Remember that amazing 5-minute skillet granola we showed you earlier this week? Not only are we sharing the recipe today, but how to seasonally use it with a Fresh Strawberry Parfait Bowl. That's right, it's a two-for-one. As if that weren't enough, keep reading for the most amazing Strawberry-Rhubarb Mint Spritzer recipe that you can make ahead of time and share with friends at your next summer event.
Let's get right to it!
Earlier this week, if you follow Cultivate on Facebook (if you don't, now is the time), you'll have seen pictures of how blown away I was to learn that you can cook a full batch of granola in a skillet in minutes. In addition to its ease, it's also completely customizable. The version I'm showing you today customized with pepitas, coconut, dried cranberries, and hemp seeds. I want to share this incredible staple with you in hopes that it makes your morning routine, or snack time dilemma a little easier to figure out and a bit quicker.
Simple Skillet Granola
Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 cups (Gluten-free) rolled oats
1/4 cup raw pepitas
3 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
3 tbsp dried cranberries
Directions:
Heat coconut oil and maple syrup in a skillet on meduim until it begins to bubble. Add oats and pepitas and reduce to medium low. Using a wooden spoon (doesn't stick as much), stir until incorperated and it begins to lightly turn golden. Turn the heat to low and add shredded coconut, dried cranberries, and hemp seeds. Stir for an additional 30 seconds and pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to cool for storage. Feel free to eat as soon as it's cool to preference or cool overnight in the fridge. Store in a mason jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Simple, delicious, and for our family of 4 and 1/2 it gives us a full meal and a snack for both kiddos.
How to use it, you may ask?
Fresh Strawberry Parfait Bowl:
When the strawberry harvest starts rolling in, the incredible sweetness of fresh strawberries meshes beautifully with the crunch of granola and the creaminess of your favorite yogurt.
Simply take 1/3 cup of your Simple Skillet Granola and sprinkle it over a generous portion of your favorite unsweetened yogurt. Top with fresh, sliced strawberries and enjoy as breakfast, a midday snack at work, or even dessert with a drizzle of honey on top after dinner.
Now that you've begun your day on a nutritious, delicious, and seasonal foot (you feel like you can conquer the world already, don't you?) let's focus on a refreshing summer drink sure to please the masses.
In tandem with the bountiful strawberry harvest each year grows rhubarb. If you're not familiar with rhubarb, the leaves look like they would be the most likely edible part of the plant. However, do not eat them. The gastrointestinal effects of rhubarb leaves are not pleasant. Instead, use the stalks and discard the leaves somewhere your animals will not sneak into.
A classic combination, strawberry and rhubarb find themselves together in many recipes. Fresh and tart, alongside juicy and sweet. What could be better? This fantastic combination in refreshment form, that's how. One of the best parts of this particular version is it's low glycemic index. Using monk fruit lessens both the sweetness and the body's response to sugar. Unsweetened seltzer is refreshing without adding to the sugar content. If you omit the gin, this is a low calorie, low sugar summer option for a BBQ or family dinner. Here is one of our seasonal takes on this dynamic duo:
Strawberry-Rhubarb Mint Spritzer:
Serves: 2
Ingredients:
For the Rhubarb Simple Syrup:
4 rhubarb stalks, cleaned & chopped into 1" pieces
2 cups water
3/4 cup monk fruit
For the Mashed Strawberries & Mint:
6 fresh strawberries chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh mint
1 juicy lime
For the Spritzer:
1 can lime seltzer water, unsweetened
2 strawberries, sliced almost fully through
1 stalk rhubarb, cut in two
2 oz gin (optional)
Directions:
Make the Simple syrup by boiling 2 cups water in a pot, add the chopped rhubarb and let simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add monk fruit. Stir untilt he monk fruit dissolves and let cool. Pour through a fine mesh seive. Store in a small mason jar for up to two weeks in the fridge. This is make about 4-6 drinks depending on the size. Feel free to eat the leftover stewed rhubarb, although it may be a little sweet.
Place the chopped strawberries, mint, and lime juice in the bottom of a mortar & pestle and mash until the reamaining consistently is mostly liquid.
Pour ice into two 8 oz glasses. Add 1 oz rhubarb simple syrup to each glass, followed by 1 oz gin (if using) in each glass. Then scoop the mashed strawberries and mint equally into both glasses. Top with 1/2 can lime seltzer water, and garnish with a stick of rhubarb and an almost-sliced strawberry. Enjoy!
Two recipes (three, really). Minimal time spent. Customizable. This is the stuff of which Summer is made.
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