Maple Mixed Nut Granola

Over the past few weeks Brooke and I have been busier than ever. Between work, renovations and family commitments we have found ourselves eating whenever or whatever we can (well at least I have). As a result I had been craving something a tad bit healthier. Fortunately when Sunday morning came around Brooke had the perfect solution for us which was to make her maple mixed nut granola. Not only is it healthy but it is quick, easy, & delicious! So it ticks all the boxes.

Once you have a taste of this homemade maple mixed nut granola, you won’t even care whether it’s healthy or not. I mean, seriously, its that yum. The crunchy texture of this granola will have you nibbling at it straight away (As Brooke caught me doing on several occasions).

What’s great about this recipe? You can make this granola to your own liking by altering the type of nuts you use. More pecans, less almonds, you can even add dried fruit… it’s up to you. Then just add it to your cereal, yogurt, or some fresh fruit in the morning for a healthy start to the day.

Brooke likes to make granola in large batches as it can be stored in airtight containers – meaning we can snack on it for a few weeks.

If granola is not going to cut it then check out our Spanish baked eggs recipe or Tuscan baked beans recipe.

Maple Mixed Nut Granola IngredientsMaple Mixed Nut Granola BowlMaple Mixed Nut GranolaBaked Maple Mix Nut GranolaMaple Mixed Nut Granola with Milk

Maple mixed nut granola – Recipe Instructions

5.0 from 1 reviews
Maple Mixed Nut Granola
 
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Maple Mixed Nut Granola. Not only is it healthy but it is quick, easy, & delicious! So it ticks all the boxes.
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup chopped almonds
  • ¼ cup chopped macadamia nuts
  • ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
  • 5 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, toss together oats, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, salt, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
  2. Spread oat mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool completely.

 

MYO Bruschetta

As you know I love anything snack related and bruschetta has to be one of the most simple and flavour packed snacks (or antipasto) you can make. Normally Brooke and I would make traditional bruschetta recipe with tomato, onion, basil and drizzled with olive oil. However on this lazy weekend in winter it wasn’t the best time for buying basil.

As a result, we started looking for ingredients and opted for non traditional options including chorizo, feta and kalamata olives to add with some fresh tomato and onion for a make your own bruschetta station. Now some of you may be thinking this doesn’t have any resemblance of bruschetta, however there are no rules to say what you can’t use as your toppings. However, I am sure if you love chorizo as much as me you will not doubt the flavour combinations.

Now unfortunately Brooke isn’t the hugest fan of chorizo (weirdo), so to have a bit of fun with it we created a make your own bruschetta. This meant keeping some of the ingredients separate then, each of us could top ours with more of our favourite toppings.

To start we diced the tomatoes, removing the seeds and mixed with some diced onion. To season we used olive oil and a dash of balsamic for a nice tang. Next we simply crumbled the feta and combined this with some kalamata olives. Lastly we cooked off some chorizo. You want to make sure you cut this small enough so it stays on the bread.

To serve we lightly grilled some bread in the pan to crisp it up a little to act as the perfect carrier for this flavour packed combination.

Looking for other great snack recipes then try savoury muffins recipe or baked feta with chilli recipe.

Bruschetta IngredientsMake Your Own BruschettaBruschetta with Olives, Feta and chorizoBruschetta with chorizo, feta and kalamata olivesClint eating Bruschetta

MYO Bruschetta – Recipe Instructions

MYO Bruschetta
 
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Make Your Own Bruschetta with chorizo, feta and kalamata olives.
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 100 g Feta
  • 4 Tomatoes, diced with seeds removed
  • ¼ red onion, diced
  • 1 chorizo sausage
  • ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives (in half)
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ Tbsp balsamic
  • 1 French stick / baguette
Instructions
  1. Dice the tomatoes and onion, ensuring you remove the seeds from the tomatoes.
  2. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic over the tomato and onion in a small bowl.
  3. Crumble the feta into another bowl, and add in the olives. Be careful not to crumble the feta too much.
  4. Cut the chrizo into pieces, then cook in a preheated fry pan.
  5. To crisp the bread slightly. Toast off in a pan, or cook under the grill till golden brown.
  6. To serve keep elements separate and allow guests to build their own bruschetta.

 

Simple Guacamole Recipe

So here it is… the first ever post on Grab Your Spork. It was a tough decision what our first recipe should be, but we decided that it might be best to start with something easy. Brooke and I like many variations of guacamole, but this simple guacamole recipe is one of our favourites.

Avocados are grown in the South-West part of Western Australia where we live . It’s great when they are in season as we can get some awesome quality avocados at our local farmers markets here in Perth.

This simple guacamole recipe was made with perfectly ripe avocados mixed with fresh chilli, coriander, onion and lime. Guacamole should be made just before serving (where possible) to maintain it’s vibrant colour.

The key to the perfect guacamole recipe is ripe avocados. Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be overripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

If your looking for something to pair with this simple guacamole recipe, then try our tomato salsa recipe.

Simple Guacamole Recipe IngredientsSimple Guacamole Recipe IngredientsSimple Guacamole RecipeSimple Guacamole Recipe with Corn Chips

Simple Guacamole Recipe – Instructions

5.0 from 3 reviews
Simple Guacamole Recipe
 
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This simple guacamole was made with perfectly ripe avocados mixed with fresh chilli, coriander, onion, tomato and lime. Guacamole should be made just before serving where possible so as maintain it's vibrance.
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 3 large ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • ½ jalapeño, seeded and diced
  • ½ large red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 3 tbs. coriander (cilantro) leaves
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Tabasco to taste (Add as much heat as you like)
Instructions
  1. Scoop avocado into a bowl.
  2. Mash with a fork until you have a smooth, chunky texture.
  3. Add lime juice, jalapeño, onion, garlic, coriander (cilantro) leaves, salt and mix gently.
  4. Eat until your heart is content.