Happy Healthy RD

Living a happy healthy life

Gingerbread Granola

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gingerbread-granola-3Gingerbread is one of my favorite holiday flavors.  I love ginger year round but when it is combined with molasses and cinnamon, I love it even more.  I recently made a batch of gingerbread cookies that lasted about 2.5 minutes before they were gone. I wanted to make more cookies but decided maybe it would be better to make gingerbread granola since then I can eat it for breakfast (not that I didn’t eat a gingerbread cookie for breakfast once or twice. :) )gingerbread-granola  To get the gingerbread flavor I used molasses, which in granola has the added surprise of making extra crunchy clusters.   And if you eat it with milk, the milk turns into a delicious spiced milk that I could drink on its own (hmm….a gingerbread milk recipe could be in my future).  Just keep in mind molasses tends to burn easy so be careful when cooking this granola.  (I unfortunately have lost many batches to the burnt granola graveyard.)

I don’t typically stir my granola when cooking because I like lots of clusters (check out this post on tips on how to get more clusters!) but if you prefer no clusters, maybe give the mixture a quick stir after 5 or 10 minutes of cooking and at the end too.

This recipe creates a subtly sweet granola. I would recommend giving the mixture a taste before cooking to see if it is to your liking.  If you like things a little sweeter, add a little more maple syrup.  I also encourage you to play around with the recipe and use whatever nuts or seeds you prefer.  I used walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and almonds but I think pecans would work great too.  A few dried cranberries added after cooking would also be a delicious addition!

Enjoy!

Be Happy, Be Healthy!

Print Recipe
Gingerbread Granola
A warm and spicy twist on classic granola.
Course Breakfast, Granola
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 20 min
Servings
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • generous pinch of salt
Course Breakfast, Granola
Prep Time 10 min
Cook Time 20 min
Servings
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup nuts, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • generous pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine coconut oil, molasses, and maple syrup. Cook until melted, turn off heat and add vanilla extract.
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, and spices. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Stir until all the oats and nuts are coated. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Spread oats in a thin layer on the lined cookie sheet.
  3. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and rotate pan to help cook evenly. When oats start to brown, remove from oven. Let cool on cookie sheet. Store in an air tight container.
Recipe Notes

gingerbreadgranolapin

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Strawberry Coconut Flour Muffins

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Strawberry Coconut Flour Muffins

Coconut is definitely having a moment.  Everywhere you look there is coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut flour, coconut water, coconut butter, coconut flour…am I forgetting one?  Luckily I’m a big fan of coconut anything.

One thing I enjoy most about having a food blog is it gives me an excuse to jump on the bandwagon and try out the newest food trends.  So I had to give coconut flour a whirl.  I found it at Earth Fare and have also seen it at our local health food store…not sure if it is in mainstream grocery stores yet or not.

Coconut flour is very absorbent and you typically won’t use very much in baked goods.  So although it is a little pricey, a little goes a long way.  You’ll also notice that this recipe calls for 4 eggs (that’s not a typo!).   Due to its high fiber content recipes with coconut flour typically call for an equal amount of wet ingredients to prevent a dry grainy muffin.

The batch that I photographed were accidentally left in the oven a little longer than 40 minutes so they are a bit browner than I prefer (still tasted good though!).  I would recommend cooking just until middle of muffin is set and they pass the toothpick test.  Also FYI, these muffins tend to stick  so you might want to spray the muffin cups before filling.

Strawberry Coconut Flour Muffins-2

Strawberry Coconut Flour Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
1/3 cup yogurt (or kefir)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 cup strawberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until just combined.  Fill muffin cups 1/2 full. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Be Happy, Be Healthy,

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream of Buckwheat

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  Chocolate peanut butter buckwheat breakfast cereal  

A New Ingredient for the New Year

Pick a new ingredient that you’ve been wanting to try… and cook or bake up a new recipe in the new year. Are you curious about nutritional yeast, fish sauce, matcha, teff – or maybe even ugli fruit? Show us how you’re cooking with something new (to you!) in 2016.

Are you ready to start cooking with new ingredients?  This month’s Recipe Redux theme is all about trying new things in the kitchen.  I love experimenting with new foods so I am looking forward to seeing all the recipes from the other members.  Check out the links at the bottom of the post if you are looking for inspiration to try some new ingredients!

I had only ever had buckwheat in pancake form.  But did you know it also makes a great breakfast cereal?  Lately I’ve been loving Cream of Buckwheat instead of oatmeal on cold winter mornings.  To me it is very similar to Cream of Wheat but creamier and not gritty at all.

Chocolate peanut butter buckwheat

Despite it’s name, buckwheat does not contain wheat, it is actually a fruit seed and is related to the rhubarb plant.  You may have eaten buckwheat unknowingly if you have ever eaten soba noodles or anything from the brand Kashi (another word for toasted buckwheat is kasha).  You can buy dried buckwheat (sometimes called groats) which will take a little longer to cook than the Cream of Buckwheat I am talking about today.   The Cream of Buckwheat also makes great grits, can be used as a baby cereal, or I have added it to creamy soups to add a little texture and extra creaminess.

Chocolate peanut butter cream of buckwheat

Cream of Buckwheat also tastes great with fresh berries but I went a little more decadent with one of my favorite flavor combos: banana, chocolate and peanut butter.  I love using mini chocolate chips because just a few give you the great taste of chocolate but it’s not so much that you wouldn’t want to eat it for breakfast. :)  Also, don’t forget the sunflower seeds, they add a great crunch!  This recipe is for two servings which I usually make and then store one in the fridge for the next day.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream of Buckwheat

Makes 2 servings

2 1/2 cups of milk (I used almond but any type would work)

1/2 cup Cream of Buckwheat

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 banana, sliced

Combine milk and buckwheat in a small saucepan.  Bring to a soft boil then simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in peanut butter, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips, and sliced banana and serve.

If you are interested in trying out some more new ingredients, check out the link up below:

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Be happy, be healthy!