Berry-Yogurt Parfaits + Homemade Granola

It's a simple formula: granola and yogurt, but it seems to work so well together huh? In the mornings I just love the creamy-sweet-tartness of yogurt mixed with the crunchiness of homemade granola. I brought home a whole load of fresh berries the other day and I was just inspired to make some granola to crunch along with it. I love summer and it's welcome wagon of sweet berries! 

Anyways, I love my granola simple as can be. I don't like to add in too many add-ins such as dried fruit and nuts because I love adding fresh fruit instead - and why wouldn't I when I have fresh berries as beautiful as these? Making homemade granola is so simple and so easy - it really takes very, very little effort. Using it in yogurt-granola-berry trifles is just how I like to enjoy it, but I imagine it'd be excellent over ice cream or oatmeal as well!

Maple Pecan Granola

YIelds: about 2 cups

Original recipe here.

1 cup pecan halves

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup wheat bran

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 stick butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Spread the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until toasty and brown. Butter a rimmed baking sheet or line with parchment paper, set aside. Toss together the oats, coconut and wheat bran into a large bowl. Crunch up the pecan halves to break them up and add them to the mixture. Add the maple syrup into a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat for 7 - 10 minutes to reduce it by 1/4. Add the butter and salt and stir until the butter is melted. Immediately pour into the oat mixture and mix thoroughly to make sure everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the sheets from the oven and scrape the outer edges towards the center and the center to the edges. Repeat this two more times for a total of 30 minutes. Allow the granola to cool completely on the sheets - this will allow clusters to form. Once the granola is cooled, stir in the dried fruit. 

Berry Yogurt Parfaits

Yields: 2 servings

1 cup vanilla yogurt (non-fat or low-fat)

1/2 cup homemade granola

1/2 cup fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.)

In two short glass, add 1/4 cup of yogurt to the bottom of each glass, sprinkle with some fresh berries and most of the granola. Top each with 1/4 cup more of the yogurt, sprinkle with the remaining granola and fresh berries. Enjoy!

Zov's Oatmeal Brûlée

Ya'll know how I love my baked oatmeal. For the longest time ever, I've been a self-proclaimed lover of the stuff (just check my recipe index). I guess all of those bad experiences with gooey, syrupy packaged oatmeals turned me off thin oatmeal. Baked oatmeal on the other hand, has this hearty texture which I love, but, after trying this oatmeal, I can now say I love all the textures that oatmeal has to offer - as long as it's homemade!

This oatmeal has a thinner consistency but is still perfectly hearty. It's unbelievably creamy and I love how the only sugar in it is actually on top of it - in the brulee! That way, you can control how much sugar you want depending on how you're feeling: decadent or healthful. Either way, the brulee is a delicious touch that you should not skip!

Zov's Oatmeal Brûlée

Yields: 4 servings

Original recipe from Simple Zov: Rustic Classics with a Mediterranean Twist.

5 cups 2% milk

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup golden raisins

4 tbsn. coarse turbinado sugar

1/2 cup mixed berries

In a large sauce pot, combine the milk, oats and salt and heat over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the raisins and cinnamon and continue to cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until the milk is mostly absorbed and the oats are tender. If the mixture is too dry for you, you can add more milk to your preference. Divide the oatmeal among 4 bowls, then top each bowl with 1 tbsn. of the coarse sugar. Using a blow torch or your oven's broil setting, caramelize the sugar until it creates a crispy shell. Top with fresh berries and enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

There's nothing quite like oatmeal. I know you've heard me wax on and off about the joys of oatmeal, so I'll stop and leave you here with another delicious version of my favorite.

Pumpkin + Spices + Pecans + Maple Syrup = match made in breakfast heaven!

This oatmeal is hearty, just barely sweetened with a bit of nice crunch from the pecans and warmth from the fall spices. In other words, perfect. Please enjoy!

Spiced Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

Slightly modified from original recipe, which can be found here.

2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 cup packed brown sugar (or more to your taste)

2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

1 cup pecans, lightly toasted (candied would be even better!)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking dish, set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and sugar. In another bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin puree and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine. Place mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir the mixture, fold in the 3/4 cup of the pecans, stir again. Bake for another 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm and top with remaining pecans. You can additionally add yogurt, cream, granola, fruit or whatever you'd like!

Give me a bowl of this any day!

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

I love oatmeal.

But of course, you already know that,

judging by the many oatmeal recipes, as seen here, here, and here.

So this is just another oatmeal recipe. One that is incredibly hearty and incredibly healthy. Oats that stick to your ribs and keep you fueled the whole morning. Mmmm nothing beats a warm bowl of oatmeal! This oatmeal takes a bit more time, since it's all steel cut oats but there's something about slow cooking a nice bowl of oatmeal that calms your nerves and starts your morning off to a good mood.

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal

Yields: 1 serving

Original recipe here.

2/3 cup water/ soy milk/ almond milk/ rice milk

pinch of salt

1/2 cup dry steel-cut oatmeal

1/4 medium zucchini, finely grated

handful of chopped pecans

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg, if desired

pinch of ground ginger, if desired

1 heaping tbsn. almond butter/ any nut or seed butter

2 tbsn. brown sugar

Maple syrup, to serve

In a heavy bottomed pot, bring the water and salt to a boil over high heat. Add the oats, lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice (if the bottom begins to scorch, add a bit more liquid). After 15 minutes, add the zucchini, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Stir well, then cover again and cook for another 5 minutes (if oats are dry, add a bit more liquid). Remove from heat, stir in the almond butter and the brown sugar. Serve with an extra dousing of maple syrup more milk, if desired.

Breakfast Cookies

As you can see, I am still on that 'health kick'. My pantry is nowfully stocked with all sorts of healthy things: steel cut oats, baby food, agave, whole wheat flour, flax seeds, you name it! Eating healthy has been an attempt I've been making for some time now, but now that I'm taking a Human Nutrition class, I'm even more hell bent on doing so!

Not much of the information applies much to my baking habits, but when I learned that white flour and white rice has almost ALL of its nutrients removed from it, I was pretty shocked! Plus, when baking with whole wheat flour doesn't make much difference in taste, what's the harm in making things healthier?

These cookies are just as good as everyone says they are in the reviews and are most appropriately the perfect breakfast as their name suggests. They are chock full of goodies that keep you fueled throughout the day and just for some fun, I added a little spiced glaze, which just gave it that perfect amount of sweetness to make it seem like dessert too :)

Breakfast Cookies

Yields: 12 large cookies

Adapted from this Ellie Krieger recipe.

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food

3 tbsn. apple sauce

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup bran cereal flakes (I used cornflakes)

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted and chopped

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a medium sized bowl. Combine the applesauce, oil and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high speed, scraping down the sides if necessary, until sugars have dissolved and mixture is light in color, about 1 minute. Add egg, carrot puree and vanilla and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Add flour mixture and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add oats, flakes, raisins, and walnuts and mix on low until just incorporated. Dough will be slightly sticky and less cohesive than typical cookie dough. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and using 3 - 4 tbsn. of batter, form a ball and place on a cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and use palm of hand to flatten cookies until about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until cookies are fragrant but still soft. Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Olive Oil Granola

As a baker, you get a lot of praise, because well, you make things that people love and then that love transfers over to you. Nice huh? Well with that said, sometimes I feel like a cheat. Most of the time I use recipes rather than making things of my own doing because baking is a science and one that I haven't particularly mastered yet. I know, I know!

It makes me sad to say I do not whisk these ideas up in my own head and I nod my head in shame when people say, "I love YOUR recipe." Well, thanks but no thanks because it's not my recipe, but that's fine by me too because the joy of spreading good recipes is a reward all in itself. My favorite kind of recipes are the ones you can change to your liking, that way I can feel like the recipe has just a little bit of me in it.

For example, this olive oil granola. I don't even know the path this granola took to find me but the last hand off was Shannalee of Food Loves Writing and boy I'm glad I was next in line for this one! I don't usually eat granola often. Granola bars? Yes. Oatmeal? Yes. Regular ole' granola? No. After reading Shannalee's awesome blog post on this beauty, I knew I had to make it. Well, I did and guess what? I simply love it. Wholesome and filled with all kinds of customizable goodness. Add/ subtract/ change what you'd like, and even with all that math, you still end up with some good eats!

Olive OIl Granola

Yields: about 5 cups

Adapted from here.

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup flax seeds

3/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

heaping 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

heaping 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, flax, coconut, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer (use parchment paper or a silpat to make it easier to transfer the mixture later). Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and toasted. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add apricots and cherries, tossing to combine.

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

Oh my goodness, I've been on an oatmeal rant. I'm completely and utterly obsessed. Normally these kinds of intense obsessions are unhealthy, but in this case, this obsession is quite the opposite. It's heart healthy and it's doing all kinds of good for me. Whew...

Apple Pie Oatmeal. It's comforting, nourishing and delicious. Filled with baked apples AND topped with caramelized apple topping. I've experimented with my baked oatmeal recipe more times than I can count and every time I make it, I often omit the sugars and oils and replace them with more apple sauce. I don't include this in the recipe but I wanted to tell you guys that this oatmeal is still every bit as fabulous without those unneeded extras. For that little bit of sweetness that I crave, just a drizzle of sugar free maple syrup does it for me!
For me, it's really important to try to cut down on unnecessary sugars and fats. My dad has Type II diabetes and making healthy snacks that he enjoys and CAN enjoy makes me happy. If it still tastes delicious without that stuff then why add it? That's what I think at least :)

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup packed brown sugar (or more to your taste)

2 cups milk

2/3 cup applesauce

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped into bits (I used Granny smith)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

Healthier version that I always make:

- exclude the brown sugar

- reduce cooking oil to 1/8 cup

- add another 1/3 cup applesauce

- for sweetness when serving, I like to drizzle a little sugar-free maple syrup on top :)

For the apple pie topping:

3 medium apples (I used Granny Smith)

2 tbsn. unsalted butter

1 tbsn. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

pinch of allspice

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking dish, set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar (if using). In another bowl, combine the milk, applesauce and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine. Fold in the apple bits and then place mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir the mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

To make the apple pie topping, heat the butter in a medium saucepan until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Saute until desired consistency and slightly caramelized, about 5 - 7 minutes. Serve the hot oatmeal with the apple pie topping and some sugar-free maple syrup!

To fork or not to fork?

Smores Oatmeal

I used to absolutely abhor oatmeal. The thought of it made me cringe and possibly invite gag reflexes as well. Today? Quite the opposite. I love it, so much so, that I've been eating it every single freaking day! Can you imagine? And I haven't gotten sick of it either. I know! I even surprise myself.

But it's probably for the better anyway, since oatmeal is so good for me. It's nice to know that I'm filling myself up with such a nutritious breakfast that also tastes delicious. I love finding new ways to eat my oatmeal, and this way is definitely a keeper. I know it's kind of decadent for breakfast, but what I do is take out all of the sugar from the oatmeal recipe since the marshmallows and chocolate provide enough sweetness. And you can put as little or as many toppings as you want; completely customizable!

Camp fire fun at home!

Smores Baked Oatmeal

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

Printable Recipe

1 recipe Baked Oatmeal, sans sugar

Mini Marshmallows

1 large bar Hershey's chocolate bar, broken into pieces

Prepare the oatmeal. Spoon one serving, about 1/2 a cup, into a small bowl. Top with desired amount of mini marshmallows and chocolate pieces. Using a blow torch, toast the marshmallows until browned. If you don't have a torch, set your oven to broil and broil for 5 - 8 minutes or until marshmallows are nice and toasty. Enjoy!

Ooey, gooey goodness.

What a way to start the morning!

Baked Oatmeal

I love oatmeal! It's especially great for breakfast now that I'm back at school. It's funny because when I'm at school I seem to get extra hungry than normal - I guess it's because all of that hard brain usage. That's why it's really important for me to have a good, nutritious breakfast that fills me up and tastes delicious.

I love baking oatmeal because I can just bake large batches at a time and re-heat it for school during the week. I know this isn't the optimal way to eat it but it really helps when I'm in a pinch for time. If you're not, share this warm, yummy oatmeal with your whole family! I love finding new ways to eat oatmeal, otherwise it can get quite boring. My favorites? Fresh fruit always keeps things interesting! Bruleed? Even more interesting! You can add so many things, it's so fun! Nuts, granola, yogurt, chocolate, spices, honey or anything your heart desires - so have fun with it!

Baked Oatmeal

Yields: about 6 - 8 servings

Slightly modified from original recipe, which can be found here.

2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats

1/2 cup steel cut oats

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup packed brown sugar (or more to your taste)

2 cups milk

2/3 cup applesauce

1/4 cup cooking oil (I used coconut oil)

2 cups fresh fruit, of your choice (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a baking dish, set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. In another bowl, combine the milk, applesauce and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix to combine. Place mixture into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently stir the mixture, then fold in the fruit, if desired. Bake for another 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Serve warm and top with yogurt, cream, granola, more fruit or whatever you'd like!

Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies

When I was a kid I loved Little Debbie's Oatmeal Cream Pies. They were sickly sweet and sticky goodness. Oh, and I'm sorry, but I lied before... I STILL love them, die for them, would do gross, unnecessary things to get my hands on them. So it seems natural that I would try to bake them right? No! Why would I want to mess with its perfection all individually wrapped in a cute little film wrapper?!?! But I easily caved in after I heard numerous raves of a certain copy-cat recipe.

After attempting to make this cookie, it's quite clear that the Little Debbie gods have it in for me. First, I somehow stupidly measured powdered sugar rather than flour and they disintegrated into flat liquid things when I baked them (don't ask me how I made that mistake, I'm not quite sure myself)! Pissed, I started over certain I would be successful. Well the cookies came out all right (as pictured above) and they were definitely delicious but something irked me... the cookies were so soft that they would just fall apart with a single touch! Basically, I think I'll stick to the box (I'm ashamed, don't judge me...).

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Yields: about 2 dozen

Original recipe can be found here.

For the cookies:

1 cup margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsn. molasses

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 cups quick oats

For the cream:

2 tsp. hot water

1/4 tsp. salt

1 jar marshmallow cream

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, cream the margarine, sugars, molasses, vanilla and eggs together. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and add to the creamed mixture. Mix in the oats. Drop the dough by the tablespoon onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until edges start to brown, do NOT overcook! They will look moist when you take them out. In a small bowl dissolve the salt into the hot water and allow this to cool. Combine the marshmallow, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl, mix until light and fluffy. Add the cooled salt mixture in and mix well. Spread the filling on the flat side of one cookie, top with the flat side of another cookie. Enjoy!