Homemade Orange Spiced Granola

I made homemade granola for the first time the other day, and now I will never eat store-bought granola again! I came across the recipe for the granola in a cookbook that was given to me by one of my dear friends, Sandy. She had given me the cookbook because she knows how much I love to cook, and it inspired me to try to eat healthier (especially because I went through the cookbook on New Year's Day). Thank you, Sandy! I have made some pretty tasty recipes from the cookbook, including the granola. Greg and I ate granola for breakfast almost every day for a week, and then I made another batch a couple days ago. It taste great plain, on top of Greek yogurt, with milk and honey (or just with milk), and I'm sure it tastes great with many other things! I especially love the flavor of the orange zest in this granola. The recipe is super easy & it goes a very long way. Now I have no excuses to not eat breakfast before going into work (and neither do you)! Enjoy.

Greek Yogurt topped with Granola Goodness

Recipe for Granola Goodness
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 Tbsp. of expeller-pressed canola oil*
1/4 cup of honey
2 Tbsp. of pure maple syrup
1/8 tsp. of salt
 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. of ground coriander
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup of brown flax seeds
1/2 tsp. of freshly grated orange zest
1/2 cup of raisins

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 305 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix together the canola oil, honey, maple syrup, salt, cloves, and coriander. Add the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and flax seeds to the bowl and mix well.
Spread the mixture in a thin layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then stir the granola and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for several minutes. Stir in the orange zest and raisins.
Store the granola in an airtight container on the counter or in a pantry. Eat within a week.

Recipe makes about 12 - 13 servings (with a serving being 1/4 cup).

Recipe Adapted from: True Food - Seasonal, Sustainable, Pure

*Expeller-pressed canola oil is mechanically pressed from the canola seed, rather than extracted from the seed with high heat and chemical solvents. So in a nutshell, it's healthier than traditional canola oil (at least that's what they say). It can be found at stores such as Whole Foods.

Restaurant-Style Chicken Fajitas

Please visit my new blog, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the restaurant style chicken fajitas recipe. 

Sweet & Spicy Pickled Radishes

Who would have known that radishes could taste so delicious? I made these pickled radishes the other night to go along with our chicken fajitas (recipe to come very soon). I also ate the leftover radishes as a snack the day after we had the fajitas.  The radishes have a lot of flavor & they are fun to eat because they look so pretty in their red juices! These radishes are great for topping on guacamole or other Mexican-like dishes. They are also perfect for guilty-free snacking! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sweet & Spicy Pickled Radishes

INGREDIENTS:
10 - 12 radishes,  sliced very thin
1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced very thin
3/4 tsp. of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. of salt

DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a smallish container. Cover the container, and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes before using. You can also pickle the radishes by letting them sit in the fridge for 12 - 24 hours before using.

Recipe Adapted from: Cook's Illustrated

Spicy Pickled Radishes - a great addition to chicken fajitas! 

Sweet Potato Custard

Last Saturday I celebrated my 13th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Greg & I headed up to my parents' house and we enjoyed a vegetarian chili for lunch (made by my awesome aunt). We also watched Christmas Vacation and Elf, and we played Scrabble. We know how to party hard. Oh, and I also made my birthday dinner for everyone - I made sweet potato tacos. I always love that meal.

I had a few leftover sweet potatoes, and I wanted to make something yummy with them. I have always wanted to try to make a sweet potato pie, so I looked up recipes online. As I was reviewing the recipes, I thought it might be a good idea to just make the filling for a sweet potato pie. I made sweet potato custard in individual dishes for dessert on Sunday night. It was a total winner - I think it was one of Greg's favorite desserts ever.

Unfortunately, I probably won't be making this or any other sweet treats for awhile, because I am on a 2013 health kick! I am trying to eat healthier, so healthier recipes will most likely be appearing on the blog. But I might have to make some special truffles for Valentine's Day...

If you're not on a health kick, try out this sweet potato custard recipe. You will love it! And as far as desserts go, this one isn't too unhealthy - sweet potatoes are super good for you & there are no extra calories from the pie crust! Enjoy.

Recipe for Sweet Potato Custard

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound of sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)

Sweet potato custard with toasted pecans. This dessert taste great chilled too!

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp. of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp. of vanilla
2 tsp. of pure maple syrup
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 eggs
1 cup of granulated sugar
For topping
Pure maple syrup
Cream
Toasted pecans

DIRECTIONS:
Boil sweet potatoes with the skin on in a large pot of water. Boil for 50 minutes, or until fully cooked. Drain water out of pot and rinse the potatoes with very cold water. Carefully peel off the skin of each potato. If not too hot, use your hands to break up the potato into a large mixing bowl. If they are still very hot,  chop them into chunks with a knife and then add into bowl. Add the butter to the bowl and beat sweet potato and butter together on medium-high speed with an electric hand mixer for several minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium-low speed until all ingredients are well incorporated. Lightly butter individual oven-safe serving bowls . Pour the sweet potato batter into each bowl. Place the bowls on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once oven is heated, transfer the baking pan with the bowls into the oven and cook for 55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

If desired, top each bowl with a little bit of maple syrup, a touch of cream, and toasted pecans.

Recipe makes 6 - 10 servings, depending on the size of your individual serving dishes.

Recipe Adapted from: All Recipes