First I made a recipe from a new cookbook I found at the library.
I really like this cookbook because first of all it's recipes are divided into region, which kind of adds a unique flair to it right there, and I've been in search for a good vegetarian crock pot cookbook as of late. Even though some of the recipes are not dairy free most of them can be easily modified to be dairy free by either omitting the culprit ingredient or subbing in a dairy free alternative instead.
(If you click on the link I added below, it will take you directly to amazon.com. Where you can look at more pages of the cookbook pictured above. If you decide to buy the book, please buy it through this link because a percentage of your purchase will then be given to my blog. If you would be so kind :-)
Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World
Tonight I'm making the Wild Mushroom Stew on Noodles recipe in the Greece chapter of the book, it's in the crock pot right now and smells really good.
(here's a picture of it from page 99 of the cookbook.....looks pretty good huh?)
(This is what mine looks like 4 hours into the cooking process...)
I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Two nights ago I made the Chili recipe from the Mexican chapter of the book. It was good although I think I would halve the cocoa powder in the recipe, if not omit it, and add a little salt next time. Over all though it was a pretty tasty chili.
Later this morning I drove around town dropping off my resume at several different stores, and then I was craving granola. After lunch, I cleared off the counters and prepped the kitchen to make some.
Maple Almond Granola with Flaxseeds
Ingredients
3 cups Regular Rolled Oats
1 cup Almonds (I didn't have any on hand today so I just added another cup of oats)
1/2 cup Whole Flaxseeds
1/2 cup uncooked Hulled Millet (or more Flaxseeds)
1 Tsp. Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp. Pure Almond Extract
1/3 cup Raw Cane Sugar
1/3 cup Coconut Water (or just Water, but coconut water give it more nutrients)
1/4 cup Safflower oil (Canola works too)
1/4 cup Pure 100% grade B Maple Syrup, (I used Maple Flavored Agave Nectar this time)
1/2 cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine Oats, Almonds, Flaxseeds, Millet (if using), Cinnamon, and Sugar in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl add Coconut water, Almond Extract, Oil, and Maple Syrup.
Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredient bowl and pour in the wet ingredients. Toss until evenly coated. Spread out granola onto two ungreased cookie sheets and bake on separate racks for 30-40 minutes, stirring granola and switching racks every 10 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and stir in dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.
Tip: Write two sticky notes. One that says "Bottom to Top" the other "Top to Bottom" so that whenever you take out the granola to stir it you'll remember which you are switching to the top rack of the oven and which you are switching to the bottom rack. I always mess this up if I don't do that.
This is what the granola looked like before I put it in the oven....
I just love close up pictures of food.
I found this Maple Flavored Organic Agave Nectar at the store on sale yesterday and I couldn't resisted trying it out. It made the granola smell REALLY good and I can't wait to see how it tastes.
Coconut water is pretty much like water... EXCEPT... That it's got Potassium and some other minerals naturally occurring in it too, making it SUPER DUPER HEALTHALICIOUS for you!!!! I only used 1/3 cup for my granola recipe, so I'll use the rest of this can to make a smoothie in the morning .... yum.
OH, I also have to tell you big news!!! I'm officially an Amazon Associate!!!!!! I'm sooo excited because now I can advertise merchandise from amazon.com to you guys and let you know about super awesome deals and promotions that they are offering, plus whenever you use one of my links a percentage of what you purchase on amazon will then be given to my blog, so I can keep sharing more recipes and deals with you guys.
Any way, I really hope you like my granola recipe this week and please comment about it in the comments section below too to tell me how you all liked it. Thanks so much for reading my post! Now I'm off to go clean up.
Sincerely,
TheIrishCupcake
Update:
ReplyDeleteAfter trying the granola with flaxseeds I would have to say I would definitely try using a milder flavored seed instead, like pepitas or sunflower seeds. The flaxseeds don't ruin the granola, but they do have a VERY strong aftertaste. Just an FYI.