Quick Chard Wraps with Apple, Zucchini, and Gorgonzola

As much as I love other leafy greens (perhaps you’ve noticed my kale obsession?), I don’t love chard. No offense, chard.

Granola Breakfast Cookies

Oat-y goodness like this is just good to have on hand.

These oat cookies are healthy and hearty so they make a great breakfast or snack, but sweet enough to make a satisfying dessert.

To be honest, writing baking recipes does kind of intimidate me…it’s such a science. As much as I love baked goods, I’m much more of a cook than a baker.

 

But I couldn’t find a oat cookie recipe that was exactly what I wanted, even to modify. So after lots of googling things like “correct flour to liquid ratio for cookies” and “benefits of using both baking soda and baking powder” I gave up and just took a stab at it. It worked!

I can tell these are going to be a staple in my kitchen from now on.

Ingredients
Use gluten-free certified oat products for that option
Makes 8 large cookies

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 heaping tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs ground chia seed (or ground flax)
• 2 tbs coconut sugar
• 1 tbs maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
• 1 tbs coconut oil, liquid
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 ripe banana, mashed

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix until well combined. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork or potato masher, keeping some chunks. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Scoop into mounds onto a greased baking sheet, and flatten/shape with your hands (they won’t spread at all). Bake until firm and brown around the edges, about 18 minutes in my oven. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy with a smear of nut butter or a cup of your favorite tea!

Almond Honey Millet Crispies Treats

You know those “rice krispy” treats that come in the blue metallic packaging? I used to love those things, though that’s exactly what comes to mind when I hear the term “empty calories,” ha! The ingredients list is…well, it takes up half the package. Even homemade rice krispy treats are really high on the glycemic index and are not vegetarian anyway. Enter this recipe.  Think of these puffed millet squares as a healthier, heartier version, but just as tasty. This recipe is inspired and slightly adapted from this recipe from Oh She Glows. I used puffed millet rather than rice, and you’ll love the chewiness and fun texture.

You’ll also love how easy these are to make! It just requires a few simple ingredients…

and is easy as 1…

2…

3!

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup + 2 tbs (6 tbs) honey

1 tbs coconut oil, melted (or butter)

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

optional add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, etc

4 cups millet puffs (I use and recommend Nature’s Path)

Directions

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, add all ingredients except millet puffs. Stir until smooth and well mixed. Add in millet puffs and stir until millet is evenly coated. Pour the mixture into a baking dish (use a smaller dish if you like thicker squares, a larger one for thinner squares). Refrigerate for a couple hours to set. Cut and enjoy!

Easy Peanut Maple Energy Bites

These are pretty much identical to Clif Peanut Butter Bars. Except homemade and therefore cheaper. And healthier. And more delicious. So, maybe they’re not that identical after all. Dare I say superior? 🙂

I love that these are quick and easy to throw together, and the perfect on-the-go energy.

This is also one of those blank canvas recipes. Try adding a puffed cereal like brown rice, millet, or kamut, or a dried fruit like raisins, or substitute the pb with another nut butter (it’s amazing with cashew butter!). You can add chocolate or carob chips, cocoa powder, white chocolate chunks, or even substitute the oat bran for your favorite protein powder! The combinations are endless.

I recommend doubling or tripling this recipe, because they go fast.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup unsweetened all-natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
• 1 1/4 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or chia seed
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (may substitute other liquid sweetener)
• 1/4 cup oat bran (I used 2 tbs oat bran and 2 tbs wheat bran)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, vanilla, and maple. Mix until smooth (if your pb has been refrigerated and is too stiff to mix easily, try microwaving it before mixing, until it is soft enough).

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

Shape it into bars on wax paper if you prefer. I made them into little balls because it’s a little easier. You can enjoy them right away, or refrigerate if you want them to stiffen up more.

Here’s to healthy energy fueling your New Year’s athletic aspirations. 🙂 Enjoy!

Three Quick ‘n’ Easy Tartines

These just kind of happened the other day…I was making soup for my husband and I, and, because we were starving, I wanted to do a quick snack to tide us over til the soup was ready. I thought I’d share them with you in case you needed yet another New Year’s party appetizer idea. 🙂

I used Acme Bread Company’s Whole Wheat Walnut Levain. So tasty.

Pomegranate-Basil Tartines

Layer up:

• A slice of your favorite bread or crostini
• A thin smear of low fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• Pomegranate seeds
• A little fresh basil or fresh mint

Avocado-Radish Tartines

Layer up:

• A slice of your favorite bread or crostini
• A thin smear of low fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• Sliced radishes
• Sliced ripe avocado
• Kosher salt

Apple-Cream Cheese Tartines

Layer up:

• A slice of your favorite bread or crostini
• A thin smear of low fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• Thin slices of apple (I used Gala)
• Freshly ground black pepper (don’t leave this out….yum)

Hippie Love Granola

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. I pretty much just took all my favorite grains – lots of oats, quinoa, amaranth, millet, flax, and chia –  threw them into a bowl, and baked up a batch of…well, love. 🙂

This granola is fantastic. So, so fantastic. I’ve been tossing it in with my overnight oats, or just as cereal (I do recommend using almond milk for cereal – the nuttiness really adds a lot). It’s a little on the crumbly side, so it works better as a cereal than as a trail mix.

Note: I read a bunch of tutorials online on how to pop amaranth, but I couldn’t get it to work for me. I included the directions below in case you could get it to work, but this granola works great with the amaranth raw.

Note 2: You may see from the pictures that I forgot the nuts. It is tasty either way. 🙂

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup uncooked millet
• 1/3 cup uncooked amaranth
• 1/4 cup flax seed (I used 2 tbs ground, and 2 tbs whole, for the texture)
• 1/4 oat bran (or other bran)
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 chia seeds
• 1/2 cup walnuts (or other nut)
• 1/2 cup almonds (or other nut)
• 2 tsp cinnamon (i LOVE cinnamon. Most people would probably use 1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tbs canola oil, or  coconut oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup spiced apple cider
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. First pop the amaranth – heat a frying pan over medium heat, cover, and shake the pan a little until most of the amaranth has popped (like mini popcorn kernels). Then mix all dry ingredients (except nuts) together in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, mix all wet ingredients then add to dry ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, until almost golden. Remove from oven, flip the granola with a spatula, add the nuts, and return to oven. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the nuts are toasted and the grains are golden.