homemade granola

Have you ever made homemade granola? It's easy, delicious, and nutritious! You can keep the ingredients on hand and make it when you run out of other breakfast stuff. You can eat it with yogurt, or with milk or soy milk. You can change up any of the nuts, seeds or dried fruit depending on what you have on hand. Some of my favorites are coconut, pecans, almonds, dried blueberries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. You can put more honey in if you want it sweeter. Since you make it yourself, you know that it's all good stuff - whole grains, nuts, and dried fruits without a lot of sugar. Who knows what is in the stuff in the grocery store?

Here is a recipe i use, from Rio Caliente Hot Springs Health Spa

Ingredients

2 lbs. rolled oats (not the quick-cooking or instant variety)

3/4 cup pecans, chopped or broken

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds, whole

3/4 cup hulled sesame seeds, toasted or raw

1/2 cup powdered low fat milk

2 T. sesame oil

1/4 cup honey

How to Prepare

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl and mix.

Add the powdered milk and mix again. Add the oil and honey and mix thoroughly, using your hands to turn the mixture over and over. Place into baking pans and bake in a slow (250F) oven for 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown.

Stir every 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in an air-tight container.

Note: If you add wheat germ, the granola must be refrigerated.

Additional ingredients: Powdered soy milk or flakes, peanuts, wheat germ, bran, oat, rye, wheat or soy flakes, soy nuts, raisins, currants or other dried fruits, almonds or other nuts, dried coconut.

Note: If you add soy flakes, be sure to include them at the very end of baking as they tend to burn.

Kick Cancer Broccoli, Pomegranate and Wheat Berry Salad

My good friend Kelly was recently diagnosed with cancer. She has vowed to and is kicking ass on the cancer. I was looking through my cookbooks for some kick-ass cancer fighting foods when I remembered this salad. Caffe Latte in St. Paul has a version of this recipe in their deli case, and it is very tasty and healthy. I recrafted the recipe and added pomegranate for bursts of flavor, color and antioxidant power.



I had never cooked with wheat berries before, they are slightly chewly and nutty and shaped like little bullets. You can find them in the bulk section in natural food stores, Rainbow or Lunds (but not at Cub). I made the salad again for Christmas and brought it to our respective families. It was very healthy compared to all the other options. Chad's aunt had the gut busting version of this salad -- with bacon, uuber amounts of mayo, and cheddar cheese. Also good, but without the kick-ass cancer fighting power.

INGREDIENTS:

-2 heads broccoli

-1 pomegranate

-1 small red or sweet onion

-1 cup uncooked wheat berries

-1/2 cup sunflower seeds, raw

-3/4 cup white raisons

-2 Tablespoons balsalmic vinegar

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/4 cup mayo

-1 tsp. dijon mustard

-sugar, salt

INSTRUCTIONS

-Add the wheat berries to a pot filled with water, bring to a boil and then keep at a low simmer for 45 minutes, until the grain is soft and chewy and doubled in size.

-Toast the sunflower seeds in a saute pan over medium heat until just brown and fragrant.

-Separate the broccolli into small bite sized florets.

-Chop the onion.

-Separate the pomegranite seeds from the fruit.

-Make the dressing: combine the mayo, olive oil, balsalmic vinegar, and a pinch of sugar and salt.

-Toss to combine all ingredients and enjoy!