Easy as pie! Wait, who coined that phrase? I think pie crusts are hard to make well. Anyway, these recipes are easy and nutritious!
COCONUT WALNUT GRANOLA
4 cups dry oatmeal
1 cup unsweetened, large flake coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts (or almonds, if you don't like walnuts)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup liquified coconut oil
1/2 cup real maple syrup (yum) or honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins or cruising or other dried fruit
Toss together the dry ingredients. Then stir in the wet ingredients, mixing well. Toast in oven in 2 baking pans (my preference, since I usually double the recipe and am a messy stirrer) until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes at first, then every 5. Be sure to watch it and don't overcook. Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack. If you want to add dried fruit, do so when it's cool or leave out. You can always add whatever you want with each bowl of granola! Makes about 7 cups. Yummmmmy.
I love this with homemade coconut milk. Almond milk is good too.
HOMEMADE COCONUT MILK
Blend together on high for a minute or more in a high speed blender (a vitamix is ideal):
~4 cups water
~1 cup organic, unsweetened, finely shredded coconut (a lot of bulk sections carry this, or you can get it here: http://www.vitacost.com/best-of-all-organic-shredded-coconut-medium)
Pour through a nut-milk bag (or make one of your own with heavy muslin...sew up
three sides so it's about 8x10") into a large container, then squeeze, squeeze squeeze until
all the "milk" is out. Refrigerate. Toss the remaining coconut into the garbage and
wash out the nut-milk bag well, since there's a little coconut fat naturally involved.
That's it. Easier than pie and not filled with all the additives boxed coconut milk has.
After refrigerating, you may find some coconut fat on the top of your jar or pitcher.
It adds a yummy and healthy fat to a smoothie or steamer or latte!
Here's one more non-dairy milk recipe...just needing a smidge more prep:
HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK
~1 cup raw almonds (Costco carries large bags of them.)
Soak in several cups water overnight, or at least 6 hours. Strain almonds after soaking and rinse in clean water.
~4 cups water
Pour the soaked/drained almonds and 4 cups clean water in a high powered blender. Blend for one minute or more, depending on how strong your blender is. (I splurged on a Vitamix a couple of years ago and love it...it's fast, super efficient, and will be handed down to my grandchildren I'm sure when I'm gone).
Then pour the "milk" through a nut-milk bag into a large container and squeeze away until you have 4 cups of milk. Refrigerate. Nice and easy. And again, no boxed additives. But, warning. You'll never like boxed almond milk again...this is so delicious! Either toss the leftover almonds in the garbage, or put them in the freezer for another recipe I'll share later, that uses the pulp!
