Our version of almond, sunflower seed granola inspired by the one at Blue State Coffee.

Narragansett Creamery yogurt topped with our granola.

I’ve developed an addiction to Blue State Coffee’s house-made granola, but since they only sell it in small cupfuls, I decided it was time to take matters into our own hands.

Last weekend, I bought the ingredients listed on the package and enlisted Geoff to create his own version. We wound up adding two ingredients not listed — a bit of oil to prevent it from sticking together and a small amount of chopped banana chips for sweetness. The results are impressively similar — ours is equally crunchy and has the same nutty flavor. The best part is that we can make it in large batches, so there’s plenty to share. I like it sprinkled on Narragansett Creamery Yogurt or Fage.

I wonder if I can convince Geoff to make our own yogurt next.

Oats, Almond and Sunflower Seed Granola Recipe

Ingredients:
oats
sliced almonds
sunflower seeds
agave nectar (or honey)
chopped banana chips
cinnamon
brown rice flour
oil

Steps:

We spread the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds and chopped banana chips on a tray to get the balance we wanted first.

Mix those in a bowl, sprinkle in some brown rice flower, a bit of agave nectar (or honey) and a small sprinkle of cinnamon. Mix in a bit of vegetable oil to prevent sticking.

Spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 250 degrees until brown (basically until it matches the color of Blue State’s) or about 45 minutes.

Let it dry on the tray until cool. Then, move to an airtight container to store.

Note: Narragansett Creamery Yogurt can be purchased at the farmers’ markets or at Whole Foods Market. Blue State Coffee has two locations on Thayer Street in Providence — see www.bluestatecoffee.com. 

My version of the whole wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

When you gain 50 pounds during pregnancy and your baby is only six — well, you might be left with a few extra pounds.  Anyway, as you may have noticed, I have a weakness for sweets, which makes dieting a bit difficult (although admittedly I’ve never tried a cookie diet). So in an effort to find a cookie that I could indulge in regularly (no, I won’t divulge what I mean by regularly), I spent a few weeks perfecting this healthier version of a chocolate chip cookie, which I originally found too dry. It turns out, it works better with butter instead of oil (not much surprise there). Plus I borrowed a tip from The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook‘s cookie recipe, which is not to be alarmed if they look raw. If you cook them too long they will be dry and brittle — and no diet is worth that.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups ground oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Grind the oats. Mix the oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugars until smooth and creamy (in a mixer ideally, although this can be done by hand). Then add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Then add the dry mixture and mix well. By hand, mix in the chocolate chips.

Arrange into balls with about 1 1/2 diameter and bake for 14 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove and cool on a rack immediately.

Note: I find that putting the cookie dough in the fridge only causes it to dry out so I bake them without cooling the dough. Of course, they’re delicious hot out of the oven.  With the remaining cookies, I cool them and keep them in the freezer. If you have a microwave, you can nuke them for a few seconds (no idea how many since I don’t have one). Or just remov from the freezer and wait a few minutes (if you can).