Crispy Coconut-Almond Granola

Crispy Coconut-Almond Granola
Granola is one of those grocery items that is totally easy to just grab off of the shelf and throw in your cart without thinking twice (GUILTY! Also, guilty of spending an unconscionable amount of $$ on the GF stuff...But I digress...).
Motivated by freshness and quality ingredients, I set out to find a granola recipe that was easily adaptable, without loads of refined sugar and bad fat. Thus, I stumbled upon: Nigella Lawson’s “Andy’s Fairfield Granola”
I love this recipe (I also love Nigella!!) because it is super simple. With this recipe, I can easily control the amount (and kind!) of sweeteners and fats, not to mention the quality and cost of the ingredients for a healthy breakfast or snack all week long.

Ingredients:

5 cups Gluten Free Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 cups Flaked Coconut, Unsweetened
1 ¼ cups Almonds, Chopped
2 tsps Vanilla Extract
2 tsps Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Dried Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg

½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)
½ cup Agave Nectar
2 tbps Coconut Oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 300F
1. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, almonds, vanilla and spices.
2. In a small saucepan (or in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds), warm the fruit puree with the agave nectar, and oil.
3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until the oats and nuts are covered evenly, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets.
4. Bake the granola for about 40 minutes, stirring every seven minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Your granola may take more or less time depending on your oven’s actual temperature.

5. Remove from the oven as soon as the granola is slightly golden brown and let cool on the baking sheet. You’ll be able to tell when it is done because the oats will feel lighter when you stir them.

This granola can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for a couple of weeks. AND because I had them on hand, I added: ¼ c Dried Gogi Berries, ¼ c Dried Blueberries, and ¼ c Dried Cranberries to my granola and it turned out even more amazing! Also, you can easily swap out coconut oil for another vegetable oil, and the nuts and flaked coconut for other "add-in" ingredients that you prefer, to create your ideal breakfast! Get creative!

This granola is great with milk, yogurt, or even ice cream! (I can't lie, I totally top my coconut ice cream with it...regularly.)

Happy Eating!

Jenna's Famous Grilled Lamb

I am not a fortune teller, but something tells me that in the very near future this lamb recipe will be very famous... This is by far the most requested dinner around these parts. This lamb is flavorful, juicy, and simple. I get my rack of lamb at Costco. It's Kirkland brand, already Frenched, and you cannot beat the price (really). This lamb recipe would be a really special treat for the holidays, I' m thinking of making it for Thanksgiving...Why should turkey get all of the attention?

Ingredients

1 rack of Lamb, Frenched
5 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary, stemmed and minced
5 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, stemmed and minced
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preheat your grill to medium temperature. Disclaimer: I am fortunate enough to live in California, where grilling in the winter months is acceptable. This recipe could easily be made indoors: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prepare a roasting pan with a rack or large chunks of celery, onion, and/or carrot.

While your grill (or oven) is preheating, make a (delicious) paste out of your herbs, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well, mashing with your fork to combine so that all of the flavors become the best of friends.

Prepare the rack of lamb by patting it dry with a paper towel, so that the seasoning sticks to it. Then cover the Frenched bones with aluminum foil, so that they don't burn (or char) while cooking.

Next, massage (yes, really. massage) your seasoning paste onto the lamb to cover it, making sure to get both ends and the bottom.

Grilling:
Place your seasoned lamb fat side down on your medium heat grill, close the lid. Let grill for approximately 5-6 minutes, or until your lamb pulls away from the grill easily. Don't walk away! That lamb fat will make the grill fire's day by helping it flare up and char your lamb to an inedible crisp. (I speak from experience...) Turn lamb to the second side and continue to cook for approximately 7-8 minutes. Lastly, you'll flip your lamb one more time, back to fat side down, to crisp up the fat for a few short minutes over a high heat grill. Watch it, or it'll surely burn! (you've been warned)

Oven:
Place your seasoned lamb fat side up in your prepared roasting pan. Put the pan into your preheated oven and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes. Reduce the oven's temperature to 300 degrees and cook for approximately 12-15 minutes longer, depending on how well you like your lamb cooked.

I like my lamb medium-rare, which is how I've written this recipe. If you prefer your lamb more well-done, cook it longer. You can tell how well a piece of lamb is cooked by how much it gives when you press on the meatiest section gently with tongs. If it doesn't give much, it's cooked more thoroughly; if it gives easily to the pressure, it is more rare.

Once your lamb is done to your liking, remove it from the heat and cover it with aluminum foil for approximately 5-10 minutes. This step allows the juice in the lamb to redistribute and results in much juicier servings. Don't worry, the foil keeps it from getting cold.

I like to serve my lamb with grilled asparagus and garlic quinoa. But this lamb recipe is very versatile and could be served with anything that you like, including mint jelly... Blleeeehhhh...

Recipe by: Jenna Throne

Skinny Zucchini Pineapple Muffins

So, I haven’t posted any recipes in awhile. Blame it on my lack of creative juices… busy schedule…or just plain laziness, I will not!! I don’t have any great excuses, only that I’ve been testing a lot of recipes and none of them have been up to par, or awe-inspiring, or worthy of posting to the blog. This blog is a record of my recipe successes, not my recipe “meh, that’s edible…”

I think someone once said, necessity is the mother of invention, and that is exactly how this recipe was born. I like to sleep in in the morning for every single second I can before I actually have to get up and go to work, and breakfast doesn’t win out over sleep. But eat, I must. So, I needed a (healthy) breakfast that I could grab on my way out the door to eat in my car during rush hour AND something that meets all of my other insanely neurotic requirements:
Free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar
Low-fat
Low-calorie
High fiber
And high protein to keep me full until I can find a minute to stuff my face with my second meal of the day (lunch…)

Thus, Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins were born! (I know, I’m excited too…) I think (read: HOPE!!) that I’ve created a recipe that you will love! They are a delicious, quick grab-and-go breakfast, and healthy to boot. These Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins are dairy, gluten, oil, and refined sugar free! I hope that you love them as much as I do.

Skinny Pineapple Zucchini Muffins

1 cup Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Gluten Free Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
½ tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
½ cup Walnuts, Chopped (OPTIONAL)
1 large Egg, Beaten
½ cup Coconut Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
¾ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
¼ cup Cultured Almond Milk Yogurt, I used SO Delicious Brand
1 cup Zucchini, Shredded
½ cup Crushed Pineapple in Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line muffin pan with muffin liners
Please note: When I am baking gluten free, I like to use either a whisk or a fork (depending on what I am making) to combine my ingredients, so as not to over mix. Gluten free baking components tend to absorb the wet ingredients quickly, which is why it is important to make all necessary preparations in advance, so that your batter isn’t sitting for an extended period of time. Preheat your oven, line your muffin pan, get all ingredients out on your workspace so they are ready to use. If the batter sits, your baked good may end up with a less than appetizing texture.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl: Flour, oats, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and walnuts if you’re using them. You can really substitute any type of nut that you have on hand, or even dried fruit if you’re feeling like a real rebel!

In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: egg, sugar, vanilla, applesauce, almond milk yogurt, zucchini, and pineapple.

Stir your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, just to combine. Do not over mix.

Fill muffin cups with the prepared batter. I used a 1/3 cup measure to fill my cups, but you could use an ice cream scoop or another method, just ensure that the cups are filled to the rim.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and rotate the pan. Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

This recipe makes about 12 muffins. The muffins freeze really well if they are cooled entirely before freezing. I store mine in the freezer in an airtight container and pull one out each morning and microwave it for about 45 seconds to defrost/warm up.

Recipe by: Jenna Throne