Fall Granola

 

granola-fall2 ½ cup pecans and walnuts, chopped
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut flakes
¾ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ sesame seeds
¼ cup ground flax seed
1 tbs cinnamon, or as much as your heart desires
½ tsp pumpkin spice
about ¼- ½ tsp sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ coconut sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • If you buy whole pecans and walnuts, chop using blender or food processor. Chop roughly into about halves or quarters. In large bowl mix all nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes. Stir together and add in spices with a pinch of salt.
  • In separate smaller bowl, melt coconut oil. Stir in sugar and maple syrup until well combine.
  • Pour wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until all pieces are coated evenly.granola-ingredients
  • Line large pan with parchment paper. Pour mixture onto pan and spread out evenly.
  • Bake about 20 minutes, checking halfway through and stirring, to ensure even baking.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes, on baking pan.
  • Crumble and place in air-sealed jars.

 

Advertisement

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

I’m usually starving when I finish running. It could quite possibly be because I leave the house rarely eating breakfast before I go, I know it’s a bad habit. It could also be that I spend 60+ minutes in my own head, all those random thoughts bouncing around as I zone out along the strand. Well today was no different: The idea of a “healthy” snack in combination of my favorite season [FALL] led to this:

pumpkinchickpeas

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas, rinses and towel dried
1 ½ Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp agave
(1 tsp brown sugar, optional)

Preheat oven to 375.
Line baking pan with tin foil.
In a medium bowl toss the chickpeas with olive oil
Sprinkle and stir all the seasoning, to ensure evenly coated.
Spread evenly on baking pan.
Cook about 45 minutes.

 

Pumpkin Cornbread

If there’s one thing you learn about me in the upcoming months, it’s that I absolutely love fall and I will try to put pumpkin in everything. Wait…and you’ll see.

Pumpkin Cornbread
1 ¼ cup flour
¾ cup cornmeal
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup coconut or vegetable oil
½ cup agave or maple syrup
1 ¼ cup almond or coconut milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly coat 9 inch cast-iron skillet with coconut oil (I typically dab a paper towel in the oil and rub the skillet)
Prepare batter in large bowl. Mix all dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, baking powder and spices). Then gradually add in the wet, while stirring well.
Pour batter into cast iron skillet. Bake 20-25 minutes, until slightly golden brown on top. (To test middle, stick toothpick in center and if it comes out clean it’s ready!)

 

Chai Chia Seed Pudding

chiaseedpudding 1½ cups almond or coconut milk
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg

Stir all ingredients together in bowl.
Let sit in refrigerator overnight.
Top with your favorite fruit/nuts!

Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Coffee Cake

IMG_8932

Crumble (layer and topping)
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
5 tbs vegan butter (earth balance)
3 Tbs ground cinnamon
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 Tbs cinnamon
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp all-spice
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cup apple sauce
1/3 cup oil
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar

Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs almond milk
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.  Oil a glass baking pan.

To make topping: mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.  Stir in butter with fork or your fingers, until the mixture looks crumbly.

For cake: sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and all spice.  Wisk in the milk and ACV, then stir in apple sauce, sugar, and oil.

Spread half of the batter into pan, top with a  thin layer of crumble.  Pour in the remainder of the batter and spread evenly.  Finally top with rest of crumble and any additional walnuts.

Bake for 50 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.  Once cake has cooled about 10 minutes, drizzle the glaze on top of cake.

Pull-apart Cinnamon-Pumkpin Bread

I recommend doing this when you’re going to be around the house for a while, sincethe dough has to set up at different times, there is lots of waiting involved (but well worth the wait!)


Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted [vegan] butter (Earth Balance)
1/2 cup rice/soy milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
a dash of pumpkin pie spice (optional)
2/3 cup raw sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp unsalted [vegan] butter (Earth Balance)

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown 2 tablespoons of butter, letting it bubble up and turn a dark golden brown but being careful not to allow it burn. Once browned, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the milk, return to stove and heat through.

Pour the milk and butter into the bowl of standing mixer (fitted with a dough hook). Once it has reached a warm but not hot temperature add the yeast and 1/4 cup of sugar and allow to poof (this can take up to 8 minutes, the top will look foamy and the liquid cloudy).

Then add the pumpkin, salt, and 1 cup of flour.
Stir until combined then add the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time.

Knead for 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and just slightly sticky. If the dough is too moist, add extra flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Move dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean towel.

Allow to rise in a warm place for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size. At this point, you could cover this and place in the fridge overnight and continue in the morning if you wanted to eat this for breakfast. Otherwise, continue on!

Brown another 2 tablespoons of butter and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice; mix well and set aside.

Next, grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside.
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and flip out onto a clean floured surface and knead with hands for 1-2 minutes.

Roll dough into a 20×12 inch rectangle.
Brush the surface of the dough with the browned butter, using a pastry brush.

Evenly sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture and press into dough with palms of the hand.

Cut the rectangle into 6 strips.

Lay strips on top of each other. Don’t worry if the cinnamon sugar mixture falls out.

Cut each strip into 6 even squares (cut in half then each half into thirds).
Stack strips vertically into the loaf pan. I added some the cinnamon sugar mixture that had fallen out in between the layers and over the top.

Cover the pan with a clean towel.
Let it rise for 30-45 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is a very deep golden brown. You may want to tent the top with aluminum foil at the end of the baking time to prevent over browning.

Let cool for at least 20 minutes in the pan. Remove and serve while warm.