It’s getting kind of boring that I keep saying “we’re still trying to use up things in the freezer”, but we are since we’re moving soon and can’t take any of the frozen food with us. That being said, I found a whole bag of frozen raspberries the other day. If you saw my post about One Ingredient Banana and Strawberry Ice Cream, you’ll remember that you just take frozen fruit and put it in the food processor for about 4 minutes, it’s starts out grinding a bit and having a hard time crushing up the frozen fruit, but all the sudden it begins “churning” it and turns in to this amazing “ice cream”. You need to try it to understand, but it’s delicious and good for you (as opposed to full fat---cream and egg ice cream).
Get a look at that fabulous color and that creaminess!
This time, we had about two small frozen bananas (cut up in chunks before freezing), so I started those a-whirling, then once they started going, I added the 12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries. Again, don’t freak out if it’s having a hard time at first, just scrape it down a few times and keep it going and I’m telling you, all the sudden—you have an amazing concoction that you’d never know doesn’t even have any dairy in it. This time, I could not even taste the banana, but it sure added a great creaminess to the raspberry. I think I kept this one going so long that it had almost a whipped mousse texture to it. The flavor was delicious. Right near the end of the whipping, I threw in a big scoop of chocolate protein powder. I wish it’d had more chocolate flavor with the raspberry!
I think we’ll make more banana tonight, I froze 3-4 more yesterday. I think I’ll really bump up the chocolate flavor and add some peanut butter! The bananas are best when they aren’t too ripe, but have just a few freckles. Any frozen fruit would work and it’s fun to try different flavors, then you can add banana for that creaminess, or just use any fruit without the banana for more of a sorbet type “ice cream”. Either way, it’s so good and a great treat!
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I have always loved granola. Would almost say I never met a granola I didn’t like. But when it comes to homemade, I’ve always been searching for a certain texture and a granola that actually holds itself together in chunks—like the kind you can buy. I always figured it was because of lots of fat and sugar. Well, the secret has been figured out. Not by me. Camilla Saulsbury (link to her blog and granola post) from Enlightened Cooking did all the work and gets all the credit in my book on this. If you don’t know who Camilla is, you don’t watch enough Food Network. She has appeared in many Challenges and won lots of contests for her cooking and baking. The “secret” to this granola is egg whites. You know at Christmastime when people give you (or you make) sugared nuts, they usually have egg whites, which helps make the sugar stick and caramelize on the nuts? That is the concept with this granola. Not to mention, that egg whites add extra protein. You really can add whatever you like in your granola. So I’ve left a link to Camilla’s post about her discovery and great granola. Here’s what I did, adapting her recipe with what I like and had on hand to make mine.
Ultimate Healthy Granola, by Camilla Saulsbury (link to her website), adapted by Katrina, Baking and Boys!
6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (I used 4 cups and ran out, so I used 2 cups quick oats)
1 cup raw nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower or pepita seeds (I used a handful each of roasted, salted sunflower seeds and pepitas and added them at the end)
1/3 cup flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed)
Optional: 1 teaspoon favorite ground sweet spice or a combo, such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, etc. (I didn’t put any in mine this time)
3 large egg whites
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (I just used 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or molasses (I used maple syrup this time)
1/3 cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup dried fruit of choice (I used 6 dried apricot halves, chopped and about 1/4 cup dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the oats, nuts, (seeds), flax, and (spices) in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until frothy. Whisk in the sweetener you choose, oil and vanilla until well blended. Add egg white mixture to the oat mixture and stir together to coat all the dry ingredients with the wet. Spread the mixture evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets.
Bake for 20 minutes (Next time I will use 325 degrees and stir every 10 minutes as I like that control of its browning better—not that I burned mine though!). Stir the granola to ensure even browning. Bake another 8-10 minutes until golden. Let cool completely on baking sheets. Stir in the dried fruit. Transfer the granola to an airtight container. It will keep for 3-4 weeks (or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Makes about 8 1/2 cups granola.
Try not to keep snacking on this stuff! I love it on yogurt and even sprinkled on oatmeal for some crunch! Thanks, Camilla. This will forever be my go-to method and I’ll surely be mixing up the ingredients! It also worked perfectly that I had just used egg yolks for something and had the three egg whites just waiting to be used!
