Granola Bites!! (And back to school. :( )

Hi!!! Sorry, I haven't made a post in awhile. We just went back to school on, what, tuesday??? But here is a granola recipe from my favorite blog, another lunch!!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. quick oats
1/2 C. crisp rice cereal
1/2 C. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. canola oil
1/4 C. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
* optional: ground flax seed and/or wheat germ (I use 3 heaping Tbs. or so of each).

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except for the chocolate chips - keep those out for now) really, really, really well. I start with a wooden spoon and then usually end up using my hands too. Take your time to make sure everything is really blended. Taking your time also allows the wet ingredients to sort of soak into the dry components. If your mixture seems dry after mixing then you may need to add a little more oil and/or honey - a teaspoon at a time - until it starts to clump up a little.
It may be hard to tell, but can you see how some of the granola mixture is starting to cling and ball up a little here?


When your granola mixture gets to this point, not too wet, not too dry, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Holding the mini muffin cups, scoop the granola mixture in and form the mound compactly. I use a rounded tablespoon to help form them, a small cookie scoop would work too. You need to use both hands to press the granola and support the muffin cup at the same time. Line them up on a baking sheet to place in the oven.


Press the remaining granola into your baking pan (if you are making bars). Make sure your baking pan has been sprayed well with non-stick spray!  Press mixture firmly, compacting it as well as you can.

Baking:
350 degrees.
Granola bites: 12-15 minutes.
Granola bars: 17-22 minutes (keep an eye on them!).
They are ready to remove from oven when the tops are golden.  If they don't cook long enough they may not hold their shape. If they cook too long they will get too dry (not to mention they can burn) and may not hold their shape.  (I've found granola bars to be finicky.)

Let the granola bites cool completely. Just leave 'em alone for a few hours so they can set. Then, they are done! So easy.

5 Minute Brownies!!!

Today it came to me to do a dairy free, nut free, and egg free snack/dessert. I consider it as an end of the summer treat. OK!!

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

Dash of salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large coffee mug. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. It should not be quite set in the center. Cool a couple of minutes and (why not?) eat right out of the mug. For extra decadence, dump it on a plate and serve with vanilla ice cream. 

Me and my friend always used to make these when she came over. They are really good, and if you want you can take out the cocoa powder and make Vanilla brownies!!!! I usually omit the salt, but if you don't want him to feel left out then salt away!!! . .

                                                                 U

Egg Salad!!!

Today I made egg salad!!! It's really good!!! This is what I used:
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 stalks of celery
2 tablespoons of mayo
1 tablespoon of mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Add everything together and mash!!!! Then stick in the fridge. We are serving this with Ta-cos! I can't stress how good this tasted!!!! SO up next, and dairy free easy dessert!

Crepes!!! (Chocolate Crepes!)

YAY!!! Today I'm making chocolate crepes for breakfast!!!! This recipe is from Jamie Cooks It up! So here you go!

Chocolate Crepes

Yield: 12 Crepes

1 C flour

2 T cocoa powder

1 T powdered sugar

1 1/2 C milk

2 large eggs whites

1 whole egg

1 t oil

dash of salt

1. Blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

2. Heat up a medium sized pan and spray with cooking spray.

3. Pour about 1/4 of the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan slightly so the batter flows to the outer edges of the pan.

4. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip it to the other side and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Serve with any of the following...whip cream, strawberries, raspberries, nutella, chocolate sauce...what ever suites your fancy my friends.

This sounds yummy!! Now to go eat it. So have a great day!!

Pancake Variations! (#2)

I know i haven't posted a recipe in a while, so I will post two recipes today. The first one is a recipe for Chocolate Pancakes:

CHOCOLATE PANCAKES

2 cups flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar (less may be used, to taste) 1 cup milk 4 teaspoon butter, melted 2 eggs 4-6 teaspoons cocoa Note: For fluffy pancakes, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Beat the whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold gently into the batter. Combine dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and stir only until mixed.Preheat a non-stick skillet until sizzling hot (a drop of water will "dance" on the surface). Brush lightly with oil or butter. Pour pancake batter onto hot skillet; flip once when bubbles begin to form along edges. When lightly browned on both sides, remove pancake using a spatula and stack with pats of butter between each pancake. Keep warm in oven until ready to serve. Serve with vanilla syrup, if desired. These freeze well and can be reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast. !!! So there you go. Chocolate Pancakes for all!!!!

Crepes again!!!

Hi!!! Happy Sunday! Today I will be making crepes again, but a different recipe. And you can also make chocolate crepes by adding cocoa powder!!
This recipe is from Jamie cooks it up!

Crepes

Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 15 medium sized crepes

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens

Mix all ingredients together WELL. Or, you can put everything into a blender and let it mix for 2-3 minutes.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. When it's nice and hot, spray it with cooking spray and pour some into the pan. Twist the pan around in a circle until the batter covers the bottom evenly.

3. Cook until the bottom starts to become golden brown. Lift up the edge with a fork and flip it over.

4. Cook on the other side until it's golden brown as well.

5. Fill as desired and serve!

If you want chocolate crepes, just add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder!!!

Zucchini Bread!!!

Hi everyone!!! Today for a snack I'm making Zucchini Bread with no nuts. The recipe is from:

Eat, Drink & Be Chinaberry. So here it is:

Beat: 4 eggs

2 C sugar

1 C oil

Add: 2 C grated zucchini

Mix together and add:

2 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

Add: 2 tsp vanilla extract

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans for 1 hour at 350 degrees. YUMMMMMM!!!!!!

Thank you and all hail the giant lord ZUCCHINI!!!!