Cranberry and Almond Granola

I've been on this 1500 calorie a day thing for a few weeks now, and plan on keeping it up for a long time so I've been trying to find ways to manage my snacking - which really is the biggest problem area for me! Some of the stuff I've done is swapped out all milk chocolate for dark chocolate only (lucky I already love dark choc!), cutting out cakes and cookies that I don't know for a fact are totally worth the calories (you know what I mean? Only the great stuff!), and no sweet, flavoured or sugary drinks. 

Last night I decided to make some granola for my night time TV snacking (in our house it's Netflix and Snack) and I have to say I'm really pleased with this specific mix and baking times. The last time I made my own granola it was a bit too crunchy and I think I burnt some of the components. 

Without further ado, here's the recipe for my Cranberry and Almond Granola:

Yield: 3 cups granola

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil 
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 + 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1/4 tsp sea salt 
• 1 + 1/2 cup sliced almonds 
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries*

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan and line a baking tray with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, whisk the maple syrup, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and salt until thoroughly mixed 
3. Add the rolled oats and sliced almonds and stir to coat everything in the maple mixture
4. Spread the mix out on the prepared baking tray (I just used a standard cookie sheet) and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven at the 20 minute mark and toss the granola with a forked spatula to "turn" them in a way, and then put it back in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes*
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before adding the cranberries, use a fork or spatula to stir so that it mixes well. Then store in an airtight jar or container and it should keep for 2 weeks max 

*Notes:

• You can use other dried berries of your own preference, I've also done this with chocolate chips and coconut flakes!
• For step 4, if you feel after 20 minutes that it has toasted to your preferred crispiness, then stop there.

Blueberry Coconut Breakfast Biscuits

I made a massive booboo last week.Was supposed to go to Bangkok with a girlfriend for her hen weekend but a day before the trip I realised that my passport had expired. Completely idiotic, classic Nabs. So I found myself with a free weekend instead of hitting the spas and cheap shopping centres in Bangkok. It was the first weekend I've had to myself in a very long time, and I chose to spend most of it wining and dining with good friends then took Sunday to try one of the recipes I've put on my "to bake" list.

That list is fast growing, by the way, as I find time has become a scarce resource in the past few months. After ramen, churros, sangria, milky coffees, and lord only knows what else I put in my body on Friday and Saturday, I decided to try one of the healthier options on the list. The organic, high fibre, gluten free Blueberry Coconut Breakfast Biscuits.

They turned out delicious, but not as crunchy as I had hoped. I might need to keep them in the oven for an extra 5 minutes to truly get it crispy and golden.

Blueberry Coconut Breakfast Biscuits

Recipe from kumquatblog.com 

• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tbsp golden flax seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Line a shallow muffin pan with butter, preheat the oven to 180C 
2. In a large mixing bowl mix the oats, coconut flakes, flaxmeal, salt, pecans, and blueberries. Stir in the bananas, coconut oil, agave nectar, and vanilla until combined
3. Divide the mixture into the muffin pan (around 1-2 tbsp each) and bake for 25 minutes or until golden, cool in the pan