Cranberry Nut Granola

Granola is one of my favorite snacks.  Crunchy, sweet, addictive.  And notice how I said favorite snack and not favorite breakfast.  Granola is the perfect breakfast item, but it has so much more potential!  You can eat it with milk, have it with honey, yogurt and berries, add it to pancake batter for a unique texture, top off banana bread for an added crunch, use it as a topping for ice cream, or simply eat it straight.  It is a versatile, healthy snack that can be transported easily and can satisfy a sweet tooth.  The only danger of this granola recipe is that you can sit in front of the TV with a full bowl and suddenly have your spoon hit the bottom.  It is mildly addictive.  But trust me, it's worth it.

Here is one of my favorite granola recipes.  Enjoy!

Cranberry Nut Granola

You will need:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped almonds
3/4 cup chopped cashews
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, almonds, cashews, cranberries, salt and cinnamon.

Heat brown sugar, coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 3 - 5 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.  Pour oil mixture over the oats and stir to fully coat.  Spread oats on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Sweet Potato Soup

Nothing tastes better than soup when you're sick.  Jack is running a fever and feels crummy, so I thought he needed some warm soup to make him feel just a little bit better.  My usual feel-better soup is chicken noodle, but today I made something a little different - sweet potato soup.  It is an easy, healthy meal and leftovers are delicious.

Sweet Potato Soup

What you will need:
2 large sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 chopped white onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (less if you don't want your soup spicy)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
4 bacon slices, cooked and chopped
Shaved parmesan cheese
Green onions to garnish

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread cubed sweet potatoes on a sheet pan, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.  Roast for 35 minutes or until tender.  Set sweet potatoes aside to cool.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.  Add onion and garlic; saute for 5 minutes until translucent.  Add the spices to the onion and stir to coat.  Remove onions from heat and allow to cool.

Using a Vitamix blender*, add chicken stock, sweet potatoes, onion mixture and salt.  Turn blender to the soup setting and blend until smooth, creamy and hot.  Top soup with cooked bacon, parmesan cheese and green onions.

*If you do not have a Vitamix, you can combine the stock, sweet potatoes, onions and salt into a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then transfer to a blender.  Work in batches to blend until creamy.

Thai Quinoa Salad

I have read that quinoa is "the super grain of the future" and one of the world's healthiest foods.  It has so many health benefits, including being high in protein and containing almost twice as much fiber as other grains.  It also has vital nutrients like iron, magnesium, lysine, B2, and manganese.  And do you know the greatest part about quinoa?  It can actually taste really, really good.  

Tonight we had a thai quinoa salad that I adapted from a recipe at www.ambitiouskitchen.com.  It has crunchy vegetables with a touch of tang from the lime juice all bathed in a creamy "peanut" sauce.  

Several months ago, Jack and I embarked on a paleo journey, and I learned a lot of healthy food substitutions in the process.  One of those substitutions is Sunbutter.  I use it to replace peanut butter in a lot of my recipes.  Peanut butter is not necessarily bad for you, but the “paleonistas” would argue that seeds are better for you than legumes (peanuts).  Sunflower seed butter contains 1/3 less saturated fat than peanut butter, has double the fiber, and the same amount of protein.
 The second substitute I use often is coconut aminos to replace soy sauce.  Coconut aminos is a soy-free sauce made with nutrient-dense coconut 'sap' offering 17 naturally occurring amino acids, and it tastes surprisingly similar to soy sauce.  Paleonistas would also not agree with eating the quinoa in the first place, so maybe using Sunbutter and coconut aminos is a moot point anyways.  Oh well.  I tried.  This recipe could absolutely be made with peanut butter and soy sauce, and it would be just as tasty.   I served the quinoa salad with Asian-marinated pork tenderloin.  Not bad for a weeknight dinner.  And the quinoa recipe leaves a lot of leftovers that make for a great lunch to take to work!

 

Thai Quinoa Salad You will need:
For the Salad:
¾ cup uncooked quinoa (I used tri-color quinoa)1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage¼ red onion, diced1 ½ cups shredded carrots¾ cup chopped cilantro½ cup diced green onions1 cup cashew halves1 cup edamameFresh lime squeezed at the last minute, for a bit of tang

For the dressing:¼ cup Sunbutter1 tablespoon agave nectar1 tablespoon ground ginger3 tablespoon coconut aminos1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar2 teaspoons sesame oil2 teaspoon olive oilJuice of 1 lime How to make it:Cook quinoa according to package directions.


To make the dressing: Add Sunbutter and agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, coconut aminos, vinegar, both oils, and lime juice and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, stir in a teaspoon or two of olive oil or water.

To make the salad: Combine the onion, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, cashews, edamame, and green onions in a large bowl.  Add in the quinoa and poor dressing over the salad.  Mix until well incorporated.  Garnish with extra cashews and green onions. Can be served either warm or at room temperature.

Pumpkin Bread

Each year I wait for the weather to change, and as soon as I see signs of cooler weather, I have a loaf (or 2 or 3) of pumpkin bread in the oven.  I love everything pumpkin.  There is something about pumpkin bread that feels homey, almost cozy, and who doesn't want to feel cozy on a cool fall day?  The taste of pumpkin pairs perfectly with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and it certainly makes it feel like fall, even if it isn’t.

Here is my favorite pumpkin bread recipe, and trust me, I have tried quite a few.  This recipe is super easy, and it is sweet.  It surely is not one of my healthier versions, and that is partly why it is so dang good.  It also makes 3 loaves, but I'm not complaining.  The bread freezes well or makes an excellent gift.  Or you can just eat all three loaves yourself.  No judgment here.  One time my friend, June, and I were convinced that we had to have pumpkin bread right that minute or else we wouldn't survive.  You know that feeling when you have to make cookies TONIGHT, and then after you go through all of the trouble of making them, you don't really want them as much?  You eat them anyways though, of course.  Or maybe that's just me.... Well, anyways, that's exactly what happened with our pumpkin bread craving.  We cut the recipe to make just one loaf, but I would say it wasn't as good.  It is harder to get the proportions right, but it is possible.  I vote for making the full recipe, and after you make it, I'm betting you will, too!

Oops.  I couldn't resist....

PUMPKIN BREAD

Yields: 3 loaves

You will need:

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups granulated sugar

2 tsps. baking soda

2 tsps. salt

2 tsps. ground cinnamon

1 1/4 tsps. ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp. all spice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

2 tsps. vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

How to make it:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir slowly until smooth.  Be careful not to over-mix, as it will make your bread dense and chewy.  Divide batter between 3 greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Yields: 3 loaves

Date Day in Fort Worth, TX

FOOD: Woodshed Smokehouse

ACTIVITY: Kimbell Art Museum

It finally felt like Fall today. Crisp, cool air combined with warm, radiant sunshine.  What a better way to spend a perfect fall day than taking a short road trip and eating BBQ outside on a patio.  Today Jack and I decided it would be fun and different to make the 45 minute drive to Fort Worth, have lunch, and walk through the Kimbell Art Museum.  We got a few recommendations from TCU friends and decided to eat at Woodshed Smokehouse, a Tim Love restaurant.  It was the perfect choice for a day like today.  We sat outside where we were able to enjoy the cool weather and hear the live guitar music.  The Woodshed attracts an eclectic crowd - TCU students, couples, biker gangs, and families all enjoy the casual environment and delicious grub together at picnic tables.

The entire menu sounds delicious, but we went directly with our waiter's recommendations.  We started with the hummus dip.  This dip was not your ordinary hummus.  It was served warm and had a creamy texture and smooth smoked garlic flavor.  The hummus was paired with homemade crispy tortilla chips and soft "camp bread."  The camp bread was the second star on the plate.  It was like a soft, more flavorful, version of naan.  The chips and the bread paired perfectly with the warm hummus.

Our main courses came out very fast and overall the service was excellent.  Jack ordered the beef brisket and 1/2 a rack of pork ribs.  Both were delicious but the brisket was the better of the two.  It was tender, juicy and cooked perfectly.  The ribs had a dry rub on them that locked in flavor but they were a little dry.  Sauce was served on the side that had an overall sweetness to it that was cut by an acidic undertone.  The ribs were definitely better dipped in the BBQ sauce.  I ordered the beef tacos.  I was a little nervous about ordering the waiter's recommendation because he described them as spicy and similar to a Mongolian beef, but he promised they were the best.  I couldn't agree more.  The Asian flavors were surprising at a BBQ joint, but the beef was so tender and flavorful that I wouldn't care what type of restaurant they came from.  The white corn tortillas were soft  and the ideal vehicle for devouring the supple beef.  I would absolutely order those tacos again.

Despite the strong desire to take a nap after our large lunch, we headed to the Kimbell Art Museum to see the recently opened Picasso and Matisse exhibit.  It happened to be Family Day at the Museum so the exhibit was free, but it was packed.  It really is a great collection of art with interesting pieces.  It is hard to think of a better way to spend the perfect fall afternoon.