Obligatory Granola Recipe (Since this is a veggie blog and all . . . )

You knew it was coming, didn't you?  I know enough to know that a vegetarian blog ain't worth a thing if it ain't got that . . . granola recipe.  Mine was born of necessity (I have been snacking on complete junk during the school day and these hips don't lie) and the fact that I had exactly enough tahini to make this batch.

This recipe is not as sweet as traditional granola.  I used pomegranate syrup instead of agave syrup because I thought it would be a nice complement to the tahini.  Don't have pomegranate syrup?  Use agave syrup or honey for you non-vegans.   In fact, the best thing about granola is you can switch it up with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Change out the fruits and nuts with whatever you have and it's still a healthier choice than my snack du jour (potato chips or cookies).  Be careful, though: granola is still pretty high in calories with all the fruit and good stuff packed in there.  So, if you're counting, try to keep your serving to about a half cup or use the granola to sprinkle over vegan yogurt or ice cream.   I ate the entire batch during one stressful day with my 7th grade students, so, sadly, my hips are still a disappointment.

2 cups oatmeal
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup pomegranate syrup (or agave syrup or maple syrup or honey for non-vegans)
1/2 cup soy nuts (or peanuts, or-- you know, whatever you want.  Granola, People.  Not rocket science . . .)
3/4 cup dried figs, chopped into chunks
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips (which, basically, are just dark chocolate chips, Folks.  Beautiful, beautiful dark chocolate . . .)
1/2 cup raisins

1.  Mix the oatmeal, soy nuts, figs and cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the pomegranate syrup and tahini.
2.  Add the tahini mixture to the fruit and oatmeal; stir to coat.
3.  Spread the mixture out evenly on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
4.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, give it a good stir, and return it to bake for another 15 minutes.
5.  Remove the granola from the oven and add the raisins.  Add the chocolate chips (if using).  If you want the chocolate to melt, add them to the granola while it is still hot, stir it up good, and spread it out again to cool.  Otherwise, wait to add the chips until the granola is completely cooled.  Once it is cooled completely, your granola will be crunchy and delightful.  Store it for a few days in an airtight container.

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Baked Banana-rama x 3

Well, Folks, it's official:  I am spending too much time dreaming up ways to use the banana surplus at our house.  My four-year-old, who if given the choice would've lived on bananas and Pop-Tarts alone, has recently announced that he is "mostly done" with the fruit.  This leaves me over-thinking the purchase each week.  If I buy too few he is sure to decide his decision about giving them up was too hasty.  If I buy too many, well . . . you get the idea.  Another blog post.

For this recipe, I had about a half dozen over-ripe bananas and too much time on my hands.  I baked the batch, added some candied walnuts (which were so good I almost didn't have enough to use in the pictures because I would not stop eating them) and then did the final preparation three ways:  straight-up baked bananas, banana pudding, and banana ice cream.  

                           

Candied Walnuts

1 cup whole walnuts

1/2 cup agave syrup or maple syrup (or honey for non-vegans)

1/2 cup Florida Crystals natural sugar

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.  Heat all ingredients (except walnuts) over medium; stir once until mixed then cook until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.

2.  Add walnuts and bring to a simmer.  Give the mixture a good stir to coat then cook for about 5 minutes while the sugar browns up a bit.

3. Drain walnuts in a mesh sieve over a bowl to catch the hot sugar mixture.  Spread the walnuts over wax paper on top of a wire rack.  They will get all crunchy and yummy as they cool.

4.  Spread the reserved hot sugar on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper.  When the sugar mixture starts to harden and cools enough to touch (about 2 minutes), peel from the wax paper and set aside to harden on the cookie sheet as you prepare the bananas.  Makes 1 cup walnuts and about a 1/4 cup of the candy chunks.

5.  Once the sugar has hardened on the cookie sheet, bust it up with a mallet into candy chunks and set aside.

Baked Bananas

Half a dozen or so over-ripe bananas

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

Steps:

1. Slice the bananas lengthwise and place into a baking dish

2.  Pour milk over bananas and sprinkle all with brown sugar.

3.  Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

4.  Now, decide how you want to serve them!

Baked Bananas

1. Carefully plate the bananas and sprinkle with walnuts, candy chunks and a dash of cinnamon for color. Serve warm or cold.

Baked Banana "Pudding"

1.  After baking bananas, purée them in a food processor until the consistency of pudding.  Add some of the baking liquid (the milk and sugar) as needed to get it to desired creaminess.

2.  Sprinkle with walnuts, candy chunks and  cinnamon. Serve warm or cold.

Banana Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts

1.  After baking bananas, purée all but 2 of them to a smooth consistency.  Add some of the baking liquid (the milk and sugar) as needed until mixture is nice and smooth.

2.  Gently add reserved bananas, cut into chunks.  Add 1/4 cup of the walnuts and stir carefully until mixed.

3.  Add mixture to a small container for freezing.  Smooth it down to make sure it freezes uniformly.

4.  Coarsely chop another 1/4 cup of walnuts and cover the top of the mixture as pictured.  Add the sugar chunks as well.  This will be the bottom of the ice cream.

5. Cover and freeze upside down overnight.

6.  Top with remaining walnuts to serve.

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