Peanut Butter Granola

Hi Everyone,

I’ve been so excited to post about the Foodie Penpal program sponsored by The Lean Green Bean.  This month I had to send my package to Casey of Daily Dose of F.I.T.  She eats clean, so I had to really put on my thinking cap to come up with goodies that I thought she would like.  You’ll just have to check out her blog to see what I gave her.

For me, I hit the jackpot with the goodies I received.  I received a big box of goodies from Elizabeth of Don’t (White)Sugar-Coat It.  I swear this girl knows me, I got lots of peanut butter goodies, sweet potato chips, pumpkin pasta, chocolate protein powder, which I plan on using in a smoothie that Elizabeth suggested.

She also sent a wonderful Biscotti from a  local bakery.  I ate like 3 as soon as I got them, but I had to stop myself so I can put them in the picture. They were a wonderful hazelnut and orange biscotti!  Oh man were they good!!  I want more of them!!  I love biscotti and don’t make it as often as I should.  Maybe tonight I should kind of whip up a batch?

She also sent a local magazine of eating in Boston.  It’s a great little magazine and really makes me want to visit Boston.  I was there once, but only for a day, it’s so pretty there.  Thank you Elizabeth for all the wonderful treats.  I ate almost everything and I plan on making a wonderful sage sauce for the pumpkin pasta.  I wanted to do it sooner, but I never got a chance, but I will soon and post the recipe.  Thank you again!  I LOVED everything!

If your interested in joining the Foodie Penpal program, and no you don’t need to have a food blog to join.  Here’s some information.

On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

If you’re interested in participating for March, please send  an email to Lindsay at theleangreenbean@gmail.com and include the following information:
-Your full name
-Your email address
-Your blog name/address
-Your twitter handle (if applicable)
–WHETHER YOU ARE A US RESIDENT OR CANADIAN RESIDENT. – this is SUPER important so you get on the right list!

You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!

***PLEASE NOTE: if you send an email, you WILL GET A RESPONSE within 48 hours. If you don”t….please re-send your email or contact Lindsay via Twitter (@LeanGrnBeanBlog). Last month we had a few emails get lost as spam so we’re trying to avoid that!

You should join the program, it’s so fun getting a package every month.  Something new a different!  I love this and so glad I joined!

Now for my addiction that I feed this weekend!  Oh boy, why haven’t I done this sooner, I’ll never know?  I made Peanut Butter Granola and oh man is it good!  Almost tastes like Cracker Jacks to me.  I really can’t believe I didn’t make this sooner, that’s so crazy.  What is up with that???

This granola is clumpy, sweet and has a wonderful peanut butter flavor.  I made this will Trader Joe’s Rolled Oats, and Trader Joe’s Honey Roasted Peanuts and my homemade peanut butter.  I used my Cinnamon Apple Peanut Butter recipe, but instead of Cinnamon Apple Maple Syrup I used regular Maple Syrup.  I buy jarred Peanut Butter for baking, but nothing, I tell ya, nothing beats homemade peanut butter.  Have you tried to make some yet?  So easy, so rewarding and so delish!!

I just have to show you the clumps.  The clumps are my favorite part.  The key to good clumps is to bake the granola for 30 minutes then flip for another 15 minutes and therefore you get clumps.  If you don’t like the clumps, then flip every 15 minutes during cooking time.

He he I get all gitty when it comes to granola.  I have quite an addiction to granola and I stopped making it for about a month because I was consuming too much, but realized my weight didn’t go down without having granola in my life, so it’s back and I am so happy for that.  Oh granola, how I missed you so.

My favorite things to do with granola besides eating by the handful is making a yogurt parfait.  I have a parfait every night for dessert, it’s my favorite snack.  I use plain greek yogurt, fresh blueberries, fresh strawberries, a dollop of peanut butter, sometimes I add jam and I always top with granola.  Look how pretty.

Wow, that pink really reflects!  Ok, I just have to show you the top before I give you the recipe.  You see the peanut butter peeking through.

Peanut Butter Granola

Dry Ingredients:

• 5 cups of rolled oats or old fashion oatmeal (not instant)
• 2 Cups of Puffed Cereal – I used Arrowmills Puffed Kamut
• 3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp of ground flax
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp brown rice syrup
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp applesauce, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup un packed brown sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the wet ingredients. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a very large mixing bowl, Mix together the dry ingredients.

Add the wet mixture, while it’s still warm over top the dry mixture and stir well. It will be very thick and hard to stir, but keep at it until everything is thoroughly combined.

Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick mat and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and give the granola a good stir to ensure even baking.  Place bake in oven and bake for more 15 minutes.

Allow to cool for 20-25 minutes on the pan before serving ( I just turn off the oven and open the over door and let it sit in there till I’m ready to put it away). The granola will stiffen up as it cools.

Enjoy!!

Bake time 45 minutes:  Makes 10 cups

Serving size is 20 1/2 cup servings

Calories per half cup:  184,  Fat:  7.5,  Cholesterol:  0,  Sodium:  39,  Potassium:  62,  Carbs:  25,  Fiber:  3.6,  Sugar:  .9,  Protein:  6

This post if getting long and I don’t want to bore you and besides I want a bowl of yogurt, so I am leaving.  Think about joining the Foodie Penpal program!!  Have a great day!!!