Homemade nut-free granola bars

Trying to find yummy, healthy AND nut-free snacks to send to school can be downright tricky.  Then add to the mix a picky eater and you might as well just throw in the towel!

So, to satisfy the schools policy of nut-free healthy snacks and my daughters particular palate - I set out to make my own granola bars. Of course I did a little online research and came across a recipe that not only looked good but was full of super healthy & scrummy ingredients over at Sweet Girl Confections.

The following is my version of the granola bars - simply using what I had on hand.

Healthy Nut-Free Granola Bars


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ cup dried unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup chopped prunes
¼ cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp dark chocolate chips
2 tbsp sesame seeds
¾ tsp sea salt

½ cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup mashed ripe banana
2 tsp vanilla extract



Directions
Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

In large bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, coconut flour, coconut, cinnamon, flour, prunes, dried cranberries, sesame seeds and chocolate chips, and salt; mix and form a well in the center.

In medium bowl, whisk together honey, egg, coconut oil, banana and vanilla.
Pour honey mixture into the well created by the dry ingredients in large bowl; mix well.

Pat down the granola bar dough evenly into the pan.

Bake in preheated oven (350 degrees F) for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes.

Cut into squares or bars.

The true test came when I gave a piece to my daughter - she LOVED it!

Grilled cheese re-vamped!

Crusty on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. No, I am not rewriting my bio, I am talking about the grilled cheese sandwich. A staple in many homes I'm sure.  Of course, when I was growing up, it was simply white bread, a processed cheese slice and lots of butter.  Now, as long as you have bread and cheese, you can add absolutely ANYTHING to it to create your very own interpretation of a classic.  

Trying to keep it as simple and healthy as possible - I have created my own grilled cheese gooey-goodness.

What you need:

Crusty Bread - I used an olive loaf

1 Avocado sliced

Tomato, sliced

Goats cheese

Parsley Pesto (recipe below)

Panini Press or Grilling Pan

Parsley Pesto

1 shallot roughly chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped

2 tbsp of fresh parsley

Olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Layer your pesto, goats cheese, avocado and tomato on your bread.

Then simply grill. No need for butter or oil.

YUM!

Coconut Flour Pancakes

If you are looking for a healthy twist on the traditional pancake for your Mother's day brunch, I suggest you give these a try.

I found the recipe here, and I was inspired by a friend and fellow blogger over at Say Yippie from her recipe for Pumpkin Spice Loaf.

I had made the pumpkin loaf a few weeks back and LOVED it, and now I am hooked on coconut flour. Since I had all the ingredients on hand, I set out to make some nutritious pancakes. My fingers were crossed that a) they would turn out and b) my girls would eat them. Success!

 Ingredients you need: 

3 eggs

3 tbsp of melted butter or coconut oil

3 tbsp of coconut milk, whole milk or soy milk

1 1/2 tsp of raw honey or maple syrup

1 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp Coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Whisk together eggs, melted coconut oil, milk, syrup, and sea salt.

2. Continuing to whisk, add the baking powder and coconut flour until thoroughly mixed.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter (or coconut oil) in a skillet on a medium heat.

4. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet.

I made them pretty small since they are quite dense. Plus they were perfectly kid-sized!

 They were a hit!

Wishing all the incredible, hard working Moms out there a very happy Mother's Day!

For my Mom, who is a die hard the owl and the peacock reader: Thank you for always being there for me. For guiding me. For supporting me. For lifting me up when I am down. For being a wonderful mother and an incredible grandmother. I am proud of you and all that you have accomplished! xo

Fish Tacos

For some people, fish tacos are delicious. For others, it's absolutely disgusting!  When I first heard of fish tacos I was quite frankly scared. I didn't know what to expect.  First of all, I am not the biggest fan of seafood. I'll eat it, but I don't love it.  And secondly, fish in a taco? Seriously?! But when I took my first bite, I was pleasantly surprised.

So, with the weather warming up [very slowly] I thought that I would bring this light dinner back to the table. But this time, it's with a twist. I came upon this recipe from recipegirl.com.  How could I say no. Not only is it a fish taco recipe, it's a beer battered fish taco recipe! YUM! Who's with me??

TACOS:

1 pound firm white fish fillet (I used fresh cod), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

vegetable oil for frying

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup Mexican beer

juice of half a lime

1tbsp Tex Mex seasoning

Fresh corn or flour tortillas, warmed

1 medium lime, cut into wedges

Matchstick carrots

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Chopped green onion

1. Pour oil to depth of 1 1/2-inches in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Heat oil to 360° F.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, Tex Mex seasoning, lime juice and beer. Coat fish in batter.

3. Cook fish in batches about 4 minutes, or until done. Drain on paper towels.

4. Place 2 to 3 pieces of fish on each tortilla. Squeeze lime wedges over fish; top with remaining ingredients. Drizzle with Baja sauce and serve.

pan fried

beer battered goodness

BAJA SAUCE:

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Tex Mex seasoning

1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded & diced

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all ingredients - stir and chill.

the fixings

Sorry. There is no picture of the finished product. It looked and smelled so yummy that it didn't even have a chance to be photographed. Go on and and give it a try. You won't be disappointed.  

French Onion Soup

I just loved the weather we had last week. High temperatures, warm winds, beautiful sunny days. However, I am not surprised or upset with the fact that we are now experiencing the typical seasonal chill.
This just means that I can still whip up some body-warming soup. Yay!

There are many reasons why I love to make french onion soup. It's fairly simple, inexpensive to make and who doesn't love a soup that has wine or port (or both!) in it.  Top it off with bread and cheese and it really is drool worthy.

Now everyone has their own version of french onion soup. I have been making this one for several years with slight variations each time, and it is always a hit.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

French Onion Soup Recipe

6 cups of beef stock

3tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1tbsp of unsalted butter

6 onions, thinly sliced

1/2 bulb of garlic, minced

2 tsp salt

4tbsp basil

1tbsp pepper

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1tbsp brown sugar

1tsp chipotle hot sauce

1.5oz port

2oz white wine

2tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1- Heat stock and keep warm on the back burner.  

Heat olive oil and butter in a soup pot and stir in onions and salt. Saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly golden. Ad minced garlic, basil, chill flakes, pepper, & chipotle sauce. Continue to sauté until the onions are broken down completely and are a deep golden brown.  Deglaze the the pan with the port - let the alcohol burn off - then add the white wine. Finally add the Worcestershire sauce. Reduce until it's syrupy.

2- Add stock to soup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Taste and season with more salt or pepper.

Enjoy!

ready for the port & wine

Yum!

Welcoming Spring

The beautiful weather has once again lured us outside and of course, led us on another family adventure.  We spent time by the water, had fun with friends and toured the Toronto Zoo.

Even though the water was pretty cold - the girls still wanted to go in.

Colleen with baby Hannah

I'm never one to show up empty handed, so I whipped up some yummy guacamole. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

2 ripe avocados

1/4 finely chopped Spanish onion

1/2 jalapeño pepper

1 tbsp cilantro

lemon juice

lime juice

salt & pepper

1/2 chopped tomato (remove seeds)

Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime & lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. (season to taste)

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready.

Just before serving, add the chopped tomato.

Declaring my love

I love soup.  It's warm and nourishing.  Delicious and comforting.  Easy to make, and a great way to use up any leftover fruits or veggies.  Best of all, you can always put your own spin on any recipe.  What's not to love?

My affinity for soup is one of the things that helps me get through the cold winter months - that and my collection of chunky knit sweaters.  Once the temperature drops, I grab my trusty soup pot and start whipping up a batch of heart-warming, belly-filling deliciousness.

Of course this love affair has not gone unnoticed.  For Christmas, I received a thoughtful gift from my brother. A cooking course at Liaison College, here in Kingston, for soups and breads.  Needless to say, I was thrilled.  More soup recipes to add to my repertoire.  YUM!

The menu for the evening was:

Pear & Parsnip soup

French Onion soup

Black Bean soup

Chicken & Coconut soup

Seafood Chowder

Smoked Paprika & Cheddar Scones

Thyme Scented Apple Foccaccia

Cinnamon Buns

Our soup buffet

The menu excited me. The process aroused me. The Black Bean Soup, knocked me off my feet!  The texture, the seasoning, the garnish. Divine, hearty, comforting.  I am all about sharing what I love (with a few exceptions), so here is the recipe.

Black Bean Soup

(courtesy of Liaison College)

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked black beans

8 cups of ham stock (or chicken)

3 stalks of celery

2 onions, minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red pepper, diced

1 carrot, minced

1 can (48oz) diced tomatoes

1 lime, juice & rind

2 bay leaves

2tsp thyme

4tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

cilantro, sour cream, avocado, tomato - for garnish

Method: 

1. Sweat celery, onion, garlic, carrots, pepper in oil

2. Add tomatoes, beans, herbs & spices, lime juice & rind

3. Add stock and simmer until vegetables are el dente

4. Adjust seasoning.

5. Devour

6. Share with someone you love

7. Store leftovers (if any)

8. Repeat steps 5 to 7!

"Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite." Auguste Escoffier

I would love to hear about your favourite soup, and please feel free to share your recipes!