Who doesn’t love receiving from-scratch granola? Dried cherries, hazelnuts, and cacao nibs give this version a luxurious appeal and show recipients you truly care about helping them start the day in a healthy way.
3 cups (750 mL) rolled oats
1/2 cup (125 mL) walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup (80 mL) hemp hearts
1/2 tsp (2 mL) kosher salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cardamom
1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup, preferably dark grade
1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil, melted
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
3/4 cup (180 mL) unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup (125 mL) hazelnuts, halved
3/4 cup (180 mL) dried cherries or dried cranberries
1/4 cup (60 mL) cacao nibs
Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).
In large bowl, toss together oats, walnuts, hemp hearts, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. In separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add maple syrup mixture to oats and stir until everything is moist.
Turn mixture out onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet and spread out into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes; remove pan from oven and stir in coconut flakes and hazelnuts. Return to oven and bake until granola is fragrant and golden, 18 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Be careful that the oats don’t burn. Stir in dried cherries and cacao nibs. Let cool completely and then divide among wide-mouth jars.
Makes enough for 3 to 4 gifts.
Each 1/2 cup (125 mL) serving contains: 384 calories; 6 g protein; 17 g total fat (13 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 35 g total carbohydrates (13 g sugars, 8 g fibre); 103 mg sodium
source: "Love Bites", alive #386, December 2014
While sablefish’s texture and fat content stand up admirably to the heat of the grill, this firm fish is also delicious poached. For this recipe, sablefish’s luxurious taste is combined with a light fragrant broth of lemongrass and ginger punctuated with the heat of Thai chili. Sustainability status Sablefish, also known as butterfish or black cod, is a rich and satisfying fish, plentiful in omega-3s and sourced sustainably from the Pacific Northwest. Skin and bones Sablefish has large pin bones. Ideally, your fishmonger will remove them, but if not, before you begin, locate them along the fish’s centreline and, using a pair of needle nose pliers, grasp them firmly to remove. You can leave the skin on for this recipe, which may help the fish hold together a little better while cooking, but it can be tricky to peel the skin away from the cooked fish and discard before plating. I opted to remove the skin first and simply keep a close eye on the cooking time, being careful to remove the fish from the poaching liquid before it flakes apart.
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The delicate flavour of shrimp is highlighted with just a touch of lemon and a hint of mustard, while radish and celery give some fresh crunch to this dish. Eat it in lettuce cups, on top of greens, or served on whole grain bread for a filling snack. Sustainability status Both wild and farmed shrimp can be sustainable depending on where they’re caught and how they’re raised. See our article “Sea Change” for more information about choosing ethical shrimp.