Get it done: SUPER SHINY AMAZING GRANOLA

I'm seriously always making granola now. I don't even use a recipe anymore. Junk in a bowl, make it wet, cook it. Done. It's that easy.

I did happen to write this particular concoction down, and it was pretty popular around here...  sooo I thought sharing is caring.

This granola will literally lift you up and take you flying ever so effortlessly through the clouds. It will do your laundry, pay your bills and find the missing socks for you. Forget meditation and warm lemon water... This stuff is amazing and so good for you, it's illegal.

SUPER POWERS GRANOLA

Preheat: 325 degrees

1 cup Oats
1 cup Quinoa Flakes
1/2 cup Buckwheat Flour
1/2 cup Hemp Seed Hearts
1/2 cup Hazelnut Meal
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1 cup Almonds
1 cup unsweetened Coconut flakes
1/4 Chia seeds
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/4 Tbsp Truvia powder (Please feel free to substitute with 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey)
3/4 cup melted Coconut oil
1/3 cup water
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Throw it all in a bowl and mix it up really well.

Separate ingredients onto 2 large cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake and watch and turn. Bake and watch and turn. I set my timer for every 10 minutes and that seemed too little, then i tried 15 and that was too much. Basically when the edges of the mixture start to brown you need to mix and turn it again. After turning it 3 times, take it out and let it cool before placing in an airtight container.

Makes enough for 12 1/2 cup servings, But in my house it doesn't last that long.

IMPORTANT NOTE: my 11-year-old non granola eater eats this. Super weird. 

First and Foremost: QUINOA BUCKWHEAT POWER GRANOLA

GRANOLA POWER: First and Foremost

I know...  crappy weird picture with indescribably dirty granola container. I know. Frankly in person it just doesn't look that dirty. Mea Culpa.

Anyhoo, the granola is delicious and super good for you. But I've been making a lot of granola lately, So this is only the beginning. I need to get back on the blogging horse, and this sub-par picture is what I had today in the middle of endless snow pant donning, writing assignment and trying to meditate once and for all.

 

QUINOA BUCKWHEAT POWER GRANOLA

•  3 cups quinoa flakes
• 1 cup buckwheat groats
• 2 tbsp each ground flax, chia seeds and sesame seeds (optional)
• 1/2 cup each pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, chopped almonds and chopped hazelnuts (or any combination of what you have on hand)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the oil, honey and vanilla together. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the flakes and groats are well coated. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking tray. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

If you’d like to add dried fruit, you can do so at the end. I chose to add 1 cup of coconut flakes at the end. I love the crisp white curls in this otherwise monochromatic granola.

WORK FOR IT: Cauliflower Pizza Crust (LOW CARB)

Before I launch into my tale, let me preface by saying there is an extremely delicious, low carb end to this story, lest you be put off by my next few paragraphs.

Like all things in life,this seemed endless overly complicated and stressful.... 

I did't think i was going to get through it.

I regretted even starting it.

1.I had already made several other 'regular' pizzas for the fam. They had moved on and were happily enjoying their saturday night while i slaved over this bad boy.

2.I have a very small kitchen which was already a complete wreck when i started. AND my busted oven was turning on and off the whole time, making things indescribably difficult. 

4.Plus, I was really hungry.

As I was making it I really thought, 

OK NO. This is too much.

Now, that I am on the other side of it, I think making a second one would be 1000x easier. I urge you to try it when you have time and energy to get through the virgin crust.

Plus it was absolutely delicious. EVERYONE went nuts for it. Trust me, it does NOT taste like some fakey vegetarian version of a food we adore. It's super! It's low carb!

I confess, I WILL make it again, knowing what i know now.

WORK FOR IT: Low Carb Cauliflower Pizza Crust
makes 1 large crust

Ingredients:

4 cups raw cauliflower rice

1 egg, beaten

1 cup mozzarella 

1/2 cup cheddar

(Use whatever spices you think will work. I used...)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 t oregano 

1 t basil 

2 t chopped garlic

pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400F, and start your crust.

To make the cauliflower "rice": pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved. Ours came out even finer than rice and worked just wonderfully. It's just too easy.

Microwave the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl, for 8 minutes, stirring to vent steam every 2 minutes. When it's done, Let it sit and cool, folding it over with a spoon every so often. I put it onto a flatter plate to allow more steam to come out.

Once you've cooled the "rice", transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel.  In the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! It should make the cauliflower into a sort of mashed potato like ball inside the towel. ALOT of extra water will be released, which is important! 

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower ball, egg, cheeses and spices. Transfer onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread/shape/flatten into a rectangular crust like thing. It WON'T feel like regular dough, but don't worry. (1/4 inch?...our was even thinner i think) Now,continue to blot the whole thing several times with paper towels when you are fashioning it into the crust. 

(Yes, it takes alot to get the moisture out, But if you don't do it, the crust will be soggy and not like a crust at all.)

Bake it until it starts to turn golden. Then, VERY IMPORTANT, CAREFULLY invert it onto a new cookie sheet by placing another parchment on top and flipping. It's not as hard as it seems, but be careful. Let's be honest, it's hot and not cooked completely yet. (If you made two smaller crusts this whole shindig would be easier....)

Peel the old parchment off the back and then bake the other side till it is also golden. You could even broil it a little to speed up the process! 

Take it out and  top it with whatever the heck you want! (Yes, we used pepperoni on half or it...But thats entirely optional -duh.)
BROIL the toppings everything is browned and melted the way you like. Let it cool for 5 or 10 minutes,If you want cut it perfectly, But we devoured it right away and it was just glorious.

I think making a double batch of this and freezing one seems like a delightful option.

FAMILY TALLY: A+++. SERIOUSLY.

I was inspired by this recipe and the comments that were made regarding it. http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust/

BLAMO: Super Protein Bars

I made some protein bars last week that the kids were really jazzed about. They said they tasted like CLIFF bars, but i didn't. 

Anyhoo, I forgot to blog them and they are LONG gone. ah well. I was taken by how STUPID EASY these things are to make. 

The HEALTH FOOD business is pulling a huge one over on us, people.

Today before my run i wanted to get something made for when THE VEGETARIAN comes back from her 2 dance classes. Something sweet and healthy, that feels like a treat and has all the protein she so desperately needs ...being the no eggs, no fish, no garbanzo bean kind of vegetarian she happens to be. 

sigh.

I quickly adapted a simpler recipe from the internet, as it was really boring and just not nutritious enough for my taste. 

These came out great. Maybe even TOO sweet, although you'd never hear my kids say that.

New challenge= I need t make my own chocolate chips. I just can't buy 'em anymore. There has to be any easy, low cost and less sugary version i can achieve. 

I'm on a mission.... stay tuned. But not today. There are attics to be cleaned, teen bathing suits to be shopped for (lord help me), flowers to be planted and tonight...Cauliflower pizza crust. 

Yes it's happening.

Welcome to my relaxing weekend.

BLAMO: Super Protein Bars

1/4 cup steel cut oats (for a real crunch)

1/8 cup hulled hemp seeds

3/4 cup rolled/old fashioned oats (i always used Gluten free)

1/8 cup chia seeds

1/8 cup honey

1/8 light agave

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp protein powder (i use RAW vanilla, because it's awesome)

Note about ingredients: You don't HAVE to have chia...you could use ground flax! You don't have to use hemp, you could use quinoa flakes or just more oats, you could use regular agave or even just more honey....See what I mean? It's pretty easy to adjust.

In a large bowl, mix them together. Take half the mixture and shape into a large log on a long piece of saran wrap. close the saran wrap around the length of the log and roll into a thinner log. When it is the shape you desire, slightly flatten for a more bar like shape.  

pop them in the freezer for at least 1/2 hour and then cut to desired length.

(You don't have to do any of this. You could just roll into bite sized balls or put in a pan and cut..It's up to you.)

Keep in the freezer until you are ready to eat or pack in a lunch! 

GOOD EGG: Mini Omelette Bites

              i hate eggs.

i really do.

I was inspired the other morning to make something that i thought would make me actually EAT an egg. Lots of disguise, ya know?

Plus I had the left over veggie sausage and the vegi cheddar shreds as well. I hate throwing food away almost as much as I hate eggs..

So I came up with these.

Cheesy, meaty, oniony little egg disguises. 

Did I eat them you ask????

I ate two. TWO!! And yes, I might have nibbled around the eggy bits. What can I say? I'm a coward.

In the end...Super easy to make, and they will sit in the fridge for a couple days too!

They are so cute!

GOOD EGG: Mini Omelette Bites

5 beaten eggs (3 whole, 2 whites)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 vegetarian sausage patty, defrosted
1 cup vegi cheese of your choice (i used cheddar)
1/8 tsp Curry powder(Or seasoning of your choice)
salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat your oven to 375.
Spray or lightly coat your muffin pan with the oil. I used olive oil spread.

Lightly saute the onion (and sausage) till they start getting soft. Cool for 3 minutes.

Combine eggs, onions, sausage in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and seasoning of your choice. I always add a bit of curry to eggs...But you don't have to.

Put a pinch of cheese in the bottom of the muffin wells. Add egg mixture, so that it comes to about 2/3 of the way up to the top of the well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake for 9 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes if you want it browner.

Ta da!

Ok, actually it's about 4 bites...

FAMILY TALLY:3 of us ate them, even me...

A KEEPER: Scallion Ginger Tofu Marinade

• 
• Good Luck. 
• My newly vegetarian teen keeps reminding me(she's TRYING to be patient)that she doesn't like SOY all that much. 
• Have you ever tried to find a tofu marinade without soy??? It's ridiculous. I FINALLY ran across this... which has a small bit of tamari and tried it.
• A complete hit!
• I cut the drained & de-watered tofu in slices, marinaded it for 3 hours and then fried it up in a pan with a bit of coconut oil. 
• It came out beautifully. Not too spicy. Made the house smell like heaven.
• Even THE PICKY ONE tolerated it. I'd say this is a total keeper. The next time I will double the batch as this was BARELY enough for one block of extra firm Tofu.
• Now as you can see we like our stuff CRISPY (ok, it looks burnt...But i assure you thats 1000% tasty.)
• You could obviously roast this or do it in a pan. I just wanted to try something different since my oven could use a break, and I thought the pan would give it that extra crisp WE like. It did!
• This would really work as a marinade on anything, I think.
• 
  
• A KEEPER: Scallion Ginger Tofu Marinade

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp reduc sodium tamari (or shoyu or soy sauce)
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced, or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 tbsp garlic (minced fresh, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic)
• 1/2 cup scallions (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

COMFORT: Artichoke Chicken Bake

Ok, this was a hit for me and THE MEAT EATER a couple days ago. I had a bunch of artichokes left over,frozen chicken which i had thawed and some peas that needed to be eaten or go the way of all things.

and wanted something super simple.

I DID accidentally omit 2 items unwittingly, But this came out lovely anyway. I threw the peas in for fun, i admit.

I would eat this again and again and also serve to guests. 

A word to the wise: Always rinse and drain those canned artichoke hearts. That water they are kept in has a tang that can really mess up a recipe.

He ate this over pasta, I ate it over spaghetti squash!

STUPID EASY: Baked Artichoke Chicken

4 lbs. your choice chicken cut up

1 cup rinsed artichoke pieces, halved (canned is fine, I used fresh which is a pain but worth it)

1 medium onion, cut into pieces same size as the artichokes
1 pound any mushrooms (halved or quartered)
2 tablespoons coarse mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
***1 cup small peas (frozen or fresh)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
***1/4 cup red or white wine (you could also sub in chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
***1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
kosher salt and pepper (to taste)

Preheat oven to 350F-375F, depending if you like crispy skin or not.

Place artichokes, onions and mushrooms on the bottom of a big pan.
Place chicken pieces on top of the vegetables.

Mix the mustard with the rest of the ingredients and pour over chicken.
Season w/ salt & pepper.

***My changes and or accidental omissions.

Adapted for a recipe on THE CHEW.


FAMILY TALLY: A+ from the two of us, everyone else was MIA.

OK not so picture worthy i guess...
But taste wise it gets an A!

ODDBALL: Savory Vegetarian Protein Scone

Several things happened this morning. Still being sick for the better part of the month, I was longing for something tasty and BAD on yet another rainy morning.

Also, there was food going to waste in my fridge, which you know makes me very blue.

After trying and hating the Vegan turkey and cheese products (the word 'products' makes it seem really unhealthy and processed, no?) I just COULD NOT let them go to waste in my fridge. However, There was no way anyone was going to eat them if they weren't heavily disguised.

Then another thing happened. I went hunting for scone recipes. It seemed like something i could easily make from what i had on hand.

Then BAM! It came to me...I decided to come up with a savory scone which was high in protein. 

Here are the weird, but surprisingly tasty results. I'm not saying they are PERFECT, but they don't suck either. 

ODDBALL: Savory Vegetarian Protein Scone 

• 3/4 cup almond flour 
• 1/2 cup Quinoa Flakes (or oat flour )
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup  protein powder
• 3 eggs (2 whites, 1 whole)
• 1/4 vegetarian protein chopped (i used tofurkey slices)
• 1/2 vegetarian cheddar cheese shreds
• 1/8 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp mexican seasoning
• 1 pinch onion & garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp olive or coconut oil to saute

Preheat oven to 350*F.

In a small saute pan combine protein and spices. Saute till they get brown and crispy. Let cool.

 In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients + protein.

 Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients GENTLY. Be careful not to overmix. Stir in cheese till evenly mixed.

Transfer the dough to a greased cookie sheet  or parchment and gently form into flat mound. Cut mound into triangle scone shapes. 

Leave a space between scones (~1 cm). 

Bake at 350*F for 12-15 min.

*Makes 5 small scones or 3 medium scones. 

-I'd like to get them to rise more, But i think i overmixed for starters. 

-I think they could have more of the turkey as well. I used the vegan turkey and the vegan veggie shreds...but obviously REAL cheese would be even better!!!

I will keep trying on this one, but thought it worth posting as is for the moment.

HEAL ME: Low Fat Garlic-y Tahini Dressing + Health Salad

AND...... I have a cold.  

Totally healthy all bloody winter than BLAMO! this month. First the 3 week low level, but you definitely are not ok Flu and now....The endless winter you can't be well for more than 2 weeks Cold. 

I don't feel like cooking and instead of eating my weight in tortilla chips....

Garlicky garlic garlic. 

I remembered I made this CRAZY garlic-y tahini dressing the other morning in a haze. Perfect.

Throw in all sorts of crap from the fridge and BAM. Nice right? Pour a ton of this healing,seriously low fat dressing all over it and that's a LUNCH!

red peppers

chick peas

cauliflower

cucumber

black Beans

S&P to taste

       Tahini Dressing !!!!  

BEWARE: If you don't LOVE garlic, cut it down to 1 clove. HOWEVER you won't get all that alone time and health that comes with the MORE garlic-y version.

HEAL ME: Low Fat Garlic-y Tahini Dressing

1/4 cup chickpeas
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoon Tahini
2 cloves FRESH GARLIC
2 teaspoons fresh ginger
S&P to taste

you could also add:
  1/4 tablespoon Tamari or Soy
  1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
           ...if you like that kind of thing.

Blend until smooth and refrigerate.

A note about Tahini: pour off 3/4 of the oil slick from the top of the jar. It works exactly the same and cuts down on the fat by ALOT.

LEFTOVER MADNESS: Quinoa Cakes with Broccoli

Why i decided to try these after a very long workday...I don't know. I wanted something super satisfying and healthy at the same time. I also started to really fret over the amazing amount of left over containers in my fridge.

 I think these hit the high notes, and then some. I ate them all ...which I wouldn't advise if you are watching your waistline.

Ok, Not the best picture, But in my defense I was exhausted and they actually looked pretty in person.

I'm learning...It's better to photograph food in the daytime. Apologies from the remedial blogger.

 Leftover Quinoa Cakes

1/2 medium chopped Onion, sautéed till soft 

1/2 cup chopped vegan protein (i used some marinated Tempeh i had)

1 1/2 cups cooked Quinoa (see any label for directions)

1/2 cup chopped steamed Veg (I used Broccoli, but cauli would be great!)

1/2 tsp dried basil
                                                             1/8 cup GF bread crumb

                                                             3/4 cup Veganaise (or mayo) 

                                                             1/8 tsp curry powder

                                                             2 egg whites

                                                             garlic salt & pepper to taste

Throw it all in a bowl, mix well and gently fashion into medium sized cakes which look like crab cakes....So not balls! Think small hamburgers. and Don't be crazy....these are still delicate

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, and Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. GENTLY Turn them over and broil until just crispy on the outside.

Not so bad!

FAMILY TALLY: i was amazingly ALONE!

THE HOLY GRAIL - Savory Broiled Tofu

Day one, recipe one.

We are going to need alot of tofu in this house and to put it mildly...and some of us are ambivalent.

Ok, I think this first recipe came out well. I plan to wrap it up and disguise it in peanut sauce and lettuce....because that's how i roll. (Get it roll?)See my summer roll recipe!

This recipe was from Gwyneth Paltrow's newest cookbook (yes...i caved) 

I realize this isn't the most inspired pic but I'm new at this...bear with me.

THE HOLY GRAIL - Savory Broiled Tofu 

SOURCE: It’s All Good – Gwyneth Paltrow

1/4 cup soy sauce*
2 tablespoons raw honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
A 14-ounce box firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch strips. 

Whisk together the soy sauce, honey, oils, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add the tofu to the bowl and gently stir to coat it with the mixture. 
Transfer the tofu to a baking sheet and pour over it whatever liquid remains in the bowl. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Broil, Carefully turning ONCE, until the tofu is browned and has a few crispy edges, just 4 to 5 minutes total, depending on the heat of your broiler.

JENN NOTES: 

i cut it too thinly and it was hard to manage. I also ended up baking for about 10 minutes on 350,after i GENTLY turned them once.

i added 1 tbsp black and white sesame seeds.

i used the second highest rack setting because they seemed to be burning, as opposed to being super sweetly crisping.

These were WAY too salty. I would use low sodium next time, or just take down the amount of SOY altogether.

FAMILY TALLY: The vegetarian and I mostly loved these 2 others (THE PICKY ONE and THE MEAT EATER) refused to try this time.