SIMPLE GRANOLA WITH PECANS

Simple Granola with Pecans

Written by contibutor Britney Manuel of Btanjerine and A Simply Raw Life.

 



Have you ever had homemade granola?  It is undeniably... amazing!  It’s one of those things that once you have it homemade, buying it is no longer an option.  When my mom first made it I was addicted, and started making it weekly often quadrupling the recipe.  I wanted to try to change some of the components to make it a tad bit healthier though, and much to my pleasure, it tastes...well... better.  I substituted coconut oil for vegetable oil, and i think it gave the granola a richer flavor, with the light hint of coconut.  Then I also used raw honey.  So here is the link to the original recipe from Everyday Foods Magazine.

The following is my rendition of this favorite of mine.

The Components

SIMPLE GRANOLA WITH PECANS

THE SUPPLIES

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/2 cup raw honey

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

3/4 tspn ground cinnamon

1/2 tspn fine salt 

3 c. rolled oats (make sure not to use 1 min quick oats)

2 c. chopped pecans & walnuts (optional)

PROCESS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, sugar, honey, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt.  Add rolled oats, and chopped nuts; stir to combine.  Spoon mixture onto sheet.  Bake 15 minutes, and use a spatula to turn over the granola.  Bake another 15 minutes until mixture is golden brown. (Don’t cook it any longer if you like it chewy like I do, if not cook a few minutes more for a crispier texture).

You can add any dried fruits, coconut, or nuts that suit your fancy.  Cranberries, raisins, chocolate chips, coconut. (Store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks)

Makes about 3 pints

**NOTE: I usually make a big batch trippling it and sometimes quadrupling it.  I love to give it as gifts, and I don’t like to run out very fast.  It is also important to use fine salt.  I tried using a thicker salt and the salt was too pronounced.  I was also was researching brown sugar being vegan and came across this article. 

Ready to be baked

Fresh baked granola! I wish you could smell it!

And this granola makes a great gift

The perfect breakfast, Granola with Sliced Bananas and Banana Milk 

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!!!

PINEAPPLE + GINGER + MINT SMOOTHIE

Here in Southern California it is still burning up, so before I can even think about soup and cozy sweaters I’m still making smoothies, and thinking about getting that mani/pedi.   I have a few resources I like to use for smoothies, one being the app Whole Living Smoothies, you can see some of her other smoothie recipes here.  Its a collaboration from Martha Stewart and it includes smoothies for detox, immunity boosting, weight-loss, etc...  I adapted this weight-loss smoothie to make it raw.

Written by contibutor Britney Manuel of Btanjerine and A Simply Raw Life.

This smoothie is a melange of pineapple, ginger and mint.  And did you know pineapple can give you more than 100% of your recommended daily allowance of manganese, a mineral required to metabolize food?  Ginger is known to be a stomach settler, and a remedy for colds.  And mint is rich in Vitamins A and C and also contains smaller amounts of Vitamin B2. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant and may help to decrease the risk of certain cancers such as colon and rectal cancer.  And i didn’t know this, mint is a very good cleanser for the blood, and mint tea can help clear up skin disorders such as acne.  For more of the benefits of mint click here.  These are just a few reasons to get your sip on with this revitalizing and refreshing smoothie.


So here are the deets.

PINEAPPLE + GINGER + MINT SMOOTHIE

 

THE ESSENTIALS

1 c. frozen pineapple diced

1/2 c. coconut milk

5 mint leaves

1/2 teaspoon ginger (about the size of a dime)

dash of cinnamon

THE PROCESS

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth.

Makes 1 serving approximately 1 cup

Yumalicious!