Lavender Lemonade

Who loves lavender?  I do! Not only does it smell wonderful - it tastes great too, but it's very strong so you have to be careful not to use too much.  Here, dried lavender buds are gently steeped in hot water to make a tea which is then combined with water and freshly squeezed lemon juice to make this refreshing lavender lemonade.

The ingredients needed are pretty simple, fresh lemons, water, sugar, and dried lavender.  If you grow your own lavender, you can dried the buds yourself, otherwise they're pretty easy to find online (this is what I purchased).

Gorgeous lemons!!!

We need a lot of freshly squeezed lemon juice (don't even think about using the stuff in a bottle!).  You can squeeze the juice by hand (this is my favorite style for manual squeezing), but for large jobs, I love using my electric juicer.  Sadly, this exact one is no longer made, but there are plenty of similar models available online (here).

Over high heat, combine some of the water with the sugar. 

Stir the sugar until it dissolves.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Turn off the heat and add the dried lavender flowers; steep for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, strain the lavender out and discard.  Add the remaining water and freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve over ice.

Oh, and here's a tip - store the empty lemon halves in the freezer.  Whenever you need lemon zest, grab a frozen half and run it over a microplane grater.  You'll never be without lemon zest again! 

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• electric citrus juicer https://amzn.to/2LiUSDp

• handheld citrus juicer https://amzn.to/2LfFhEk

• dried lavender flowers https://amzn.to/2LTZG32

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Lavender Lemonade

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 cups water, divided

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or more to taste)

• 2 tablespoons dried lavender

• 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice

• optional: a drop or two of blue or purple food coloring

• garnish: lemon slices and fresh lavender petals

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from heat and stir in dried lavender; steep for 10 minutes.

3. Strain lavender from mixture and discard.

4. Place lavender-infused water in large pitcher; add remaining water, lemon juice, optional food coloring and stir well.

5. Serve over ice.

Coconut Almond Granola

I love cooking big meals when we have company, but after a few days (and many, many dirty dishes), I need a break so it's nice to  have a big batch of granola in the pantry.  This one features dried cherries and sliced almonds, but you can easily switch up the fruit and nuts.  It keeps well too so feel free to make it far in advance.

In a large mixing bowl, combine with oats, almonds, coconut, and sunflower seeds.  You can add the dried fruit now if it's plump - otherwise, hold off until a bit later.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pure maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, and salt. 

Pour the maple syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir well.

Stir until all the dry ingredients are coated.

Pour the mixture into a large roasting pan and bake in a preheated 250F oven.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir in the dried fruit if you haven't already.  Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for up to a month.

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• flat whisk https://amzn.to/3gvtV0I

• old fashioned rolled oats https://amzn.to/3ow8VLx

• sweetened flaked coconut https://amzn.to/3gy0KKE

• sliced almonds https://amzn.to/3rBiXx9

• sunflower seeds https://amzn.to/3HKinCY

• pure maple syrup https://amzn.to/2mnDiDO

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/2JpdVuh

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Coconut Almond Granola

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

• 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds

• 7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

• 1/3 cup shelled sunflower seeds

• 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

• 1/4 cup neutrally flavored oil (canola, safflower, grapeseed, etc)

• 2 tablespoons warm water

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 cup raisins, craisins, dried cherries, or other dried fruit (make sure they taste good)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250F and spray a large baking dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, and sunflower seeds; set aside. Note: if your dried fruit is very plump, you can add it now, otherwise wait until step 5.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, dark brown sugar, oil, water, vanilla, and salt; pour over oat mixture and stir well until completely coated.

4. Pour mix into prepared baking dish and bake in the center of the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

5. Remove from oven; stir in the raisins and allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container for up to a month. Recipe may be doubled.