Granola

I am SOOO addicted to this recipe!!  I usually double this, but we still go through all of it within a week.

In a large bowl mix
3 cups of oats
1 cup of coconut


In a saucepan, or small bowl heat 1/6 cup of coconut oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste), 1/4 cup of honey.  Heat just until simmering.  Pour over the oat mixture.

Toast on a cookie sheet at 350 stirring every 10 minutes until toasted.  usually 30 minutes.

My favorite way to eat this is either over yogurt, or with soy milk, and home dehydrated apples.  I dehydrate my apples in chunks rather than slice.  SOO yummy.  If you dry them long enough you can get sort of that freeze dried texture.  My mouth is watering!!!

This recipe came from Willow Bird Baking

Granola Balls

These tasty treats are a huge hit in our house. I double this recipe, and they are still gone in a day or so.

2 C. Rolled Oats
1/2 C Shredded Coconut (unsweetened)
1/2C. Natural Peanut Butter (no sugar added).  Our Fry's, and CostCo carry a pretty inexpensive natural PB.
1/2 C. Honey (remember to buy local honey so help with Alleries)
1/4 C. Brown Sugar- You can leave this out, but it help mute the strength of the honey a bit.  (Turbinado is a great natural brown sugar).
1/2 C. Trail Mix ( I just use raisins or craisins)

Toast the oats and the coconut at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. You can skip this step, but they end up pretty sticky, and I love the nutty flavor that toasting adds.  When they are done toasting, pour them in a large bowl.

Meanwhile:
Heat pb, honey, and brown sugar in a sauce pant until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour the PB mixture over the oats and stir.
Add the trail mix.
Form into 1 inch balls and refrigerate for one hour.

Meatless Lasagna

I'm always trying to find ways to serve vegetarian meals that please my husband.  I find it really difficult, but it's much easier in pasta when I can use a lot of cheese.. MMMMM CHEESE!!!

Pick your favorite pasta sauce.  I use Ragu with vegetables, or a plain sauce that I season with thyme, bay leaves, a little brown sugar, a little vinegar, and some beef bouillon.  For those of you who have to deal with heartburn, the vinegar helps minimize this.

Ingredients:
Pasta Sauce
Lasagna Noodles (9)
Cottage Cheese (Large tub)
Grated or Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Baby Spinach

1. Boil the noodles according to package instructions and drain.  
2. While the noodles boil, put your cottage cheese in a large bowl.  Add some Parmesan cheese ( I'd say at least a 1/4 cup preferably more).  You can add an egg to this mixture, which will help thicken everything up.  
3. Shred some Mozzarella, I usually use a 16 oz block.
4. Put some of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan, this will stop the noodles from burning.
5. Place a layer of noodles down (about three noodles should cover the bottom ).  
6. Layer some more sauce on the noodles, then your cottage cheese, then mozzarella, then a layer of baby spinach.  Repeat the last two steps of the process two more times.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the mozzarella on the top layer has melted.

Hawaiian Haystacks...

We served Hawaiian Haystack at the boys birthday party.  I think it might be a "Mormon" thing (like green jello with shredded carrot), because the only people who knew how to eat them were the Mormons.  ANYWHO....

This served about 12 people I believe.

Boil two whole chickens.  Peel off the fat, and then shred the meat and put it in a crock pot ( save the bones to make some delicious homemade broth!!).  Add to the crock two cans of Cream of Chicken, and one can of Cream of celery.  A pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 cans of water.  You just have to warm this up and keep it warm until it's ready to serve.

Make some rice

When you are read to eat you simply put some rice on your plate, and a scoop of the chicken mixture.
Top it with your choice of the following:
Diced peppers (I prefer red on this)
Chopped green onions
Chunks of Pineapple
Shredded Coconut
Chinese Noodles
Shredded Cheese
Chopped Almonds