It’s so quick and yummy. We eat so much of it that we’ve started making it every other week. Having it ready to go makes breakfast a breeze on busy mornings. Oh heck, who am I kidding, it makes it easy on lazy mornings too!

A lot of granola recipes call for old fashioned rolled oats. However, I feel like you have to cook them a lot longer or they stay too chewy. I like mine super crunchy and really fast. Using the 1 minute oats guarantees a quick and crunchy texture.

To get started preheat the oven to 350. Next, pour the oats, and nuts on a large baking sheet and set it aside. Grab a medium sized sauce pan and pour in the vegetable oil and butter. Once the butter melts a bit, add in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Warm on low to medium heat until the brown sugar is dissolved.

Once the sugar is dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla. Give everything a good stir and then pour it over the oat and nut mixture. Stir until everything is combined.

Pop the sheet pan in the oven and let the mixture cook for about 30 mins. Make sure that you stir every 10 mins so that everything has a chance to get nice and toasty.

The possibilities are endless using this recipe as a base. If you decide to add dried nuts or chunks of chocolate, add them once the granola has cooled.

My favorite way to eat granola is sprinkled over blueberry yogurt. Side note, I was not a fan of blueberry yogurt until trying the one from Brown Cow. It’s gelatin free and the cream top is ah-mazing! Give it a try…

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Quick Granola with Pecans & Slivered Almonds

Crunchy, sweet and nutty with a hint of cinnamon. A perfect topping for yogurt or a peach crumble.

Author Lala & Zo

Ingredients

• 3 cups 1 minute oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Pour the oats, pecans and almonds on a jellyroll pan or large baking sheet. Set aside. 
• In a medium sized sauce pan, add the vegetable oil, butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Cook on medium to low heat until the brown sugar is dissolved. 
• Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stir to combine. Pour the sugar mixture over the oat and nut mixture and stir until coated.
• Spread in an even layer and bake for 30 mins. Making sure to stir the mixture in 10 minute intervals.
• Remove from oven and let cool. Store in an airtight container. 

Notes

Feel free to use any mixture of nuts you like. Adding dried fruit is really good too.

The post Quick Granola with Pecans & Slivered Almonds appeared first on Lala & Zo.

We love eggs around here. They’re fast, easy and perfect for anytime of day. We were super busy this past weekend and didn’t make it to the store as we had planned, so we decided to use what we already had. Breakfast it was. My dad always loved breakfast for dinner, I must’ve gotten that from him. I decided to go with frittata, because not only did it sound good, it looks super fancy too. Seriously, when it’s done, it will look like you spend some major time on it, even though you were online shopping.

Since it’s summer, we have plenty of veggies around. I used some leftover mushrooms and a zucchini from my mom’s garden. The squash bugs destroyed my plants this year, so we’ve been blessed to get some from her.

There are so many different flavor combinations that can be made…

• Spinach and sautéed bell pepper with shredded pepper jack cheese
• Vegetarian sausage crumbles and cheddar
• Three cheese by adding a combination of parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella
• Vegetarian bacon crumbles with crispy potatoes

Really the list goes on. Also, fresh diced jalapeño can be added to any variation for a spicy kick. I always like to start sautéing the onions before the other ingredients because they become sweet and savory. I love onions in every way, shape and form!

This frittata comes together rather quickly. In about 40 mins, you have a hearty and filling meal. If you end up with leftovers, it reheats like a dream.

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Sautéed Zucchini & Mushroom Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 pint mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup cheddar, grated

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Add the butter and olive oil to a large, oven safe skillet. Melt over medium heat.
• Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini and cook until golden. 
• Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. Add the milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk until thoroughly combined. 
• Add the shredded cheddar to the egg mixture, stir.
• Once the veggies are golden, slowly pour the egg and cheese mixture into the skillet. Do not stir.
• Put the uncovered skillet in the oven and cook for 25-30 mins. Serve warm.

The post Sautéed Zucchini & Mushroom Frittata With Cheddar appeared first on Lala & Zo.

Biscuits and gravy. Oh how I love thee biscuits and gravy! <—–Me one and a half years ago. I then decided to go pescatarian. No more biscuits and gravy for me, dang! Growing up, my Gramma Ellen would make it for me from scratch. I sure miss those summers in the country!

In the past, I made my sausage gravy with turkey sausage, it was good! Now it’s even better! The key was finding a vegetarian friendly sausage that didn’t taste disgusting. I’ve tried many faux sausage products and this one is by far my favorite. I also really liked the Gimme Lean veggie sausage from Lightlife. It comes raw in a tube similar to the real deal though, so you have to form your own patties. Yummy, but not as quick as these babies.

This breakfast comes together very quickly. I start the biscuits first since they take the longest. Sometimes, I use the frozen kind, ain’t no shame in my biscuit lovin’ game! I then make a quick roux out of butter and flour and finish it off with the milk.

While I let the gravy go, I pop the sausages in the microwave until they are no longer frozen, then dice them up and toss them into the gravy. Comforting, fast and delicious! I tricked my family with it the first time I made it, they couldn’t even tell! Just for kicks, I joke with my son on the daily that he will soon be a vegetarian too, so far, he’s a no go.

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Vegetarian Sausage Gravy

Author Leslie

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 4 cups milk* almond, or cow's
• 5 sausage patties
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Warm sausage patties according to package instructions. I like to put them in the microwave for about 60 seconds. Dice them up and set aside.
• In a skillet, melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook for about 1 minute to cook the rawness out of the flour.
• Add 1 cup of the milk, whisk until no clumps remain. Pour in the remaining milk.
• Let gravy cook until thickened. Once thickened, add the sausage pieces. 
• Pour gravy over biscuits and enjoy

Notes

*I typically use almond milk, as we have some lactose intolerant folks living here. 

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