Homemade Granola

I have made homemade granola for years and years.  Actually, I don't know if I have ever purchased packaged granola.  My favorite recipe until recently was great, didn't use any oil, but it did have 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar.  In trying to cook "better" I set out to make a better granola.  I made a huge batch using honey once and it was a disaster!  Through lots of trial and error I finally had a successful batch today. 

You will need:
6 cups oats
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup flax seed (I forgot that I only had milled flax seed, but I went ahead and used that anyway.)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp ground cinnamon
nutmeg (add to your liking)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (This takes the place of the oil that is in a lot of recipes.)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
(You may choose any combination of nuts and/or seeds that you like.)

In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingreidents.

Then, in another bowl add  the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients thoroughly.  Line two rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper and divide the mixture evenly.  It's very important to spread it all out.

 

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, stir and bake another 15 minutes.  Rotate the pans if you need to for a more even cook.  Cook longer and stir every 5 minutes until the mixture is dried out and crunchy.  Cool and then store in an airtight container.

Hummus

I love hummus!  It is a garbanzo bean spread that is used in the middle east a lot as well as in some of the Mediterranean countries.    I first had it in Spain at a Mediterranean restaurant and then I had it in Crete along side of their yummy goodies.  A lot of restaurants serve this as their version of (chips and salsa) in the middle east and in the Med. region.  Ever since first trying it I have been hooked.  It is inexpensive to make, very easy and good for you.  It makes a great appetizer, but I also love it for lunch.  I will slice open and heat up a piece of whole wheat pita bread and then top it with some hummus.  Hummus is also a great dip for veggies and can even be used as a sandwich spread.

Here is what you will need:

2 cans garbanzo beans(chickpeas)

3 Tbsp Tahina (sesame seed paste)

1/2 to 1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

2 cloves garlic

5 Tbsp lemon juice (I was able to get 5 Tbsp from 2 lemons.)

3 Tbsp. Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.

Juice your lemons to make 5 Tbsp.

Load everything up in a food processor, including your garlic and seasonings.

Puree until well combine.  This is the consistency that I like, but you may like it creamier.  At this point you can add a little more olive oil or some water until it is the consistency that you prefer.  Taste and re-season to your liking.

This recipe makes about two cups of hummus.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for 5-7 days.

Popcorn Snack

Alright, so this may be a total no brainer for most of you out there, but this became a change in our house when I was eliminating processed items from our pantry.  My son's favorite snack in the world is popcorn!  Our go-to snack when we watch movies together as a family is, you guessed it, popcorn.  In the last year or so it came out that the powdery butter stuff in microwave popcorn bags was harmful to your health.  Even though you would have to ingest A LOT of it for it to be harmful, it still isn't "good" for you.  Plus, as much as we (as a family) were eating popcorn it can add up.  I went on a quest to eliminate microwave popcorn from our house, but replace it with something that our son, a popcorn connoisseur, would eat and enjoy as much as the other stuff.

I went out and spent $20 on an air popcorn popper, bought some good ole kernals and popped them, melted some butter, added a little sea salt, mixed it together and then waited for my little popcorn judge to make his verdict.  His response, "WOW, mom, this is way better than the other stuff!!!"  Whew! One point for mom!  My favorite way to have popcorn is to airpop it and sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese over it.  We do not miss microwave popcorn one bit and this is cheaper, too!!

Peanut Butter Candy

I was skeptical as I am with most "sweets" in health food books, but thought I'd give it a try. I am really glad that I did. This is really good and filling. I had two of these little squares mid-morning and I had to force myself to eat some lunch around 1:00 and I didn't even eat it all, just wasn't hungry. This is a filling treat. (The plate above is a saucer for a coffee cup if that helps you with the size of the candy.)

1 cup natural peanut butter (I like Skippy's Natural creamy peanut butter, because it you don't have to stir it and it doesn't have to be refrigerated.)
1/2 cup honey (may use 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
3 Tablespoons toasted wheat germ (For those that can not have gluten you may omit the wheat germ.)

Mix ingredients. Press into butter dish (I used an 8X8 pan.), chill and cut into cubes. This mixture can be rolled, chilled and sliced. This is also good with crispy brown rice cereal.