(You know, to follow the Perfect Summer Dinner.)
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Chocolate-covered nighttime snack:
Fresh, sweet strawberries, basking in a luscious bowl of vegan “Whipped Cream”
I chopped a few frozen strawberries and let ‘em melt in the Whipped Cream in a bowl.
Then I put the bowl in the freezer for 40 mins prior to eating.
What’s better than a big bowl of whipped cream? Insanely-sweet strawberries (and the juice after they melt) and vegan whipped cream in a bowl !
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Next time, maybe I should also add some homemade Chocolate Butter to the bowl 
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Or granola, but (this is shameful!)… I have to admit that I don’t really like granola and therefore don’t have any in the house. I’ve never been big on granola, for the same reason I don’t like chips or Oreos: hard foods aren’t my thing; I’m more of a soft or creamy type. Something about hard foods just screams “stale!” to my tastebuds.
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On the rare occasions I eat cold cereal, I like it blended, such as in Banana Bread in a Bowl.
But I know a ton of you guys adore granola, so maybe I oughta give it a 2nd chance.
Question of the Day: What are your favorite brands/flavors of granola (i.e. what do you recommend)?
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Yummy! That bowl of strawberries+ vegan whipped cream looks delightful.
I have enjoyed all of my granola from *mixmygranola* I like the french vanilla base and they have lots of delightful add in options!
I also enjoy natures path pumpkin flax granola.
I like the Nature’s Path pumpkin flax. Great on top of oatmeal. I’ll have to try your whipped cream!
I’m not a fan of granola either Katie, so you are not the only one!
The strawberries and cream looks great!
I don’t think I’ve ever bought granola, I just make my own! It’s easy and it makes your kitchen smell like heaven! lol
I like Bear Naked and Udi’s granola a lot. Udi’s vanilla almond smells really good and it’s pretty low in sugar/calories.
I’d like to make some homemade granola soon!
Jenn
I like making my own! But in terms of buying it at the store, I like Bare Naked the best.
Cascadian Farms granola rocks!!! It’s soo good. I also like Bear Naked Fit. (The Vanilla Almond kind is excellent!)
The strawberry dessert looks awesome!
I really like Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax (I think that’s what it’s called?).. it’s so good!
I’m not a big fan o granola either. But I LOOOOVE your banana blender cereal! Sheer genius!
Bare Naked! But I am such a granola fiend. I like all granola! What’s not to like?
Oh that really DOES look like the perfect summer dessert: refreshing, sweet, and not too heavy. Perfect!
Love your dessert idea, strawberries and cream..what could be better??
Your whipped cream is a favorite in our household. On waffles, with berries, and yup, we’ve even eaten it with granola
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Mmm love granola!
Eh, I don’t like granola either. Buuuttt I do love strawberries n cream, and haven’t had anything really similar since completely going vegan. Thanks for the idea!
I like to make my own granola based on the Feast recipe by Nigella Lawson. http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/Granola.html
It’s much cheaper and you can customize it based on what you feel like. During the winter, I was making a batch every other weekend. My favorite way to eat granola is pour almond milk over it and then heat it up in the microwave so it’s a bit soft. Top with sliced bananas or other tasty fruit. So good!
Soft and creamy, tehehe.
Guys? I don’t know about everyone else but I’m definitely not a guy.
OH MY GOSH. Me, too! My favoriterr foods in the world are foods I can eat with my hands and soft/squishy/creamy foods (like baby foods). I’m such a good chewer that most other foods take so long to eat!
Vegirl
ps- I have a hug a fat photo coming soon!
favorite* (sorry!)
vegirl
hold on. where did that spoon come from?
i know what u mean, i rarely buy granola. i will sometimes go to the bulk section to get a small amount because i never find i can eat a whole bag before it expires! i tend to just stick to granola type bars.. that way i can crumble one into something if i want. most granolas are too sweet to make into a cereal, and im still on the hunt for one thats really good. homemade seems to be better.. and i like ones with molasses or rice syrup… but not too much cuz then it hurts my teeth with all the sugars.
just checked out ur recip for the whipped cream and im pretty amazed u got such a delicious whipped treat from mainly rice milk and tofu! thats amazing!! id never buy whipped cream in a can.. im really picky about things like that. id be willing to try urs tho!!
Mmmmm….strawberries and cream…..I just bought a carton of fresh, organic strawberries. I have to eat them with cream for dessert tonight! (Let’s just hope the strawberries are sweet, not sour. I don’t like sour strawberries!)
I love granola, but I can’t really eat it because the store-bought kind is always loaded with sugar. I made my own once without sugar, and it was pretty good. I love the taste of roasted almonds with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Pretty simple, but yummy!
Bear Naked “fruit & nut”! I am always trying out all the granolas I can find, but this one remains at the top. Sounds boring compared to just about every other fancyshmancy flavor, but no, ma’am, it’s AMAZING!
Ohh you have to give granola another shot! Nature’s Path and Cascadian Farms win my vote for granola (because it has clusters and it’s let chewy and more starchy)…not that I’m a granola addict or anything
I remember Bear Naked granola being good, but I have not had it in forever.
Katherine,
My mom found them at some gift shop, I think.
i have an off-on relationship with granola. sometimes i love it, but then i go months without craving any.
Oh Katie that looks very yummy. I bet its hot in texas- isn’t that were you live? I live in Missouri and it is already way too hot. I just wanted to say that I adore your blog! I probably check it everyday. Keep on being cute and chocolatly!
I like to make my own, with oats, dried fruits, nuts and some agave all mixed together. You can bake it for a couple of minutes or eat it as it is.
It’s also good mixed in yogurt, and I imagine vegan whipped cream as well
As far as packaged varieties go, I’ve always liked the Galaxy Granola brand. But for more homespun versions, there’s a bakery near me that makes spelt granola with almond butter glaze and sesame seeds. I’ve been trying to recreate it for years!
I like my granola crunchy and sweet with lots of clusters
. But hey, there’s no shame in not liking granola. There are lots of popular foods out there I don’t like – ie, I’m totally with you about chips!
That dessert is pure perfection. I don’t think I’d have the patience to wait 40 minutes for it in the freezer though, I’d probably “accidentally” chow down before it even got there!
I almost WISH I didn’t like granola. It’s so addicting. I’m kind of addicted to all things crunch. I love smooth stuff too… but even moreso when crunch is added to the mix a lot of the time. I recommend tackling your OWN homemade batch of granola… I’d love to see the kind of granola combos your creative mind could come up with!
Summer food just rocks, doesn’t it?!
I really love a good granola, but that being said, the “bad” ones do taste stale, and usually the “good” ones are insanely pricey. I splurged on a bag of Two Moms In the Raw awhile back and it was really good.
I dont buy granola from the stores. They load that stuff with sugar and oil making healthy ingredients into something pretty bad for you. Instead, I make my own! It’s way cheaper and you can control what goes into it. But, I do recommend Kashi’s Berry Crisp. It’s not hard, just crispy..and it.is.delicious!!
I’m not a huge granold fan either, just because I find it too sugary. I usually just have museli when I have yogurt. If I am feeling like having a bit of a treat though, Nature’s Path makes a great peanut butter granola. Anything with peanut butter is like heaven on a plate for me. It’s decadent though; I have it for dessert versus breakfast.
Leighanna,
Thank you so so much for such a sweet comment! Yeah, I live near Dallas… and it’s already WAY too hot! Only going to get worse
love strawberries and im so glad their coming back into season now and are juicy and ripe and delicious especially topped with homemade whip cream like yours i will ahve to try! xoxoxo
I actually really like the Yogi Granola Crisps. They are crispy little fruity flakes of goodness. YUM. I like the strawberry, personally. So full of real strawberry flavor. Yummy yum yum!
http://tastyhealthfood.blogspot.com/2009/09/yogi-granola-crisps.html
This looks ridiculously delicious! Sometimes the simple things really are the best. I bet it would’ve tasted so good with a bit of granola on top. Can I borrow your creative tastebuds sometime?
I like the MixMy Granola, because you get to make up your own! So if you don’t like a certain ingredient in granola from the store, you can leave it out in your custom one
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I agree with you your view of granola — it’s just not my thang. However, I do love me some fats (how’s that for a segway, haha). I just wanted to tell you that I blogged about your hug a fat month and even did some fat hugging of my own. I think you should have a hug agar-agar month (or at least day) because I’m totally obsessed with agar-agar pudding, thanks to you. Creamy, dreamy, yum!
Have a lovely day!
xox
For a pre-made cereal I like Cascadian Farms organic dark chocolate almond granola. Suprisingly it’s vegan!
So yummy with almond milk on top!!
Those strawberries and cream look so good.
Well a granola that is mopre crispy than hard, and has the strawberry thing going on, is Bare Naked Granola the fruit flavor
I’m not a huge cruncy food fan either…chips are definitely not my thing. (Unless they’re in a salad and covered with hummus/salsa to make them soft and yummy)
I like Pumpkin Flax Granola. I buy it in bulk at my grocery store (cheap!) but I know that Nature’s Path makes an almost identical version that’s delicious…it just has to soak in the milk for a while before I can eat it!
I’m going to jump on the Nature’s Path pumpkin flax granola train, too. I get it at the bulk section at Whole Foods.
Nature’s Path makes some good granolas like everyone else has mentioned. The hemp granola is great as well. If you want to make your own, this recipe from whole foods: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/311 – for coconut macadamia nut granola is amazing. I also want to try out Hemp-anola from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, as it looks super tasty as well.
Galaxy not sweet vanilla is my favourite granola out there right now. It really isn’t sugary sweet, but subtlety so and just wonderful.
I’m a huge fan of Nature’s Path Pumpkin Flax too–in fact, I am enjoying it atop a smoothie as I type this:)
Chocolate butter would be good in that. My favorite granola is Ginger Pecan from Patty Cake Bakery. My second favorite is homemade but I do not eat much granola in general.
I’m not a granola person either but if I am going to have some, I will make my own!
Hey girl! I’ve been gone for a while but now I’m back and so happy to see that your blog is still as awesome and upbeat as ever! That strawberry and whipped cream thing looks amazing…I have been on a total strawberry kick since spring sprung!
Also, this made me laugh–when I came onto your blog the FoodBuzz sidebar had an ad for a “Great Steak Challenge” with pictures of people’s blogs that had cooked different steak dishes. Wrong audience, FoodBuzz!!!
I love Cascadian Farms and the Earth Fare brand of granola. I need to learn to make it myself though.
I have to agree granola is disgusting because it is hard and I hate hard foods. I love cold and creamy stuff such as smoothies. Yum! My favorite “granola” is definatly from the Mr. Quaker oats;oD
Cascadian farms dark chocolate almond granola is amazing tasting! Unfortunately it’s not the greatest nutritionally. It’s just pretty highly processed for a natural (organic maybe?) cereal. Enjoy life makes a GF berry granola that’s really good, and it’s a bit softer so maybe you’d like it.
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