Vegging Out

It was a crazy busy weekend here. Our Saturday trip to King's Island was awesome but exhausting (although those yummy homemade granola bars helped us through the day!) and Sunday found me in a crazy tidying/organizing/cleaning state. I hadn't planned on anything for lunch, but I did have a yummy plan for a snack, which transitioned into lunch along with a cup of soup I found in my cupboard -- a remnant of my last trip to the UK. That wonderful lunch/snack was.... homemade veggie chips with hummus!

Ok, the hummus was store bought so I can't take credit for that, but the veggie chips were 100 percent natural. I peeled a sweet potato and a parsnip, cut the into thin chip-shaped (or crisp-shaped, depending on where you're reading this from) rounds, seasoned them and baked them until they were good and crispy. They were a hit with the hubby, who was a huge fan of the parsnip chips. I'd planned on making more chips with a rutabaga (swede in England) I bought, but I ran out of room!

Chips pre-baking

Chips post-baking

These were a great alternative to store-bought potato chips -- and a lot healthier too, since I could control what went into the chips. The only seasoning I used was salt and pepper since the hummus was so flavorful, but you could add whatever spices you like -- paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, or whatever floats your boat.

Close-up yumminess

Homemade Veggie Chips

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin slices

1 parsnip, peeled and cut into thin slices

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Throw veggie slices into a lidded container along with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add lid and shake container to coat chips with oil.

Lay chips on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, taking care not to overlap or lay chips on top of each other, which will prevent them from cooking and crisping. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, or until crispy and slightly brown.

Serve chips immediately with your favorite dip. 

Homemade Granola Bars

I love granola. I literally can't have it in the house, or I scarf it down within hours. It's just so yummy and I can't help myself. So when we do have granola, we make it ourselves and I make Ben take most of it with him when he's travelling. We have the most kick ass granola recipe, and I can't even remember where we got it from.

Today we're off out all day, and I hate being out, hungry and surrounded by crappy food. So I decided to attempt to make some granola bars for us to take with us so we don't have to survive on burgers or pizza. It was a total experiment, based on our granola recipe, and it was a huge success!

Giant granola bar, pre-cutting

Once baked and cut, I wrapped each bar in cling film to keep it fresh, then put them all in a Tupperware container. Now all that needs to happen is for me to eat them -- I'm hoping they'll last more than a day!

So very delicious

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil (I used canola oil)

1/4 cup honey (or agave)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ripe banana, mashed

A few handfuls of chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts

A few handfuls of dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

Stir oats, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl.

Mix oil, honey, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add mashed banana and stir to combine.

Pour oil mixture into oat mixture and mix well, using a wooden spoon or your hands. Toss in nuts and dried fruit and mix well.

Pile mixture onto the baking sheet and form into a square, approximately 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the outer oats start to crisp.

Let granola square cool completely, then cut into 10 pieces with a sharp knife. Enjoy!