Granola

I'm on the search for some good granola recipes. Deanna has one on her blog - pantryliving.blogspot.com
It's a keeper. I would use the water in the recipe, though.

There's this one from my neighbor too-

7 c. old fashioned oats
2 c chopped walnuts
1 c coconut
1/2 - 3/4 c wheat germ (opt)
2/3 c vegetable oil
3/4 c honey
1/2 c maple syrup
3/4 c brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 c raisins
1 c dried cranberries

We left out the wheat germ, raisins and cranberries, but added 1 c sliced almonds.
Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Heat oil, honey, syrup, brown sugar, salt and vanilla in small sauce pan and heat until it bubbles around the edges of the pan. Pour into dry ingredients and mix. Spread in jelly roll pan and bake at 325 F for 30 min stirring every 10 min (we baked it with Deanna's for 2 hours on 250, stirring 4 x). Let it cool in pan stirring occasionally so it won't harden up in pieces that are too large. Add dried fruit once it has cooled. Freezes well.

I let it cool and harden, then just broke it apart before storing. Very good! A lot more sugar than Deanna's version, though.

Eating Better; Finally a successful Bean dish

I've known for a long time that I could be eating better. I'm educated on what that looks like, have lots of recipes and great examples of people around me who are doing great with eating more healthy options.
Then WHY is it so hard to do it? It takes time, effort, and some support from all those who eat my food. That's what it comes down to for me - will everyone else eat the good stuff I made?

Any ideas are welcome.

I've tried so many dishes with beans. And this is the first one that everyone liked. Hopefully the second big hit won't take two years to find. :)


Caribbean-Style Black Bean Soup p. 59 (in Fix It and Forget It Cookbook)
by Sheryl Shenk of Harrisonburg, VA

1 lb dried black beans, washed and stones removed (Soak beans overnight in 4 qts water, drain)
3 onions chopped (we used 1/3 c. dried onions)
1 green pepper chopped (not included in ours)
4 cloves garlic, minced (we grated our frozen garlic)
1 ham hock or 3/4 c cubed ham (we added this up front then blended it on step 4 - it was fine)
1 T oil
1 T ground cumin, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1 T salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
3 c water

later: sour cream, cilantro

Combine beans, onions, green pepper, garlic, ham, oil, cumin, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and 3 cups fresh water. Stir well.
Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hrs or High 4-5 hours (I cooked mine on Low 5 hours then warm for 2).
For a thick soup, remove and puree half of mixture at a time. Return to cooker.
Serve in soup bowl with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cilantro.

** recipe says to add 2 T vinegar after blending, but we did not.