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Simple and Healthy Homemade Granola

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This homemade granola is perfect to start your day…loaded with oats, seeds and nuts, with a touch of honey…

Can you believe that this is my first attempt to make granola? It is true that I have seen homemade granola in so many posts, but never had the desire to make until one day at Costco, after trying it and bringing it home, we somehow got into granola…

We were adding the granola to yogurt, cereal, yes, cereal just to give different texture…until I carefully read the content of sugar and decided right there to make my own.

– Why is great to make your own granola?

Not only you can control the amount of sugar and oil you add, you can add all your favorite nuts, seeds and so on.

– How easy is to make granola?

It is just like counting one-two-three.  Gather all the ingredients you want…main ingredient is organic rolled oats…after that be my guest and add whatever you want.

– Do you like cluster or loose granola?

I like my loose since I do not tend to snack on it…but, you can have it both ways, for clustered granola, just press it against the pan and break into chunks. For loose, spread it lightly and mix once out of the oven.

– How long can you keep homemade granola?

Once it totally cooled, store in an airtight container and it should be good for 2-3 weeks. I prefer to add the dry fruits such as cranberry, raisin, blueberry when I am serving the granola, this way I make sure that my granola has not contact with any moist. Moreover, if I have fresh fruit I skip the dry ones on my yogurt…I think it makes sense right?

– Are you ready to see what I mix on my granola?

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups old fashioned organic oat
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • ¼ cup chia seeds
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
  • ⅓ cup sunflower seeds
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup of honey (or a mix of honey and maple syrup)
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil (sunflower)

Method:

Preheat oven to 325oF.

In a large bowl, stir together oat, almond and the seeds.  Mix well and set aside.

In a separate small bowl whisk to combine oil, honey, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Pour the honey mix into the oat mix and toss to coat.

Spread the granola onto a silicone mat or parchment paper lined sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

If you like clustered granola, bake it undisturbed. For loose granola, stir the granola halfway through baking.

Let the granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

– Looking for more breakfast recipes? Check these out…

Did you know that granola, due to high amount of oat are a great source of fiber and iron? Adding nuts and seeds will add good fat such as unsaturated fat to your diet. The good thing about making your own granola is that you are in control of the amount of sugar and fat you add to it.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Black Bean, Cuban Style

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This simple black bean recipe is based from Cuban cuisine with a touch of sweetness and delicious over rice and staple food in Latin countries.

Like many of you I am trying to incorporate more legumes and substituting meat for other sources of protein.

Growing up in Brazil, rice and bean was a staple food in every meal…therefore I really take pleasure and a mix of nostalgia when I eat rice and bean. As you might be aware bean dishes are cooked in so many ways according to its Country tradition. In Brazil, we have the famous “feijoada” which uses black beans with all kind of meat in it, super tasty and flavorful…on the other had we have the “feijao”, meaning beans, which is serve daily for lunch and dinner over rice and much simpler flavor.

Today, I am sharing another bean stew, which I learned after searching the internet and realized why the Cuban bean dish taste so different from the Brazilian one…bell pepper and a bit of sugar. It is amazing that just by adding these two ingredients the flavor of the bean is totally altered.

The creamy bean stew over rice is so good…plain and simple and yet so satisfying. This recipe was adapted from here with some changes.

Ingredients:

  • 1lb dried black bean
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium size onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, cut into small pieces
  • 7-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the beans overnight, changing the water a couple of times in between.

Rinse of the water and place the beans in a pot with approximately 5 cup of water and bay leaf.

Let it boil and then simmer for approximately 60 minutes until the beans and cooked throughout. Remove the suds when the beans come to boil and add more water as needed, making sure that the beans are covered.

Alternatively you can use a thermo cooker by adding the beans, bay leaf and water. Let it boil, remove the suds and place the pot in the thermo cooker overnight or until ready to add the other ingredients.

Once the black beans are cooked, in a large pan heat the oil and add onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes.

Add approximately 1 cup of beans to pan. Using the back of spoon smash beans against the wall of the pan, or alternatively use an immersion hand blender.  Add remaining beans, oregano, sugar, vinegar and water as needed.

Simmer until mixture thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice as side dish with chicken, meat, ham, fried egg or with anything you wish.

– For more Latin America cuisine dishes, please check these out…

Did you know that beans are an excellent source of protein, very low in fat and exceptionally high in fiber? They are also a very good source of calcium, iron, folic acid and potassium.

 

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Dark Rye and Flaxseed Sandwich Bread

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Don’t you love when you have a bite of bread and you cannot tell that it is a “healthy version” of it?

Well, I found the perfect combination of dark rye and flaxseed meal in this recipe. If it was not for the color and the little flaxseed meal specks you would not say that this sandwich bread contains “healthy ingredients”, in another words, if you close your eyes and eat the bread you would definitely say that it is “white” bread…

Because we like so much bread, I am constantly testing different ratios between white flour and “so-called” healthy flours therefore feel less guilt when gobbling through a loaf of bread…the big challenge is for the bread to looks of whole grain and taste like white bread.

Since rye flour and flaxseed meal contain less and no gluten I had to replace the “missing” gluten so it will not compromise the formation of air bubbles which triggers the dough to raise.

This recipe will make 2 loaves, and to achieve perfect square loaves I baked them in these USA Pullman Loaf Pan.

Ingredients:

Water roux or Tangzhong

  • 50 g bread flour
  • 250 ml water

Dark Rye and Flaxseed Dough

  • 550 g bread flour
  • 60 g dark rye flour
  • 30 g flaxseed meal
  • 80 g sugar
  • 8 g salt
  • 8 g yeast
  • 8 g vital wheat gluten
  • 50 g whipping cream
  • 160 ml water
  • 60 g butter (room temperature)

Method:

Water roux or Tangzhong

In a small pan, mix all the ingredients of water roux, place in a low heat and stir constantly until the temperature reach 65C (150F), or if you do not have a thermometer, cook until ripples form. Set aside to cool by covering with a plastic film. Please see here.

Dark Rye and Flaxseed Dough

Place all the cooled water roux and all the ingredients listed under rye dough into a mixer except for the butter. Mix until all the ingredients are together, it will slightly sticky.

Increase the speed to number 2 and continue to mix for 5 minutes.

Add the butter and continue the mixing until the dough is smooth and comes out of the mixing bowl, this will take approximately 15 minutes. You will notice that the dough will no longer be sticky.

Place the dough into a medium to large bowl. Cover and let it proof until the size triple from the original size.

Now it is time to shape the dough…

Knock back the dough and split into approximately 8 little balls and let it rest for 5 minutes on the counter.

Flatten the ball making sure that the air is removed and fold into thirds, then roll it like a Swiss roll.

Place the Swiss rolls into the Pullman (4 each) pan and let it rise until triple of its original size.

Cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven of 350F for approximately 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip the bread into a wire rack to cool. Slice according to your like.

Store the bread in an airtight container.

If you enjoy this Asian inspired bread recipe you might want to look at Sweet Milk Bread with Raisin recipe.

Did you know that gluten is formed when these two proteins glutenin and gliadin form a bond? Moreover, gluten gives bread a chewy texture and traps carbon dioxide during fermentation.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Shrimp with Cheesy Soft Polenta

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This is a great dish with lots of textures…creamy and soft polenta with firm shrimp.

I am sorry for being MIA for a couple of weeks…we decided to take a week vacation in Cancun, the kind of vacation where we did absolutely nothing, just enjoyed the weather and the beach…although we live by the beach, but our beach here in Southern California does not compared to the crystal clear turquoise water from the Caribbean…

Anyway, we are back to the usual routine…this week I am sharing with you a very simple recipe of tasty shrimps served over a creamy cheesy polenta…so good…I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do.

Ingredients:

Shrimp

  • Approximately 1 lb medium to large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Cilantro, chopped to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Cheesy Soft Polenta

  • ⅓ cup ground cornmeal
  • 1½ cup milk
  • 1½ tablespoon butter
  • ⅓ cup grated cheese gruyere /cheddar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Creamy Polenta

Place the polenta and milk in a pan. Stir constantly in low heat.

Once start to boil add the butter and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring so it will not create a thick crust at the bottom of the pan.

Add the cheese, salt and pepper.

For a thinner texture polenta add more milk until desired consistency. Scoop the polenta into a plate or bowl.

Shrimp

In a bowl combine all the ingredients except for the olive oil, and let it sit for approximately 5 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a wok, add the shrimps and let is brown one side then flip to the other side until
both sides are pink and opaque over high heat.

Do not overcook otherwise the shrimp will become “hard and rubbery”.

Serve the shrimp over the cheesy polenta.

If you enjoy this simple recipe you might like Ground Beef with Polenta or Chicken in Wine Sauce with Polenta.

Did you know that polenta is popular in Northen Italy? It is very similar to grits, which is also made with corn, only alkali treated and called hominy.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Zucchini Noodles

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This is an Asian inspired recipe for zucchini noddles by simply tossing the noddles with the already made ginger onion sauce. Great as a side dish.

This is a simple and healthy way to serve zucchini…and really taste delicious! Just add the Ginger Green Onion Sauce that I posted a while, which you can find the recipe here and it is ready…Again, this is so easy and simple that I am embarrassed to post it, but hey…I am doing it anyway!

Ingredients:

  • Zucchini (as many as you want)
  • Ginger green onion sauce to taste

Method:

In a medium pot place water and a pinch of salt and bring to boil.

Wash and trim both end of the zucchini. Using a mandolin slice zucchini lengthwise into long, and thin strands.

Separate the zucchini noodles. Add to the boiling water and cook the zucchini for about 1 minute.

Quickly transfer the zucchini strands to a colander. Place the zucchini noodles into a dish and add the ginger green onion sauce. Mix gently and serve hot or warm.

Enjoy using zucchini as noodle? Please check on this recipe, low carb Zucchini Pasta.

What is the difference between pasta and noodle? It seems that the term pasta is widely used for Italian-style noodles, while “noodle” includes a more general meaning for Asian products. The word “pasta” come from Italian pasta, which means paste or dough, and the word “noodle” comes from German “nudel”, which means pasta.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Eggplant Lasagna

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This is a recipe of baked layers of eggplant with ground meat sauce in between and topped with melted mozzarella cheese…a different version of the classical lasagna.

I love eggplant but sometimes I find it hard to make dishes with it…this time I decided to substitute the pasta used in lasagna for eggplants…it is easy to make, and it is delicious. I always make extra for next day lunch…

The recipe is pretty simple…and you can use whatever meat sauce that you use for pasta, therefore it can consist of turkey, pork, beef, or the mix of them. Just let your imagination flow…

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggplant
  • All-purpose flour
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Your favorite meat sauce
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Method:

Slice the eggplants into approximately ½ inch. Soak the sliced eggplants in water for a few minutes (you will notice that the water turn kind of yellowish), drain well.

In a deep dish place the all-purpose flour and coat the sliced eggplants both sides. Set aside.

In a fry pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the coated eggplants under medium heat. Flip to the other side until both sides are golden. Remove the eggplants and place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess of oil. Do the same to the remaining eggplants.

In an oven proof dish, layer some meat sauce at the bottom of the dish, then add a layer of eggplant, and a layer of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with a meat layer and finish with the cheese on top.

Take to a preheated oven at 350F for approximately 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serve hot.

If you enjoy this version of lasagna using eggplant you might want to take a look at Esfiha, Baked Meat Pie recipe.

 

Did you know that the deep blue/purple color of the peel or skin of the eggplant contain anthocyanins? These antioxidants are known to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging, inflammation and neurological diseases.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Almond Crisps and a “Visitor””

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This is a very simple and easy recipe for such a yummie treat. It is low in cholesterol, although you can make it cholesterol free by substituting the butter for vegetable oil. I just decided to use butter because they sure taste better… But be aware that it is hard to eat these crisps in moderation since they are so light, crispy, crunchy and very addictive….again very addictive.

Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1½ cup sliced almond

Method:

Preheat the oven at 325F

Mix the sugar with the egg whites until the sugar is dissolved, fold in the sifted all purposed flour. Mix until the flour is incorporated to the egg whites. Add the salt, vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Mix gently and add the melted butter.

Using a spoon, pour half of the batter to a cookie sheet cover with parchment paper or silicone mate and spread the batter through the sheet. Repeat the same with the other half batter. Once the batter is thinly spread throughout the sheet gently cover the batter with the sliced almond.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300F and leave it for another 10 minutes. At the end of the 10 minutes turn the oven off and leave the almond crisp in the oven until the oven cooled down, the almond crisp sheet color will be even.

Please note that oven temperature varies, so keep an eye while baking, since the layer is very thin it can be burned very easily.

Break the pieces randomly and store in an air tight container.

Now, the pictures of my visitor…

Did you know that almond contains substantial amount of carbohydrates therefore is used as flour for cakes and cookies? Moreover, almond flour is gluten free thus used for people that are gluten sensitive.

Thank you for visiting Simple Recipes!