Crunchy Granola Bars

I love to use the weekend to prepare some healthy snacks for the upcoming week. These crunchy granola bars are nutritious, healthy and most of all delicious. Great for kids lunch boxes! 

You can always use other seeds and nuts and instead of tahini you could use seed butter (like sunflower seeds) or any nut butter.

 

Crunchy Granola Bars

• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup ground almonds
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of Himalayan sea salt

-line a 9×9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325F.

-mix all dry ingredients together. Add tahini and maple syrup and mix until well combined.

-fill into prepared baking dish, press down evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

-let cool completely. Cut into bars.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Oat Seed and Nut Country Style Bread

I’ve been baking bread for a long time now. It kind of started to be a regular thing after I came to Canada (19 years ago) because I just couldn’t find a typical European style bread, you know the kind with an actual crust;) It is more common to get a soft white bread here, which is just not what I prefer on a regular basis.

Anyways, this is the style of bread I make once a week, changing the ingredients up a bit, this week I added oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts which turned into a rustic country style bread. My family liked it! Next plan for me is to try my hands on making sourdough bread. I’ve been thinking of this for quiet some time, it just seems a little intimidating to prepare and look after the sour dough starter. Wish me luck!!

I love the smell of fresh baked bread!

 

Oat Seed and Nut Country Style Bread

Ingredients:

• 200 g white spelt flour
• 150 g whole wheat flour
• 100 g unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup sunflowerseeds
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp quick yeast
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp honey, optional
• 250 ml room temp. water

-Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl or use your standard mixer. Add oil and honey and start with 3/4 of the water, mix together, add more water if it is to dry. Once it comes together nicely, take it out onto your counter and start kneading the dough until it is a soft and shiny dough, or let your standard mixer do the work. Put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour or longer.

-Line a 9-inch bundt form with parchment paper.

-Take the dough out of the bowl and knead it again a few times. Lay the dough into your prepared baking dish and sprinkle with some extra oats and seeds if desired. Let rise until stove temperatures is set.

-Bake in preheated 375 F (I use convection setting) oven for about 40 minutes or golden brown and crusty and sound hollow if you tap the sides or take it out of form and tap bottom.

-Let cool completely.

Tip: the oil gives it a nice texture and helps preventing drying out to fast. I guess you could leave it out. If you do not like the all-purpose flour, just use more spelt flour instead.

 

Enjoy!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan Granola Cookies

Happy Weekend!

The first week of back to school went by rather quick, it also only started on Tuesday, because Monday was a Snow-day. All schools were closed because of bad weather. The remaining of the week was very warm and rainy, melting almost all of the snow we had, which was a lot. Now we are back to freezing temperatures.

I like to use weekends to prepare some healthy snacks to have on hand, easy to grab for breakfast, school, work or for that moment when you are just really craving something sweet;) lol. I usually make cookies or granola bars. The following recipe is a healthy, vegan, crunchy granola cookie that tastes, well, like granola.

I’ve been using flaxseeds and flaxoil for my breakfast for a few years now already, these are rich in omega-3 fats. Because of my very low iron level I always have to include foods into my diet that are rich in iron, and these cookies are perfect, rich in healthy fats, protein and minerals, including iron.

 

Vegan Granola Cookies

Yields: 20 large cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup sunflowerseeds
• 1/4 cup pumpkinseeds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup almonds, slivered
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup cranberries, dried
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp natural almond butter, or any natural nut butter
• 3 tbsp finely ground flaxseeds/flaxmeal
• 6 1/2 tbsp warm water

-Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350F/180C

-In a small bowl or cup mix together the flaxmeal with the water, let stand for at least 5 minutes to thicken.

-In a large bowl mix all your dry ingredients including cinnamon, vanilla and salt.

-Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter and “flax egg”, mix together well.

-With a tablespoon drop equal amounts of dough onto the sheets, and form, with the help of your hands into cookie shapes.

-Bake in preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or golden brown.

-Let cool completely.

Enjoy with a glass of milk!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ursula

 

You can find me on Instagram: littleswisslittlecanadian