Maple Nut Granola Recipe

My friend, Beka, recently posted about granola. That got me thinking I might want to make some myself. Yummmmmm....I love granola! In my opinion, homemade granola tops store-bought, pretty much always. Especially this granola!

I finalized this recipe about 2 years ago, but just realized I although I had added it to my Recipage, I never did a post about it. Ooops. The inspiration for this recipe came from Good Cheap Eats, but I gave it the ol' maison|raye tweak until it suited our tastebuds.

Things I love about this granola:

• Yummy (duh)
• Portable
• Crunchy
• Uses a natural, "real food" sweetener
• Don't have to stir it while baking! (This is HUGE for me)
• Can sub use any kind of nuts you like or have on hand
• Uses basic ingredients always in my pantry (I buy pretty much all the ingredients in bulk)
• Is allergy-friendly (dairy-free, peanut-free, egg-free, soy-free and gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free ingredients)
• It actually holds together in large-ish pieces, which are easy to grab

Side note, this is an awesome, portable snack to take camping or on vacation (or to keep in a container in your desk at work). And, it makes fab yogurt/fruit/granola parfaits.

I sometimes pour the little crumblies into a bowl, add a small handful of dried or fresh berries and top with milk (previously cow milk or Ashley's Cereal Sauce, but lately I use coconut or almond milk). I wish I had a picture of all that yum-ness in a bowl, but I ate it. Sorry.

You definitely need to try this granola. Hear that?  NEED!!!!

Maple Nut Granola

by Raye

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake stove top breakfast snack oatmeal nuts maple syrup

Ingredients (8 servings)

• 5 c. old fashioned rolled oats (do not use quick oats)
• 1 c. chopped nuts, such as pecans or almonds
• 1 c. shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c. maple syrup
• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300* F.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, combine syrup, vanilla, salt, coconut oil and cinnamon and stir until smooth.
• Stir together nuts, coconut and oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour warmed liquid ingredients over the oat mixture. Stir to coat evenly. (It will seem like there's not enough liquid to go around at first. Just keep stirring. It may take about a minute to get the dry ingredients totally coated.)
• Press into a 15x10 jelly roll pan (rimmed baking sheet). Bake for 40-45 minutes without stirring. Remove from oven and gently break up with a spatula.
• Cool completely before serving or storing. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• Note, may omit nuts during the baking process and simply add pecans or a dried fruit/nut mix or nut/seed mix when serving to accommodate individual tastes within your family.

Powered by Recipage

Allergy Friendly Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

About a month ago, Ry Guy and I were diagnosed with multiple food allergies, including eggs, soy, dairy, gluten, and peanuts. Looks like the allergies are connected to our eczema, too.  I'm in mourning.

{insert sniffle here}

I confess, I was pretty depressed about it for a few weeks. Then, I decided to not let it control my life. I've found that there is hope and you can actually reverse some food allergies. In fact, I'm taking an online class right now on reversing food allergies and I'm learning so much already. I hope to see improvement in both Ry Guy's and my eczema soon...

Anyway, I wanted dessert this past week when I was up visiting my family, so Mom suggested I do something with the raspberries she had in the freezer or the rhubarb from the garden out back.

So, I did something with both of them. At the same time. Here's the result.

Don't you just want to snatch that right off the page and stuff it in your mouth?  If you like tart desserts, this is for you.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Recipe

Great news for all you readers out there searching for an allergen-friendly dessert for the holidays.  Look no further! I made this awesome Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake this year for Thanksgiving.  It's egg-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.

I spent a good bit of time looking for an egg-free cheesecake recipe, only to find that most of them either used cashews (a bit pricey) or tofu (soy is a no-no for me) as fillers. Grrr... So, then I found this egg-free cheesecake recipe and was inspired to make it my own.

Who knew you don't really need eggs, wheat, tofu or cashews to make an amazing cheesecake with a really great cheesecake texture?  News to me.  But, trust me, it's totally possible.

And totally delicious.

Walnut Oat Pie Crust Recipe (Gluten-Free!)

Planning to cook for a gluten-free somebody this holiday season? I don't know about you, but I love me a good pie. Bummer for those who can't have the gluten in the pie crust (or the filling)...it makes baking a little trickier.

Here's a solution: Walnut Oat Pie Crust.

It's really simple to throw together and really reminds me of a graham cracker crust, both in texture and taste.  It's definitely less sweet than a traditional graham cracker crust and actually, kind of tastes like a granola bar...now that I think about it...