Tag Archives: breakfast

Beginning to See the Light Granola

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I’ve been going through an interminable five month depression, primarily brought on by a work schedule impossible to maintain. Work has finally slowed and I’m beginning to come up for air – sixteen pounds heavier, toxic and worn out. In an effort to find my health again, I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer last week. After eating a full bag of Pepperidge Farm Maui cookies on Monday and three quarters of a bag of Newton’s blueberry Fruit Thins on Wednesday, I decided my diet needs an overhaul, too, but any willpower I may possess is melted by crispy, crunchy, chewy, buttery sweet carbs. Pastries make me happy like Prozac. In an effort to channel my love of a good cookie into something a bit more healthful, I whipped up a batch of granola this morning, capturing the flavors and textures without all the wheat, sugar and fat.

Granola

Beginning to See the Light Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 cups assorted nuts and seeds (unsalted and unroasted, if possible)
½ – ¾ t. salt
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. cardamom
¼ t. ginger
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup liquid sweetener (such as honey, maple syrup or agave syrup)
1 t. vanilla
1 cup dried fruit, chopped if needed (unsweetened and unsulfured, if possible)

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine oats, nuts and seeds in a large bowl (I used chopped almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I also used about ¼ cup toasted flax seeds, but added them at the end since they were pre-toasted). Add salt and spices. Add oil, sweetener and vanilla. Stir until moistened and combined. Turn out on to a Silpat covered sheet pan.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes, stirring at the following times: 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, and 35 minutes. Chop and measure fruit while granola bakes. If you use coconut, add coconut at the 20 minute mark. Add dried fruit (and any toasted nuts) to the hot granola. I used coconut, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, and apricots and also added the flax at this time. Cool granola and store.

Note: I like to pour almond milk over the still hot granola to make a tummy-warming snack to nibble while the rest of the granola cools.

Avoiding

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This weekend, I find myself in the kitchen, avoiding work, avoiding weeding my garden and avoiding Italy preparations.

Muffins

Raspberry-Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup nonfat buttermilk, (or nonfat milk mixed with 1 T lemon juice)
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
  • 4 oz. light cream cheese
  • Sugar in the Raw or sliced almonds (see my notes below)

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 large (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
  2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the zest from the lemon in long strips. Combine the zest and sugar in a food processor; pulse until the zest is very finely chopped into the sugar. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla and pulse until blended.
  3. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture and fold until almost blended. Gently fold in raspberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
  4. Divide cream cheese into 12 equal pieces and place on top of each muffin along with one raspberry.  Push gently down into each muffin and sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw
  5. Bake the muffins until the edges and tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Let flavors meld overnight.

When these first came out of the oven, I was disappointed with the results.  The muffins were nothing special and the filling tasted of cream cheese rather than cheesecake.  However, after sitting for the better part of the day (and overnight), the flavors melded into something much more delicious with the cream cheese picking up the sweetness of the muffins. Next time, I think they would benefit from a crunchy sprinkling of sliced almonds on the top, replacing the sugar – or perhaps even chopped walnuts in the batter. I will be making them again. 

 

Adapted from EatingWell July/August 2007