Favorite Spring Things

We experienced a beautiful Saturday last week, the temperatures were comfortable and the sun was shining. Jack actually mowed the lawns! I bopped around in the garden to weed and prune. As I wandered, I collected a few images of spring emerging for your enjoyment:

A group of bleeding hearts are making an appearance in my front yard. My mom and I love these unusual-looking flowers.

This is a trillium just getting started, I think one of Jack's grass clippings landed on a petal.
And I cliped a Camilla bloom for Jack's mom.

I also have a recipe to share. I have been working on reducing the amount of refined sugar that I consume in an effort to live a little healthier. My friend Becky gave me a Cooking Light recipe for granola that I modified. I love to put this on applesauce and yogurt. It's not a perfect replacement for all of the Girl Scout cookies swarming around the office, but it satisfies my cravings for something sweet. Cast of ingredients with granola.

I couldn't find any dried fruit without added sugar, so I used freeze-dried mango which worked well. I'll be sure to make a special trip to Trader Joe's for fruit and nuts for more variety next time. I replaced the honey and sugar with agave nectar. I've just discovered agave nectar, it is thought to have a low glycemic index.

Behold, my applesauce treat in a fancy dish!

I love the books in the background. There was some organizing going on that day; this picture has a bit of a scholarly look as a result.

Power Granola 2 cups regular oats
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped slivered almonds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon granola into a bowl; stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely.

Note: Store completely cooled granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: About 4 3/4 cups (serving size: about 1/2 cup) CALORIES 196 (31% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.2g,poly 3.3g); IRON 1.5mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 38mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.5g; SODIUM 5mg; PROTEIN 4.1g; FIBER 3.6g Cooking Light, MAY 2005