Granola
There are certain foods that I’ve always felt were best left to the experts. Do you know what I mean? Like, sushi. I’ve always felt like you were asking for trouble (and possibly food poisoning) if you made it at home. But, as you know, we recently enjoyed a feast of home made sushi made under the direction of our fabulous 14 year-old nephew Emil (He promises me he will create a post about making sushi – Emil, I’m going to hold you to that!) and I had to reconsider. Similarly I felt like bread and cereal were both items that were better (and more easily) bought than made. While I still haven’t made the leap to bread making – although it’s been on my mind – I have been making granola.
And despite my irrational fears about becoming someone who makes granola, my Prada shoes didn’t get up and walk out in disgust and, I have to say, this is a good and easy recipe. I first made it when I was on a post baby detox just over a year ago. I’ve made some tweaks but the basic recipe comes from a book called The Source by Dr. Woodson Merrell. It’s a great program if you’re looking for a sane way to detox. I also happened to get pregnant with our second child while on it, but the book makes no claim about fertility. I’m just saying that my husband really liked this granola.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cut walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup oats (not quick oats)
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/2 cup raisins (you could also use chopped dry apricots, dried cherries, figs or prunes)
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Toss all dry ingredients together.
Add syrups and oil and blend well.
Spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for between 10 and 15 minutes.
Let the edges just turn brown. It will firm up as it cools so don't worry if it seems too soft when you take it out of the oven.
Allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes before breaking it into small chunks.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three weeks. It’s excellent with milk and berries as cereal but is also good with yogurt and fruit as a parfait.
You might also like
Grilled Pork Chops with Apple and Goat Cheese
I’m not sure how this summer is going to roll. Normally, I cook every season other than summer. Summer is when Dan is in charge. He fires the grill and
Grilled Cheese with Garlic Apples
So Scarlett’s dad (my darling husband Dan) was suppose to write this post but, like taking out the garbage some mornings, he somehow skirted the task. It was something about
Sweet Potato 5: Guilt-Free Berry Desserts
Here’s the latest from our iVillage column. Check us out – we’re over there once a week! 5 Healthy Berry Desserts I wanted to call this post You Must Eat Dessert
Hey, thanks for stopping by!
We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
3 Comments
Weekday Breakfast: Yogurt Granola Parfait - Sweet Potato Chronicles
May 16, 06:58[…] Sunday when they’d normally get something more French toast-ish. I used a home made granola (here’s the recipe, it’s pretty great) but you could absolutely use a store bought granola or muesli. Using […]
Jan
February 06, 19:10I made this last night. It is SO good. My kids aren’t big raisin fans so I took your advice and used dried cherries and blueberries. I didn’t have wheat germ so I used 1/8 cup of wheat bran and 1/8 cup of flax seeds instead. I can’t believe how EASY it was to make and so yummy!! I did have to watch it near the end as it browns fast. I have to confess, It came out of the oven around 9 pm last night and I ate a LOT of it for a snack….oops. Apparently I’ll be making another batch this weekend.
Laura Keogh
February 10, 21:57It’s one of our favourites too. I love the idea of wheat bran and flax seed too. Great items to sub in. We design a lot of recipes with that idea in mind–if you don’t have it, just add what you’ve got. We never want someone to not be able to make a recipes because they lack an ingredients. I say make a double batch! Thank you so much for writing and, most importantly, for reading SPC. Best, Laura