Homemade Granola

Making homemade granola is so simple...why wouldn't you? Here is a basic recipe but feel free to add at the end any variation of dried fruits and toasted nuts.

Cranberry Almond Granola
yield 10 cups

4 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable or grape seed oil
2 cups dried cranberries ( any other toasted nuts or dried fruit or combination of)

Mix oats, coconut and almonds in a bowl. Toss with oil and honey and cinnamon. Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake 30 mins until toasted stirring occasionally. Allow to cool. Scrape into a large bowl and break apart by hand. Add cranberries and any other dried fruits or nuts that you would like. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. I will post my favourite banana granola recipe for the occasion when it doesn't all get eaten in time!

Back to School Idea 2

The chocolate chip cookies (with chickpeas) were a huge after school hit yesterday. I felt great when she gobbled down four knowing that I had cut back the sugar and added the chickpeas...a sweet treat loaded with protein!! The trick this time was chopping up the chickpeas in the food processor first. The last time I made them I had kept them whole and she just picked them out!

A friend and avid foody, Lisa posted on facebook yesterday that she had made this vegan chocolate pudding with avocado that I just had to try. My daughter is the perfect tester for this as she has disliked avocado since she was a baby...could I fool her. I played with the recipe, brought it home and then offered her some for dessert. She ate half a bowl raving and then went and got some strawberries to dip in the second half.....and did not notice the avocado. The pudding is so creamy and delicious and takes all of about 3 minutes to make, no cooking or chilling required!!! However I will have to continue making this recipe at the kitchen and bringing it home...because is she found out there was avocado.... game over!!!

Chocolate (Avocado) Pudding

2 ripe avocados, peeled and seed removed
1/2 cup agave syrup ( or honey) or to taste but start here
2 tsp vanilla, mint or desired extract
5 tbsp good quality cocoa powder (fair trade if possible)

other options 1 tsp of cinnamon or cardamom

Place avocado in the food processor and mix until smooth. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix until incorporated. Thin with water if desired.

Serve as a pudding or with sliced fruits as a fondue!
Enjoy.

Back to School Ideas

It has been a crazy summer and a long time since I have updated my blog. I hope everyone had a fantastic summer. My daughter started grade 1 and of course this made me think about ideas for recess and after school snacks. Kids love cookies but do we really want to load them with just sugar?? Why not add a great protein that is nut free and school yard friendly.??? What I like to do when I make cookies is to line a large cookie tray with parchment, then scoop the cookies with an ice cream scoop, placing close together but not touching. Then you can put them in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to a Ziploc bag. Now you can bake the cookies as needed keeping them fresh and tasty. Just increase baking time by about 5 mins and lower temperature to 325'F when backing from frozen.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Chickpeas
makes about 2 dz cookies

3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (can replace here with 1/2 cup agave syrup)
3/4 cup butter (or margarine if you prefer)
1 egg or 2 egg whites
2 tsp pure vanilla (always use the real stuff!!)
1 15oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and finally chopped
2 cups semi or bitter sweet chocolate chips
2 cups flour(can substitute with spelt for wheat allergies)
1/2 cup oats (optional)or chopped nuts could be added here as well if desired
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, vanilla, chickpeas and chocolate chips
In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda and salt.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing until just combined.
Scoop on parchment lined cookie sheet
Bake at 350'F for 10-12 mins
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Back in the blog

Finally back and time to start blogging again. With the sun out today and spring around the corner I am craving asparagus. So tonight for dinner this is the plan, not a prefect recipe but follow along and this is great for 4 people.

Cheese Tortellini tossed with Asparagus, Grape Tomatoes and Pesto

Cook off 1 package of your favourite tortellini or stuffed pasta. For the sauce, trim 1 bunch of asparagus into 2" pieces and blanch in boiling salted water or 1 minute (can use this water to cook pasta after) and put aside. In a sauce pan saute 2sliced shallots and two chopped cloves of garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add to taste 2-3 tbsp of premade pesto sauce, 1/4 cup of the pasta water, zest of 1 lemon and simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Add asparagus and 1 small container of grape tomatoes sliced in half. Bring back to a boil and add cooked pasta and toss. Topped with toasted pinenuts and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Quick 15 minute meal and full of flavour. For wine maybe a crisp sauvignon blanc or a pinot noir. Don't forget a crunch baguette to dip in the extra sauce and a mixed green salad on the side.

Christmas Dinner to Go!

For those of you who don't want to fuss or need a helping hand, Taste to Savour is pleased to offer Xmas dinner to go. All orders must be placed by Dec 18th at 6pm and will be ready for pick up either Dec 23 or 24th.

Turkeys stuffed and ready to cook

Choice of stuffing: traditional bread stuffing (with or without Italian sausage) or a corn bread, hazelnut and cranberry stuffing

Gravy

Cranberry orange sauce

5-7kg bird feeds 6-8 people $70.00

7-9 kg bird feeds 12-14 $95.00

Sides

Choice of 5 items

Mixed green salad with pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and chevre with a balsamic vinaigrette

Caesar salad

Blanched green beans with red peppers and almonds

Roasted brussel sprouts

Mashed potatoes with garlic

Potatoes and fennel gratin

Roasted winter root veggies in a maple chilli glaze

Feed 6-8 people $50.00

Feeds 12-14 people $80.00

Desserts

Pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie or mincemeat pies

Individual 4” $3.95 each

9” pie $19.95 each

All order need to be placed by Dec 18^th 6pm

Pick up on either Dec 23 between 10am – 6pm or Dec 24^th between 10an – 4pm

Chicken Soup with Chard and Lentils

Made a delicious soup last night. Anytime you roast a chicken make sure that you freeze the bones. I put the bones in the slow cooker the night before with some water, lemons and onion and slow cooked for about 18 hours. Beauty of the slow cooker is you do not loose any of the precious liquid. Then last night when I got home, I drained it. Quickly sauteed diced onion, celery, carrots and garlic for about 8 minutes and then added the luscious broth. Brought that to a boil and reduced to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Then I drained a can of french lentils, dumped them in and chopped up some swiss card, cooked another minutes and then added some shredded chicken and checked the seasoning. It was so yummy! The nice thing was because the stock had been simmered for so long the soup was really quick and full of flavour. Perfect stormy night dinner last night with the wind storm and rain.

Thank you to AM1410 Dave Brindle listeners

I just wanted to say thank you to all those who have read my blog because of listening to my segment with Dave Brindle on AM1410. It was a fantastic experience and I am confident that the segment will be back with another media so please keep reading. I will continue to post recipes and entertaining tips so please check often! I also have a face book page to that you can follow. Stay in touch and keep cooking.