granola

Seed Demon Quinoa Flake Granola

May 2, 2014 by Erica

Seed Demon Quinoa Flake Granola - 7 seeds in 1 granola!
F-f-f-friday!

On the one hand, I couldn’t be happier to see the end of the workweek. I’m currently traveling for work (always exhausting, no matter how quick the trip) and am pretty excited to collapse into my own bed. On the other hand, I am a liiiittle nervous that the week is over, because tomorrow morning I’m running a half marathon. Eek!

A 7 am race is not exactly a recipe for a relaxing start to the weekend… especially when it’s an hour away and you have to catch a bus to the starting line before 5:30. AHH! However, I can’t really complain, since I’ve been looking forward to this race for months.

Seed Demon Quinoa Flake Granola - 7 seeds in 1 granola!
Can I really run 13.1 miles? I ask myself this question before the start of every long run. Can I really run 7 miles? 8? 9? 10? Week after week, the answer seems to be yes. So I guess I have to face the fact that I will be running 13 miles tomorrow.

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Double-Ginger Gingerbread Granola

December 9, 2013 by Erica

Double-Ginger Gingerbread Granola

It’s been a while since we talked about granola… so let’s make today about my favorite crunchy snack.

Granola is one of my biggest food weaknesses. If it’s visible in my apartment, I want to be eating it. That is great when it comes to things like dreaming up new granola flavors to make for you! Not so great when I have several test batches of said granola sitting around the kitchen all weekend. They may as well be tapping me on the shoulder, begging to be eaten.

These are the kinds of problems I have in my life. Remember Friday’s post about feeling lucky? Mmm hmm.

Double-Ginger Gingerbread Granola

This is not your bland garden-variety granola. Two types of ginger (ground and crystallized!) pack some serious zing. I would go so far as to say that you must love ginger to enjoy this granola. If you don’t? More for the rest of us, as my mom would say. (And Mom loves ginger.)

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Coconut Quinoa Granola Bars (For Becky!)

November 13, 2013 by Erica

A year ago, I was a new blogger, trying to figure out how this whole blogging thing worked. Well, I am still trying to figure a lot of that out. The difference now is that there are a lot more people to witness it! Last year at this time, my family members were pretty much the only ones reading my blog or leaving comments on it. I loved them for it (still do!), but I can text them pictures of what I’m cooking anytime I want. And I do. No blog necessary.

Becky was one of the first people I didn’t know to start leaving comments on my blog. I was thrilled to find out she was another new blogger, and also kind of shocked. She seemed to really have it together! Almost a year later, we still follow each other’s blogs (and she still really has it together). And I’m excited to be throwing a surprise party today for her blog’s first birthday!

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Whole Pear Parfait with Goat Cheese, Chocolate and Granola

January 18, 2013 by Erica

Yesterday’s post was all about clean eating. So obviously, today I bring you a dessert with goat cheese and chocolate.

How hypocritical of me.

Let’s just acknowledge that this is a treat, and move on.

This is not the first time I’ve made you a pear with cheese on top. So I guess you could call this a variation on a theme.

Pears are so pretty, though. I can’t help making them into desserts.

I was inspired to make these pears by The Novice Chef’s Vertical Pear Salad, which has been circulating on Pinterest. Naturally, my train of thought was as follows:

Oooh, that’s pretty. I should do that.

You know what’s more fun than a salad, though? A dessert!

But maybe I could still leave the cheese on?

So, there you have it. I started with a salad and turned it into a dessert. This should surprise just about no one.

Have you ever had chocolate and goat cheese before, like in chocolate goat cheesecake (one of the best desserts I’ve ever had)?

You might think it sounds like an odd combination, and maybe it is, but in the best way possible. Together they are tangy, sweet, and extremely rich.

Now that I’m thinking about that chocolate goat cheesecake, I’m realizing that I’m going to have to make that sometime. Put it on the list.

Try these out if you like rich desserts! They are super easy and quick to assemble; melting the chocolate is what takes the longest.

Speaking of the chocolate, next time I might add more milk to make it even drizzle-ier, and pour it all over the top instead. As it is, this dessert isn’t too gooey… and I will always opt for gooey.

Have a good weekend, friends!

Whole Pear Parfait with Goat Cheese, Chocolate and Granola

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 pears (I used Bosc)

5 oz dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk or cream (I used almond milk)

5-6 oz. goat cheese

1/2 cup granola

Instructions:

Cut a tiny slice off of the bottom of each pear, so that it will stand up straight. Then slice each pear into 3 horizontal pieces.

In a heat-proof dish, microwave the chocolate chips and milk together. As noted above, you could increase the amount of milk (to 1 cup or so) to make it more of a sauce that you could drizzle over the whole dessert. Once chocolate is melted, whisk together. If you find that the milk is making the chocolate seize up, try adding a bit more milk and microwaving it for another 30 seconds, then whisk again.

Spread a layer of goat cheese onto the top of each pear base. Sprinkle with a small handful of granola, and give it a dollop of chocolate. Place the second pear layer on and repeat. Top with the last piece of pear!

These are prettiest if served in the hour or so after assembly. They do keep in the fridge for about 24 hours, but the chocolate will not be melted, of course, and the edges of the pear layers will look a tiny bit shriveled. However, I found that the chocolate was soft enough to be eaten after being refrigerated overnight, if you have leftovers!

Time:

10 minutes

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