While I love eating out, and finding the hidden gems of eateries, I also LOVE home cooking. There’s something about quality homemade food that can’t beat even the posh-est fine dining restaurant. I grew up with my mom cooking constantly for me and the rest of my family with international flavors daily and a great array of ingredients and variety of dishes. I guess this is where my passion for food spawned and here we are. Anyways, I have decided to incorporate my personal home cooking recipes on the blog so I can share other delightful tastes with those who might not have the time or ability to eat out 24/7.
Recently, I have been in search of nutritious and delicious dishes and snacks that will also not break the bank. When I came home today The BF had mentioned he had watched The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) make granola bars. awwwww (heavens chimes) WHY have I not thought of making such a scrumptious healthy snack before?! I took a look at the recipe….talk about simple. It called for butter and sugar but since I'm trying to whip my body to be beach ready I figured how bad could it be to leave those ingredients out.
Here’s my rendition of Ina’s granola:
Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon brown sugar (possibly unnecessary if desired to void)
½ cup flax seed
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup agave (honey can also substitute)
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup dried chopped cranberries
½ cup dried chopped apricots
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper
2. Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan (not the prepared buttered pan) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the flax seed.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F
4. Place the honey, agave, sugar, and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the apricots and cranberries then stir well.
5. Pour the nutty mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for an hour or 2 then remove from pan and dismember into little pieces.
*Keep note that I turned this into just a loose granola recipe, I believe the consistency differs from Ina’s granola bars due to lack of butter and amount of sugar*
Now all that’s left is enjoy. It’s a great snack on its own, but is heavenly in Greek yogurt and also mixed into plain cereal like Crispix.
$ - The cost of creating this masterpiece was roughly 20 bucks....but with PLENTY of leftover ingredients to create another batch or two :)
If your interested in Ina's granola bars, check out her recipe @ Barefoot Contessa Granola Bars
No comments:
Post a Comment