries, and shredded coconut.

Peanut Butter Granola

4 cups rolled oats (or 2 cups oats with 2 cups rice crispies)

1/2 cup flax seed

1/2 cup peanuts (optional)

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup peanut butter (I like using crunchy)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray one large baking sheet with oil. Combine the oats, flax, and peanuts in a large bowl. Stir together the maple syrup, peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Warm this mixture in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Make sure mixture is smooth. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir to coat. Spread out the granola on the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes (or so), stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Stir in the raisins.

Maple Nut Granola

The other night, my dad was talking about how he didn't have much to eat in the morning besides packaged cereal. He said he wanted something healthy and asked me if I would make granola. So I came up with this granola. There is no processed sugar or even honey in it, just pure maple. I got kudos for it from Leah and dad, so that's a sign that it must be pretty darn delicious :)

Maple Nut Granola 

6 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chopped pecans (you can use any type of nut)

1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt (use a tad less if using iodized salt)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup vegetable oil+3/4 cup applesauce

1 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  In a large bowl, stir together oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, salt, vanilla, oil, applesauce, spices, and maple syrup. Spread mixture evenly in 2 large shallow baking pans (1 inch deep) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes total. Cool granola completely in pans on racks, then stir in dried fruit.

Acai Bowls!

Acai: this "superfood" is an organically grown palm berry from the rainforests of Brazil. It’s packed with protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In a bowl and mixed with fruit juices, honey, fresh fruits and crunchy granola, it is simply heavenly. I tried my first Acai bowl in Hawaii, and I fell in love. Try these, I know you'll love them.

Acai Bowls

2 packs of frozen pure Acai (I like the Sambazon pure/unsweetened smoothie packs)

8 to 12 ounces of frozen mixed berries

8 ounces apple juice (or a mixed berry juice)

1 banana

honey

Toppings: sliced banana, sliced strawberries, granola, honey

*Combine Acai, berries, and juice in a blender and blend well. Blend in a banana. Mix in honey until you acquire the sweet taste you prefer. (I use about 2 tablespoons.) The mixture should be thick. Serve in a bowl topped with granola and sliced bananas/strawberries. Drizzle with honey. Devour.

(Note: this recipe makes 4-6 bowls)

Breakfast for Dinner

This week, Spencer and Shannan and their three adorable little boys came to visit us. It was so much fun to be with them. The first night they were here, I made something that no one can resist: breakfast for dinner. I decided to make something a bit more unique than the traditional breakfast...Pumpkin Pie Waffles and Banana Bread Pancakes. Top the Pumpkin Pie Waffles with whipped cream and the Banana Bread Pancakes with Banana-Pecan Syrup, and you have yourself a scrumptious meal. Easton ("Easy E") loved the Pumpkin Pie Waffles...both are yummy though.

Pumpkin Pie Waffles
(makes 4-6 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles)
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup flour (I use whole-wheat)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/4 tsp. dried/ground nutmeg)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm
1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.
2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.
3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.
4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.
5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.
6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.
7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.
8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.
9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! Cook until slightly crispy.
I got this recipe from this awesome website: http://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/ultimate-pumpkin-waffle-recipe/ Check it out to get your waffles to be just perfect.


Banana Bread Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour (I use whole-wheat)
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed with 2 Tbsp. applesauce

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla. 
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry one, mixing only until combined.
4. Stir in the bananas.
5. Cook the batter on a large skillet or griddle. 
6. Serve with sliced bananas and Banana-Pecan Syrup.

For the Banana-Pecan Syrup:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 small bananas, mashed (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup maple syrup

1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the nuts and saute for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. 
3. Add the bananas and cook, stirring for about 1 minute.
4. Add the syrup and cook for about 1 more minute, or until the syrup is hot and slightly thickened.
5. Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place.
6. Serve over the pancakes.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with Apple Walnut Syrup

I made these pancakes for dad on Father's Day. They were so moist and flavorful! This breakfast dish will be sure to put a smile on your face :)

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups milk (you may need more)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

*Blend together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the chopped apple. Cook pancakes on a hot, greased griddle.

Apple Walnut Syrup

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

*In a saucepan, melt the butter while stirring in the walnuts. Toast walnuts until lightly browned. Add in the maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the chopped apple. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve over the warm pancakes.

Blueberry Waffles

Waffles...hmmm. Here's a trick when making fruit filled waffles: when pouring the batter into the waffle-iron, make a swirl, sprinkle the fruit, then swirl some more batter on top. This way, the fruit won't sink to the bottom, and in this case, the blueberries won't dye the batter an unappetizing green color if using frozen berries. Enjoy :)

Blueberry Waffles

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour (I prefer whole wheat)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup blueberries

*Blend together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Gradually add the wet and dry ingredients together. Let the batter sit for a few minutes to thicken. Heat a sprayed waffle-iron. When cooking waffles: pour batter into a swirl, sprinkle on a few blueberries, swirl more batter on top. serve with whipped cream and more blueberries. Serves 4-6 people.

Easter Feaster!

Here's the troops! We had a nice Easter Dinner with family and friends. Ira, Heidi and their kids came. Lon's room-mate, Bryce, and the Cook's: Janeece, Hannah, and Sara came over too. We ate homemade pita sandwiches with hummus (recipes are in an earlier post), potato salad, and ham.

I made this delectable dish for breakfast: French Toast Casserole. Does it look delicious?...you're right, it was :)

And for dessert...Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake. It doesn't get much better than this. Booyah grandma.

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• Praline Topping, recipe follows
• Maple syrup

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Spread on top of casserole.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients

For the base:

• Butter, for greasing
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 9 graham crackers
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons, zested and juiced
• About 1/2 cup sugar, eyeball it
• 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

For the base:

Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.

For the filling:

Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with powdered sugar.

Hinckley's Potato Salad

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons vinegar or pickle juice

1 Tablespoon mustard

1-2 teaspoons salt

pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped pickles

12 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled, and chopped

8-10 potatoes, boiled, cooled, and cubed

*In a large bowl, combine the onions, pickles, eggs, and potatoes. Mix up the dressing (mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper) and pour into the mixture in the large bowl. Mix them together using your hands. Note: you may add less or more of any ingredient to satisfy to your liking.

Strawberry Banana Crepes and Herbed Potatoes

After church today, me and my roomies decided that we wanted to make a delicious meal, and what's better than crepes and potatoes? Ha. Well the food was fun to make and it was super yummy (and I usually hate crepes). My roomdawg, Rebekah, made the crepes. And I made the herbed potatoes and creamy strawberry syrup. It turned out delish.

Rebekah's Crepes
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. flour
1 T. vegetable oil
1/4 t. salt
*Beat the ingredients together. Heat a lightly greased skillet; remove from heat. Spoon in 2 T. batter; lift skillet to spread batter. Return to heat; brown on one side only. Invert over paper towels. Remove crepe. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet occasionally.  When ready to eat, fill crepe with sliced strawberries and bananas and top with creamy strawberry syrup (see below) and whipped cream.

Sarah's Herbed Potatoes
1/2 bag or about 10 potatoes, washed and cubed
1 onion, chopped
blend of herbs and spices:
oregano, basil, rosemary, garlic salt, pepper, cumin, curry, cinnamon, chili powder (just a tad)
*Boil the cubed potatoes until they are in between tender and hard (because you will be frying them later). Drain and cool the potatoes in the fridge (covered). In a frying pan (I used a wok), saute the onion in olive or vegetable oil for only about one min, add the potatoes. Add the herbs and spices to your liking. I like to add the cinnamon (only about 2 pinches) and chili powder (only one pinch) toward the end of frying. The combination of these spices may sound weird, but they taste delicious together.

 Creamy Strawberry Syrup
1 1/2 c. smashed strawberries
1 c. water
2/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla
*Heat the sugar and water over medium heat. Add the strawberries and stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil; boil for a few minutes. Whisk in cream. Take off burner and stir in the vanilla. For thicker syrup, mix about 1/2 c. water with a spoonful of cornstarch or flour in a cup, whisk this into syrup while it is still boiling. Take off burner. Serve over crepes, pancakes, waffles, etc. YUM! (I love this stuff).

Apple Strudel

This morning I made an apple strudel. It was a big hit...yay :) I was very happy that people liked it. The key to this recipe is the phyllo dough. You can usually get this at any grocery store. I found mine at a health food store, and it was 100% whole wheat (shhh...don't tell anyone that it was somewhat healthy).

Apple Strudel
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
a splash of apple juice
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. crushed graham crackers
2 T. butter, cut into pieces
6-7 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 c. butter, melted for brushing the phyllo sheets
1 T. granulated sugar 
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the apples, apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, brown sugar, cookie crumbs, and butter in a large bowl. Remove the phyllo dough from the box, unfold, and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet of phyllo on the work surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, brushing each with melted butter, stacking when done, being sure to keep the unbuttered phyllo covered. Place the apple mixture on the nearest third of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling and fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon and confectioners' sugar. For the frosting, I added milk to cream cheese frosting and drizzled it over the strudel. You can make any frosting you like.

Granola: healthy and delicious...where can you go wrong?

I love homemade granola! It is really easy to make and delicious. You can add anything you want: oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, wheat germ, even shredded wheat. I made some tonight and it turned out super yummy! Here's the recipe I came up with:

Sarah's Granola
9 c. rolled oats
1 c. shredded wheat, ground up in blender
1 1/2 c. chopped almonds (or any other nuts)
1 c. shredded coconut
1 c. raisins
1 c. dried cranberries
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T. cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
2 c. honey, melted
2 T. vanilla
*Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine the oats, shredded wheat, nuts, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a container with a pourable spout, mix the oil, honey, and vanilla together. Pour the honey mixture over the dry mixture and stir well. Pour the granola into 2 - 9x13" glass baking pans. Bake the granola for 15 minutes and stir. Bake for another 15 minutes and stir. Bake for about 6-8 minutes and stir. You will know the granola is done when it is golden and starting to get toasted. Remove the pans from the oven. Pour the granola into a bowl and stir in the raisins, dried cranberries, and coconut. Let the granola cool. After cooling, the granola should be toasty and crisp (compare this texture with the texture of store-bought granola). Store in an airtight container. Enjoy :)

Sunday Morning: French Toast and Dad's Healthy Breakfast Shakes

I woke up this morning to the smell of freshly baked homemade bread (whole wheat, of course). There is nothing I like better than that heavenly aroma in the kitchen. I felt sort of sick from staying up so late the night before so dad let me have one of his health shakes for breakfast. I am telling you, those shakes are miracle food. Plus they taste amazing. Here is the recipe:
 
Dad's Healthy Breakfast Shakes
1 apple
1 orange
2 bananas
5 strawberries
soymilk
pineapple juice
+ random things like beets, yams, nuts, etc.
*Put all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

That shake put me in such a good mood that I  decided to make Isaac breakfast. (I know, I know, I am such a nice sister...haha). I needed to make something fast so I made cinnamon vanilla french toast:


Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast
3 slices whole wheat bread 
3 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg 
*Whisk everything together (except the bread, silly). Dip the bread in the egg mixture and cook on med-high in a lightly oiled frying pan. Cook until lightly brown on each side. (Tip: if you cover the pan with a lid the french toast will puff up and cook more evenly). Remove french toast from pan.Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Devour.