Strawberry Banana Granola
One of my New Year's resolutions for 2014 was to "eat better breakfasts". I realized that I'd, for the most part, eliminated processed foods from my routine with the exception of good ol' cereal. Let me start by saying, I love cereal. It's delicious, it's comforting, it's easy, it tastes like childhood. But... it doesn't have protein, it doesn't keep you full for hours, and even the "healthy" cereal has a nice dose of sugar first thing in the morning. Basically, besides tasting fantastic, it's not really doing much for you.
So for weeks I cooked over-easy eggs with toast, spinach, and tomatoes. I made warm oatmeal with apples and maple syrup on cold winter mornings. And then I discovered this homemade granola recipe and it was a game-changer. One bite of this stuff and you will forget store-bought cereal ever existed. It it that good. And the smell of it cooking the oven? Beyond words. The warmth of the cinnamon and banana are met perfectly with the tangy bite of strawberry. It makes the perfect snack on its own, but is divine over almond milk or with greek yogurt.
I get the occasional eye-roll when I tell people I make my own granola, but honestly people, it takes about 15 minutes to mix up plus a little more in the oven and one batch lasts us about two weeks. Totally worth it. Oh, and it's packed full of protein and lots of other good-for-you things.
Yields about 8 cups
Minimalist Baker
Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup walnut pieces
2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon flax seed meal
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon honey (or agave)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana
1.2 oz freeze dried strawberries (I use trader joe's brand)
Preheat oven to 350. Mix oats, almonds, pecans, walnuts, chia & hemp seeds, flax seed meal, cinnamon, and sea salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Blend together (either with an immersion blender or stand blender) the coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, vanilla, and banana until smooth and creamy. Pour maple syrup mixture into oats mixture and stir until oats are completely moistened.
Press the granola into a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool. Using a metal spatula (or your hands), break up the granola into desired chunks. It will continue to harden as it cools. Mix in strawberries and serve. Keeps for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container.
Tomatillo Avocado Salsa Verde
Hello world! It's no secret I'm obsessed with food. So really, it was only a matter of time before this happened... It's time to move on from documenting it on Instagram and get some recipes out there. And my intention with this little plot of the internet is to do just that - share food. Celebrate food, in fact, and I hope you will join me.
So last week, we got tomatillos in our CSA box. Can I start by saying CSAs are the best discovery we've made since sliced bread? We use Farm Fresh To You, it's sort of a CSA-light because you can pause it at anytime, customize your box, and pay by the box which makes it feel more affordable. Every other Wednesday morning feels like christmas when that little box of the best fruit and veggies you've ever tasted arrives on our doorstep. There was a dark period of about 4 months where we gave it up to save money, but once summer hit I about had a panic attack when I realized ALL TH PEACHES WE WERE MISSING OUT ON!!! So we turned it back on and feel it's well worth the little splurge. Whoever said money can't buy happiness hasn't had perfect summer peaches delivered to their door, am I right?
So last week we got tomatillos, which I'd seen and eaten in salsas in restaurants but never cooked with. I did a bit of research, which included consulting my hispanic father. The result? 8 simple ingredients whirled up in the good ol' food processor to create the freshest most flavorful salsa verde I've ever tasted. All in literally 5 minutes.
So far we've eaten it straight up with tortilla chips, and topped it on breakfast burritos. It's fresh and zesty and tastes like summer.
Makes approximately 16oz (2 cups)
Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves
1 pound tomatillos (~ 8 medium), de-husked & washed
1/2 packed cup cilantro
2 large spring onion (roughly chopped)
1 medium ripe avocado
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno, seeded (optional)
Add garlic cloves to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then add tomatillos, cilantro, spring onion, and avocado and blend until creamy. Add lime juice, salt, and pepper. Blend, then adjust to taste.
UPDATE: This stuff stays fresh stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for upwards of two months. Amazing, I know.
*So I forgot to pick up a jalapeño at the store and moved on without it. The garlic gives a surprising bite, which almost resembles spiciness. You're totally fine without it, though when I told my dad about the final result he thought skipping the jalapeño was blasphemy so I'll leave it up to you.