Monday, November 18, 2013

Homemade Granola :D

Today has been one crazy productive day. On top of accomplishing a ton of things, I tried my very first recipe out of my new cookbook that I got from my grandma for my birthday :]



I then proceeded to label recipes I am stoked to make! ;]


Today I made my first recipe from this book! Granola. It is absolutely fantastic. I only altered the recipe slightly by using olive oil instead of vegetable oil. 


-Ingredients-
-2 cups of oats
-1 cup of nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans chopped or slivered. (I omitted nuts in mine for the first try)
-1/2 cup flaked coconut (this adds an amazing flavor, I highly recommend it even if you aren't a big fan of coconut, I'm not)
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds (roasted or raw)
-1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (it is usually in the aisle with oatmeal)
-1/4 cup flaxseed meal
-1/2 cup honey, agave, or maple syrup. (I used honey)
-2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil. (I chose olive)
-2 tsp ground cinnamon
-1 cup dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, apricots, or blueberries. (I chose cranberry)

-Directions-
-Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease a pan that has walls to it.
-In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and flaxseed meal. (Don't add cranberries until after baking).
-In a smaller bowl combine honey, cinnamon and oil until mixed well. 
-Fold the honey mixture into the oat mixture. 
-Spread the mixture evenly inside the greased pan. 
-Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. 
-Stir the granola after about 15 minutes of baking.
-Remove from the oven and stir in the dried fruit. 
-Spread on a piece of foil to cool, or as I did, grab a cup and add soy milk to eat it like a mad woman ;]
-Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 months. 


I had to have seconds it was so good...






Friday, November 8, 2013

Jumbled Quinoa Salad

This tasty meal is a mix of all sorts of different ingredients. An Italian dressing is nicely accented with red onions, cheddar cheese and black olives. The quinoa sucks up the flavors for a strong experience :)


-Ingredients-
-2tbsp fat free Italian dressing
-1/3 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
-a large spoonful of:
  -black olives
  -cheddar cheese
  -chopped red onion
  -sliced water chestnuts
  -yellow corn
-2 pimento stuffed green olives sliced in half. (Adds a tangy flavor)
-1/4 of an avocado sliced

-Directions-
-throw everything together in a bowl and enjoy! 
If you leave it in the fridge for a little bit, the quinoa really absorbs the flavors. I make mine in the morning to bring to work for lunch. :)


Coffee Protein Drink

My sister just gave me a simple and outrageously delicious recipe for a coffee protein drink. I'm a barista and this, I would sell in my shop in a heart beat! :)


-Ingredients-


-1 cup drip coffee
-1 cup milk, I use soy, she uses almond
-1/2 banana
-1 scoop protein, I use strawberry, she uses vanilla
-ice before blend to make it like a frapp, ice after blend to make it a thick smoothie

So delicious and healthy :)

Thanks Kate!