Insta Cookbook Club Giveaway

Happy Sunday! I'm giving away one of my absolute favorite cookbooks of the year, Huckleberry, by Zoe Nathan. I've been cooking and baking my way through it over the last month or so, and every recipe has been spot-on, one of the best being a blueberry cornmeal cake that just melts in your mouth. So good. Here's how to enter:

1. Go to my Instagram feed and follow here: http://instagram.com/carolhan
2. Find the picture you see in this post, and tag a friend you'd like to cook with in the comments.

That's it! I'll be picking a winner out of a hat next week and sending copies for you both. USA residents only, for now. xx

Favorite Green Juice

Remember the days when veggies were consumed via chewing and swallowing? Yeah, me either, and I thank the heavens every day that I can now get my greens in via delicious juices. Having been a stubborn meat-and-potatoes girl all throughout my childhood, the daily dose of green has always been a bit of a struggle for me. But with the relatively new advent of juicing, and fantastic combinations like kale + apple + ginger, vegetables are now something I actually crave. And what's even more remarkable is that when I throw back a mid-afternoon juice, I immediately feel noticeably peppier and happier. It's like coffee, but good for you!

I've recently taken to experimenting with juicing at home in the mornings so that I can always start my day off with an alkalizing shot of green (and so I don't go completely broke shelling out $12/juice from my beloved Juice Press). This is my favorite blend so far. xx

Favorite Green Juice
Serves 1
Ingredients:
3 kale leaves
1/2 apple
1/2 large cucumber
1 medium-sized knob of ginger, peeled
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkling of unsweetened, shredded coconut

Directions:
Core the apple, place all ingredients in a blender and liquefy on high speed. Strain the juice into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve, pressing firmly on all the pulp until every last bit of liquid is squeezed out. Pour into a glass and top with coconut.

Quinoa Granola

As someone who owns a company with employees and lots of clients, my entire day is basically spent making hard and fast decisions, and essentially crossing my fingers that by 6 PM-ish, my batting average will be decent, and the good calls will, in some small way, outweigh the face-in-palm-give-me-a-tequila-shot moments. And it all begins the second I wake up. Will I spring out of bed lustily, grabbing the day by the horns? Or will I close my eyes for just a few more minutes of precious sleep? Is it going to be a leisurely morning filled with homemade egg whites and French press coffee? Or am I going to be doing a mad sprint into the nearest Starbucks and grabbing some sort of mystery pastry encased in plastic wrap? A 5-mile sunrise run followed by a green juice? Or a lazy cab to work followed by a breakfast sandwich? (JK GUYS, IT'S ALWAYS A LAZY CAB TO WORK.)

During those insane weeks when it seems like no matter how early I get up, I'm still behind from the get-go (oh, hello, first week of November), having a healthy breakfast at the ready can make all the difference. I whipped up a batch of this delicious, crunchy, quinoa granola on Sunday, in anticipation of the forthcoming days of nonstop meetings, new clients, and general insanity, and it's been a lifesaver. It's stocked with so many good things that will fill you up with energy--chia seeds, flaxseeds, almonds, walnuts, quinoa, gluten-free oats, some dried fruit, and more. Just throw some on top of a few scoops of soya yogurt and you've got a yummy start to the day that also happens to be totally gluten-free and dairy-free (for those of you who are into such things). xo

Quinoa Granola
Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients:
2 cups gluten-free whole oats
1/3 cup pre-rinsed, uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup raw almonds, slivered or chopped
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup flaxseeds
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt (or any coarse salt)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup grade B maple syrup
A dash of cinnamon
A dash of nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, over very low heat, combine oil and syrup. You only need to get it to a temperature that just melts the coconut oil to liquid form, then turn it off right away. Pour your syrup/oil into the mixing bowl with all dry ingredients, then stir it all up until everything is coated and there are no more dry oats.

Spread the mix onto a baking pan or cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Flatten it out so it's even; it should take up the whole sheet. Bake for 60 minutes.

Let cool completely. Once cool, lift the ends of the parchment and let it crumble to the center, then pour everything into an airtight jar.

Store in the fridge to maintain the crunch!