StyleNectar

Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola~recipe adapted from Bob's Red Mill

I wanted to title this post, Vanishing Homemade Granola, because quite honestly, even if you make a double batch like I do, this delicioso meal/breakfast/snack-on-the-go will not last long! But alas, I've already used the dissapearing concept (see Vanishing Blueberry Ginger White Chocolate Cookies)

...but don't say I didn't warn ya!

Incredibly easy to whip up and SO very delicious, you'll wonder why you ever considered buying the pre-made stuff.  Plus, it's easily customizeable.  Just use the same ratios and sub in your favorite nuts or seeds, use maple syrup if you're out of honey, or perhaps add dried fruits like raisins & chopped apricots at the end... You get the idea.  Point is, you'll KNOW what's in your fabulous version: delicious, healthy, satisfying ingredients that will keep you humming along happily for hours.

Homemade granola makes a most welcomed gift presented in mason jars- though I won't blame you if you can't bare to part with any of it:)

Homemade Granola Snack Cup

Homemade Granola (makes 15 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup flaxseed
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon non-fat, powdered (dry) milk
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut oil 
• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill extra thick gluten-free rolled oats

Method:

1. Combine all dry ingredients together into a large bowl.

2. If necessary, soften honey by heating it gently. Then mix it with the oil, and water until well blended.

3. Stir liquid mixture into dry ingredients and mix well until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

4. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.  Add the granola mixture to the cookie sheet and bake at 350° for about 35-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes  so mixture is evenly toasted.

**If desired, stir in your favorite dried fruit after baking.

Homemade Granola~recipe adapted from Bob's Red Mill Oats

What was your favorite after school snack growing up?  Mine was graham crackers & milk.  Problem was, Mom expected me only to have 1 or 2 crackers & I was always hungry enough for an entire sleeve!

Vibrant Pear & Fuji Salad with Pecans & Cheddar

Vibrant Pear & Fuji Salad with Pecans & Cheddar

 

Spring is officially just eleven days away!  

The air smells of fresh, damp soil and our daffodil sprouts - which mysteriously appeared in late January- are finally seasonally appropriate!  Lighter weather and lengthening, sunny days make it a great time to share my Pear & Fuji Salad with Pecans & Cheddar! 

We enjoy this vibrant salad fall through early spring when it's always easy to find delicious pears, apples and grapes.  Full of zingy flavor, satisfying toasted nuts and shredded cheddar, you definitely won't feel deprived after this healthy meal.  Add a cup of soup or a whole grain english muffin on the side- smothered in coconut oil & all-fruit strawberry jam if you're like me- and your taste buds will be just as happy as your waistline!

Vibrant Pear & Fuji Salad with Cheddar & Pecans 

 (Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

Juliane's EASY Salad Dressing:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or fruit jam (or agave nectar)
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper                   

Salad:

• 3 cups arugula or spring greens
• 1/3 cup seedless red grapes, halved
• 1/2 fuji apple, sliced
• 1/2 medium pear, sliced
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese, thickly shredded (extra sharp if you please!)
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted (I place mine on a piece of aluminum foil in my toaster oven and set to "light" toast. Easy!)

METHOD

1. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, (or agave or jam), cider vinegar and EVOO.  Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
2. Place greens and sliced fruits in a large bowl.  Add dressing and toss gently (so as not to bruise the greens) to coat.  Arrange on two serving plates, then sprinkle with shredded cheese and toasted pecans.  Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite quick & easy home-made salad dressing?

How do the longer days impact you?

why i do what i do

Painting for me is an act of love.

When I first began painting portraits, it was an adventurous inquisition into the human condition via a portrayal of different personalities, life-experiences, age…

What I didn’t predict discovering, fascinating as our unique traits may be, was that as I relayed these attributes to the canvas, they effectually became less and less important. Each layer of paint leading to an ever-deepening understanding, dissolving any once-perceived separation to reveal a bond, a connection, to the center of what matters;

the heart.

I spend hours upon days upon weeks with each painting, understanding more and more intimately what makes the subject who they are in order to portray and honor their essence. During this meditative process of focused concentration, thoughts subside and there remains only what is.

A vast, connecting and infinite

love.

And everything that separates us becomes everything that makes us

exactly the same.

Self Portrait by Juliane Porter, Oil on Canvas Panel