But truth be told, I’ve never put much thought into St. Patrick’s Day. I have no problem wearing green, ever, as it’s pretty much my best color…but that’s nothing out of the ordinary. But this year I’m ready. When we moved to Portland last summer, many people told us that The Rain lasts from Halloween to St. Patrick’s Day. Clearly I don’t expect the weather to strictly adhere to this calendar…but I am hopeful. It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! We’ve almost made it!

This is not a traditional soda bread, but that’s okay! We Irish are plucky and resourceful. This bread is delicious and comes together so quickly. It’s really just a fancy-looking quick bread!  You don’t need a mixer, and really you don’t need any sort of special pan, although I like a cast iron for this. Slice and toast it up with a little butter, or wrap a loaf as a gift for a friend who’s as ready for spring as I am. It’s a universal feeling, I think!

Lemon-Scented Cinnamon Soda Bread
Adapted from Running to the Kitchen

Makes one large loaf

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from one good-sized lemon)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold butter or margarine, diced
1 cup raisins
2 eggs, beaten & divided
2 cups buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
coarse sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a dutch oven, cast iron skillet, or large baking sheet.

In a small bowl, rub lemon zest into sugar with your fingers. Combine flours, salt, sugar, cinnamon and baking soda in a large bowl.

Add in diced butter and cut into flour with either a fork, pastry cutter or potato masher until flour is the consistency of coarse meal. Add in raisins and toss until incorporated.

Combine milk and vanilla in a small bowl and then pour into large bowl with the flour. Add 1 beaten egg. Bring wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula.

Turn out onto floured surface and knead 5-10 times until dough just comes together; don’t overmix! Form into a ball and place in dutch oven or skillet.

Score bread making an “X” on top with a serrated knife. Brush bread with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.

If you’ve read here long at all, you know that I am a granola junkie! I love granola and almost never buy it, because it’s so easy to make and because I like to know exactly what I’m eating. This is my favorite granola recipe to date…and quite possibly the healthiest I’ve ever made! I dragged myself out of bed this cold and rainy Monday morning with the promise of granola for breakfast. It definitely helped.

One thing of note here is that I used bagged, pre-shredded carrots rather than grating them myself like I’d usually do for carrot cake. I had half a bag of shredded carrots sitting around and decided to go for it. Granola (and laziness) success! Because bagged, pre-shredded carrots are inherently more loosely packed and drier than freshly grated carrots, if you decide to grate the carrots yourself, I’d follow the original recipe’s guidelines for carrot and applesauce amounts. This is the lazy version! Because sometimes a girl needs a shortcut.

Carrot Cake Granola
Adapted from Make it Naked

I realize dates aren’t exactly a traditional carrot cake flavor, but what can I say, I had a date epiphany yesterday and felt in my soul that they needed to be included. They are SO DELICIOUS. But if you don’t like dates, use straight raisins all the way, or try some dried pineapple. Or skip the dried fruit altogether. I am not the granola police.

Makes about 6 cups of granola

2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup bagged, pre-shredded carrots
1/4 cup + about 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce*
1/8 cup agave nectar or honey
2 heaping tablespoons ground flaxseed
Zest of 1 large orange (or 2-3 small ones, i.e. clementines)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup chopped dates

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together oats and walnuts. In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for raisins and dates.

Pour wet mixture over oat mixture and stir thoroughly until everything is moistened. Spread evenly over baking sheets and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is just short of desired crispness (it will crisp up a bit more once removed from the oven – mine baked perfectly in 30 minutes, but my oven runs a bit hot).

Let granola cool completely, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in raisins and dates. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

*I used one of those little individual applesauce containers (about 3 ounces), which was just the right amount!

Are you a granola freak like me? Find more delicious goodness here!

These are kind of like a granola bar in cookie form. They are a tasty, two-bite snack of healthy goodness. They are perfect for eating at your desk or in the car. Don’t ask me how I know.

Sometimes you just need a snack, right? Something that’s healthy but still tastes good. I could still really handle a piece of cake, but that’s another story.

Power Cookies
Adapted from Dreena’s Vegan Recipes

Makes about 20 small cookies

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butterscotch chips
1/8 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup flax meal
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl, combine oats, flours, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, coconut, cranberries, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir until just well combined (do not overmix).

Roll teaspoonfuls of batter and gently flatten between your hands. Place on baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 13 minutes (no longer, or they will dry out). Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Store cookies in an airtight container and eat within 3-4 days for the freshest taste.

And can you guess what I’ve learned recently? The only thing better than dark chocolate or mango is indeed dark chocolate and mango. These are my new favorite cookie!

Dark Chocolate and Mango Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light

These cookies are just indulgent enough — the slightly bitter kick of dark chocolate and gorgeous sweetness of mango go wonderfully together. These cookies make me want to lay on a beach with a fruity drink in my hand. Can anyone help me with that?

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chopped dried mango
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flours, oats, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.

In a small saucepan, carefully melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar until smooth. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture and beat until combined.

Add mango, vanilla, and egg to batter and beat to combine. Fold in chocolate.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes until set and golden around the edges. Cool on the sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container and try not to eat them all in one day!

High-Altitude Notes: Bake for 10-11 minutes at 375°F.

Even though pre-packaged snack bars are super convenient (and I do occasionally resort to them), they just always seem to come up short. Either there are too many weird ingredients or too much fat or not enough protein. And there almost always seems to be too much sugar, which I’d personally rather save for an actual dessert.

So when sweet Annelies from Attune Foods sent me some cereals to try out, I saw cereal bars in my future. They’re all super healthy and low in sugar, and as a bonus, are gluten-free! Gluten is not an issue for me, but we do have gluten intolerance in our family and I always appreciate gluten-free products.

This recipe is infinitely customizable — I used almond butter because I love it, but you can definitely use peanut butter for a more traditional flavor. My favorite part of making these bars was how easily I could control the sugar level. And so long as nut butter and jelly are involved, I’m in.

Almond Butter and Jelly Cereal Bars
Inspired by Emily Eats Clean

Makes 16 bars

3 cups cereal*
1 cup natural almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 cup dried cranberries

Lightly spray an 8×8-inch pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cereal and cranberries and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, heat almond butter for about a minute or until it’s easier to work with. Stir in preserves and, if needed, heat again briefly. Pour almond butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir carefully until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture into pan and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.

These are delicious! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (especially if your almond butter requires refrigeration like mine does).

*I used one cup each of Erewhon Brown Rice Cereal, Erewhon Corn Flakes, and Uncle Sam Original. I loved the texture from this mixture! Yum.

This is a sponsored post. Cereals were provided for my use in this recipe but my opinions are my own.

And of course, cookies of all kinds are right up there. I read about Jenna’s oatmeal cookies this morning and decided that I needed to make them. That was about the extent of the thought process. What can I say, it’s Friday and my brain is tired and frozen.

These cookies are pretty delicious; it’s not even noon and I’ve already eaten two. Feel free to use what ever sort of dried fruit/nut/chocolate combination you like – your own tired brain is the limit!

Loaded Oatmeal Cookies
Eat, Live, Run

1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the oats, flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, walnuts, cranberries and chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat only until combined.

Scoop out whopping tablespoons of dough on a lined baking sheet. Flatten a little with your fingers (works best if your fingers are wet so the dough won’t stick as much). Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.

And now, because I’ve been listening to way too much Taylor Swift, because I’m in love with my peppermint mocha creamer and therefore drinking a lot of coffee, and because I’m dangerously close to being done with my Christmas shopping, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone. Between now and the big day, I’ll be sharing twelve gift-ready recipes, starting today! I know I’m getting a slow start at this, but you aren’t really done with your holiday baking yet, are you? We can all always use one more good recipe.

Today’s is for cranberry coconut cookie bars, and they just happen to be vegan. Please don’t let this scare you if you’re more of a traditionalist – I didn’t tell Ryan that they were vegan until after he had happily eaten about six. They’re sweet and delicious without the threat of a sugar coma, and I’d venture to say that they’ll be a strong contender against any traditional cookie spread. And if you happen to have a vegan friend, I know what you’re giving them for Christmas.

Cranberry Coconut Cookie Bars
Adapted from Hangry Pants

Makes about 12 bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vanilla soy or almond milk*

Stir together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add oil, vanilla, and milk, and stir to combine, adding a bit more milk if needed. Press into a greased 8×8 baking pan.

Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, cut into squares, and serve!

*If you want to substitute regular milk here, I’d up the vanilla extract to 1 1/2 teaspoons.

High-Altitude Notes: none!

At any rate, oatmeal does have some good flavors going for it. I love cinnamon and nuts and dried fruit – so I put them in a muffin. With oatmeal. And guess what? It’s not mushy. And I’d venture to say that it’s healthier than a lot of oatmeal you’ve probably eaten.

These are certainly not the prettiest muffins I’ve ever made, but they are so tasty that I wanted to share the recipe anyway! If you’re wondering why the funny shapes – I used individual silicone cups (star- and flower-shaped) on a cookie sheet rather than a muffin pan. They’re extremely non-stick and I like to use them when I’m just baking for the two of us.

Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a twelve-slot muffin tin or line the slots with paper baking cups.

Mix together the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, walnuts, dates, and raisins. In a separate bowl mix together the yogurt, egg, vanilla extract, butter, and applesauce.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir together. Be sure not to over-stir as that will cause the muffins to develop too many gluten bonds. It should be thick and gloppy. About 10 seconds of stirring should do; just enough to barely bring the ingredients together. Scoop into prepared muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the tray for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes.

Does anyone else like to flip through cookbooks while watching their favorite shows? There’s something oddly comforting to me about doing this. I don’t pretend to have a logical reason. It’s okay. The point is that these so-called “ranger cookies” immediately stuck out at me when I found them in good ol’ Better Homes and Gardens. The author gave some sort of cutesy description about how they’re perfect for afternoon hikes. Sorry friend, it’s still a weird name.

Anyway. These oddly-named cookies are comprised mostly of things I seem to have on hand all the time (obviously a win) and succeeded in briefly distracting me from the fact that I’ve yet to lay my hands on a single can of pumpkin (don’t get me started). They’re moist yet crisp and packed with all sorts of yummy things. Ryan proclaimed them one of his favorites. You might, too.

Ranger Cookies
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

They said the dough yields 48 cookies; I got exactly 36.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sweetened  flaked coconut
1 cup mixed dried fruit (I used cranberries, cherries, and blueberries)

In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda; beat until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in oats, coconut, and fruit.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375°F oven about 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack; cool.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking powder and soda slightly (use scant measurements) and bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

I’ve become addicted to Whole Foods’ Vegan Everything Cookies. They are now, hands down, my favorite cookie, which is saying something. I’ve eaten a lot of cookies in my day.

These cookies are crisp around the edges and wonderfully soft in the middle. They’re moist and jam-packed with chocolate-y goodness, and yet not overly sugary. And the fact that they’re vegan makes me feel better about eating them, which always helps.

Needless to say, I’ve been antsy to figure them out for some time now and today I couldn’t wait any longer. I crawled out of bed this morning hungry and armed with several vegan cookie recipes. And I came pretty close.

I’ll definitely keep working on these cookies until I reach Whole Foods-level perfection, but these are pretty dang good. In fact, they make me wish I had little ones to feed them to. Feed some to yours for me, will you?

Vegan Everything Cookies
Adapted from Peas and Thank You

Makes 24 small cookies or 12 large ones

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tteaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup non-dairy or organic milk or yogurt
1/4 cup organic raisins
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Spoon onto an ungreased baking sheet (I like parchment paper on mine), about an inch apart. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, until edges are brown and set. Cool for about a minute before transferring cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking powder to 1 1/2 tsp and bake at 375°F.