A Nourishing Granola

Hi everyone

I did intend on publishing this post a little sooner, but unfortunately I got knocked back by quite a nasty bug, which involved having absolutely no inclination towards food (which for me is just insane!).

On a side note, here are some pretty cupcakes I made. I made lemon and raspberry ones adapted from this recipe and they were delicious!!

Today I thought that I would share with you a recipe that I adapted for granola (or muesli if you live down the bottom of the world). I really love granola/muesli in the morning, however, almost all of the packaged ones contain refined sugars and quite a lot of it! That's why when I can I try to make my own. Unfortunately, when I get busy I seem to forget how quick and easy it is to actually make your own, even the toasted variety.

I would note though that if you do decide to make your own, watch it like a hawk when it is in the oven! It only takes a minute for your delicious, toasted muesli to turn into bitter, burnt stuff. If it looks like it is getting overdone, take it out! It will crisp up more as it cools.

I adapted this recipe from My New Roots based on what I had in the pantry. I also didn't add any extra sugar aside from the rice malt syrup, but you could add in around 1/4 of a cup of brown sugar or coconut sugar if you feel the need.

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed millet, puffed brown rice or similar
1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup rice malt syrup (or honey)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

In a large bowl combine oats, puffed millet, chopped hazelnuts, and chia seeds. Mix well.

In a small saucepan combine salt, rice malt syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Heat over a low heat, stirring often, until melted and combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and mix well until all of the dry ingredients are coated (I used a bit of a smushing-movement with my spoon).

Press the mixture onto the baking trays so that there is a thin, even layer of mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, watching it closely. Remove from the oven, give it a really good mix around and then pop back in the oven for around 10 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so. The mixture should feel nice and dry.

Leave to cool and then store in an airtight container.

Breakfast Crumpies

As a Sunday treat for hungry male and myself I tend to make us a nice breakfast. While hungry males liked the full cooked style of breakfast (eggs, bacon etc) I prefer the sweeter things in life, therefore I tend to alternate between sweet and savoury recipes.

This week was my sweet week and I chose to make a Jamie Oliver recipe called Breakfast Crumpies. He called them a cross between a crumpet and a yorkshire pudding. Now to my knowledge I don't believe that I have ever had a yorkshire pudding (I should add it to my list) but I definitely got the crumpet aspect. The holes inside of the Crumpies were perfect for absorbing some of the toppings.

I topped mine with a few combinations including cream cheese, banana, jam and maple syrup. The banana and maple syrup combination was awesome!! Hungry male is a little less adventurous so just stuck to maple syrup.

I have provided the full recipe which makes 12 but for just the 2 of us I halved the recipe as these were delicious fresh but I don't know how well they would store.

Ingredients
500g high grade bread flour
2 tsp sea salt
7g active yeast (I think around 1 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp sugar
Good pinch baking soda
600ml tepid water (When you dip your finger in you shouldn't really feel it)

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and baking soda in a bowl.
3. Pour in the water and whisk until just combined.
4. Let the mixture set for ten minutes.
5. Spoon the mixture into 12 greased muffin tins. The mixture should come nearly to the top.
6. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden.
7. Once out of the oven let the Crumpies cool on a wire rack for a few minutes.
8. Cut in half and enjoy warm with your choice of toppings.