Pepita Granola with Dates and Molasses

This week saw the hottest day in Sydney since we've lived here, with a muggy high of 105F.  The next day it was back in the 70s, pleasant and breezy, even cool in the early morning.  So don't blame the blogger for today's post, homemade granola, when last week's was crispy salad.

I think of granola as a cold-weather comfort food, but maybe that's because I associate it with Colorado, which is, in my head, always covered in snow.  (I've spent time in Colorado in the summer, too, I just love the snow-covered mountain version).  But really, a handful of granola over yogurt or with cold milk is as appropriate in an Australian heat wave as anything else.  Northern and southern hemisphere readers alike should make this one to have on hand no matter what the weather is like where you are.  If you need any more convincing, add up the cost of the ingredients you use and compare it with the price of store-bought granola... such a deal.

toasted granola goodness with pepitas, dates, chia seeds, sweetened with molasses and dates

My sister-in-law makes a legendary granola, which I've heard about many times but haven't yet had the privilege to sample.  Today I adapted the recipe out of The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook she gave me for Christmas.  I'm sure the original recipe with walnuts and dried cherries would rock, but this version with pepitas and chopped dates is delicious.

Play around with the recipe and substitute any combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit for what's called for.  I didn't have maple syrup, so I used rice syrup and a little molasses its place-- the amount is perfect, not very sweet and just right with the dried fruit.  I also added dashes of allspice, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon-- I have trouble sticking to only one spice in a recipe. For a gluten-free version, ensure your oats are gluten-free, and substitute ground flaxseed for the toasted wheat germ.  Looking forward to munching on this throughout the week.

Pepita Granola with Dates and Molasses
lightly adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
makes 7 cups

3 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking; make sure gluten-free if necessary)
1/4 cup wheat germ, toasted (or ground flaxseed for gluten-free)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), coursely chopped
1 cup flaked coconut (unsweetened)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
dash each of ground nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger (or any combination of warm spices that suits your fancy)
pinch of freshly ground sea salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use rice bran oil)
1/3 cup rice syrup or agave syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
1 egg white
1 1/4 cups coursely chopped dates

Combine first eleven ingredients together in a large bowl (through molasses). Keep stirring until the oil, rice syrup, and molasses are as evenly distributed as possible.

In a small bowl, whip the egg white with a whisk or fork until white and foamy.  Pour the foamy egg white into the granola mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.

Scatter the mixture onto a large baking tray lined with parchment paper (baking paper).  Bake at 300F/150C for 40-50 minutes, carefully turning the mixture over halfway through with a wide spatula. Remove from oven when lightly browned.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the chopped dates, breaking the granola into chunks of your preferred size.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.

Date Spice Cake with Bourbon Glaze

Happy Easter from the southern hemisphere! We are enjoying our luxurious four-day weekend here in Sydney, a much-needed, relaxing break. I've been scoping out deviled egg recipes for days, and it paid off as we feasted on a brunch of three types of deviled eggs, hot cross buns, toast and jam, a big fruit salad, and some chocolate for good measure. I should have made hot cross buns from scratch, but just couldn't summon enough effort during vacation to deal with yeast, rising times, kneading, etc.  Instead we got storebought ones from the local bakery which, after asking them about the ingredients, we discovered contained preservatives : (  one of a few allergies we have to be careful about in the house.  So our houseguest and I went ahead and ate the bakery buns, but I made a special hot cross bun-inspired cake that the hubs could also enjoy.  It's adapted from the lovely one here at Whole Family Fare.

date cake spiced with cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, topped with a bourbon glaze

I was low on cinnamon, so below is double the amount I actually used, but to capture the Aussie hot cross bun taste you'll need it.  I used a mixture of spelt, quinoa, potato flour, and all-purpose organic flour.  Since we'd already indulged on so many deviled eggs, this bundt cake uses a mixture of ground flaxseed and water rather than eggs to help the mixture bind together. Dates and a drizzle of honey through the middle of the batter make wholesome sweeteners, which are enhanced by a sinful glaze of bourbon and powdered sugar : )  I made the cake last night and let it sit overnight at room temperature so the glaze could seep in. We ate it for 'tea' today around 4pm, and it was delicious.  You could taste a touch of bourbon in every bite, and it was perfectly moist and tender. The batter will look and feel airy when you spoon it into the pan, and it bakes up nice and light.

I threw in a plum because I needed to use it up, but a small apple would also work well.  Hot cross buns typically have raisins dotted through them, but I found that chunks of dates remained even after I 'pureed' them in the blender, so I didn't add any additional dried fruit.  Feel free to add a half cup of raisins or currants if you'd like, or replace the lemon zest and juice with orange.  I've used yogurt in this recipe, but if you're going for dairy-free, just sub that with the same amount of (unsweetened) applesauce. If you skip the bourbon in the glaze, replace most of it with water, but add a teaspoon of vanilla for flavor.

This cake is perfect on its own, but would also be tasty with a dollop of plain greek yogurt, sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. Bake and enjoy!

Date Spice Cake with Bourbon Glaze

adapted from Whole Family Fare
makes 1 bundt cake

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 1/2 cups flour (I used about 1/2 cup plain, all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup spelt flour; 1/4 cup quinoa flour; 1 tablespoon potato flour; and 1 tablespoon almond meal)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used about 1/3 cup rice bran oil and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil)

2 cups dates, soaked in warm water for 10-20 minutes, then drained, retaining 1/2 cup of the water

1 large plum or 1 small apple, finely chopped

1/4 cup plain, low-fat greek yogurt (or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce for a dairy-free recipe)

zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice (from about half a lemon)

1/4 cup honey, divided

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons bourbon (or replace this amount with water plus one teaspoon vanilla extract)

1-2 teaspoons water

Grease and flour a bundt pan, and preheat the oven to 350F/175C.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the 6 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds.  Set this aside for at least 10 minutes to firm up into an egg-like consistency while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the flour(s), baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg.  Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, pour the vegetable oil, the reserved 1/2 cup of date water, dates, chopped plum (or apple), yogurt, lemon zest and juice, and 1 tablespoon of the honey.  Blend together until fairly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides when necessary.  (If you're doing this in a blender rather than a food processor, you might find it easier to first blend just half of the dates with all of the other ingredients, then add the other half to the blended mixture and blend until smooth).  Stir in the flaxseed and water mixture.

Fold the date mixture into the dry ingredients, stirring just until incorporated.  Drop about half of the batter in spoonfuls into the bottom of the bundt pan. Drizzle the remaining honey over this mixture, then top with the remaining batter.  

Bake at 350F/175C for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.  Let the cake cool for at least another 15 minutes before glazing.  For the glaze, mix together the powdered sugar and bourbon in a small bowl until you have a thick syrup-like consistency, adding a teaspoon or two of water if necessary.  Drizzle the glaze with a spoon over the mostly-cooled cake.  Store at room temperature for up to three days.  

Raw Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Our oven stopped working a while back, and while we were waiting a few weeks for the repair I began experimenting with some raw food recipes.  I like the idea of packing your 'food pyramid' with veggies and whole grains, while replacing meat with nuts and other vegan protein sources.  I don't think I could ever switch to a majority raw diet, but I am certainly inspired to consume more raw sources of nutrients.  We have already transitioned to a much different food pattern here in Australia in comparison to our diet in England, especially with so much delicious, seasonal produce available.

However, we both still crave dessert during the week. Rather than bake up cookies like I used to (however reduced-fat and reduced-sugar they were), I've started making smoothies or, if we want to splurge, raw brownies.  Nuts, dates, cocoa.  That's all you need for raw brownies, and they cure a chocolate craving perfectly.

raw chocolate truffles dusted with lightly-sweetened coconut

I play around with the combination-- sometimes using walnuts, sometimes pecans, adding coconut, cinnamon, hot chili powder, etc.  Tonight my mixture wasn't coming together very well, so I dumped it out of the blender, into a bowl, added a tablespoon of brown rice syrup and a teaspoon of water, and rolled them into truffles.  I then dusted them in unsweetened, shredded coconut mixed with a touch of brown sugar.  Awesome.

Ok, so processed cocoa (I haven't sourced cacao nibs yet), brown rice syrup, and the tiny bit of brown sugar make these only un-officially 'raw'.  But they're pretty close, and they're much healthier treats than the ones from Godiva.

I just use a blender (plain old blender, nothing fancy) for these, but a food processor would work best.  Make sure your dates are a bit moist-- if they're dry, just soak them in water for 15-20 minutes, then drain. (Or, as all the raw food sites say, reserve the date water to sweeten your next smoothie).  Enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Coconut Truffles
makes about a dozen 1-inch truffles

3/4 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons almond meal (if you don't have any, just use a full cup of walnuts)

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup moist dates (if they're pretty dry, soak them in water 15-20 mins, then drain to use)
2 tablespoons unsweetened, shredded coconut (divided use)

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup (or agave syrup or honey)

1 teaspoon water (if necessary)

1 teaspoon brown sugar (or coconut sugar for paleo-friendly) (optional)

Mix the walnuts, almond meal (if you're using it), cocoa, dates, and 1 tablespoon of the coconut in a blender or food processor.  Mix until everything is very finely chopped/ground and the mixture is sticking together.  (If using a blender, blend the nuts first, then add the cocoa, blend till incorporated, then add the dates and coconut-- scraping down the sides when necessary).

Scrape the mixture into a bowl.  Add the brown rice syrup and stir together.  If the mixture is not coming together easily, add one teaspoon of water and stir together until it all comes together to form one big lump of dough.  Pinch off chunks of dough and roll into one-inch balls.

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the remaining tablespoon of coconut and, if desired, the teaspoon of brown sugar (or coconut sugar).  Roll the truffles one by one in the coconut-sugar mixture until evenly coated.  Set the coconut-covered truffles in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before eating, or for up to four days. (Chilling really allows the flavors to meld and creates a denser, richer-tasting truffle).

Update: adding a couple of teaspoons of coffee liqueur (Baileys, Kahlua, Tia Maria, etc.) to the dough as you're blending it is a fabulous idea...