i love granola. in the community where i live, the bakery makes the granola — but it has honey & i just cannot eat (conventional) honey. that is a very different discussion, of course…the point here is: everyone eats granola all of the time here but i can’t & usually that’s fine with me. usually. every once in a while i get a wicked craving for it — tonight was one of those times. i decided to just make it myself! even though i have never made granola before. i really enjoy making recipes up as i go along, i rarely follow a recipe at all & when i do i disregard half of the suggestions. this is not an exact recipe because i eyeballed almost everything & followed no general guidelines. this is highly experimental granola!! it’s in the oven now…hopefully it turns out ok :/

anyway, i’ll give you the ingredients list:

• rolled oats
• sunflower oil
• maple syrup
• 2 SMALL HANDFULS of unrefined sugar
• 2 PINCHES of flour
• 1 PINCH cinnamon
• 1 PINCH nutmeg
• 1 PINCH ginger
• raisins
• crushed walnuts
• flax seeds
• sunflower seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• 1 TBS crunchy peanut butter
• 1 TBS earth balance

SO EXCITED, Y’ALL

EDIT: i baked this around 350 for like 15 minutes & took the granola out of the oven half-way through to mix it up. add the raisins, walnuts, & all the seeds only AFTER the oats have been baked & cooled.

• juice from one orange
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2-5 drops of sesame oil (to taste — sometimes i think less is more)
• a pinch of crushed red pepper

this is delicious on absolutely anything. or by itself by the spoonful (i was just snacking on it, not gonna lie).

please note: this is very thin. you could probably thicken it with corn starch or something, but i’ve never tried that.

*also salad dressing

Okay, so i really like oat bars/snack bars. i will always have one if they are offered, and most of the time i prefer them to other sweets. i had a little extra time on my hands today so i put a few ingredients together:

• 2 CUPS ground oats/oat flour
• 1 CUP quick oats
• 1/4 TSP sea salt
• 1/4 TSP cinnamon
• 1 TSP ground flaxseed
• 1/4 CUP maple syrup
• 1/2 CUP fruit sweetener or other thick honey alternative (i used my homemade elderflower syrup…it’s okay to improvise!)
• 1/4 CUP vanilla or plain non-dairy milk (i add vanilla if there is none)
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 1/2 CUP raisins
• 1/2 CUP shredded coconut
• 1 TBSP peanut butter

mix dry ingredients, then add wet/sticky ingredients. mix well & then put into a greased pan (8x8 or 8x12 recommended). in the oven @ 350 for approximately 20 minutes.

nom.

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 fourteen-ounce can tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary (about 4 sprigs worth)

preheat the oven to 400. lightly grease a baking sheet. 

mix dry ingredients.

mix wet ingredients.

mix wet ingredients & dry ingredients together.

knead dough on clean surface that has been lightly sprinkled with flour.

separate into 2 balls & roll them out. slice like a pizza, into 6 pieces each. or into a whole bunch of tiny triangles if you want mini scones. or use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. if you want thicker, pull-apart scones you can place one triangle on top of another. they bake together nicely & then you have a really nice middle to put spreads on…if you’re into that kind of thing.

bake 14-16 minutes or until the tops are firm.

these go really well with earth balance or toffuti “better than cream cheese” spread (i like making a garden vegetable spread with toffuti, roasted red peppers, garlic, onions & carrots)! also delicious plain.

apple slices & a toasted bagel with spiced peanut butter

one side with chili powder

one side with cardamom

(i recommend the cardamom)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 cup organic, natural, chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup crushed peanuts (i actually used almonds leftover from making almond milk…but the idea is the same)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 1/3 cup olive oil/vegetable oil (all i had was olive, but it turned out well - coconut adds a nice flavor if you have it)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350f degrees.

in one mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. in a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, agave, crushed nuts, oil, and vanilla. stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until just barely combined. Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. press down on each one gently with the back of a fork to make the traditional criss-cross pattern…if that’s what you’re into. Bake for 10 minutes.

• vegetable broth
• beets (minced)
• ginger (minced)
• any/every vegetable in your house!
• oregano
• basil
• olive oil
• sea salt

boil the vegetable broth with the beets & ginger. i really cannot tell you how much ginger to put in, since i am sort of known for overdoing it. i cannot help it! everything tastes better with ginger in it. i’d eat a stop sign if you added ginger. anyway, have fun with the beets! the more you use the deeper the color will be, & honestly that is half the fun with this soup!  sautée the other vegetables in a frying pan with olive oil, adding about a pinch of basil, oregano & sea salt. i used celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, & peas :) i kept these in the pan until i could cut through the potato with my spatula (but i like my ‘tatoes pretty mushy). cover them to make them cook faster if you’re worried about time. once the veggies are ready, toss them in the pot with the gingery broth! let it simmer. you can add tofu to the recipe if you’d like a little extra something. my soup is already pretty chunky as is!

for non-vegans: add sour cream for a thicker soup, even a little chicken for some protein :)

i ate 2 bowls worth! please note the potatoes have turned pink from the beets. this photograph does not do the neon pink soup much justice. i blame the flash for making it look orange. you’ll have to take my word for it!

• tofutti better than sour cream/your preferred sour cream substitute (or for a non-vegan recipe use creme fraiche)
• ginger powder
• diced bell pepper
• olive oil
• crushed garlic
• cumin
• rosemary
• sea salt
• diced onion
• portabello mushrooms (sliced thin, not quite julienned)
• brown rice

start by sautéeing the onions and garlic in a light olive oil in your frying pan. slowly add the bell peppers, mushrooms and spices. go light on the salt! too much can ruin this dish. once the veggies are pretty well done add in the tofutti/sour cream. it should melt into a nice cream sauce which you can stur around. turn the heat down low so it doesn’t get too thin, and add more spices as you see fit (i prefer to add more rosemary & ginger for extra flavor, the cumin just adds a little kick). depending on how much room is left in your pan, you can even add the brown rice in! otherwise, prepare rice to be served on the side.

i will post photographs next time. i ate this up too quickly!