Wednesday 18 June 2014

A crackers and granola kind of day

Good morning!

Am I ever tired today. I woke up at 5am to run 5 miles before work, and even though I got a decent amount of sleep, I definitely feel like I could have used more! 

I am so happy to be running again though, after a 9 months hiatus. Call me crazy, but I love the constant feeling of soreness, The Goal (marathon), huge and daunting, and the happy endorphins dancing in my body when out on a morning run. 

After running 8 miles on Sunday morning, I thought that the best way to spend the rest of the way would be up on my feet, cooking all afternoon :)

I started by making a big batch of granola (boxed cereal with good quality ingredients is just ridiculously expensive!).




Here is the recipe:


Olive Oil and Maple Granola


- 4 cups large flake oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp water
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups mixed dried fruit and nuts


Preheat oven to 350F
In a large bowl, combine oats, salt and cinnamon.
In a smaller bowl, whisk together oil, water, syrup and vanilla extract.
Pour wet ingredients over dry, and mix well. 
Spread mixture on a baking sheet. 
Bake until golden and crispy, stirring every 10 minutes (about 40 minutes). 
While the oats are still warm, mix in the dried fruit and nuts. 
Let cool completely - the oats will get crispier as they cool.


Then I decided to try something I had never made before: crackers. And Oh My Goodness, I am in love. These crackers happen to be Gluten Free. I do not care much for the whole gluten free movement (unless you have a severe gluten intolerance, that is), but I stumbled  upon a recipe that looked easy and delicious, so I decided to give it a shot, making a few changes along the way.





Gluten Free Rosemary Thyme Crackers:


- 1 cup cooked brown/wild rice blend
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp flax seeds
- 1 tbsp rosemary 
- 1 tbsp thyme


Preheat oven to 350F
In a food processor, combine rice and quinoa with olive oil until it forms a thick paste. 
Add all other ingredients and pulse until combined. 
Spread paste on parchment paper the size of your baking sheet. Place a film of plastic wrap over top of the mixture and use a rolling pin to roll as thin as possible. 
Remove the plastic wrap (duh!) and place parchment paper on baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. 
Cut or rip into cracker-sized pieces, and bake for another 10 minutes or so until crispy (monitor carefully for burning at this point!).


They are so good! They even passed the  Husband taste-test, and he doesn't like quinoa. 
I will definitely be making them again, experimenting with different flavors (sun-dried tomatoes and basil, anyone?).


Any other ideas of flavor combinations are welcome!


Have a wonderfully healthy day, y'all! 

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