musings of a gluten free runner

Posts Tagged ‘baking’

Let me just start by saying that I LOVE granola.  And in case you’ve been wondering about the name for my blog, it’s a reference to an old nickname of mine growing up.   One of the hardest things over the years about being Gluten Free: encountering those big glass jars in coffeehouses filled with their house-made granola.  I’ve concocted a number of different versions over the years.  It lends itself well to my style in the kitchen… I prefer pours and splashes, pinches and spoonfuls over scientific  measurements.  Unlike a souffle, granola is more art than science.  So don’t be afraid to experiment according to your tastes.  That is all part of it’s rugged, satisfying beauty.

This time I decided to write down one of my favorite variations… it makes a very satisfying, fragrant and chunky snack.  Dainty starchy sweets just don’t do it for me… which is why giving up oats was such a hardship.  After having a bad reaction to GF oats a few years ago, I hadn’t tried them again until recently when standing in the Gluten-Free aisle at New Seasons, I picked up the GF Oats and read and saw that they were ELISA Tested.  This convinced me to give them another shot.  I’ve been really craving something something chewy and hearty lately… the perfect fiber-rich topping for coconut milk yogurt!

Recipe:

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl with a big spoon:

• 6 Cups GF Oats (like Bob’s Red Mill or Gifts of Nature)
• 1 1/2 Cups Raw Buckwheat Groats
• 1 C Raw Walnut Halves, broken by hand into large pieces
• 1 C Coconut Flakes (I like the large flat flakes best)
• 1/2 C Raw Sunflower Seeds
• 1/2 C Raw, Unhulled Sesame Seeds
• 6 Tbs Chia Seeds
• 3 Tbs Cinamon
• 2 tps Ground Celtic Sea Salt

Whisk wet ingredients into a small sauce pan on low heat until well combined:

• 3/4 C Raw Local Honey (if you don’t eat honey you can sub Agave Nectar)
• 3/4 C Real Maple Syrup Grade B
• 1/2 C Virgin Coconut Oil*
• 1/4 C Expeller Pressed Oil (Canola, Sunflower, Grapeseed, Safflower)
• 1/4 C Almond milk (coconut or rice work too)

Pour the warmed wet-ingredient mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well with a big spoon.  Spread batch evenly between two ungreased 9×13 cookie sheets.  I use the silicone mats on my cookie sheets, but it isn’t necessary at all. Bake sheets at 325 F for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir granola to provide even browning.  Place trays back in oven with bottom tray now on the top.  Bake again at 225 for 12 minutes.  If you want to add any dried fruit, add now.  Bake another 10-12 minutes at 225 F.  Turn off oven, open door and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  This will make the granola harden enough to be chunky.  When ready, break into chunks and put in storage containers. YUM!!

*If you are like my husband Ian and don’t like coconut, leave out the coconut flakes and substitute in Soy-Free Earthbalance for the Coconut Oil.  If you do this, you probably won’t need to add the salt.

We were gone all weekend at the Stanford Invitational track meet in Palo Alto. The weather was simply phenomenal and left me wondering, “why don’t I live in the bay area?” This point was driven home when we disembarked in Seattle to a sleeting 38 degree afternoon. And although Portland was a few degrees warmer when we finally landed, it was raining even harder.

So, after a beyond-muddy long run on Sunday, I decided that I would usher in nicer weather with some Spring Cleaning. Sometimes there is no greater satisfaction than bringing organization to chaos and disarray! OK… so maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But I have been obsessed with cleaning and detox more than ever lately. I just want to shed any unnecessary baggage and live lightly, freely. I have recently donated significant portion of my clothes, weeded out unused kitchen items, and shredded loads of old receipts and papers.

In the spirit of domesticity and my new creative energy, I embarked on two new cookies- both vegan and gluten free of course…. Pumpkin Seed Hippie Cookies & Sunbutter Delights… one for me and the other for Ian.

Cream coconut oil, sweeteners and almond butter together. Then add dry ingredients mixing well. I mixed these with my hands! If you want it to be sweeter, just add a few sprinkles of stevia. Drop dough in small mounds or spoonfulls onto cookie sheet. (I use the silicone liners so they are non-stick, if you don’t have these you will need to greese the cookie sheet).
Bake for 12-16 minutes at 300 degrees until edges get golden.

Saturday we finally had a house warming party….. I think it has been 2 and 1/2 months…. but better late than never. It wasn’t the greatest idea as far as timing, not only because of Hood to Coast, but because it was the first weekend we had practice with the team. That meant that both mornings we were up at 6:30 or earlier… Yesterday I was dragging so much!

Ahhh…. the cookies….. everyone was expecting something from me, but I haven’t hosted anything since going GF in March. So I REALLY wanted to make something that would be entirely undetectable from the real thing. SUCCESS!!!

I also accomplished the dairy free part, but couldn’t quite get soy free. Being short on time, I only managed to stop by Whole Foods…. and all their chocolate chips had soy lecithin. So annoying (just like the annoying soy additives to almond milks!)

I was hoping to recreate the recipe in a half batch on Sunday, but I ended up napping instead. It was much needed because, as it was, I was dragging yesterday at the Cafe.