Nothing says autumn like a Sweet Potato Casserole. Except if you’re Canadian, that is. You see, we don’t do sweet potato casserole. And we don’t do that green bean thingy either.

Seriously, when I was 25 a friend moved to St. Louis for a year. She returned and regaled us with tales of Thanksgiving Dinner. I was like, “Really? A can of this and a can of that and a can of those. And you eat it? Wait! Wait! Wait! You put the marshmallows where?”

It was several years before my family and I moved to Florida and I had the chance to try these exotic dishes for myself. Having lived here for awhile, I can now say that I don’t mind them. Or at least, they no longer seem weird to me. But, because I didn’t grow up eating them, because my taste buds don’t tingle with nostalgia for those particular combinations, I have no qualms about changing things up and riffing on the classics.

This dish is a healthified version of Sweet Potato Casserole that substitutes granola for the marshmallows and lets you choose how much sugar you want in the dish. Serve it alongside your turkey and green bean concoction or have it with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Oh, and hey, if you’re like me and you think sweet potatoes shouldn’t be reserved for Thanksgiving, this casserole makes a satisfying meatless main course for fall weeknights: Add extra nuts for a protein kick, omit the maple syrup, cut back on the sugar and serve it with a salad of bitter greens dressed in a lime vinaigrette. That’s what we had for dinner last night and you know what? It turns out this Canadian loves Sweet Potato Casserole after all.

Sweet Potato Crumble Casserole

This twist on the classic Sweet Potato Casserole has a touch of lime and of ginger giving it a subtle tropical feel. If you want more of the tropics, double the ginger and substitute more lime juice for the water. The ranging amounts of maple syrup and of brown sugar are there so that you can decide how sweet you’d like the casserole to be.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Sweet Potatoes cut into small little ½ inch dice
• 0 to 4 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp Water
• 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
• ½ tsp salt, divided
• 1-1/2 tsp ground Ginger, divided
• ½ cup Unsalted Butter
• ½ to ¾ cup packed Brown Sugar
• ¾ cup Flour
• 1-½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Crunchy Coconut Granola or Honey Almond Granola
• 3 ounces Bob’s Red Mil Pecan Halves, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp Baking Soda

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a 9×13” cake pan or a 2.5 quart shallow casserole dish combine the sweet potatoes, maple syrup (if using), water, lime juice, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¾ teaspoon of the ginger.

Put the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and warm it for 20 seconds at a time until it is completely melted. While the butter is melting, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, being sure to include the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¾ teaspoon of ginger. Add the melted butter and stir until everything is moistened.

Stir the sweet potatoes again just to make sure that they’re well-bathed in juices. Scatter the butter mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes and then use your hands to press down all over so that the topping holds together. Lick some buttery topping off of your fingers and then wash your hands.

© 2012 Christine Pittman. All Rights Reserved.

There is something wonderfully satisfying about making granola. Each time I make a batch, I feel like I’ve accomplished something significant for the day. Maybe it’s because those tasty little pre-made bags are so expensive and I just whipped up a batch for less than half the price. Maybe it’s that I know I’m not loading mine up with heavy sugar binders so I can feel a little more self-righteous when I eat it. Or, maybe it’s that the last time I told a guy I make my own granola he asked, “Seriously? Are you married?”

I can always use a little more satisfaction in my life so the truth is I’ve become a bit addicted to making my own granola. Flavor combos float through my dreams at night, ingredients dance on the supermarket shelves, and nothing seems too wild right now (wasabi, anyone?).

With that in mind, I was thrilled when Bob’s Red Mill threw some chia seeds my way and challenged me to whip up something new. It didn’t take long for me to know where those tiny omega-3 packed seeds where headed — into a batch of granola. Chocolately, lightly sweetened, and with just a kick of heat, this granola has become an instant hit amongst my taste-testers/friends/neighbors/doormen. I hope you’ll find it, and the process of making it, deliciously satisfying, too.

Cocoalicious Granola with Chia Seeds

You will need:

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• ½ cup Agave Nectar
• 1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon
• ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper*
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Chia Seeds**
• 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats***
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Unsweetened Flaked Coconut
• ½ tsp coarse ground Sea Salt
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Raw Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)

Cooking Instructions:

1)     Preheat oven to 350°.

2)     In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil and agave nectar.

3)     Stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. Mix to combine.

4)     Add chia seeds and stir to combine.

5)     Add the rolled oats, coconut and sea salt. Stir until oats and coconut are well coated with the spiced agave mixture.

6)     Spread out evenly on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

7)     Bake 20 minutes.

8)     Remove from oven and toss the granola with the pepitas.

9)     Let cool.

Notes:

Serve with fruit and your favorite mylk or milk. I love mine with sliced banana and horchata (a delicious cinnamon rice milk beverage.) I hear it is also quite tasty added to yogurt.

* ½ teaspoon of cayenne adds some recognizable heat. If you’re sensitive to spice, cut back to ¼ teaspoon. I love me some spicy and add cayenne to my morning drink so my heat index runs a little high. For some taste testers, ¼ teaspoon was just the right amount of heat.

**Why chia seeds? And where did they come from? Well turns out these itty bitty seeds are for more than just sprouting hair on your Chia Pet. From a flowering plant in the mint family, these tiny seeds, common in Mexico and Latin America, are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Bonus — they offer up a good dose of fiber, protein, calcium and iron, too. They remind me of tiny tapioca pearls because when wet, they get a little gelatinous covering to them. Don’t let that throw you. I find them quite delicious and toss them in smoothies, bake with them as an egg substitute, and even sprinkle them on salads.

***[Editor's Note]: If you don’t need to be gluten free, regular rolled oats will work just fine in this recipe.

A health and cooking coach specializing in food allergies, Marisa Voorhees (aka: The Food-Sensitive Foodie) helps individuals and families navigate the challenges of learning to live with food sensitivities, allergies, and intolerances. She believes that food allergies can feel limiting but no one should live in a tasteless, solitary world. Life is too delicious for that. Follow along on her journey of living a delicious life with food allergies at marisavoorhees.com where she blogs and offers inspiration, recipes, and ideas that are delicious…and also happen to be gluten and dairy-free.

We’re celebrating the tiny wonder-seed Chia all month long. This wonderful recipe comes from Brandi of Bran Appetit. Brandi Evans is the writer, taste tester, and dish washer at BranAppetit! Of her blog, Brandi says, “This blog is my cooking outlet, a place where I can share what’s going on in our kitchen and our lives. A self-taught cook, I try my best to make delicious homemade food, with a healthier spin. Equally fueled by local food, fresh baked bread, and homemade desserts, we eat often and we eat well.” We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Cherry Almond Chia Granola
Makes: About 4.5 cups granola

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 1 cup Buckwheat Groats
• ½ cup Quinoa, uncooked
• 1/3 cup Chia Seeds
• 1 cup sliced Almonds
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• ¼ cup Maple Syrup
• ¼ cup neutral Oil (safflower, coconut, or canola work well)
• 1 cup dried Tart Cherries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225°F degrees.
2. Place the oats, buckwheat groats, quinoa, chia seeds, almonds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and toss together.
3. Pour the vanilla, maple syrup, and oil over the granola mixture and stir to combine, making sure that the oil and maple syrup has coated everything.
4. Spread the granola onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet and bake at 225 for 60-90 minutes until the granola is toasted and crunchy.
5. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
6. Break apart and toss together with the dried cherries before serving.

Have you tried our new granola?  After feedback from customers concerning taste and texture of our granolas, we came up with a new formula and introduced new flavors, including Honey Oat Granola!  You can eat this right out of the bag for a quick snack, or serve it as a cold breakfast cereal.  Adding nuts and seeds with increase the protein content and adding fruit will increase the yum factor.  You can also try this parfait recipe which layers granola, fruit and yogurt and more for a pleasing start of the day.

Fruit, Granola & Yogurt Parfait

• 1/2 cup Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
• 1/4 cup Fat Free Cream Cheese
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Kiwifruit, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 1 Medium Banana, sliced
• 1 Medium Orange, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen Berries, thawed and drained
• 1 cup Honey Oat Granola

In a small mixing bowl combine the yogurt, cream cheese, honey and cinnamon. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed till combined; chill. In a small bowl, stir together fruit. Divide one-third of the fruit mixture among 4 parfait glasses or wine goblets. Spoon about half of each of the cream cheese mixture and granola atop fruit; repeat layers. Top with remaining third of fruit. Serve immediately.  Makes 4 servings.

For most people, summer inevitably means travel. Whether it’s a day trip to the coast, a two-week excursion into the back country, or a quick weekend trip to a family gathering, it is more likely than not that you will need to eat on the go at some point in the coming months. If you’re like me, this means a frustrating attempt to find something at a convenience store or airport to eat that is remotely healthy and satisfying (and, in my case, vegetarian). If you have a major food allergy or celiac disease, that effort is magnified and may result in nothing safe to eat at all and then what do you do?

No matter where your path takes you this summer, make sure you take along some healthy snacks.

I’m pretty good about packing some snacks, but have been looking for more ideas so I asked our Facebook friends what they liked to pack when they were planning a trip. They had some really good ideas that I’m including here, along with some of my own.

• Fresh Fruit: an easy, delicious snack that requires pretty much no preparation and comes with it’s own biodegradable container. For a real treat, slice apples before you leave and sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice to keep ‘em crisp. Then, pack some peanut or almond butter in a small container for dipping.
• Mixed Nuts and Trail Mix: perfect high-protein snack that provides nutrition and satisfying crunch while delivering fuel to keep you full for hours.
• Cold Grain Salads: If you have a cooler with you, these salads will last even longer. Most, as long as they don’t use mayo, eggs or cheese, will last most of the day without causing any issues. This is my go-to (made with whole wheat couscous, of course) and we have many, many more on our website to inspire.  What I love about these is that they’re usually enough to pull my mind from whatever junk food option is tantalizing me.
• Hummus and Vegetables: another high-protein, low fat snack that delivers on the flavor.
• Cheese: if you can do dairy, cheese is a great way to enjoy something decadent while on the go. You can go super simple with string cheese or buy a fancy brie to enjoy with sliced pears or crusty french bread.
• Dried Fruit: a great snack for when the sweet tooth attacks.
• Granola: love eating our new granola straight from the bag when I’m traveling. The whole grains keep you full and the sweetness feels utterly sinful!

Some extra tips for folks with severe food allergies or gluten intolerance:

• Make sandwiches to take along. Having a safe, gluten free sandwich might mean the difference between eating and going hungry. Plus, knowing where it was made and what was put on it will ease any fears about allergen cross contamination. Why make a trip any more stressful?
• Gluten free crackers like  Mary’s Gone Crackers make for great snacks. Bring along some sliced meat, cheese or spread to make them even more exciting.
• Visit a site like Gluten Free Registry or Allergy Eats to find places on your trip that will provide safe, delicious meals.

What other snacks or tips do you have for eating well on the go? Tell us in the comments, we’d love to have even more ideas for making this the best travel season yet!

We recently announced our Gluten Free Top 10 recipe list. Today, we give you our Conventional Top 10 recipe list. This is a diverse list of recipes compiled from our most popular conventional recipes and we think you’ll just eat them up!

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Oatmeal Cookies with Whole Wheat

Homemade Granola

Scottish Buttermilk Oat Scones

Banana Cake

Whole Grain Power Bars

High Fiber 7 Grain & Bran Bread

Bran Flax Muffins

Textured Vegetable Protein Burgers

Bob’s Favorite Scottish Oatcakes

April, Autism Awareness Month, took on a deeper meaning for me when my father married his high-school sweetheart, five years ago.

While both of my father’s children were grown and gone by the time these long-lost lovebirds had found their way back to each other, his bride had two children who were still at home; the youngest of whom happens to be Autistic.  My father quickly adopted both children and, while I wish we had more time to spend with my adopted siblings, through conversation, letters and the occasional (very brief) direct conversation with my sweet sister, I have grown very fond of her and her magnificent ways.

When Bob’s Red Mill announced that they were seeking guest bloggers for a special, Autism Awareness event being held throughout this month, I knew right away that I wanted to take part.

I started my blog after years and years of having friends, family and relative strangers, upon learning of my child’s milk allergy, ask me how I cope. ‘How do you make this?’ ‘How do you do that?’

These questions only increased when I became dedicated to a gluten-free lifestyle after having been diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

Gluten free and dairy free living, more specifically, a gluten-free, casein-free diet, has shown to benefit everything from celiac patients (like me) to those affected by learning disorders such as ADD, ADHD, and is gaining firm recognition as an alternative treatment for autism (http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm).  Being able to offer a central location where I can openly share my gluten-free and dairy-free creations is certainly a blessing.

But after months of being dedicated to a gluten-free/dairy-free lifestyle, I found myself wondering “how can I live without oatmeal?!?”  I knew there must be a way to find gluten-free oats, as oats themselves contain no gluten, they simply are among the more prominent grains that are grown right beside wheat or processed on the same equipment other glutinous grains have been processed on.

So, I asked a friend.  The mother of a young man who was diagnosed with celiac disease, more than 10 years ago,  when he was just an infant.  Right away, she spoke of Bob’s Red Mill and their wonderful Certified Gluten-Free oatmeal products.  Ever since, I have relied heavily on Bob’s Red Mill Certified Gluten-Free Rolled and Steel-Cut Oats to feed my family.

It is because of their commitment to quality, their separate processing facilities and dedicated gluten-free farming standards that I trust Bob’s Red Mill Oats like no one else.

Tonight, I would love to share with you my family’s favorite granola recipe, which features Bob’s Red Mill Oats.  This hearty dish is easy to make, free of processed sugars, full of fiber, protein and rich nutrients.  Eat dry or paired with your favorite dairy-free milk or yogurt, this granola makes a wonderful breakfast anyone would be proud to serve.

Nutty Granola (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan)

• 4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Certified GF Rolled Oats
• 1 cups Dried Cranberries
• ¼ cup Chia Seeds (whole)
• ¼ cup Flax Seeds (whole)
• ½ cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
• ½ cup Raw Pumpkin Seeds
• 2 cup Mixed Raw Nuts (any combination of Cashews, Slivered Almonds, Pecans, Walnuts, Almonds)
• ½ cup Coconut Oil, melted
• ½ cup Agave Nectar
• ½ cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 300F.  In large bowl, mix together GF Oats, Cranberries, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, Unsweetened Coconut, Pumpkin Seeds and Raw Nuts.  Set Aside.  In medium mixing bowl, whisk together melted Coconut Oil, Agave Nectar, Apple Sauce, Vanilla Extract and Cinnamon.  Using a wooden spoon, slowly add wet ingredients to dry mix, stirring dry mix constantly to ensure even coverage.  Move granola mix to large parchment lined baking pan.

Bake at 300f, stirring every 15 minutes until golden brown, approximate 45 min.

Enjoy!

Makes 10 generous servings.

Great blessings and happy bellies to you!

SunnyB

www.andloveittoo.com

Chewy and delicious, these whole grain cookies are dangerous!

With the release of Bob’s Red Mill new granolas, the bakery decided to include one of them in our monthly special. Using the new and improved Bob’s Red Mill Apple Blueberry Granola, we constructed a deliciously satisfying cookie. The addition of our dried blueberries, diced dried apples and roasted hazelnuts make for a filling treat. The following recipe is versatile with all of our granolas too! Maybe the new Cinnamon Raisin granola is what you crave? Just substitute the granolas and add ½ cup raisins, chocolate chips or dried apricots? Try it and have fun!

If you’re looking to cut sugar, this recipe performs well with up to half of the sugar. This reduction will result in a slightly lighter color. Come on down to the Whole Grain Store and try one of our new granolas and don’t forget a 6-pack of these tasty cookies for only $4.99!

Apple Blueberry Granola Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Butter, softened
• ¾ cup Sugar
• ¾ cup packed Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 ¾ cup Bob’s Red Mill Apple Blueberry Granola
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill All Natural Dried Blueberries
• ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Diced Dried Apples
• ½ cup chopped roasted Hazelnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
4. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into the creamed mixture.
5. Finally, stir in the granola, dried fruits, and nuts.
6. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are lightly browned around the edges.
8. Remove cookies to wire racks and allow to cool completely.

Enjoy this whole grain treat!

A note from Cassidy: These cookies are divine! We were the lucky recipients of a box a few days ago and they disappeared immediately. I love the chewy texture and the cookie itself reminds me of a fun twist on the traditonal oatmeal cookie.

Since we had two giveaways running at the same time, I’m going to announce the winners in one post. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Winners get one each of our new granolas!

Granola Prize Packs

It was so fun to read who you would share your granola with (don’t worry, we won’t hold you to it). I will contact all winners via email to get their shipping information and I will select another winner from our entries if I don’t hear from them within a week. Here we go… (some folks only put down a first name, so I’m using parts of their email to distinguish them)

1. Christine Toscano Stafford
2. Chrstine Bobbish
3. Salina Vannoy
4. Tom (delesseria)
5. Kristen Hansen
6. Carla (elphaba)
7. Bryan Geary
8. Candi Murray
9. Jean @ Delightful Repast
10. Jacqueline (womenfest)

Babycakes Covers the Classics and Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

We really enjoyed reading what desserts you find most daunting to make gluten free. I can’t promise they are ALL in this book, but there are many that were on the list- such as whoopie pies, donuts and Hammentaschen.

1. Hannah Kane
2. Jackie Casey Millsap
3. Willow Burke

Once again, I’ll contact winners by email and will select new winners if I do not hear back within a week. Thank you for participating! I have loads of other great stuff to giveaway, so keep checking back for more ways to win!

Let me rephrase that… Introducing Two New Granolas and Two Reformulated Granolas! Yes, we’ve been working in our product development lab again which means we’ve got some new things to share with you.

We have always loved our granola, but over the years we have become disappointed with its lack of crunchy clusters and slightly embarrassed by its ingredients (read: maltodextrin). We wanted a clean ingredient list that we could bring home to our grandmothers and, gosh darn it, we wanted crunchy clusters to mix in our yogurt! We’ve spent the last few years tweaking and perfecting our granola until we came up with four granolas that we would feel confident entering in the state fair.

What did we do to make these granolas outshine their previous selves? First, we cleaned up the ingredient list a bit to use things like honey and molasses instead of maltodextrin. Second, we changed the equipment to allow for larger clumps of granola and prevent the clumps from jostling too much and crumbling apart. Finally, we decided to add two brand-new flavors to make these granolas even more irresistible—Cinnamon Raisin and Honey Oat (my personal fav). The two flavors we reformulated to be even more delicious are our Natural and our Apple Blueberry Granola.

These new granolas are available on our website (on sale for the month of April) and will start appearing on store shelves in the coming months. I wish I could say they were gluten-free, but I can’t. Rest assured, gluten free folks, we have something special in the works for you and hope to introduce it this fall.

We want to share our love for these new products by offering you a chance to be among the first to try them. I’m giving away four packages of granola- one of each flavor- to 10 lucky winners! AND I’m going to make it easy on you to enter.

How to Enter:

Four packages of granola is A LOT of granola, so all you need to do to enter is leave a comment here  on the blog or on our facebook page and tell me ONE person that you would share this prize pack with and why. I’m not going to tell you how you should share it, but it seems to me that everyone knows someone who would love a package of granola. I’ll select 10 entries by random selection from all of those who enter by 04/15/11 at midnight. I’ll announce winners on 04/18.