A formula for vegan granola & cheap and easy pesto sauce (no pine nuts)

Why does everything have milk?!

Here are some of my favourite dairy free recipes as of late. Something for breakfast (granola) and something for lunch and dinner (pesto).

Peanut Butter Granola 🥜

If you’re vegan, or lactose intolerant, then you’ll know that most granolas contain milk ingredients, for no good reason. Why does everything have to have milk?!

Vegan granola, in its own right, is expensive, so I don’t buy it. I’m simple like that.

For this reason, I like to make granola at home.

The formula

My granola recipes always follow the same formula:

• 2 cups of oats

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1/4 cup liquidy sweetener (so, mayple syrup pretty much)

Everything else is a bonus.

Here’s what I made recently.

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats (any kind - I used quick oats)

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup hemp hearts (optional - for healthy fats and protein)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 325F (162C).

2. In a large bowl, add the peanut butter, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Mix together.

3. Mix together.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I use Cookina’s reusable parchment paper). Pour the granola mixture on top. Spread the mixture into an even layer on the baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25 minutes or until the granola is brown

6. Let the granola cool for 30-60 minutes before eating.

7. Store in an air tight jar for up to 2 weeks.

Easy & Affordable Pesto Sauce 🌱

Similar to granola, pesto often contains cheese. In this case, I kind of get why dairy is added. Cheese helps make pesto creamy. But nuts do the same thing!

But! Usually vegan pesto recipes call for pine nuts, but let’s be real. They’re expensive!

Here’s a simple pesto sauce that DOESN’T contain pine nuts! Instead, we’ll use almonds (sub walnuts, or even pine nuts, if you’d like).

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp almonds

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 cups fresh basil

• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Blend until smooth.

2. Eat with pasta. Or on toast. Or whatever.

That’s it :)