March 28, 2024

Christi’s Homemade Granola Recipe

This is a recipe I was a bit hesitant to try at first.  I thought it was going to take a lot of time to make; but I was pleasantly surprised to find just how easy Granola is to make!  I love eating it with a little milk, or served on top of plain yogurt.  My husband even used it on top of his vanilla ice cream!  I hope you will give it a try, and then let me know what you thought of it!

 

Homemade Granola

Granola

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup dried craisins

1/2 cup raisins

1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/3 cup slivered almonds

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup flaxseed

1/3 cup grapeseed (or olive) oil

*You can add other dried fruits, as well.  But craisins and raisins are our favorites!

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Spread out loosely on a large cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 25 minutes; stopping every 10 minutes to stir granola.

When finished baking, take out of oven, stir again; allow to cool down on cookie sheet.

After granola has cooled down, store in air-tight container.

 

Happy Eating!

At Home with GCH: Spring Salad Side Dishes

Here on our At Home with GCH blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes.  This month we are spotlighting vegetarian dishes.  Each Monday will actually be a Meatless Monday!

So, I was talking with my dad about what to make for our family’s get-together on Easter Sunday.  Now, something you should know about us—every event is a food event. 😉  Is your family like that, too?  My contributions this year will be for dinnertime.  By request, I have been relegated the side dishes.  Two of them will be vegetarian salads: Broccoli-Craisin Salad and New Old-Fashioned Carrot Slaw.  Both fit into our healthy but-oh-so-yummy! category nicely!  Yes, there is a good amount of mayonnaise in the broccoli salad, but I think that you will find it balanced out by the rest of the healthy ingredients.  Plus this recipe provides 6-8 servings.  And in the carrot slaw, fat-free greek yogurt is substituted for the majority of the mayo that traditional ‘old-fashioned’ carrot slaw usually contains.  Enjoy!

Broccoli-Craisin SaladIMG_0196

dressing:
3/4 cup good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (red wine vinegar also yummy)
freshly ground pepper, to taste

salad:
3 heads broccoli crowns, cut up into small florets – no stems
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup sunflower kernels/seeds
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Mix together ‘til emulsified;  set aside.

In a salad bowl, toss all salad ingredients ‘til well distributed. Pour dressing over and stir ‘til everything is nicely coated.  Put completed salad into a storage container or bag and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours to meld the flavors together (overnight is optimum).

Notes:
The smaller you chop the florets, the nicer this salad will be.  Takes a little time…but so worth it!  I use less mayo than most recipes call for; feel free to add more if you desire. ALSO, for your meat-loving family members, you can add 2-3 slices of crumbled, crispy, cooked bacon; makes for a nice addition!

New Old-Fashioned Carrot SlawIMG_0200

dressing:
1 container lemon greek yogurt
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

salad:
2 cups julienned carrots *
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, cut in 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins

Combine dressing ingredients together in a small bowl; set aside.

Mix all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl, and then pour on the dressing; mix together well.  Place in a storage container or bag; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight so that the flavors can blend together.

Notes:
I buy bagged ‘matchstick’ carrots; usually available with the baby carrots in the produce section of your grocery store.

————————————————-

God loves you! (Don’t ever forget that!)

coleen

_________________________________

If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen concerning this series, you may email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com, or leave a comment below.