Salty Olive Oil Granola

 

This year I made homemade granola for Christmas to give friends & relatives.  I took the recipe from Buzzfeed (I’d actually posted it as a foodie gift idea in my post earlier in December…)

 

I made 3 batches to start off with, which filled 12 pint sized mason jars with some leftover for us to eat.  It is by far the best cereal I’ve had in my life – and it really isn’t difficult to make at all.  We ended up making another 2 batches since we wanted more for ourselves!

It is perfect to snack on by itself, to eat with milk, or serve over yogurt.  Trust me, you’ll want to make multiple batches.  Rather than doubling or tripling the ingredients all in one bowl, I’d recommend doing one batch at a time.  You’ll need a baking sheet with edges so the granola doesn’t fall off the sides. 

 

 

I topped mine with some festive snowflake napkins and added gift tags. 

Salty Olive Oil Granola (adapted from Buzzfeed)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups quick oats
• 1½ cups pecan halves, broken into pieces
• 1 cup coconut flakes (I used sweetened)
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas)
• ½ cup pancake syrup (maple syrup would be best, but since it’s pricey, I just used regular syrup and it didn’t make a difference)
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 t salt
• ½ t nutmeg
• ½ t cinnamon
• ½ t ground cardamom (if you don’t have this spice, you can just add more nutmeg and cinnamon)
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup dried cherries

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 300°F.

2. Combine the oats, pecans, coconut, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.  Add the syrup, sugar, olive oil, salt, and spices and toss until evenly coated.

 

 

 

3. Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet with edges.  Bake for 30 minutes, then stir.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until granola starts to brown.  When it comes out of the oven, it will be slightly soft, but it will harden as it cools.

 

4. Once it is completely cooled, add the raisins and cherries.  Divide into mason jars and decorate as you’d like.  It should keep for months in an airtight container (but it tastes so good, there’s no way it’ll be around for that long!) 

Chile Spiced Mango

I love mangos.  My college roommate, Amy, grew up in South Florida, and her parents had a mango tree in their backyard.  Whenever I visited, they’d send me home with fresh mangos!

Trader Joe’s sells a wide variety of dried fruits, one of which is mango.  Last time we shopped there we bought the Chile Spiced Mango.

The dried mango is seasoned (generously) with paprika & cayenne pepper.  I love the mix of sweet and spicy.  However, some slices are so coated that you’ll need to keep a drink nearby to cool down your taste buds. 

I’m not always a fan of spicy foods, but I do really enjoy this one.   It’s not for everyone though – it might have too much of a kick for some people.  And be careful not to eat the whole bag – ¼ cup of it has 21 grams of sugar so it’s not the healthiest snack.  But a nice treat in moderation. 

Spicy Parmesan Kale Chips

I make kale chips pretty frequently so I thought I’d share my recipe since it’s so easy.  Kale has become more and more popular every year – according to USA Today, it has increased 400% on restaurant menus since 2008.  Chef Jennifer Iserloh, who wrote a book called 50 Shades of Kale, says “Kale is the king of the superfood kingdom.  People are incredibly interested in health, and more and more people are cooking at home – kale is cheap, versatile, and one of the best foods you can put in your body.” 

There are tons of benefits to eating kale – it is low-calorie and has zero fat. It is high in fiber, iron, calcium, and vitamins A, C, K.  It is anti-inflammatory, lowers cholesterol, and helps detox your body.  No wonder they call it a superfood. 

Even if you don’t think you like kale, you need to start off by trying them as chips.  It is such a great alternative to snacking on regular chips since you’re actually doing something good for your body!  You still get that salty, satisfying crunch but it is actually good for you. 

Spicy Parmesan Kale Chips

Ingredients:

·        1 bunch kale

·        2 T Extra virgin olive oil

·        2 T Parmesan cheese

·        ½ tsp Red pepper flakes

·        1 tsp Garlic powder

·        Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. Tear your kale into bite sized pieces and remove the hard stems.

3. Wash and thoroughly dry the kale.  It is important to get as much of the water off as you can so it will get nice and crispy in the oven. 

5. In a bowl, toss in the olive oil, half the parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, garlic, and a dash of salt.  Make sure the kale is thoroughly coated. 

6. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray to make sure the chips don’t stick.  Spread the kale out into a single layer on the sheet.

7.  Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the top. 

8.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking on it every few minutes to toss the kale and rotate.  They are done once they are completely dried out and crispy. 

Kale does shrink significantly in size when you bake it.  We ate ours last night with pork chops (which we marinated in the leftover white wine sauce from the mussels!).  It also makes a great snack on its own whenever you’re craving something crunchy.   You can feel free to alter the recipe with whatever spices you have lying around.