Crunchy Coconut Granola

• 7 cups of rolled oats

• 1 cup sliced almonds

• 1 cup sunflower seeds

• 1 cup flax seeds

• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup coconut oil

• 1 cup pure maple syrup

• 1 Tbsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup coconut cream (I LOVE Trader Joe's brand)

First grind the flax seeds in a blender or coffee grinder.  This makes them easier to digest.  Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large baking sheet.  Use two if yours are smaller. 

Melt the coconut oil and combine it with the maple syrup, vanilla and coconut cream.  Wisk well to combine and pour it all over the dry ingredients.  Stir everything until it is well incorporated.

Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours, stirring after 1 hour.  The long, low baking time makes this granola nice and crunchy.

After the granola is done cooling you can add dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc.  I like mine sans add-ins with milk, blueberries and a splash of coconut cream.  Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. I love them cut up on top of my cheerios, slathered with peanut butter or mixed into a smoothie.  But my favorite has to be banana bread. Unfortunately most recipes call for up to a cup of sugar, which I think is ridiculous to begin with and white flour, which is a no-no for my diet these days.  I've adapted a recipe that uses whole wheat flour and no added sugar and it's actually just as good as the regular version, if not better.  Try it out, you won't regret it.

If you don't have brown bananas on hand and you're too impatient to wait a few days, you can brown them by putting them in an oven heated to 300 degrees.  Keep a close eye on them and pull them when they turn brown.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce (I used unsweetened)

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil (I used coconut oil)

1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your loaf pan.

Stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl mix the bananas with applesauce, honey, eggs, oil and vanilla.

Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture only until just blended.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes.

You can also use this recipe to make muffins or mini-loaves.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

A few weeks ago I grabbed a box of those processed mini muffins because the child was begging me to get them. They quickly became a popular snack in the house and I was asked if I could buy more so I decided to try out my own healthy, unprocessed version.  They were a hit! I'll continue to make these and freeze them so that they are easily accessible for lunches or whenever a snack or quick breakfast is needed.

1 C. unsweetened applesauce

2 C. whole wheat flour

1/4 C. honey

1/2 tsp. salt (I always use sea salt)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 C. miniature chocolate chips

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 C milk of your choice (almond, soy, rice, etc.)

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. Combine the applesauce, honey, egg, vanilla and milk. Stir. Once combined gradually add the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Grease or line a mini muffin pan and fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Almond Meal Pancakes

Until recently, I wouldn't order pancakes from a restaurant. They always tended to be super thick and dense and make you have that 'If I even think of another pancake I'll be sick' feeling afterwards. My mom always made pancakes using Bisquick. My grandfather swore by Bisquick. He would always joke that if something was really good it had Bisquick in it. Or if it was bad, just add some Bisquick!  

Recently, I visited the Egg Harbor Cafe in Glenview and noticed that their signature pancakes were made with whole wheat flour. I can eat that! So I decided to give them a shot and I'm glad I did.  They were the most delicious pancakes I've ever had (sorry Mom). They were thin and crispy around the edges and had that wonderful nutty flavor that the whole wheat flour brings. They also had a touch of sweetness so I didn't need syrup.  I have yet to replicate their recipe and will continue to try, but for now, here's my recipe for low-carb almond meal pancakes. They're definitely different - more like a cornmeal consistency, but I found them satisfying. The fact that they're low-carb is also a bonus for me since carbs are no bueno for Lyme disease.  I made my own almond meal (just grind up almonds in a food processor until they are a flour-like consistency) but you can purchase it as well.  It is cheaper to make it yourself.

1 cup almond meal
2 eggs
1/4 c. water (for puffier pancakes use sparkling water)
2 tbsp. oil (coconut or olive will do)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sweetener (I used agave but any sweetener is fine)
1/4 c. wheat germ

Combine all of the ingredients. Cook just like regular pancakes. Voila!

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

When I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease a few months ago, the last thing I thought was that I would have to change my diet.  CHANGE MY DIET?!?!?  What a devastating thought for me since most things in my life revolve around food.  It is not uncommon to hear me talk about what we're having for dinner while we're eating lunch.  Going out for ice cream is something we LOVE to do in the summer and I love to cook without having to worry about fat content or calories or how many grams of sugar I consume in a day or whether or not a food is a part of the nightshade family.  Well, those days are gone.  Hopefully not forever but it is a possibility.  So, I've spent a lot of time figuring out what I can eat.  I tried a "Lyme diet" and made it through about 2 weeks.  Sometimes I would just rather eat that cookie and be in pain then not be able to enjoy food at least once in a while.  Some changes I have made - I cut out sugar - now I use Stevia or Agave Nectar, try to avoid processed foods, sea salt instead of regular salt, I only cook with olive oil, I eat a ridiculous amount of organic vegetables and other organic foods (IF I can afford it) and cut out most white foods.  I've switched to brown rice and whole wheat flour.  And who knew that whole wheat flour was so delicious!?  It has a sort of nutty, rich flavor and is great for baking.  Today I attempted whole wheat blueberry pancakes and oh my!  These are deeeelicious!  I suggest you stop using that baking mix in a box or that pre-made batter in the shaker (ewe) and buy yourself a bag of whole wheat flour instead.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

(makes about 4 medium pancakes)

3/4 c. whole wheat flour

1-1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 tsp. salt 

1 tbsp. agave nectar (or Stevia, sugar, etc.)

1/2 c. blueberries

splash of cream or additional milk

Sift together the flour and baking powder.  Set aside.

Mix the egg, milk salt and sweetener together in a bowl.  Gradually incorporate the flour mixture.  At this point I thought it was a bit too thick so I added a splash of cream.  You can add more milk instead if you'd like - about 2 tbsp.  The batter should be thin enough that it pours but not so thin that it's runny.  Fold in the blueberries.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter in the pan for each pancake and cook until bubbly or slightly brown.  Turn and continue cooking until golden brown.

ENJOY!  These are so tasty and moist that you don't even need syrup with them.

Turtle Toffee Bars (a.k.a. Crack)

Crack.  To most the word crack brings to mind a highly addictive drug.  As the Wiki page states "Crack is a form of cocaine, an illegal drug. In most parts of the world, its production (making crack), possession (having crack), and distribution (selling or giving away crack) are illegal.  
But in my house the term crack is being used to describe a delicious snack.  Why, you ask?  Well, these turtle toffee bars are highly addictive and when my Mom brought them to us last Christmas, Darrell and my Dad could not stop eating them.  No matter how hard they tried.  Hence the nickname "crack" was born.  

Sophia and I made crack twice in two weeks because SOMEONE wouldn't stop talking about it.  So, in order to shut that someone up (and because I love him), I made it.  Twice.  In two weeks.  I think that deserves a nice gift in return, don't you?  Anyway, below is the recipe but beware.  You too will become addicted.

14 graham crackers (whole)
1 c. unsalted butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
kosher salt, to taste
12 oz. dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Arrange graham crackers in a single later on the baking sheet.  Put the butter, brown sugar, pecans & pinch of salt in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the graham crackers and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate over the toffee covered graham crackers and spread evenly.  Chill completely for about 30 minutes and then break into pieces or cut into bars.  

mmmmm.  crack.

Grandma Diamond's Rugalach

For those of you that don't know me well, I love love love to bake.  I always have.  I have my mother and her mother and her mother to thank for that.  My Great Grandmother lived on a farm and made everything from scratch, and I mean scratch.  She milked her own cows, killed her own chickens and churned her own butter.  My mother spent  the summers with her and that is where she learned how to bake.  Well, from her and my grandmother.  They all had the great talent of being excellent bakers. Growing up, there was a dessert on the table every Sunday.  My mother taught me all she knows, allowing me to help her from a very young age.   I too always try to have my daughter help me in the kitchen, hoping that one day she will carry on the family recipes. Not everything I make is from scratch, (I wish I had the time for that) but everything is delicious!  Just ask my taste testers!  :)

I created my blog months ago with every intention of writing that first post right away.  Unfortunately I've been diagnosed with an illness that has left me in pain, tired and most unfortunately, on a restricted diet. Due to this, I haven't been baking as much as I would like, but I still bake and at least get to enjoy seeing other people enjoy it (and always have to sneak a taste of what I make!).

This is a recipe that didn't come from my great grandmother, but from Darrell's.  Authentic Jewish Rugalach (or rugalacccccchhhhhh as we like to joke).  I've had the recipe for 3 or 4 years but have only made it twice because it is pretty time consuming.  The two times I made it were for Darrell's Grandfather and I was told that it tasted just like his mom's.  This was a great relief because you should have seen the recipe when I got it.  There were no measurements so I had to do a lot of guessing and I guessed right!

Grandma Diamond's Rugalach

2 yeast cakes (or 2 packets of yeast)

1/2 c. warm milk

1/2 c. flour

1/2 lb. butter

3/4 stick margarine

4 eggs

1 c. sour cream

1 c. sugar

4-6 c. flour

1 c. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

softened butter

raisins

Pre-heat oven to 350. Dissolve yeast in the warm milk.  Put the 1/2 c. flour in a large bowl and add the dissolved yeast, butter and margarine.  Let it soften about 20-30 minutes.

Add eggs, sour cream and sugar to the yeast mixture and mix thoroughly. Add enough flour to roll (4-6 cups was my estimate but use your own judgment). Let the dough rise for 1/2 hour.

Divide the dough into four and knead. Roll each ball of dough into a circle on a floured surface. Combine the cinnamon and 1 c. sugar.  Spread the dough with softened butter, cinnamon and sugar and raisins.  Cut like pie wedges and roll each wedge from the outside to the point. 

Bake at 350 until brown - about 30 minutes.

I'm not a fan of raisins so I usually make 1/2 without. I've also seen many other fillings like fruit and chocolate.

Makes about 60 rugalach.