Crafty Cocina

How to make No Sugar or Low Sugar Blueberry Jam

2013-08-04T17:27:00.004-07:00

In this video tutorial I walks you through step-by-step how to make low sugar blueberry jam. The pectin I use is called Pomona's Universal Pectin and it allows you to even make a no sugar (!) jam recipe. We love this recipe and I have made multiple batches using blueberries and strawberries. The jam is amazing and sets up nicely!

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Coco-Carrot Muffins

2013-06-27T00:44:00.001-07:00

The kids and I created a new recipe today and it is healthy & delicious! We're calling them our Pumpkin Coco-Carrot Muffins!

In the past few years we have been adopting a more organic, whole food diet and learning more about traditionally prepared foods. I love to cook and bake and even more than that I love to eat! So, I'm always playing around with ingredients to make nutritious dishes my family will enjoy. These muffins are the result of one of my experiments.

They were quite simple to make so let's jump into the recipe!

If you want to see how my kids help me make these check out the step by step video tutorial I created for this recipe HERE.

Since I came up with this recipe myself I am listing the exact ingredients I used to get this great result in hopes that will help you recreate them in your home! Feel free to experiment, substitute and replace some ingredients. I'm a big believer of experimenting in the kitchen.

Inside of muffin. Moist, airy and soft... oh, and delicious!

Here is the step-by-step video recipe:

Ingredients:

DRY INGREDIENTS-

• 1/2 cup coconut flour {I use this kind}

• 1/2 cup oat flour {I ground up organic rolled oats in my Vitamix}

• 1/2 cup sprouted whole wheat flour {I make my own but you can get it here}

• 1 teaspoon baking powder {aluminum free- get it here}

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg {I used freshly ground}

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• pinch of sea salt {I use pink himalayan sea salt- get it here}

• 1/3 cup and 1/4 cup [so, a little less than 2/3 cup] of organic evaporated sugar cane juice {get it here}

WET INGREDIENTS-

• 1 duck egg {I used one of our homegrown, free range Peking duck eggs, if you can't get duck eggs try 1 L or XL chicken egg}

• 1/2 teaspoon pure organic vanilla extract {get it here}

• 1/3 cup extra virgin organic coconut oil {I use this kind}

• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin puree {we grew our own see post HERE}

• 1 1/2 cups organic coconut milk {I use this kind}

• 1/2 cup shredded organic carrots {I used almost two carrots to get this amount}
• 1/2 chopped organic raw almonds{get it here} (or can also use other nut of your choice)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F (or 180º C). Line two 12 muffin baking pans with paper liners.

2. In a bowl mix together all dry ingredients until everything is evenly combined.

3. In a separate bowl whisk egg by itself for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add remaining wet ingredients to egg.

5. Add the dry ingredients into wet ingredients bowl and mix together just to combine. I use a hand mixer and only mixed for about 10 seconds until everything was combined. Don't over mix.

6. Use an ice cream scoop to fill each muffin cup. I use one scoop per muffin but this will depend on the size of your ice cream scoop. You can also just use a few tablespoons in each one.

7. Sprinkle chopped almonds on each muffin. You can also use other chopped nuts you like.

8. Bake in 350º F (180º C) oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden around egdes and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. I set my timer for 17 minutes to check on them and they needed an additional 5 minutes before they were done.

Yields: 18-24 muffins depending on how big your scoops in each liner are. I got 23 muffins from this recipe with my ice cream scoop.

ENJOY!

If you give his recipe a try I would love to hear about it below!

My Pumpkin Coco-Carrot Muffins coming out the oven. YUM!

They are the perfect size for kids and adult portion control! YUMMY!

Bento Box Lunches for Kids

2013-06-12T22:08:00.001-07:00

My 3.5 yo son started a summer day camp this week. I have to pack him a lunch each day so a few weeks ago I started researching my options. I knew I wanted stainless steel because it's sturdier, healthier and overall more environmentally friendly than plastic. I found a few different options and finally settled on this one:

It's a LunchBots Trio. They also have an Uno, Duo and Quad. Each one has the number of separate compartments reflected in its name. I decided on a Trio for my son. I am so glad I did! We love this little box!

I will admit when I first got it I was a little skeptical because it's so small. I was wondering how all the pictures I'd seen online could be real. Surely this little box couldn't hold all that food. I was soooooo wrong! Here are the first 4 bento box lunches I've ever made for my kid so you can see how much it holds.

Bento #1: garlic & kale rice, chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, tomatoes, roasted sweet potato slices and organic blue corn tortilla chips

Bento #2: sauteed green beans, veggie meatballs (this recipe), sliced almonds, cheese, and tomatoes.

Bento #3: steamed broccoli, tostones {twice fried plantain slices} cooked in duck fat, ketchup, cheese and kiwi

Bento #4: garlic & herb roasted potatoes, bakes whole wheat spaghetti & meatballs, kiwi, banana, tomatoes

I've been posting these pics daily on my Facebook page and have received a great response. I'm glad I can inspire others to cook healthier meals for their kids just by sharing a few pictures.

This is so much fun! I will admit... I look forward to packing his lunch every night. He helps me pack it and gets to choose what he wants in it. Sometimes they aren't as balanced as I would like but it's all fresh, homemade and organic so I will let him get away with some stuff every once in a while.

I also love the mini cupcake silicone liners to help keep the foods separate. These are the ones I ordered:

Some online resources I really enjoyed while learning about bento lunches are:

http://justbento.com/

http://lunchinabox.net/

http://happylittlebento.blogspot.com/

Do you pack bento style lunches for yourself, kids, or partner?

Click HERE to get your own LunchBots.

3 Easy Lemonade Recipes

2013-06-10T07:28:00.006-07:00

It's June in Florida and that mean blueberry picking time! My kids LOOOOVE blueberries in anything. But one of their favorite ways is in their lemonade. A refreshing drink that is a much better alternative to store-bought juice boxes.

In this video I show you how I make my plain lemonade recipe and then two additional variations with blueberries and fresh mint. I also share tips on getting your kids involved in the kitchen. You'll even get to see my kids helping me make the lemonade!

My kids helping me squeeze lemons- Jonathan, 3.5 yrs and Allie, 20 months.

Click HERE to watch the video tutorial.

Meatless Meatballs!

2013-05-04T21:59:00.001-07:00

We're not vegetarians but I love to try all kinds of new recipes. So, when I cam across Chef John's meatless meatball recipe on YouTube I just had to try it! To watch his recipe click HERE.

my veggie meatballs out of the oven

To get them equally sized I used a small cookie scoop.

Dinner is served! Veggie meatballs with organic whole wheat spaghetti. Yummmm!

These meatless meatballs are beyond yummy! They taste like they have meat in them and the texture is just perfect! My hubby and the kids enjoyed it and I have plans to make a large batch and freeze some for quick weeknight dinners.

Let me know if you give it a try and any changes you make to it!

How to Make Rock Cakes

2012-07-26T09:11:00.002-07:00

For my second video in the Invade London special going on on YouTube I had my 2 yr old help me make some yummy traditional British snacks called rock cakes. They are called rock cakes because they kinda look like .... well, rocks.

My recipe varies a bit from traditional recipes but they are just as yummy! It all comes together in one bowl and there is no fancy way to scoop them out. I just use a spoon and drop globs of it on my baking sheet. It's a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen.

Click HERE to watch the video recipe now... or you can view it below if you are reading this post on my blog.

I love pins!

Ingredients:

My ingredients vary a bit from the traditional recipes you may see elsewhere online so this video recipe is for me to share with you how I make my version of rock cakes.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp of double acting baking POWDER... not baking soda
1 stick of butter (4 ounces)
1/4 cup of sugar
pinch of salt (added to flour mixture)
3/4 cup of mix-ins (dried berries, chocolate chips, nuts.. whatever you want)
1 egg
2-4 Tablespoons of milk (I use almond milk, but any milk will work

Preheat oven to 400º F or 200ºC. Add 1 stick of butter to a bowl and let it come to room temperature. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and then add to the butter. Combine with two forks until you get a mealy mixture of broken up chunks of butter fully coated with flour. Add sugar and mix-ins and stir to combine. Then add one egg and stir to combine. Now add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time while mixing to combine the batter into a somewhat sticky dough. Take a spoon and dollop spoonfuls onto a non-stick cookie or baking sheet.

Bake in a PREHEATED oven at 400º F or 200º C for 12-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them because every oven is different.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant

2012-06-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our Spring/Summer garden is off and running! I'm growing this fabulous heirloom variety of eggplant called Listada de Gandia. It's from Spain and it is growing beautifully in our Florida soil.

Isn't it amazing?

They are white with streaks of a rich plum purple color. I've never really cared for eggplant flavor or texture but these are soooo yummy! If you're thinking I must be lying...let's just say, my 2 yr old and 8 month old love it too!

After I picked all these the other day I had to come up with something for dinner and decided on stuffing them. They were A-MA-ZING and the hubby requested I make these again. They were a hit in my house and I hope this recipe will inspire you to head to your local farmer's market and support some organic growers of eggplant because nothing compares to a homegrown and local veggies!

Super easy to make... here goes:

1. Drizzle 1 tablespoon on olive oil in a saucepan and brown about 1 lb of ground meat (This is optional. I used ground beef)
2. Add 1/2 cup chopped onions and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cook until meat is fully cooked and onions are soft.
3. Add any other veggies of your choice to meat mixture at this time- I used tomatoes from the garden.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Wash and slice about 4-5 eggplants lengthwise in half.
6. Use a spoon and scoop out the center and reserve. Don't go to far with the spoon because you don't want to break through the skin.
7. Chop up what you scooped out of the eggplant into 1/2" cubes and add to meat mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add salt, pepper, cumin powder to taste.
9. Scoop meat mixture into eggplant boats and bake on a flat baking pan at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
10. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
TIP- I like to slice a sliver off the bottom of the eggplant boats so they sit flat on my baking pan without rolling around.

I love pins!

Whole Wheat Banana & Almond muffins

2012-04-05T10:43:00.002-07:00

After playing around with several recipes I finally created my version of these very yummy and healthy muffins. I posted a picture to my facebook page and have since received a ton of requests to post the recipe so here it is... just for you!

Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 cup chopped almonds (3/4 in batter, 1/4 for sprinkling on top)
- 1/4 cup flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C)
2. In a bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and set aside.
3. I use my Vitamix but you can use a blender for this. Combine egg, sugar, butter, almond milk, bananas and applesauce into blender. Process briefly until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

4. Pour batter into dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until combined.

5. Add 3/4 cup of chopped almonds and flaxseed and combine.

6. Pour batter into loaf pan, muffin pan or any pan you want. I like to sprinkle a little brown sugar and the remaining almond crumbles on top of each muffin before baking. Note: You need to adjust the time you leave it in the oven based on what kind of pan you use. For example, I use this Flexipan pan that makes 6 mini loaves basically and I leave it in the oven for 35 minutes. If you use a 12 muffin pan I would leave it for 20-25 minutes and just check them to see when they are done. If you put it into a bread loaf pan you should start it at 45-50 minutes and then check.

That's it! Hope you enjoy! Feel free to pin it too!

Turkey Bacon Green Beans

2011-11-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving right around the corner here in the U.S. I decided to post a quick and easy recipe tutorial today for a side dish that anyone can whip up and take to a potluck Thanksgiving dinner.

We make green beans often at my house and my husband loves it with the crunchy bacon bits. I fool him and use turkey bacon instead of the real stuff. Once its crispy and chopped up he can't even tell the difference and I cut back the fat by 50%. Win-win for everyone.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of green beans (I use frozen here but fresh works also)
turkey bacon (or bacon of your choice... you can even omit this ingredient altogether)
salt
pepper
olive oil
water

Directions:
Step 1: Crisp up bacon-
- add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pot on medium high heat
- Chop bacon into bite size pieces and add to pot
- separate bacon with spoon or tongs
- cook on medium/high heat for 8-10 minutes or until crispy
- drain on paper towel and set aside

Step 2: Cook green beans-
- add frozen or fresh green beans to same pot used to crisp bacon
- add 1/4 cup of water and cover
- cook on high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- uncover and cook another 5 minutes until most of water has evaporated
- add some bacon bits and stir
- serve on platter and top with more bacon bits.

Click here to watch the VIDEO RECIPE

Creamy Peanut Chicken Rice

2011-08-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

My husband suggested I make this week's cooking tutorial my Creamy Peanut Chicken Rice. I'm pretty sure he suggested it because he wanted to eat it for dinner this weekend. He thinks he is slick... but he's not. Either way I did take him up on the suggestion because it's such an easy dish to whip up! It's great for those days you have left over rice and are not sure how to revamp it. I especially love it because it's a one pot meal!

On a lazy day we will eat it by itself. But I will usually pair it up with some sauteed or roasted veggies or a nice salad as well.

I've included the step-by-step video tutorial below! Hope you give it a try and enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked rice
2 chicken breasts
olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt/pepper
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 chilies (optional)
1/2 cup peanut butter
water

Buen provecho!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is my gift to you! A new video tutorial on how to make Apple Pie Turnovers! They are delicious and are perfect apple pie substitute because you can eat them on the go!

Enjoy!

Dehydrated snacks!

2011-06-11T18:23:00.000-07:00

I finally took the plunge and ordered a food dehydrator! Do you have one?

After much research I decided on the Excalibur 3900. It has 9 trays!

I have been having a blast coming up with new goodies to dry. This morning I put in some banana, pear, and garden-picked roma tomato slices. Cool, eh? Now I can make my own "sun" dried tomatoes!

I am also making some strawberry and banana fruit leather. You know... like the Fruit Roll Ups they sell that are super expensive and filled with who knows what. I'm making my own and let me show you how easy it was.

Load 7-10 strawberries and a sliced up banana in your blender or Magic Bullet

and puree until completely smooth. If it needs a little liquid to help it blend I squeeze a little lime juice instead of water. Then pour half the mixture onto one of the Excalibur Paraflexx sheets (purchased separately) and then I like to tilt the frame around to get the mixture to spread out a bit.

Repeat on another Paraflexx sheet and frame. Place into the dehydrator at ~145 degrees F and let it go for about 5-7 hours. That's it!

Once its dry you can peel it off the Paraflexx sheet and enjoy!

Now if you'll excuse me... I"m off to snack on some yummy dried pears while the fruit leather dries!

Burger Night!

2011-04-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a lazy night in the kitchen and wanted to make something quick and yummy! So, I decided on BURGERS!

I made the bread earlier in the day so it worked out perfectly that I had a few buns just the right size for the burgers.

Burgers are super easy to make and they are the perfect culinary medium for experiments. New ingredients into the meat, exotic toppings, etc. Just use what you have or try new ingredients!

For this burger here's what I did:

-In a large bowl I put about 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef. You can use 80/20 for a fattier juicier burger. But I used 90/10 beef.
-Grate in 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 jalapeño pepper.
-Add 1 teaspoon of salt
-Add 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
-Combine with hands until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Make your burger patties and put on a hot grill (or frying) pan and do not move or touch for about 3 minutes.
-Flip burger over and cook another 3-4 minutes depending on how you like your burgers cooked.
-Never press on your burgers because that will cause all the juices to run out- resulting in a dry and hard burger.
-When the juices that are running out of the burger are clear (and no longer red) then it has been cooked to a medium-well or beyond. So, if you want it more on the medium side cook about 3 minutes on each side.
-Remove burgers from pan and let them rest while you prep the buns.
-I like to toast my buns- you can do this in a toaster, toaster oven or on the grill pan.

Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese
- hot sauce of your choice
-2 Tablespoons of chopped cilantro

-Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spoon on top of burger. Then top with a few tomato slices and baby spinach.

Enjoy!

Handmade bread the easy way!

2011-04-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked for a generic bread making recipe and tutorial and here it is! You don't need any fancy breadmaking machine or equipment! It's so easy anyone can do it. I'd love to hear from you after you try it out... and let me know what fun ingredients you decided to put in your bread.

p.s.- I'm a semifinalist in YouTube's NextUp Contest! I would really appreciate your votes. It's really simple... Just click this link: http://www.youtube.com/creators?x=nextup_nsFqzT7Iwpc
and give my video a "thumbs up." You can vote every day until Friday, April 8, 2011. Thank you!

Now... enjoy your breadmaking video!

I'm back!

2011-03-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

So sorry it's been like 6 months since I've posted a recipe on this blog! Crazy, I know.. but I've been super busy with my sewing and quilting stuff. I'm back and I'm making an effort to try and post as regularly as I can on here.

A friend asked me to post this recipe for Ropa Vieja (literally means "old clothes" in Spanish. This is a popular dish in Miami (where I grew up) and is cooked in the Canary islands (by Spain) and Latin America, specifically in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, etc.

Ropa vieja is basically shredded beef in a tomato based sauce and it is delicious!

Every household is going to have their own recipe so I'm only sharing one of my ways of making it with the hopes that this will help some of you make and perfect your own version.

We are eating it for dinner tonight with some moro de trigo (bulgar wheat and red beans.. but you can eat with just about anything! I've even seen it stuffed in a bun and made into a sandwich.

Ingredients:
- Oil
- a large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 lbs of flank steak
- 1/2 a green or red bell pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 chicken or beef bouillon cubes (the big ones)
- A 28 oz. can of crushed or pureed tomatoes

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat pour about 2 tablespoons of oil (I use canola or extra virgin olive). As the oil warms up chop your onion, garlic, and pepper. Add to oil and stir for 3-5 minutes until veggies are soft and translucent. Add the chicken or beef bouillon cubes and stir until the dissolve in the pot. Add the entire can of tomatoes and bay leaves. Now add the entire flank steak and submerge it in the sauce. Add a few cups of water until the flank steak is covered in the sauce completely. Bring to a boil. Then cover with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours or until the meat can be easily shredded with a fork. I like to check the pot every 20-30 minutes or so to make sure it hasn't dried out. If you see the sauce reducing too low, add some more water to help cook and tenderizer the meat for shredding.

Ropa vieja can also be made in a slow-cooker or crock pot. Just let it go all day and the longer the meat simmers the easier it will shred.

I like to shred the meat by grabbing two forks and pulling the meat apart between the forks. Pull out the bay leaves before you serve and enjoy!

Pancakes from scratch

2010-09-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

Everyone eats big breakfasts on the weekends, right?

Well, we surely do because:

1) I have more time

2) my DH is home

3) DH goes to the gym early and comes back very hungry

What's a big breakfast without pancakes?! Gotta have 'em.

...and no not the "just add water" kind from a box.

Homemade pancakes just can't be beat.

I've tried several pancake recipes from the web before but was disappointed with most of them. I recently found one on allrecipes.com and it turned out ok but, I always have to make it my own.

So, here is my version...they are light and fluffy and if you're not careful you could 5+ in one sitting!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter

Directions:

1. Cut at the 3 tablespoons mark on a stick of butter and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

3. In a cup, whisk the egg into the milk.

4. Make a hole in the center of dry ingredients and add melted butter and milk/egg mixture. Stir with spoon until evenly incorporated and as smooth as you ca get it. Do not over mix! You'll end up with tough, dense pancakes.

5. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan or use a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.

6. Using a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup measuring scoop, pour the batter onto the pan.

7. When bubbles begin to form on the top and the edges are cooked through flip pancake over and finish browning on other side.

8. Serve hot with a little butter and top with syrup or honey.

Try them out and tell me how you like them!

Buen provecho!

Spicy Lemon Shrimp

2010-08-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

Burp! Excuse me......

We just finished eating a yummy little meal. My Spicy Lemon Shrimp with whole wheat pasta and sauteed green beans.

Super quick & easy to make! I had it on the table in less than 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

-1 lb of shrimp (I devein and peel mine)

-1 13.25 oz box of whole wheat thin spaghetti pasta (or whatever you have on hand)

-1 lemon

-frozen green beans

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

-salt

-pepper

-garlic powder

-olive oil

-red pepper flakes

-dried italian herbs seasoning

Recipe:

- fill up a big pot with water, drizzle some olive oil in it and put a healthy pinch of salt in, too. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Add pasta. Cook for 6-8 minutes.

- On medium heat, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan for the shrimp. When oil is warmed through throw in the 2 cloves of garlic you minced. Stir for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1/2 the lemon. Cook shrimp until they are translucent (3-5 minutes depending on pan and how many shrimp you put in.) but before the curly up into a letter "O" shape. They should curl only to form a letter "C" shape. Otherwise, you have over cooked them.

- Drain the cooked pasta and add to the shrimp mixture. At this point I add a little more olive oil and some dried italian herbs seasoning. Toss until everything is well coated.

-Green Beans: I always have frozen broccoli and green beans in my freezer and we try to eat one or the other every night with dinner. You could steam the green beans in the microwave but I prefer to do it in a small pan. I add about 1/4 cup of water to a pan, put in the frozen green beans, put a lid on it and steam them on high. Once I see the green beans are just about done I take off the lid so the remaining water can cook out and then I drizzle some olive oil, add salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.

That's it! Try it.

So easy, so healthy, and oh-so yummy!

Buen provecho!

Quick snacks

2010-08-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

When you need a quick snack what do you eat? If you're like me... you may skip "snacking" all together and fix yourself a full-blown meal. If the baby is napping and I have a chance to make myself an actual lunch I'll go for it. But otherwise (which is most of the time) I have to figure out a way to eat something quick so..... I have some energy to run after him the rest of the day.

I've been experimenting with this idea of keeping a stash of pre-made snacks that pack a lot of protein and are healthier than say... heating up a slice of pepperoni pizza.

I have created a recipe for homemade granola bars...or our favorite- granola balls. My husband and I both agreed that we like the granola balls better. They tend to fall apart less, are quicker to eat, and they hold up nicely in the fridge without getting too hard to bite.

My homemade granola bars/balls are super easy to whip up and you can mix and match it up with whatever nuts, or dried fruit you want or have on hand.
Here is what I do:
In one bowl:
- Take 1 cup each of cashews, peanuts, and almonds, sunflower seeds (or any other nuts you want)- chop them up in a food processor or rough chop with a knife
- I didn't add dried fruit but you could throw in raisins, or any dried fruit you want
- mix with 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
- mix in 1 cup of rolled oats (the quick cooking kind)
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- a pinch of salt

In another bowl mix the wet ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- 1/2 cup of molasses
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 1/4 cup of honey

Directions:
-Mix wet ingredients well and then add the to the dry ingredients. Stirring everything until it is well blended. If the mixture is not coming together and is falling apart too much you can add more honey or molasses to help it bind a little more. The texture will vary based on what all you put in it.
- Line a 13" x 9" baking pan (or whatever other baking pan you have) with parchment paper, not wax paper. They are two different things. I use parchment paper for easy release of any candy or other sticky recipes because I don't use those spray things and I don't want to add extra butter or oil to my recipe.
-Pour your mixture in and spread it nice and flat. At this point I will usually take a piece of parchment paper and place it on top and then press and pack down everything really tightly into the pan.
-Place the pan in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes.
-When you remove the pan from the oven place it on a cooling rack until it is COMPLETELY COOLED. This may take an hour or two. You could put it in the fridge to speed up the process. However, do NOT take a hot glass pan and place it in the fridge or freezer because it may crack and explode on you. Let it sit out for 15 minutes and then put it in the fridge. If you remove it before it is cooled I can almost guarantee you it will crumble in your hands. If you want granola bits then that's fine, otherwise let it cool! Once it has cooled, place it on a cutting surface and cut bars out of it. If you want to make some granola balls simply scoop out the cooled mixture with an ice cream scoop or spoon and roll it in your hands into a ball.

That's it! They are so yummy....packed with goodness....and make great snacks for kids, adults, for picnics, etc.

Buen provecho!

Official Launch of Crafty Cocina!

2010-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here it is, people!! Just for you! My very own cooking & baking blog!

Due to the overwhelming response I received from friends and family about my latest meals and recipes I decided to start a different blog from Crafty Gemini to keep my sewing/quilting projects separate from my cooking/baking stuff.

This blog will feature random recipes that I invent, tweak, and otherwise play with in my kitchen. I rarely follow recipes to the T. I'm all about quick and ~~spicy~~ delicious....and yea, spicy meals. I want to inspire you to cook! Home-cooked meals do not have to be as complex and time consuming as people think. I chase a baby around all day, teach four law classes per semester, run a business, ~~one~~ now two blogs, and have a house and a wonderful husband to take care of and I still find time to cook dinner just about every night. I cook and bake virtually everything from scratch and have never had a tv dinner in my life! ewwww....gross.

I challenge you to follow this blog and try some of my recipes and I promise it will be an eye-opener. Cooking is easy and fun!

Following along is easy! Simply subscribe to the blog on the right hand side of this screen. Just enter your email address and then check your email to verify your subscription via the confirmation email. Be sure to check your spam folder because it can get lost in there sometimes. If you do not confirm your subscription you will not receive email notifications about my new posts.

I have started off by including links under the tabs you see above for some recipes and cooking video tutorials I previously had on the Crafty Gemini blog.

I will try to blog multiple times a week which I'm thinking shouldn't be too difficult for me because it's not like I won't have material.... I cook every day here!

There is no recipe tonight because we are eating leftovers from last nights dinner....sorry. But hey, be happy I spent ~~all~~ the little bit of free time I had today creating this blog, the banner, the design and fixing it up just for you!

I'll start again with a recipe tomorrow..... what am I going to cook for dinner tomorrow, you ask? HA. I don't even know that yet. I'll figure it out sometime tomorrow.