Healthy Homemade Vegan And Gluten-Free Maple Granola Recipe

by | Mar 13, 2022

I Love Granola With Those Yummy Clusters

You choose all the delicious ingredients. I’ll make some suggestions and you decide what is best for you and your family. I hope you love the idea that this granola is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, but feel free to use a flavoring of your choice. This is a quick and easy recipe that takes about 10 minutes of preparation before you pop it in the oven.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Organic Rolled  Oats

  • 1 1/2/ cups Raw Nuts (almond, cashew, pecan, pistachio, hazelnut, macadamia)

  • 1 cup Seeds of your choice You may also want to add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of additional seeds of your choice (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds)

  • Optional: 1 cup coconut flakes and 1 cup dried fruit (cranberry, pear, apricot, pineapple, cherry, apple, raisin)

  • 1/3 cup Maple Syrup

  • 1/3 cup Coconut Oil or Olive Oil

  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla

  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt 

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamon or nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (optional)

Let’s Make Granola:

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

  2. Pour in the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

  3. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan or two.

  4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes at 325 F, stirring halfway through, patting down and rotating the pan. (This patting down process with a spatula halfway through baking allows those wonderful clusters to form.)

  5. Let cool before storing.

  6. Store in an airtight container or jar. It will last up to 6 weeks.

How Are You Planning On Serving Your Granola?

You may enjoy your granola with fresh berries and yogurt.

Perhaps pour almond milk over the top.

Eat it like trailmix or a snack.

Get creative and have fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharon

 

Easy To Bake Vegetarian Tacos

by | Mar 9, 2022

Recipes Are Meant To Be Adapted

Easy To Bake Vegetarian Tacos can be made in about 30 minutes — you can keep them vegetarian or add beef or chicken . . . or add other vegetables or any ingredient of your choice.

Ingredients Serves 4:

  • 1 package baked corn tortillas — organic if possible — 8 to 10

  • 1 can seasoned refried beans — organic if possible — feel free to substitute with black beans or cooked and seasoned ground beef, shredded beef or shredded chicken

  • 1 cup of a melty cheese of your choice or a combination — mozzarellla, pepper jack, cheddar, queso fresco, goat cheese

  • For the Topping: Feel free to improvise — diced tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, hot sauce, lime

 

Let’s Put These Tacos Together And Bake ‘Em

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375F

  2. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment — or use what you usually use.

  3. You key is to fit the 8 to 10 taco shells in the best possible arrangement.

  4. Stir the refried or other beans — spoon in 2 heaping tablespoons into each taco shell. If you like, you can top each off with a bit of hot sauce to taste, of course.

  5. You can now add your shredded melty cheese to the top of the beans plus any other ingredients you decided to add. Place it into the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes — or until warmed through.

  6. While baking you can prep the toppings — or if they’re ready to go, kick back and relax.

Garnish with hot sauce, sour cream or whatever your heart desires.

What Do You Think?

This is quick, easy and I believe delicious with all of your fresh ingredients. I would think this would be a go to meal when you’re hungry, but not sure what to make. It’s great or lunch or dinner . . . a tasty snack while watching a favorite television program or video.

Leave me a comment if you tried the recipe or intend to — what additional ingredients would you or did you add?

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharon

Home Cleansing and Shielding Recipe

by | Nov 4, 2018

This is for those of you who feel there is something going on in your home or within you — attracting negative forces into your life.

This can take two or three days to complete.

On Day One:

  • Open all curtains, blinds, windows and doors. Allow the fresh air and sunshine into your home.
  • Open all closets, cabinets, drawers and other dark spaces open so that as much natural light as possible can enter those spaces and all the nooks and crannies.
  • After about two to three hours you are going to figuratively sweep out each room — you can physically do the sweeping, but it is usually symbolic. You’ll focus your thoughts on pushing out all the negative energies, entities and thoughts.
  • After completing each room, close it up. You don’t want to leave it open so the negativity of another room can get into your clean one.
  • Don’t forget garages, basements, attics, sheds, etc.
  • I usually burn sage during my cleansing, but some have found sandalwood or dragons-blood incense works for them.
  • You may also want to play your favorite spiritual music or sing a favorite hymn before doing the sweeping or pushing process.

Day Two and Three:

  • Once again open all the curtains, blinds, windows and doors.
  • Take a white candle to the center most point of your home. Sit on the floor and place the candle in front of you.
  • Light the candle and focus upon the flame. Visualize the flame to be filled with positive thoughts or positive energy. You may want to say a prayer … asking for cleansing positive energy to fill the candle’s flame.
  • Hold this image in your mind and visualize the flame slowly expanding outward. Visualize it filling the room where you are sitting, every corner, nook and cranny.
  • Continue to visualize the flame expanding — the outter edges pushing away/burning away any and all negative energies or entities out and away from each room in your home.
  • Once you have visualized this flame filling your entire home, picture it expanding to your property lines — all the way around your property — the front and back of your home as well as both sides.
  • Hold this image in your mind for a few moments. Then visualize anchoring this flame where you are sitting — the centermost area of your home.
  • Once you have done this, take a deep breath, relax a few moments and then blow out the candle.

You may now want to create a shield for yourself using this same technique. Instead of focusing on your home, visualize the flame surrounding you. 

It is best to do this after a shower using a rosemary scented soap — rosemary is good for purification and protection.

I sometimes get a bit creeped out about visualizing a flame, so I have sage smoke getting into all the nooks and crannies … and also for creating a shield surrounding me. It is the same sage smoke.

And I do have the smoke go around me — I use a feather to bring the smoke from the bowl out into the air surrounding me. It is helpful to have a friend help you out with this process.

I know it all does seem a bit strange … but try it and see if you feel differently about your home environment and how protected you feel as you venture out into the world.

Thanks for stopping by.

Sharon

Settling Into Christmas

by | Dec 19, 2017

I know there are many last-minute shoppers . . . but essentially if we want merchandise delivered by Christmas, it makes sense to have that completed.

This time of the year, the weather can sometimes be strange and we’ve had fires in California which affected delivery of on-line orders.

We do need to think ahead . . . and also be mindful of the safety of those delivering our merchandise.

I’m just as happy to receive my orders after Christmas — it spreads the holiday out a bit longer. Yet I know there are those who want what they want when they want it.

Now that we’re pretty much settling into Christmas — this being the last few days, I thought a fun recipe would be good for me to share.

I was on Pinterest looking at other stuff and these recipes kept popping up . . .

It was difficult for me to decide on just one . . . then the Almond Joy Cookie Recipe with only 4 ingredients came up and I knew I had a winner!!

I’m all about quick and easy!!

Let’s get started with the Ingredients:
  • a 14 ounce bag of sweetened coconut flakes
  • 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup chopped almonds
  • a 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.

Now let’s get these put together:

    1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
    2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
    3. In a large bowl combine coconut, chocolate chips, chopped almonds and sweetened condensed milk.
    4. Stir, stir and stir until it’s all mixed nicely.
    5. Scoop out the dough with a cookie scoop onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
    6. You may want to wet the tips of your fingers with water so you can shape the cookie dough into discs.
    7. You want the tops to be flat.
    8. Once that is done you’re ready to bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes until the tips of the coconut are just starting to turn a golden brown.
    9. Let ’em cool on the baking sheet.
    10. I know you’re going to have to try at least one before storing them in an airtight container.

Well, there you have it!

I hope you’ll try out this recipe. Add to it, change the ingredients and even rename it!

Sharon

Harvest Chex Mix Recipe

by | Nov 4, 2016

Snack recipes are always welcome for Thanksgiving . . . Or between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Here are my suggestions for making this delicious snack for your family and friends.harvestchexmix

Harvest Chex Mix

Ingredients:

  • 1 box Rice Chex Cereal
  • 1 bag Bugles
  • 4 cups Pretzels
  • 1 cup Candy Corn
  • 1 cyo Candy Corn Pumpkins
  • 1 bag Reese’s Pieces
  • Feel free to add pieces of your favorite left-over Halloween candy

Sauce Ingredients:

Yes, there is a buttery brown sugar sauce that goes over the mixture before popping it in the oven.

  • 3/4 cup melted Butter
  • 3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 275°F
  2. Melt the butter in the microwave
  3. Add the brown sugar and vanilla extract to the melted butter and whisk until combined and dissolved
  4. In a large bowl, add the Chex, bugles and pretzels
  5. Pour the sauce over this mixture and toss gently until evenly coated
  6. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper
  7. Divide the mixture on the two baking sheets, spreading in an even layer on each baking sheet
  8. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  10. Put the cooled mixture into a large bowl
  11. Add the candy
  12. Toss to combine evenly
  13. Store any left-overs in an air-tight container

Well, there you go! It’s a great treat that will give you a fun Fall taste.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharon

Yummy Witch Puddles Recipe

by | Oct 11, 2016

That witch in the Wizard of Oz never could get a break . . . now you’ll have a delicious treat in her melted honor.

Halloween is fun . . . and the food can be, too.meltedwitchpuddles

Witch Puddles doesn’t sound all that appealing . . . but with Oreo Cookies and Hershey Kisses . . . It’s a chocolate feast in a puddle.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients make about 3 dozen Puddle Witches

  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 4 drops yellow food coloring
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of flaked coconut
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 6 tablespoons shortening, divided
  • 36 Oreo cookies
  • 36 Hershey Kisses
  • 4 cups vanilla or white chocolate chips
  • 36 pretzel sticks

Directions:

  1. Place water and food coloring in a large resealable plastic bag.
  2. Add coconut to the bag.
  3. Seal and shake to tint the coconut.
  4. In the microwave, melt chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons shortening. Stir until smooth.
  5. Let’s make the witches’ hats! Place 1/3 cup of the chocolate mixture in a resealable plastic bag. Cut a small hole in a corner of the bag.
  6. Pipe a small amount of chocolate on a cookie.
  7. Dip the Kiss in the chocolate on the Oreo.
  8. Set on waxed paper to dry. Repeat for the remaining cookies.
  9. For the puddles, melt the vanilla or white chocolate chips with the remaining shortening. Stir until smooth.
  10. Place the mixture in a large resealable plastic bag, cut a small hole in a corner of the bag.
  11. Pipe the mixture into the shape of a puddle onto a waxed paper lined baking sheet.
  12. Place a witch’s hat on the puddle.
  13. Place a pretzel stick alongside the hat; sprinkle with tinted coconut at the end of the pretzel stick to look like a broom.
  14. Repeat with remaining puddles, hats and brooms.
  15. Chill for 15 minutes or until set.
  16. Store in an airtight container.

If you’d like, you may want to tint the white chocolate with green food coloring . . . but I think the white works fine . . .

This is a fun project your friends and family will enjoy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sharon