breakfast solutions

Recipe of the Week - Weekly Granola

I have been a cereal addict for most of my life.  There have been many lunches and dinners where I was too lazy to put something together and just enjoyed a bowl of milky, crunchy goodness.  My husband and I wanted to get away from all the high-fructose corn syrup cereals, so we switched to more “natural” ones.  When Gabriel started wondering why he had to eat sugarless oatmeal while we pulled out the boxed breakfast, I realized I should evaluate our breakfasts a little more.  Even though all these cereals had no HFCS, they were still full of sugar, refined grains (aka, more sugar), and pretty pennies.  We did a couple weeks without cereal, but got tired of oatmeal and eggs. I had made granola before, for special treats, but they were always either full of sugar, tasteless, or pricey (because of all the delicious nuts and dried fruit).

I finally came across this recipe from “Pure Goodness,” and modified it to fit our needs.  We love it!  And I feel totally fine with giving this to Gabriel for breakfast, soaked in coconut milk happiness, or, when I get around to it, delicious homemade coconut milk yogurt (and before you think that sounds like way too much, I’ll confess that I have a yogurt maker appliance that literally just plugs into the wall.  It’s easy, and it works!).

I usually double this recipe, and make it every 10 days to 2 weeks.  This is the only cereal we have on hand anymore, and we can now have a variety of granola, eggs, and hot oatmeal.  It’s very flexible, so play around with it until you like it too!

If you want a “special treat” granola that tastes better than ANY store bought cereal I’ve ever had, check out this one:  http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/12/cinnamon-bun-granola-recipe-halloween-treat-a-thon/.  While you’re at it, gorge yourself on the entire blog.

There are a couple tricks I use for every granola recipe now:  heat the liquids and salt together before combining with the dry oatmeal, bake on parchment paper, and let the granola sit for a while on the hot pan after removing from the oven (this is how you get the glorious clusters!). Coconut Granola Tropical Coconut Granola (Single Recipe)

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

¼ cup honey

1/6 cup coconut oil

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt

Dash of cinnamon (optional)

1-3 Tbsp. ground flax seed (optional)

Raisins, dried fruits, nuts (optional)

  1. Heat oven to 300 F
  2. In a large bowl, combine oats, shredded coconut, and optional nuts
  3. In a small saucepan cook honey, oil, vanilla and salt over medium heat until the mixture just begins to simmer.
  4. Pour honey/oil mixture over oats and coconut flakes, optional cinnamon and flax seed, and stir with a wooden spoon until the well combined.
  5. Spread out granola on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Place in oven, bake for 10-15 minute increments, then stir granola.  Repeat until well-toasted, normally 30-40 minutes.
  6. Cool on baking sheet.  Add dried fruits when cooled.  Stir in airtight containers for up to two weeks.  Can also refrigerate or freeze for longer shelf life.

Recipe adapted from:  http://www.puregoodness.net/recipe-nutrition/tropical-coconut-granola/