Cinnamon Coconut Granola

I loved everything about where I went college- the classes I took, the people I met, the beautiful campus. Unfortunately, there was 1 thing I did not like- the FOOD! The dining hall food was not terrific, and when I went, I had to be very creative in choosing my meals. There were a handful of "safe" items that I discovered: turkey and cheese sandwiches, omelettes, peanut butter on an english muffin, cereal and milk, and granola. Being a naive college student, I thought eating granola was healthy. Little did I know that the dining hall granola was loaded with oil and sugar and was extremely processed. Oh well- it fueled me for those few years!

Anyway, this week when I was formulating ideas for recipes, I thought about those "granola days." I discovered that I could make granola loaded with super foods and make it much healthier and lighter than the granola I had in college. 

To be completely honest with all of you, this was my very first time making granola. I looked at other recipes on the internet for inspiration and came up with this awesome recipe. It was SO easy and took 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to bake. It's also very versatile so feel free to swap out the nuts that I chose for your favorite kind, or maybe switch up the dried fruit. I really hope you try this and you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did. It's perfect to eat by itself, or try it as a topping on Greek yogurt or with unsweetened almond milk. De-lish!

As I mentioned before, this recipe is loaded with super foods. Take your pick: pumpkin seeds, oats, coconut, honey, chia seeds. The ingredient I'm focusing on however, is cinnamon.
Cinnamon happens to be my most favorite spice. The aroma always reminds me of joyous times baking in the kitchen with my mom and grandmother. Cinnamon is also one of the healthiest spices in your kitchen. It is said to help lower blood sugar in diabetes patients. It also contains 5 antioxidant ingredients and helps enhance blood circulation. Even if you don't make this recipe, try to sprinkle a little cinnamon onto your food every day to give yourself an added boost of good health!

Ingredients:

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

1/3 Cup Honey

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil

2 Tbsp. Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt

Directions:

1) Preheat Oven to 325 degrees

2) Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

3) Add oil and honey and blend together

4) Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray

5) Pour granola mixture onto baking tray and press together

6) Bake for 20 minutes- stirring the granola halfway through

7) Remove from oven and allow granola to cool completely before storing

*Granola should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks

Roasted Garlic Turkey Meat Sauce

This recipe incorporates one of my favorite super foods- garlic. I am totally in love with garlic. It just makes everything taste SO much better. Yes, your breath is a little stinky after you eat it, but so what! ;)

 I've been reading a lot of recipes that call for roasted garlic and before this recipe, I had never roasted garlic myself. Well, let me tell you, it's amazing, and I plan on using it a lot more in future dishes. 

I decided to make a red meat sauce with roasted garlic because I thought it would make for a very flavorful and hearty meal. I used ground turkey in mine, but feel free to use ground beef or any kind of meat substitute. 

I wanted to explain in detail how to roast the garlic because I'm sure some of you were like me and have never done it before. Basically you take a whole head of garlic and peel away any excess skin from it. Then chop off 1/4 inch off the top of the entire head just enough to expose the cloves. Rub olive oil all over the head of garlic and sprinkle with sea salt. Wrap it in aluminum foil and roast it at 400 degrees for 50-55 minutes. When you take it out the garlic will ooze right from the cloves, and you won't have to do much peeling at all.

Garlic has a ton of health benefits. It is said to protect the heart and is naturally blood thinning. It is also said to lower cholesterol and most importantly, has many cancer fighting components.

I served this dish over whole wheat pasta with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and torn basil leaves.  You could serve this over any kind of pasta or grain or even a baked potato.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey

1 Red Bell Pepper- diced

1 Medium Sweet onion- diced

1 Whole Head of Garlic Roasted (directions above)

1 28.oz Can Whole Plum Tomatoes (I used San Marzanos from Trader Joe's)

1 15.oz can tomato sauce 

1 Dried Bay Leaf

1 tbsp. Oregano

1 tbsp. Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Basil Leaves- torn or chopped

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese or Pecorino Romano Cheese- Grated

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

1) Roast garlic according to directions above

2) Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat

3) Add onions and ground turkey to the pan. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the turkey is cooked through and slightly browned.

4) Add bell pepper and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

5) Add plum tomatoes and crush with a potato masher or spatula. You can leave the pieces as chunky as you'd like.

6) Add tomato sauce, roasted garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and spices. Stir until evenly distributed and bring to a boil. 

7) Let sauce simmer for 20 minutes on low heat

8) Meanwhile, cook pasta or grain until tender. 

9) Plate the pasta with sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese and torn basil leaves.

10) Eat up and enjoy! :)

*This should make about 5-6 servings

Sesame Tofu with Red Swiss Chard

I am fully aware that many people dislike tofu. In fact, I think people are under the misconceived notion that they dislike tofu before they even try it. Yes, it doesn't have much flavor alone, but similarly to chicken, it soaks up whatever flavor you give it. It’s like a blank canvas and it’s so much fun to experiment cooking with it. 

I have to say, I haven’t cooked a lot of tofu at home. Mostly, I order it when I’m out for Chinese food, or sometimes I buy prepared in Whole Foods. I recently went to Costco, however, and they had a huge sale on three, 1.5 lb boxes, so I had no choice but to buy it. 

This is another recipe that I’m a little ashamed to be posting, because it is SO simple. In fact, I realized I had nothing to bring to work for lunch tomorrow, so I whipped it up after the gym in 15 minutes!

Tofu is a super food for a variety of reasons.  It is said to lower bad cholesterol and provide the good cholesterol your body needs. It also is loaded with omega 3 acids which can help stop clogged arteries and prevent heart attacks. In addition, it is a great source of lean protein.

I served this dish over brown rice, but you can make it over anything you’d like. I’d recommend rice, quinoa, or egg noodles.

Ingredients:

1 lb-1.5lb Firm Tofu

1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

1/4 Cup Trader Joe Soyaki sauce or any other terraki sauce

1 cup frozen broccoli 

3 Cups Torn Swiss Chard- I used red but you can use whatever you like

1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 tbsp. Vegetable or Canola Oil

Directions:

1) Pat tofu dry, draining excess moisture

2) Cut tofu into bite size chunks

3) Place tofu in bowl and stir in sesame seeds and "Soyaki" sauce. Let marinade in the fridge for at least a half hour

4) Defrost broccoli by running it under cold water for 2 minutes

5) Stem Swiss chard and tear leaves into bite size pieces

6) Heat large skillet with vegetable oil over medium high heat and add tofu

7) Cook tofu until slightly brown, stirring occasionally

8) Add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes

9) Stir in swiss chard, sprinkle in red pepper flakes and cook until chard is wilted

10) Serve over grain of your choosing and enjoy!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze

For the longest time I refused to eat brussel sprouts. I don’t remember why I harbored such negative feelings about the poor vegetable, but I somehow had them on my list of foods I dislike. A few years ago, I was out to dinner, and to my shock, my entrée came out with roasted brussel sprouts! If I would have known this, I would have requested a different side dish. I decided to “man up” and taste the veggies and to my surprise I absolutely loved them! They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and had a beautiful caramelization to them. After tasting them that night, I was hooked and started cooking them all the time at home. When I cook them, I always roast them in the oven. I’m convinced that boiling them completely depletes them of their flavor, not to mention their nutrients! I have never tried pan frying them but that might be a tasty option as well.

My typical roasted brussel sprout recipe consists of tossing them in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Tonight, however, I decided to kick it up a notch. I recently discovered balsamic glaze. Different from the traditional balsamic vinegar, balsamic glaze is thick and creamy and totally luxurious. (You can find the glaze at the regular supermarket in the condiment section.) I thought mixing the sprouts in the glaze would make for an interesting side dish. I threw in some toasted slivered almonds, a few dried cranberries, and some lemon zest, and voila! I made the best brussel sprouts I have ever tasted! I know, I know, I sound obnoxious, but they really were amazing, and I’m convinced you will love them too!

Brussel sprouts are a super food because they are in the cruciferous family. Cruciferous vegetables are said to contain cancer-preventive components. This vegetable is also very low in sodium and cholesterol and packed full of fiber. Even if you think you hate this vegetable, give my recipe a try- I really think it’ll change your mind on these little green super food gems J

Ingredients:

1 lb. bag of brussel sprouts

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. honey

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

3 tbsp. balsamic glaze

½ tsp lemon zest

¼ cup dried cranberries

Directions:

1)      Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2)      Slice brussel sprouts in half and remove excess skin

3)      Place halves on foil covered baking sheet and toss with sea salt, olive oil, and honey

4)      Place baking sheet in oven and roast for 20 minutes, flipping the brussel sprouts halfway

5)      Toss the sprouts with balsamic glaze, lemon zest, almonds, and cranberries

6)      Eat and enjoy!