Do You Granola Bro?

I do....

I swore to myself that once I mastered granola making I would post a recipe, and I feel like I finally got it down so here we go!

This is a maple, honey, chocolate and cherry blend. I also added a few other ingredients, and I have to admit I'm uber pleased with it. 

Start with a cup of coconut oil in a bowl.

Add two cups of maple syrup (or agave works too). They even have an agave maple syrup now that tastes just like real maple. I think it's called SohGave. 

Heat the oil and maple in the microwave until the oil melts.

Add about a teaspoon of vanilla.

In a large bowl I added a whole 42 oz. container of old fashioned rolled oats. To that I added a generous tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. 

A cup of raw pumpkin seed.

A cup of salted sunflower seeds.

1/2 a cup of flax seed.

A bag of pecans or whatever kind of nut you like. I also added walnuts as well.

Then pour in your oil and maple mixture.

Mix well to cover the whole batch.

Just for an extra sweetness I mixed in a couple of tablespoons of raw honey.

Cover the bowl and let it set in your fridge  for an hour or more. You want the oil and maple to make the oats soft but not mushy.

Pour the first batch into a jelly roll pan.

Pre heat your oven to 300°. Bake 20 minutes, then stir the batch and bake another 20, or until golden brown.

Add a package of your choice of dried fruit. I decided on cherries for two batches and cranberries for one.

And finally add a cup of dark chocolate chips. Let the chips melt a little and start mushing it all in so that the chocolate coats the oats. I placed my pan in my fridge to hurry up the process so I could bag it.

Done! You can jar it, bag it, or eat it out of a cup right away. Your choice! I baked 3 batches from the above ingredients.

Your grocery list:

Old fashioned rolled oats

Coconut oil (olive oil works well too)

Maple syrup

Honey

Vanilla

Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

Raw pumpkin seeds

Salted sunflower seeds

Flax seeds or chia seeds

Pecans or walnuts or chopped almonds

Dried cherries or cranberries

Dark chocolate chips

Fried Bananas and Chocolate Sauce

You know that moment where you go down that dark road where no diet should ever go? I went there, and it was a road paved in chocolate, fried bananas, nuts and sweet whipping cream. 

No lie. I screwed up my eating "plan" big time. I guess you can say I never do anything half way.

This is really simple. You can't get much simpler than wrapping a banana in a flour tortilla and frying it. 

I'd do a step by step picture log of what exactly I did, but I was winging it the whole time and forgot to take the needed shots until it came to the finished product.

Just a few pointers: I didn't deep fry these. I just set them in a little hot vegetable oil and rolled then around until they were crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Then I took the hot banana and rolled it in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

I also drizzled them with chocolate sauce I got from the farmers market today.

You need that in your life at some point. Fer Realz.

You know, this needed more...

And maybe a little more...

So I went big. Big butt, big boobs, big tummy, but I went down with a smile on my face.

Cheesy Cauliflower Bake

I'm on a pasta strike, but craving mac n cheese, so this option was the next best thing. Healthyish comfort food!

I started out by boiling the cauliflower in a pot until it became fork tender. It took about 20 minutes in well salted water. Once they were ready, I strained the cauliflower and set it in a baking dish along with a diced onion and some smoked sausage.

I set that aside to start on my cheese sauce. 

In a pan, melt 1/2 a cup of butter.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and whisk really well to remove the lumps.

I also added a dash of salt, pepper, and some Cajun seasoning.

Then I added almond milk. About a cup to start out. It's going to get thick quick, like a gravy.

I added a second cup of milk, because it was getting too thick, along with a cup of cheddar cheese and a cup of pepper jack.

I also added about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth.

And some more cheese (just because I wanted to). It looks clumpy at first, but be patient! 

It all comes together after a few minutes of whisking over medium heat.

Next, I poured my cheese sauce over my cauliflower.

Top with more cheese and some bread crumbs. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350°, or until the top gets golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.

That's it! You can eat a serving of this without the extra carbs from pasta, but still feel the indulgence. Win/Win!

My first fancy cake

Goulash is NOT Hungarian Hamburger Helper!

It's cold outside in Oklahoma. Like, really cold. I need comfort food, and I need it today!

This is why it's vital to my happiness to make goulash. It's also vital to my dog's happiness because he's straight up driving me nuts. Good thing he's so cute!

So here we go with Goulash. My Grandma Coday made this at most family occasions, and we all loved it. It's easy, yummy, and feeds a lot of people. 

It's not, as an unnamed dud told me earlier, Hungarian Hamburger Helper. This person has obviously never had really good goulash. (I can't even!)

I mean, look!

I start out with a drizzle of olive oil in a hot pan, along with a package of ground beef.

I also add garlic powder, salt and pepper to my taste. 1 chopped onion and 1 chopped bell pepper, adding that to the meat.

Then I just start browning the meat.

Next, I start adding more seasoning.

I add a dash of Oregano.

Some dried basil.

A little bit of parsley flakes.

Some red pepper flakes.

And then some more salt and pepper if I think it's needed.

Once the meat is brown, I start adding the tomatoes. I started with two 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes.

1 can of tomato sauce.

Add a can of water to your tomato/meat mixture.

Don't worry if it looks soupy, that's what goulash is all about, and it will cook down.

However, if you are really worried about it, add a small can of tomato paste to help thicken it up faster.

Lastly, add two bay leaves and let simmer uncovered for about an hour.

Milo was super excited about the wait.

Once the tomato sauce has tightened up, start on the macaroni. You can use elbow or bow tie if you like, but I like shell pasta.

I cook mine separate, to the point where it's not quite done, then add it to my sauce to finish off.

I do it separate because I use a lot of salt in my pasta water for flavor, and I also like to ladle in more pasta water to the sauce if I think it's needed.

So that's it! My version of goulash. Super simple, but my favorite comfort food in winter.

Your shopping list:

1 package of ground beef

1 onion

1 bell pepper

Salt and pepper

Garlic seasoning

2 bay leaves

2 medium cans of diced tomatoes

1 medium sized can of tomatoe sauce

1 small can of tomato paste 

Oregano, basil, red pepper and parsley flakes (not a lot, just to your taste)

Your choice of pasta