Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola

I recently got involved with the Recipe Swap Club on Facebook. This is a great group of food bloggers that are assigned another blogger’s blog each month and we get to re-create a recipe from the other blog and post about it. This month, I was assigned Sarah from Cook at Home. Sarah has great gluten and mostly dairy-free recipes, and I can’t wait to cook more from her blog.

The other great part of the group is that we are encouraged to get to know more about our fellow food bloggers. Sarah and I exchanged an email interview, which I’ve included below:

Where do you live? And does it influence your cooking?

Currently I live in Salt Lake City, but grew up in Australia and also lived in Chile for two years. It definitely influences what I make - sometimes I get nostalgic for Australian stuff (like lamingtons) so I’ll have a go at making them. Other times, I’ll see something at a local restaurant and try to make it at home.

How long have you been blogging and what inspired you to start?

When I discovered I was gluten intolerant in 2014 and started making stuff that I could eat without getting sick, we often had people ask me for the recipe. Instead of just giving out recipes all the time, I put all of them on a website and directed people there. And it’s grown from there. And now that I have found I’m lactose intolerant as well as have issues with a number of other foods, I’m focusing more on the Paleo style cooking and baking, just because my stomach appreciates those foods more.

What do you do outside of cooking/blogging?

I work full-time in the mining industry. But being in the kitchen is my happy place - it’s where I relax. I also try to make exercise a priority - and my husband and I often go for walks around the block to have quality time together.

What are your favorite foods to cook? What inspires your recipes?

I am a baker at heart (my internal cookie monster is often being suppressed!), but I’m getting more interested in curries and casseroles these days. I love getting inspiration from other food bloggers and my brain often comes up with some weird and wonderful ingredient combinations! Often when I have a pile of leftover ingredients in the fridge or the cupboard, I try to incorporate as much of them as possible. And I’m going through a phase of making over a lot of my sweet recipes into more of a grain-free, refined sugar-free focus.

Who is your favorite celebrity chef?

Jamie Oliver. He just seems to be a pretty cool chef to hang out with and learn lots from!

What is your favorite recipe on your blog?

For savory it would be peanut satay chicken. Sweets - chocolate crackle cookies, or monster cookies. Or my ‘best ever’ chocolate peanut butter cream pie.

I have to say that I can’t wait to try out the peanut satay chicken and the chocolate peanut butter cream pie recipe is going on my must make holiday recipe list. In the meantime, one of the recipes that caught my attention from Sarah’s blog is her chocolate peanut butter granola. I love granola – it’s something I can’t live without in the mornings with my yogurt. Sarah’s chocolate peanut butter granola is so yummy! I did adapt it just a touch – leaving out the walnuts, as hubby is allergic and sometimes munches on granola, too. I added in several cups of oats. I also cooked it in my slow-granola way with a lower temperature and longer baking time. Old habits are hard to break. This chocolate peanut butter granola has totally made my week better.

Do take a look at Sarah’s blog – she posted a great version of my twice baked samosa style potatoes. And here’s a link to her Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola.