Two Really Great Recipes Involving Rolled Oats and Ground Flaxseed

Oh my goodness. It is rare that I come across a recipe that I just know I will come back to time and time again. But I struck gold last week with these two. These, I will definitely be coming back to!

The first is a homemade granola recipe, sent to me by my mother-in-law, Susan, via the King Arthur Flour website. Because I wanted to make this granola truly gluten free, I used about 1/2 cup of ground flaxseed in place of the 1 cup of wheat germ called for in the recipe. I also left out the coconut, as I am not a huge fan. And, for the dried fruit, I used a combination of raisins, dried cranberries, and dried cherries. Jarrett and I have been eating this every morning since the day it came out of the oven! (And it smells delicious while it is baking.)

Crunchy Granola

7 cups (1 1/2 pounds) rolled oats,  uncooked
1 cup (4 ounces) flaked unsweetened  coconut (optional, but good)
1 cup (4 ounces) stabilized wheat germ
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sliced almonds
1 cup (4 ounces) diced pecans or walnuts
1 cup (5 ounces) sunflower seeds, raw or toasted
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (11 ounces) pure maple syrup*
1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) vanilla extract
5 cups (about 20 ounces) mixed dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, diced  pineapple, diced apricots, chopped dates, or the mixture of your choice)

*Pure maple syrup (as opposed to maple-flavored cane sugar syrup) makes a MUCH tastier granola. If you use "fake" syrup, be advised you’ll have to use a lot more to get the same degree of sweetness; probably an additional 1/2 cup.

In a very large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts, and seeds. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture in the bowl, stirring and tossing till everything is very well combined; a spoonula or large stirring spoon work well here.

Spread granola on a couple of large lightly greased baking sheets; a half-sheet pan is ideal. Bake in a preheated 250°F oven for about 90 minutes, stirring the mixture with a heatproof spatula, spoonula, or turner every 15 minutes or so. You want to bring the granola at the edge in towards the middle, so it all browns evenly. And reverse the baking sheets in the oven (top to bottom, bottom to top) each time you stir.

When the granola is a light–to–medium golden brown, remove it from the oven and cool completely on the pans. Transfer the granola to a large bowl, and mix in the dried fruit. Store in a tightly closed container at room temperature for several weeks; freeze for extended storage. Or portion into pretty patterned plastic bags for gift-giving.
 

Yield: about 18 cups, about 4 1/4 pounds granola.

This is what mine looked like:

Delicious.

The second recipe is for No-Bake Energy Bites, which I got from a Facebook post. These are so yummy, and fairly darn good for you. And incredibly easy to make. I used dark chocolate chips, and they turned out great. The whole family is enjoying them, but especially Jarrett. :)

No-Bake Energy Bites

1 cup (dry) oatmeal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl. Roll into bite size balls. Refrigerate to set.