Friday Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Granola

Found this on Woman's Day under 14 Delicious Ways to Have Chocolate for Breakfast, which originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com, but the real recipe is from Oh My Veggies (it's 6 degrees of separation...or a flow chart. Same thing?)

Any way you look at it, chocolate-covered anything is yummy. Picture is theirs (Oh My Veggies). So much prettier!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: About 8 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups (1.2 ounces) freeze-dried strawberries
• 1 (4-ounce) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bar (or substitute another chocolate bar or chips of your choosing)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Add the coconut oil, butter, and honey to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and coconut oil melt. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Pour this into the coconut oil/butter/honey mixture and stir with a whisk, stirring constantly until smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the rolled oats, almonds, and coconut. Pour the wet mixture over the top and stir well with a wooden spoon, until most of the dry ingredients are coated.
4. Spread onto the cookie sheet and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is fragrant and beginning to turn golden brown--about 30 minutes total. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Break the pieces up with your fingers, then let the granola cool the rest of the way.
5. Once cool, add the strawberries, breaking them into smaller pieces with your hands as you mix them into the granola.
6. To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler or place an oven-proof bowl over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water. Break the chocolate into chunks and place them into the double boiler/bowl, stirring constantly just until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the granola and allow to cool until hardened, 1 to 2 hours.
7. With your hands, break up the granola to distribute the chocolate and transfer to a bowl or storage container.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Note: don't let it get too warm, or the chocolate may melt and you'll have messy granola on your hands (literally)!

Friday Recipe: Savory Sausage, Cheese and Oat Muffins

Muffins. So tasty, so versatile, so darn delicious!What's not to love? These Sausage, Cheese and Oat Muffins are like eating an entire meal without, well, making an entire meal. Soo, so good!

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 25 Minutes Servings: 12

"A low fat, vegetarian and hearty muffin that is wonderful for breakfast, brunch or snacks."

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder

1/3 cup reduced-calorie margarine, melted 1/2 cup egg substitute 1 cup nonfat buttermilk 3 meatless breakfast patties, cooked and crumbled 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
2.	In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. In a separate bowl, mix together the melted margarine, egg substitute, and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Fold in the crumbled patties and Parmesan cheese. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups.
3.	Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in muffin tins on a wire rack.

Friday Recipe: Carrot Pancakes with Cream Cheese Spread

Last week I had a conversation with a friend about carrot pancakes. Interesting, I thought. You make them and let me know. So she did, with this Carrot Pancakes with Cream Cheese Spread and took pictures. I tried them and yes. They are delicious. I wouldn't recommend them for a work day meal, but a day where you have time to do all this? Definitely!

Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: --
Cook Time: 15 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients
Pancakes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup packed brown or granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream cheese spread:

4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dash ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a bowl, combine flour, pecans, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, combine egg, brown sugar, milk, carrots, and vanilla; mix well.

Stir carrot mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Pour batter by 1/4 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on the top of pancake; flip and cook until golden brown.

For topping, blend cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve with pancakes.