The GooDness of Granola

I love a really good granola . . . and now that I am Gluten Free, Really Good Granola is not easy to find. So, I searched the internet for grain free granola.
You know what the secret is?

NuTs!

Lots of nuts.

I use a mix of Almonds, Pecans, Pumpkin seeds, and Sunflower seeds. If you are using roasted or salted nuts, you might want to cut out the salt in the recipe

NuTty Granola
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dried cranberries
5 cups assorted nuts
2 egg whites
2 Tbs water
3 Tbs coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
Chop the nuts. They need to be a mix of choppedness. I did some in the processor, and some with my big knife. Combine the nuts with the coconut and about half the cranberries. ( I like my cranberries to be more fresh and moist, so had the other half later)

In a separate bowl, mix the oil, honey and spices. Whisk in the egg white. Add all of this to the nutty mess.

When it is well combined. . . spoon onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Take out after 20 minutes, stir and add the remaining cranberries.
When it is looking browned, remove from the oven.

Important . . . Allow to SIT till it is cooled.
This is when it forms those nutty clumpy clusters

I love it on yogurt, but it would also be great on oatmeal or just by the nutty handfuls.

Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

PhotoHunt ~Jiffy

The PhotoHunt for today is 'Jiffy'
I can think of one thing . . .

When I need Breakfast in a jiffy ~

Happy Hunting Y'all ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Celebrating Easter

For our Virtual Supper Club this month, we decided to get a jump and Celebrate Easter a little early . . . The Cooking Light way. I decided that the best thing to do with all of those colored eggs would be to whip up a plate of deviled eggs. I went searching on Cooking Light and found This Recipe.

This is a deviled egg recipe that is kicked up a knotch with some pickled red onions and sriracha for spice.

Deviled Eggs with Pickled Onions
8 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong) or hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Preparation (according to the Cooking Light instructions)
Add water to a large saucepan to a depth of 1 inch; set a large vegetable steamer in pan. Add eggs to steamer. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Steam eggs, covered, 16 minutes. Remove from heat. Place eggs in a large ice water–filled bowl for 3 minutes.
While eggs steam, combine 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until boiling. Stir in onion. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Drain.
Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, Sriracha, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.
Peel eggs; discard shells. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Add 6 yolks to yogurt mixture; reserve remaining yolks for another use. Mash with a fork until very smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons red onion. Spoon mixture into egg white halves (about 1 tablespoon in each half). Garnish egg halves with remaining red onion and chives.

Only Cooking Light could turn deviled eggs into such a difficult process...
Actually, I hard cook my eggs In The Oven Like In This Post (Fool proof every time)
Then peel and half them, I smish all the yolks with the other ingredients (who has ever complained about over-filled eggs?)
To fill them I use a zip-loc baggie with a hole snipped in the corner. 

I Love me some deviled eggs ~ so I have turned it into a simple process.
Believe me . . . I will be making this again with those colored eggs in a couple of weeks.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Virtual Easter Supper.
Jerry has Ham with Bourbon Glaze
Val is making Spring Pea Soup with Crab Flan
Susan is bringing Smashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese
Sara has a dessert of Ricotta Semifreddo
Shelby is back and she is bringing Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs (Yea ~ more deviled eggs)
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Hard 'Boiled' Eggs

Y'all are going to love this!

A newer and easier way to hard 'boil' eggs . . . Thanks to Pinterest.

Place eggs in muffin tins or in paper cups ~ just to keep them from rolling around.
Put them into a cold oven and turn it to 325°  , Bake for 25-27 minutes.

Put them back in the fridge to cool.
Perfect every time!

I will never stand over a boiling pot of water wondering if my eggs are hard or soft boiled again.

What is your favorite today?
I'm also linking up at The Shabby Nest with this Frugal Friday idea.
Y'all enjoy~
 Sandi

Blue Monday's ~ Fritatta di Verdura

I'm glad my blue teapot was in the photo ~ So I can post this on Blue Monday.
This is our traditional sunday morning breakfast. ~ Call it a 'clean out the fridge fritatta'. Fritatta di Verdura in Italiano . . . doesn't that sound so much better? It does when David Rocco says it.

So . . . in cleaning out the fridge I found ~ A hand full of spinach, 4 mushrooms, diced onion, bell pepper and pepperoni. 6 eggs and some parmesean cheese. This is his recipe, although I make it my own from week to week.
Fritatta di Verdura
5 large eggs
thinly slice 1 potato
thinly slice 1 red pepper,
thinly slice 1 onion
1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
In a bowl, beat eggs with freshly grated cheese. Salt & pepper to taste.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add veggies.
Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
(consider that some things will need to cook a little longer than others. Add fresh spinach toward the end)
Pour egg mixture into frying pan. With a fork, evenly distribute egg mixture.
Cook over medium head for approximately 3 - 4 minutes without stirring.
Place under the broiler to finish the top.

Bene, Bene, Bene
Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Merry Christmas Y'all~ and a Recipe

We want to wish each of you a Very Merry Christmas.
This year is such a special year, Its not often we have EveryOne home for the holidays! . . . and That is what it's all about!

This is the perfect morning breakfast, hearty individual casseroles.
No fussin on Christmas morning.
Individual Breakfast Casseroles
5 large eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
1/8 tsp paprika
A pinch of cayenne
A dash of nutmeg
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup salad croutons
1 pkg sausage with sage
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup sweet peppers
6 green onions
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar, emmental, or other cheese
In a skillet, brown and crumble the sausage, add sliced pepppers and onions and cook until tender. Add chopped fresh spinach right at the end and remove from the heat. In a blender, combine egg and milk. Add spices and grated cheese; whirl to blend.
Use a Large muffin pan, coat the muffin tins with cooking spray. Evenly distribute among the muffin cups, a crumble of and the bread cubes, meat and vegetables mixture. Pour an even amount of eggs over each pile.Cover the muffin cups with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 24 hours. (this is the BEST part!)
When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the eggs set. Allow the mini stratas to cool in the muffin cups for five minutes, remove them, and serve. (Leftovers can be frozen and reheated later)
The BEST part is that these are easily whipped up the night before Santa makes his big ride. Throw them in the oven on Christmas morning and enjoy the day.
Merry Christmas y'all~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Breakfast

This month we are have a breakfast club supper... Our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club is havig breakfast. YuM! I knew right away that I had to make something with grits. I found my recipe on Cooking Light.
Grits Souffle with Ham and Spinach
1/4 pound lean country ham, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can chopped spinach, drained and squeezed dry
4 large egg whites (at room temperature)
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add ham; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; set aside.
Combine milk and broth in pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in grits; reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Combine grits mixture, ham, cheese, garlic powder, pepper, and spinach in a large bowl. Stir well; set aside.
Beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold one-fourth of egg whites into grits mixture; gently fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole or soufflé dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Now let's see what everyone else has brought for our breakfast!
Jerry has made Breakfast Cookies with figs and nuts.
Jamie is bringing a platter of Ham and Swiss egg Sandwiches.
Val is making a favorite of mine Blueberry and Maple-pecan Granola Parfaits
MaryAnn has baked a Fig swirl Coffecake
Roz has made a Casserole of Hash browns, with bacon, onions, and cheese.

Don't forget, that y'all are welcome to join in our virtual supper with the blog hop! Y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Cooking Light Virtual Supper ~ Brunch

I am a part of a fun supper club sponsored by Cooking Light... we get together one evening a month for a virtual supper club. Today for our Virtual Supper Club we are having a brunch for Mother's Day. Since we are spread all over North America, we go to CookingLight.com to find our recipes, and everyone brings what they like.
We all know that southerners love a good brunch. This recipe was right up my alley. Grits Casserole with Pesto Butter The grits casserole is different from my standard cheese grits... much lighter and very good. Whipping egg whites to a frenzy creates a light grits soufflee. It is beautiful when it comes out of the oven. I have to admit that the pesto butter was a little over the top and was amazing... but then how can you go wrong with fresh pesto?
Now let's see what everyone else has brought for brunch!
Shelby is bringing Waffles with Double Berry Syrup light style
Jamie has a Mushroom Fritatta
Val has a Sweet Potato and Canadian Bacon Hash that I can't wait to get a scoop of.
Patsy is bringing some Triple Fruit Scones
Y'all enjoy,
Sandi

Small bite ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes

The Sunday Small Bites has been so much fun and here we are in our 3rd week. We have taken one ingredient, and everyone comes up with their own favorite recipe.
Mercy~ this has become a real challenge!
Our secret ingredient this week is Sun Dried Tomatoes. This was not easy to find at the Piggly Wiggly... they carry one variety in the produce department. I'm sure Jerry will probably dry his own tomatoes :-)
I used my sun dried tomatoes to make some small bites of frittattas from a recipe similar to one I found in 'Healthy Cooking'. These would be perfect for a light breakfast, brunch with grits, or even as an appetizer.
Italian Mini Frittatas
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 thin slices prosciutto, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
2 egg whites
3 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°
Place tomatoes in a small bowl; add 1/2 cup boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet, saute the prosciutto, shallots and garlic in butter until shallots are tender. Remove from the heat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth; whisk in the egg whites and eggs until blended. Stir in the cheeses, artichokes, basil, salt, pepper, and reserved tomatoes and prosciutto mixture.
Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray; fill with egg mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Carefully run a knife around edges to loosen and remove from pan.
Now, let's see what small bites we get from the other 'nibblers'.
Leave your link on Mr Mcklinky.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi
Next week's secret ingredient ~~~Avocado ~~~

Got Grits?

Over the holidays I was smart and put up a grits casserole for a weekend just like this.We were to lazy to do much of anything, except enjoy our time off. Even without much work we had a yummy breakfast.
Baked Garlic Cheese Grits
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups regular grits
3 rolls cheese spread with garlic
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350°
In a large pan bring broth, salt, and pepper to a boil. Stir in the grits, and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic cheese and milk. Gradually add the eggs and butter, stirring until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a sprayed casserole dish- or 2 smaller ones. Bake for 30 minutes. At this point you can freeze for a later day, or sprinkle with cheese and bake another 15-20 minutes. Serve either as a side dish or for a filling breakfast.
Y'all could just save it for company coming or a rainy day.
Sandi