Farro Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Feta, and Pomegranate

You guys! I officially have a new meal obsession: grain bowls. Yes, this sounds like a hippie dippy fad that is part of some misguided, new wave, vegan new year's resolution but...it's not. It's just purely delicious. I promise. I can't get enough of this meal right now, and have made it three times this month already. Don't worry, I have been balancing out this healthiness with lots of oatmeal cookies and even a pumpkin cheesecake (recipe coming soon).

The concept of grain bowls is simple: (1) start with a grain of your choice such as farro, quinoa, brown rice, or Israeli cous cous. (2) Add the green of your choice such as spinach, kale, or arugula. (3) Go to town and add toppings such as baked sweet potato, baked acorn squash, avocado, grilled chicken, feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, or nuts. Dress with a simple olive oil and balsamic dressing, or a more creative dressing if you like.

My personal favorite right now is the combo below:

Ingredients:
Farro (little blue bag from Trader Joe's)
Spinach
Baked sweet potato slices
Avocado
Feta cheese
Pomegranate seeds
Grilled chicken (optional)
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice the sweet potato (acorn squash is great too) and toss with a bit of olive oil and salt & pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until nice and soft. Cook the farro according to the package directions. Add everything to a big bowl, and enjoy!

Granola with Coconut & Walnuts

Happy New Year!!! 

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday and that 2016 is off to a great start. I've been up to a lot since Thanksgiving, including a trip to Santa Barbara for Christmas which we spent with Stuart's family, followed by a big New Year's Eve party at work for which I was responsible for the entertainment, guest check-in, games, raffle prizes, and a dozen wonderful volunteers. It was amazing and a great way to kick off 2016 in style - considering we usually do a very low-key New Year's celebration at home or with family or friends!

For holiday gifts this year for those close to me, I decided to go the homemade route. And while I have many yummy cookie recipes in my arsenal - such as these chocolate macadamia nut clusters, rugalach, or peanut butter Nutella - I decided to try something new with this homemade granola. I was inspired by two things in the making of this granola recipe. First off, I have been obsessed with this granola for a while, which my family discovered in Hawaii and which I beg my parents to bring home for me every time they are there on their annual visit. Secondly, I had bookmarked this recipe from one of my favorite blogs, and was inspired by the method of heating up the honey over the stove, which is key in my version as well to beautifully meld all the flavors together. 

Finally, this is perfectly appropriate for the "New Year" to sprinkle over your healthy bowl of morning yogurt and topped with a handful of berries. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
½ cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut and walnuts and gently stir to mix well. 

2. In a small saucepan, combine coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, vanilla and salt and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to emulsify slightly. Pour the oil mixture over the oat mixture and stir until evenly coated. 

3. Spread mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well, bringing the oat mixture closest to the edges into the center and pushing the center mixture towards the edges. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes, checking when 1 to 2 minutes remain. Be very careful at the end: the coconut can burn easily, leaving the granola with a bitter, burnt taste. 

4. Remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack and leave undisturbed until completely cool, at least one hour. Once removed from the oven, the granola will continue to cook a tiny bit more on the hot pan and the texture will become crispy as it dries.