Heaven is a bowl of (paleo) granola

Beaming Paleo Granola

GET IN MY BELLY! Legit the only phrase I have for this magical and delicious granola! It is so satisfying and really versatile! Now before I hop in with the recipe, I wanted to give my fan club a little 101 as to why I would make a grain free, gluten free, vegan, paleo granola. Because for some of you who know me well … mostly all my roommates, (shout out to Chelsea, Laura, and Ali), I went through a phase where I would make granola weekly. All types and kinds, perfecting the subtle sweetness with a crisp factor and must needed cluster ratio. I could eat a batch a week plain, on yogurt, and in smoothies. If you’ve been following along some of my earlier post I’ve been riddled with stomach issues for the last 8 years, ever since I had the norovirus (you know the crew ship one? meanwhile this bird has never stepped foot on cruise ship!), my gut health has never been the same. I’ve tried heaps of things, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vitamins, supplements, prayer, cleansing, ordered expensive tests, you name it. I even STOPPED eating granola, because it was too harsh on my stomach. I pretty much have a hard time digesting any type of grain, rice, quinoa, corn, wheat, etc. Sooo, amongst other things I’ve recently gotten some advice from a dear friend that perhaps me and all those grains really don’t get along, and not just the glutenous kind and that I should really just rid my diet of them for a good while to see if I have any issues. Enter paleo granola!

My mom and I recently spent the day shopping and ventured to Whole Foods and while there I picked up this lovely and also expensive paleo granola; Effi Probiotic Chicpea Granola >> its SO GOOD! So if in a pinch or just want it premade, order this goodness. So naturally this granola was the inspiration for creating my own, because let’s me real folks, at the rate I eat this stuff, I would go broke. So enough about the rhyme and reason, let’s get to the recipe. I looked around at a whole bunch before creating this combo of ingredients. As always feel free to experiment. One caveat is that you do absolutely need sugar to help bind all the things, so if you’re on a sugar free or candida diet, perhaps try monk fruit, I prefer lakanto and it comes in syrup, raw, and granular forms. I like this way better than stevia and you can 1:1 with the monk fruit which makes it easier for substitutions in recipes.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup raw almonds
3/4 cup raw walnuts
3/4 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup sacha inchi seeds (super seeds!)
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup*
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon (you could use any alternative spice too!)
Pinch of sea salt

Optional Add Ins:

Cherries, cranberries, apricots, or other dried fruits.

You can vary any of the nuts/seeds above. Swap pecans, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, etc. I used what I already had in the pantry, so you can’t really go wrong!

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 275 °F.

In a food processor or blender, add nuts and coconut flakes. Do not over blend looking for nice blend of whole and blended nuts. I started with smaller amounts of each nut and pulsed in my ninja for a few and the consistency was purrrrfect!

Heat coconut oil, maple sugar (or other sweetener), cinnamon and salt over medium high heat in a large saucepan, for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Then add the dry mix: seeds, nuts and coconut flakes and stir to coat.

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper, spread granola mixture evenly onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and add dried fruit (if desired), may need to press into granola mixture so they will stick.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes or until hardened. Break apart granola, sample your creation. Store in an airtight container or mason jar for up to 2 weeks if it lasts that long.

NOTES

*Alternative sweeteners: agave, coconut nectar, honey, molasses.

As mentioned feel free to swap out any nut / seed combo you’d like, just so long as you have between 2-3 cups total.

Be sure not to overcook your mixture! It’s easy to leave it and forget it in the oven, luckily it’s on a low temp, but we don’t want to over cook it either! Timers are helpful and just keep an eye on things.

Lastly, I used cinnamon as my spice because this time of year I’m all about boosting circulation to help warm my body for the winter. You could easily use cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, or swap the whole thing out to be more savory, which is my next version! You can use garlic, rosemary, or hot chili flakes. Play on the salty, sweet, and hot flavoring YUM. Will post my findings on the savory edition soon. Until next time, happy eating, sending love + light. xx

ORDER HERE!

Not interested in making it yourself? Now offering 4, 8, 16 oz bags of this goodness!

2018 was oh so sweet

We whipped up something special for our last morning in 2018! Homemade (GF) Cinnamon Rolls with Bourbon Vanilla Glaze. That’s all for now - they’re still warm and this lady is hungry! Xx wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Recipe adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring

So I knew right off the bat that I wanted to make something sweet for our last morning of 2018. My close friends know that I NEVER eat anything sweet for brekkie. It’s usually eggs, smoothie, etc. but never sweet treats. So I wanted to treat us and myself this day. I knew we didn’t have any yeast kicking around either so most of my traditional cinnamon roll recipes were not an option. A little googling later and I stumbled upon the Gluten Free on a Shoestring site and WOW, she has heaps of amazing recipes! I found this yeast free version and the recipe is below. Including my adaptions.

INGREDIENTS

For the dough
3 1/2 to 4 cups (490 to 560 g) all purpose gluten free flour (I used Bobs)

2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it, Bobs does)

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (used Miyokos)

2 eggs (100 g, weighed out of shell), at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature (used coconut milk)

For the filling
1 cup (218 g) light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the glaze
1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tablespoon milk (any kind)

1/2 tablespoon of bourbon (any kind)

Dash of vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease the wells of a standard twelve-cup muffin tin and set it aside.

In a large bowl, place 3 1/2 cups (490 g) of the flour, the xanthan gum, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the granulated sugar, and whisk well. Add 6 tablespoons of the butter, the eggs, and the milk, and mix until the dough comes together. The dough should be smooth and relatively easy to handle. If the dough seems sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and knead it in with well-floured hands until the dough is smooth.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured unbleached parchment paper. Sprinkle the dough lightly with extra flour and roll it into a 12-inch by 15-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick (no thinner). Trim any especially rough edges.

Make the filling. In a medium-size bowl, place all of the filling ingredients and mix to combine well. With a small offset spatula or large spoon, spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/4 inch clean around the perimeter. Starting at a short side, roll the dough away from you into a tightly formed roll. Slice the roll in cross-section into twelve equal pieces, each about 1 inch thick. Place each roll in a well of the prepared muffin tin.

Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven, and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls begin to turn golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of them. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until the rolls are firm enough to handle (about 10 minutes), then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Be sure to remove the rolls from the muffin tin before they are completely cool, or they will begin to stick to the muffin tin.

While the rolls are cooling, make the icing. In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of milk, and 1/2 tablespoon of bourbon and dash of vanilla. Mix well until a thick paste forms. Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze. Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it. Drizzle or spread the icing on the cooled rolls before serving.