Chelsea Harrison4 Comments

Hibiscus Lavender Granola

Chelsea Harrison4 Comments
Hibiscus Lavender Granola

I've been meaning to share this recipe for almost a year now, but somehow it keeps slipping my mind.  When my amazing cousin Eli was packing to hike part of the Appalachian Trail, she asked me to make some granola bars she could take with her.  I put hibiscus on everything because I love its fruity flavor (and the Vitamins and antioxidants don't hurt either) and thought hibiscus bars would be incredible.  Well... never having made granola bars, my attempt was a failure.  They completely fell apart.  But the result was some of the best granola I've ever had and it turned out to be her favorite food on her hike. 

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Hibiscus Lavender Granola


Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1 cup buckwheat groats

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 heaping tbsp cacao nibs

1 tbsp lavender

2 tbsp hibiscus (you can find it in the bulk bins at natural food stores or online)

pinch of salt

tbsp coconut sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp coconut oil


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and coconut oil.Pour into the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. Spread granola in an even layer in a baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Stir the granola and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Store in an airtight container.


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Chelsea Harrison12 Comments

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Porridge

Autumn is undeniably here with its chilly mornings.  And while I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to smoothies, I have been waking up craving warm cooked breakfasts.  One of my favorite breakfast recipes comes from the incredibly talented Sarah Britton of My New Roots.  She is an absolute genius in the kitchen and I've never tried a recipe of hers that I didn't like.  Her pumpkin pie amaranth porridge is incredible and just what I've been in the mood for lately.

Unfortunately, when I am in a hurry in the morning it can be hard to find time to cook a hot breakfast.  So I decided to make my version of Sarah's pumpkin porridge in a slow cooker.  You don't have to stir constantly or wake up early.  Just throw the ingredients in, turn the slow cooker on, and wake up to a hot healthy breakfast.

Chelsea Harrison12 Comments
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Porridge
Chelsea Harrison1 Comment

Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce

Most days I wake up craving fresh fruits and vegetables, raw foods, and earthy flavors. They energize me and leave me feeling pure and on top of the world. But other days…I really miss junk food. That is to say I miss the warm salty flavors and reassuring feelings I get from eating familiar foods. What I don't miss is the inevitable can't-move, bloated, sick feeling that comes along with junk food, not to mention the unseen havoc it causes my digestive and immune systems. 

It was on one of these junkfood-minded days that I came up with this recipe. My perspective is that eating should be fun and intuitive and not about deprivation so when I feel like I need comfort foods, I embrace it. I wanted to make something comforting to satisfy my craving without the heavy feeling and negative repercussions. With this criteria in mind I came up with Vegetable Pockets stuffed with eggplant, mushrooms, cashews and more. It's not quite Indian, not quite Chinese, although it hints at both dumplings and samosas. Usually stuffed foods are wrapped in white flour based pastries or noodles which offer little to no nutritional benefits. White flour also spikes your blood sugar (hello, disease fuel) and is one of the most common triggers for people with food sensitivities. Instead I used rice paper because they are light and gluten free. Rice paper wraps hold everything together without adding much to taste, allowing the vegetable flavors to shine through.

Chelsea Harrison1 Comment
Baked Vegetable Pockets + Orange Peanut Dipping Sauce
Chelsea Harrison5 Comments

Plum Upside-Down Cake

My best friend Emily is an incredible pastry chef.  Unfortunately she lives on the west coast, so I never get to eat her creations.  But after many requests, she has finally started a blog, Whisk & Whittle, so now I can make her recipes myself.  She also sews aprons and her husband-to-be carves wooden spoons and cutting boards that are not to be missed.  So check it out!

After baking her Peach Upside-Down Cake 5 times in the last 6 weeks (no joke), I decided to recreate her recipe with some Naked Fig ingredients. 

Chelsea Harrison5 Comments
Plum Upside-Down Cake
Chelsea Harrison6 Comments

Raw Buckwheat Porridge with Lavender Blueberry Chia Jam

One of the first raw recipes I ever tried was a raw buckwheat porridge.  I really wanted to love it, but I just wasn't sold.  After playing around with the recipe a bit, I've finally come up with one I love.  And the best part of all...it is the simplest recipe I tested.  It is creamy and filling.  And since it is a basic recipe you can easily jazz it up.  Add 2 tsp raw cacao to make it chocolatey.  Or blend in fresh berries for a pink and fruity porridge.  Or if you're like me, you might just like to keep it simple but load it up with fruit. 

Chelsea Harrison6 Comments
Raw Buckwheat Porridge with Lavender Blueberry Chia Jam
Chelsea Harrison3 Comments

Banana Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese and Chocolate Frosting

My best friend Emily of Whisk and Whittle makes this amazing cake with caramelized bananas and Nutella.  If you are in the mood for all the butter, flour, and sugar (which sometimes I am!), her cake is definitely the winner.  But last week I was in the mood for that cake, but I wanted a healthier version. I decided to adapt the recipe from my Maple Pecan Banana Muffins to make a healthy gluten-free/refined sugar-free version. And while it is a different cake experience completely, it turned out great!

Chelsea Harrison3 Comments
Banana Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese and Chocolate Frosting