Fruit and Nut Spiced Granola

 

Fruit and Nut Spiced Granola

 Ingredients:

5 cups old fashioned Oats

½ stick Butter-unsalted

1 Tablespoon Rum extract

1 Teaspoon ground Ginger

2 Teaspoons ground Cinnamon

½ Teaspoon ground Cloves

1 Teaspoon ground Nutmeg

 

1/2 cup Honey

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons pure Vanilla

3/4 cup dried Cranberries

½ cup Peanuts or Sunflower seeds

½ cup raw Almonds

½ cup Yellow or brown Raisins or chopped Dates

1 cup Coconut flakes

 

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet pan with sides.

Over stovetop in a small pot, combine butter, vanilla, rum extract, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Melt on medium heat, and then set aside. In a large bowl, combine the old fashioned oats with the butter, sugar & spice mixture. Stir well until all the oats are well coated. Add peanuts, coconut and almonds.

 

 

Spread the granola evenly onto your greased baking sheet, & bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Every 5 minutes or so, take the granola out and stir. Bake another 10-15 minutes or until the granola gets crisp and golden brown. Take the granola out and mix in the cranberries and raisins. I let my granola cool in the oven to get extra crispy. Once completely cooled, store in a large airtight container or zip lock bag.

 

Roasted Vegetable White Pizza

Roasted Vegetable White Pizza & Quick Pizza Dough

 

Pizza Dough:

1 package active dry yeast
2 tsp. Sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 ½ cups (Approx.) All-purpose white flour, plus more for dusting & rolling pizza

Toppings:

1 Medium Butternut or Acorn Squash-seeds removed & sliced to 1 inch slices

½ bag baby Spinach

½ head Cauliflower

1 large Yellow Onion-sliced

Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Red Pepper flakes

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

 

This really is easy pizza dough to make. Although the directions call for a mixer, I usually hand mix the dough with a large wooden spoon, then set it aside to rise. It seems less cumbersome, faster, and you don’t have a mixer to wash when you‘re done. The entire process took me maybe 10 minutes, & another 45 to rise. I top each pizza with whatever veggies we have in the house, along with some mozzarella cheese.

 

Pizza Dough:

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water; stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes.

 

Turn the mixer on low (or just use your arm & a wooden spoon) and add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until all the flour has been incorporated. Or, if you are mixing with a wooden spoon, just add it all at once & mix until just combined.

When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium; stop the machine
periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough by squeezing a
small amount together: if it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour - 1
tablespoon at a time. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball, this should take about 5
minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times;
kneading until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly
oiled bowl, turn it over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise
in a warm spot (i.e. over a gas pilot light/warm oven) until doubled in size, about 45 min. to 1 hour.

 

Toppings:

As for the veggies, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. You will want to cook the butternut squash first, as it will take the longest to cook. I don’t peel mine. In fact, once it’s been cooked for about 20-25 minutes drizzled with olive oil, salt & pepper (turn each piece over half way through cooking), the skins become tender enough to eat, & are quite tasty. Remember this is where most of the vitamins are. I get that this isn’t everyone’s preference though. Once the squash is fully cooked, remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, then chop into small bite sized pieces. Set aside.

 

Wash cauliflower & cut into bite sized pieces, dry with a paper towel & transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then toss with salt, pepper & red pepper flakes (optional). Sometimes I sprinkle with a little grated parmesan. Bake for about 20 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove when tender & golden brown. Set aside.

 

I also added some caramelized yellow onions, which consists of peeling, & cutting into slices a yellow onion, then sautéing it on medium heat in butter until golden brown. Once the onions are ready, I toss the spinach on top, mix, then salt & set aside. The heat from the onions will wilt & cook the spinach.

 

Once you have followed the directions to prep the pizza dough, cut the large ball of dough in half. This makes two good sized pizza’s that will feed about 3.

 

This is a good time to stick a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.

Once the dough is domed and spongy, turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Roll and
stretch the dough into a cylinder and divide into 2 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes so it will be easier to roll out (this is an optional step that I rarely follow).

Roll or pat out a piece of dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Dust a pizza
paddle with flour and slide it under the pizza dough. Brush the crust with a thin layer of
olive oil, and top with cheese, then layer with veggies that have been previously cooked. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough. If you don’t have a pizza stone, don’t fret. I frequently use a metal cookie sheet, greased with a little olive oil. Enjoy & be creative!!