NUT BASED GRAIN FREE GRANOLA

I make my own granola more than buying a packaged product. It is easy to make and having a variety of nuts on hand, along with unsweetened coconut flakes really lends itself to making your own granola. Some people like granola that is in clusters, is crunchy, maybe sweet or contains both nuts, dried fruit and/or chocolate chips. I have made a variety of cluster and crunchy granola and to make it sticky so that it creates clumps or clusters, requires the addition of maple syrup, honey or molasses. 

Lately I have been mostly making granola lower in carbs and without oatmeal or other grain. I came across this recipe from Marni Wasserman on Instagram and modified it a bit to suit ingredients on hand and my own taste. I didn't add any raisins or dried fruit in order to keep the amount of carbs lower in the portion that I used. I used stevia to sweeten it. I have Swerve and other alcohol sugars in the cupboard but my stomach prefers stevia. It is great tasting granola and I will enjoy it with plain greek yogurt or with almond milk. Because it doesn't use a sticky sugar, it is not a clumping or cluster kind of granola. You can add raisins or other dried fruit to the mixture. I would add the dried fruit during the last five minutes of baking so that it doesn't get too dried out or burnt. If you want to add some chocolate chips, do so once the granola cools down after baking.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups raw almonds, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup hemp hearts

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp monk fruit sweetener, Swerve or stevia 

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. I used convention heat. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

To a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients except the melted oil. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients and then add the oil. Combine well and spread the granola out over the parchment paper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Check the granola after 20 minutes in case it looks done. About half way through the baking, remove the pan from the oven and gently turn the granola over using a spatula. Let it cool before storing in a jar or other storage container. Makes about 6 to 7 cups depending on how generous you are in measuring out the ingredients.  

BROCCOLI BITES

Dipping sauce spread on the broccoli bites

During the summer there is an abundance of fresh vegetables and sometimes I have lots of vegetables to eat from the garden and also from buying at markets. It can be more vegetables than ability to consume them in a timely manner. Such was the case with a bag of broccoli that I purchased from the local market. The florets stored in the fridge were starting to age. Making these broccoli bites uses two cups of florets and we ate more broccoli in these bites than what we would have consumed if I had just steamed or sautéed them as a side dish. I served these bites along with a green salad for supper.

The broccoli bites are from a recipe by Steven Gundry. I have his Plant Paradox cookbook and it has lots of ideas for using vegetables. He calls this recipe broccoli puffs as it reminds him of tater tots. I didn't shape the bites to look like perfect puffs as I didn't want to shape them with my fingers and used instead a cookie dough scoop to assist me getting the mixture out of the bowl. Once released from the cookie dough scoop onto the baking sheet, I used a spatula to help shape the mixture into small logs. This recipe makes a generous 20 bites. 

Both the DH and I enjoyed the broccoli bites and I served them with a dipping sauce made from mixing a small amount of avocado mayonnaise with sweet red chili sauce. You could also serve them with salsa, guacamole or hot sauce.

My non-perfect shaped bites

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of broccoli florets, steamed
1 egg
1/2 onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup cassava flour (the recipe called for 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup almond flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp liquid honey
1 -2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated parmigiana cheese or nutritional yeast

Points to Note:
I used a generous 2 cups of steamed broccoli as I wanted to use all of the florets. I used 1/4 cup cassava flour instead of 1/2 cup and I don't think it made a difference.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a teflon baking sheet.

2. In a food processor, fitted with an S blade, pulse all of the ingredients until well blended but still has some texture to it. You need to not over mix the ingredients because you don't want it to turn to mush. It needs to retain some bulk. If you use a blender or high powered food processor, be careful to not over blend it.

I used a manual food processor instead of a high powered machine. I have a food processor/chopper from Pampered Chef that is easy to use and has less parts to wash up. It reminds me of a lawn mower as you need to pull on the cord to make the chopper whirl around.

3. Scoop out about one tablespoon of the mixture and shape with your fingers to form a small log. I used a cookie dough scooper to get the mixture out of the bowl. Once I released the scooper onto the cookie sheet, I used a spatula to help form the log. Evenly space out the bites on the baking sheet. 

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes about 20 bites. Serve from the oven while hot.

Adapted from The Plant Paradox Cookbook by Steven Gundry

VEGETABLE RICE SALAD

In planning for a larger group of friends coming for supper, I like to make some dishes ahead of time, or at least do some of the prepping ahead of the actual day. Since it is summer an option is to make a number of salads with whatever kind of protein you may be serving. I decided to make a rice salad as one of the side dishes. I cooked the rice in a rice cooker a day before the supper, stored it in the fridge once it cooled and then put it together a few hours ahead of supper. I used white basmati rice as I didn't want to use a sticky rice and I like the flavour of basmati.

I made a big batch of rice for the base and you could easily halve this recipe. I didn't load it with vegetables as I was making several other kinds of salads. It has a nice flavour without being overpowering.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups of cooled, cooked white or brown rice
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
small knob of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp maple syrup or another sugar
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

You can make the rice a day or two before you need the salad. Place the rice in a large serving bowl. Mix the dressing in a small container. Add the dressing to the rice and mix well. Add the rest of the vegetables to the rice and mix well. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Leftovers will keep for several days. Serves 8.