Tag Archives: Pecans

Applesauce Granola

Breakfast, Miscellaneous, , , , , , , , ,

 

 

This is a delicious low-calorie granola that is great alone or on top of yogurt!

 

Ingredients:
2 ½ Cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 Cup Nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Vegetable or Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Raisins

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Combine the oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl.

Heat the applesauce, honey and oil together either in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave.

Stir the applesauce mixture into the oat mixture until fully combined.

Spread it out onto a baking sheet.  Stir every 10 minutes of baking until the granola is golden brown.  This will take a total of about 45-50 minutes.  Stir in the raisins after baking.

Store in an air tight container.

 

 

-Recipe found at Fake Ginger-

Paleo Cookies

Dessert, , , , , , , ,

This is my first look into the Paleo Diet.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
2 1/2 Cups Blanched Almonds, divided (or 1 cup almond butter and 1/2 cup almonds)
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Honey
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

 

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

 

Place 2 cups of the blanched almonds in a food processor and grind until almond butter forms.  This will take several minutes.  Pour the almond butter in a medium bowl and add the egg, honey and salt.  Stir together until fully combined.

 

Stir in the pecans, dried cranberries and remaining 1/2 cup of almonds.

 

Scoop, using a cookie scoop, into the muffin pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

 

French Toast Casserole with Sticky Pecan Bottom

Breakfast, , , , , , ,

 

I made this french toast casserole for brunch today.  Everyone loved it!  The best part is the sticky pecan deliciousness on the bottom! Yum.  This recipe was just what I was looking for and it turned out better than expected.  This is an overnight breakfast casserole, so you will stick it in the fridge the night before.

Ingredients:
Sticky Pecan Bottom-
1/4 cup butter  (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans

1  loaf French bread (buy the already sliced loaf to save time)

1 1/2 cups milk
6 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Topping (Put on in the morning):
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Spray a pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, honey and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Microwave at 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted together.  Stir in the pecans and pour into the prepared pie plate.  Spread around evenly.

Arrange the bread slices standing up in the pan so they are still mostly a loaf form. (See picture below)

Whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter.  Pour this mixture over the bread slices, making sure to get it between the slices.  Press the slices of bread down to make sure everything gets moist.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

In The Morning:

Combine the sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.

Place in the oven and set it to 350°F.  Bake until bubble and slightly crispy on top, about 45-60 minutes.

Serve with raspberries and whipped cream.

Serves: 4-6 (This recipe can be doubled to serve 8-12 and baked in a 9X13 casserole dish for the same amount of time)

Zucchini and Blueberry Bread

Breakfast, Dessert, , , , , , , ,

I originally made this bread just because I really love zucchini bread, but then realized that I could actually get Chloe to eat vegetables if they are hiding in bread!  Amazing!!  She really enjoyed this bread.  The blueberries made it very moist, so make sure you store it in the fridge if you aren’t going to eat in all in a couple days like we did.  This recipe comes from Kayln’s Kitchen.

 

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Medium Zucchinis, coarsely grated
1 cup fresh or thawed Blueberries
1/2 cup chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl.

Beat together the sugar and eggs in a large bowl or stand mixer for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the oil and vanilla, then add the zucchini.  Stir until combined.

Add the flour to this mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.  Fold in the blueberries and pecans. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 60-70 minutes.

Cool and enjoy!

Yield: 1 loaf

1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used Saigon Cassia Cinnamon from The Spice House)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup Splenda (or sugar)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla (I used Mexican vanilla)
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (I just grated with the big side of a hand grater)
1-2 T water (as needed, if batter is too stiff, I used 1 T water)
1 cup fresh or thawed blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Sweet Potato Souffle

Side Dish, ,

I love sweet potatoes!  YUM!  And, no…not the kind from a can with mini marshmallows on top…yuck..  Real sweet potatoes with a delicious pecan topping.  Perfect for Thanksgiving.  This is adapted from a recipe from Food Network.  For Thanksgiving I make a double batch of this and put it in a 9X13 inch baking dish.  When I make this for Thanksgiving, I prepare it the night before without the topping on it.  When it’s almost time to eat, just sprinkle on the topping and throw it in the oven.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large), scrubbed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the preparing the pan
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/6 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Poke the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.

Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and discard the skins.  Mash with a potato masher until smooth.  Whisk in the eggs, butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and pepper.

Butter an 8X8 inch casserole dish and pour in the sweet potato mixture.

For the topping, mix together the pecans, flour, brown sugar and butter.  Sprinkle on top of the sweet potatoes in the casserole dish.

Bake 30 minutes.

Serves: 6

Pecan Chocolate Chip Pie

Dessert, , , ,

I don’t think I could possibly make a regular pecan pie after making this version.  The chocolate chips were a great addition to the classic pecan pie…thanks Emeril Lagasse!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 pie crust
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for coating chocolate chips
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place the pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate.  Evenly spread the pecans on the pie crust.  Toss the chocolate chips in a little flour and sprinkle over the pecans.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, butter and flour.  Once thoroughly stirred together, pour this mixture over the pecans and chocolate chips in the pie plate.

Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown, about 70 minutes.  Use foil to tent the crust if it browns too quickly.  Let cool for 1 hour before serving.

Serves: 8-10