In today’s post, I’m sharing the recipe for one of my favourite sweet ‘n’ savoury snacks… Maple-Glazed Chickpeas with Oregano ❤️ I’d been hoping to include this recipe in my cookbook, but sadly run out of space, so I’m delighted to be able to share it with you today. These pan-fried chickpeas not only make a great snack, but they are also perfect for topping soups and pasta dishes. They’re really simple to make and ready in less than ten minutes!
I absolutely love chickpeas and eat them most days in some shape of form. The fact that they’re packed full of nutritional goodness makes me love them even more. They’re a great source of protein, dietary fibre, B vitamins and a whole array of minerals, such as manganese and iron. Chickpeas also contain an abundance of antioxidant phytonutrients, including flavonoids and phenolic acids, which boost the immune system.
I love making chocolate banana ice cream! (aka ‘Nicecream’) It’s so simple and cheap to make (costing literally a few pence per serving), yet it feels like a real treat. It also happens to be packed full of healthy ingredients, including an array of minerals and antioxidant goodness.
I’ve been making banana ice cream for a few years now, and have learnt a few tricks along the way to make the process even quicker and easier. For example, I used to slice the bananas into discs and arrange them in single layers in freezer bags prior to freezing, however I’ve since discovered that whole bananas can easily be sliced from frozen using a sharp knife! These days, I simply pop whole bananas in the freezer stacked in plastic containers with a layer of parchment paper in between to stop them sticking together.
In today’s post, I’m sharing recipes for a delicious, quick and easy strawberry jam and ‘treat snack’ that the family has been loving lately: No Bake Strawberry Tarts ♥
But before I do so, there’s an occasion that I must mark on this blog – Lil’ L’s first strawberry picking outing. I’d been dreaming about this moment for years.
Today, I’d like to share another of my family’s favourite granola recipes. Filled with hazelnuts, pecans, cranberries and chocolatey goodness, this granola is perfect for this season.
My garden is bordered by cob nut trees, and this year they produced the most amazing crop. I made a deal with the squirrels whereby I would collect nuts from the low hanging branches, and they could have the rest. They then got to work, burying nuts all over my lawn and flower beds, and in my plant pots. Invariably they forget where they’ve buried them and we end up with nut trees growing literally everywhere!
Once they’ve matured, cob nuts are very similar in taste and texture to hazelnuts, so I put them to good use in recipes, like this granola!
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Lil’ L loves home-made granola, especially when it’s formed into clusters. It’s so easy to make. You simple press down the mixture as if you’re making a thin granola bar then, once completely cooled, you break it into clusters.
As well as oats, I Iove to add buckwheat into the granola which adds some lovely crunch as well as more great nutrients. The name ‘buckwheat’ is pretty misleading as it’s actually a fruit seed and doesn’t contain any wheat at all! It is a good source of protein, dietary fibre, antioxidant phytonutrients, B vitamins and minerals. In the UK, buckwheat is currently available in some of the larger supermarkets (Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado), health food stores and online.
Our favourite sweetener for granola is maple syrup. This adds a delicious caramel-like sweetness, rather than a ‘sugary’ flavour. I use Clarks Original Maple Syrup, which is a blend of maple and carob syrups. It’s widely available in the UK, and a fair bit cheaper than pure maple syrup. I really like its flavour and consistency, which is slightly thicker than the pure grade syrup.
These granola clusters make wonderful breakfasts, snacks and desserts. For breakfast, we like to serve them with plant milk or non-dairy yogurt. For an omega-3 boost, I often add a light sprinkling of ground linseed and finely chopped walnuts before serving. I also sprinkle in a few extra cranberries to brighten up the bowl.
Layered with yogurt and fresh or frozen fruits, the clusters also make a delicious dessert or after-school snack. They look really fancy yet take literally seconds to throw together!
Chocolate Granola Clusters with Hazelnuts, Pecans and Dried Cranberries
These granola clusters make a wonderful breakfast, snack or dessert. For a fancy treat, layer up the granola with yogurt and fruits to make a parfait. Despite taking only seconds to prepare, it looks really beautiful and is bound to impress family and friends!
100g/ ½ cup raw buckwheat(or you can substitute with more oats)
30g/ 4 TBSP cocoa powder
30g/ 3 TBSP coconut sugar or unrefined caster sugar
¼tspsalt
75g/ ½ cup hazelnutsroughly chopped
65g/ ½ cup pecansroughly chopped
70g/ ½ cup dried cranberries(preferably sweetened with fruit juice)
150ml/ ½ cup maple syrup*
2tspvanilla extract
45g/ 3 TBSP virgin coconut oilmelted
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 150C (130C fan) / 300F. Line a large baking tray (38 x 26cm / 15 x 10 inches) with non-stick baking paper. If your coconut oil is solid, place in the oven in a heat-proof bowl for a couple of minutes until it has liquefied. Be careful when removing the bowl as it will be very hot!
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, buckwheat, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Stir in the nuts. You can also stir in the cranberries at this stage or, if you'd like to preserve their vibrant colour, add them to the granola once it's baked.
Pour in the maple syrup and vanilla extract, and stir until all the grains become coated and shiny. Add the coconut oil and stir until thoroughly combined. Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared baking tray. Press down firmly with a silicone spatula so that the mixture sticks together as if you were making a thin granola bar.
Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. (The granola will firm up as it cools). Once completely cooled, break up the granola. The clusters from the centre of the tray may still feel a little soft when fresh baked but I find they firm up and become crunchy over time. Stored in an airtight container in a cool place, the granola will last for weeks.
Notes
*I use Clark’s Original Maple Syrup which is blended with carob fruit syrup. It’s much cheaper than pure maple syrup and I really like its flavour!
If you make this granola, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media and they will find their way to me. You can also connect with me on my social media channels here:Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
Today I have a delicious treat for you that takes only five minutes to prepare…
Maple Glazed Nuts ♥
These taste SO good! And they’re packed with lots of nutty goodness.
I’ve just made a fresh batch as a treat for Lil’ L and his friend when they get home from school. I’m also going to bag some up for Mark to take out on his mountain bike rides this weekend.
As well as making a great post-school and exercise snack, they’re also the perfect snack to munch on at work to keep your energy levels up.
Be warned though, they are addictive and they will test your will power! If (like me) you’re tempted to devour the whole lot in one go, I suggest bagging it up into individual size portions and hiding them.
2 cups of nuts (I use a mix of raw walnut halves, pecans and whole roasted almonds*)
4 tbsp maple syrup (I use Clark’s Original Maple Syrup, which is a mix of maple and carob syrup. It tastes great but is much cheaper than pure maple syrup)
sea salt, optional
* You will often find that nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts are cheaper in Asian grocery stores or in the World aisles of large supermarkets. Currently, a 750g bag of Aasani Almonds costs £5 in Tesco.
Method
1. Preheat a dry frying pan (skillet) on a medium-high heat.
2. Add the nuts and dry fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the maple syrup and continue stirring for about 3 minutes, until the nuts are fully coated and the syrup has caramelised and become very sticky.
3. Space out the nuts on a piece of non stick baking paper. If you like the sweet and salty combo, lightly sprinkle the nuts with salt as soon as they have left the pan. As they cool, the nuts will firm up, become shiny, and not sticky at all. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
