I feel granola on a deep level. Granola is one of those things that I
will find if you evenly remotely have something granola-like in your
house. Unfortunately most varieties are A) expensive, B) filled with
sugar, or C) are mainly comprised of oats or puffed rice so you
essentially might as well eat a bowl of frosted flakes. I love love
love granola that has a lot of junk in it like raisins, nuts,
chocolate chips, flaked coconut, sunflower seeds, etc. I feel gypped,
though, if we're talking almonds. Because I feel like almonds are a
total cop-out. Everyone puts almonds in granola and nobody can really
love an almond like one can love a pecan or a hazelnut or even a
walnut on a charitable day. So when I make granola, I make chunky
granola. I make granola intended to fuel your day not with excess
sugar, but with a punch of protein, lots of spice, and a multitude of
textures. Meet the latest variation, loosely based on Izzy Hossack's "10 Minute Almond Granola" from Top With Cinnamon:
Spiced-Honey & Fig
Quinoa Granola
2 cups rolled oats
¼ cup raw quinoa
1 ½ cups assorted chopped
nuts and seeds (I used cashews, pecans, and pumpkin seeds)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
3 Tablespoons raw honey
½ cup chopped, dried
Turkish figs
- In a large iron skillet over high heat, combine oats, quinoa, and nuts. Stir frequently for five minutes, until all ingredients are toasted. Toward the end, add the cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Make a well in center of pan and add coconut oil, honey, and figs. Continue to cook five more minutes, stirring constantly till all granola is well-covered with oil and honey.
- Dump into rimmed baking sheet to cool. Allow to cool completely before storing in plastic bag or a glass jar where it will keep for two weeks.
In a perfect world I would
have at least three kinds of granola on hand for hurried morning
breakfasts as I head out the door to work. Since the world isn't
perfect and I make only one batch at a time, I enjoy changing up my
granola-game nearly as often as I buy (or make) it. What's your
favorite flavor combination?
This looks & sounds amazing! My go-to granola recipe was getting a little old (I still love it, but variety is the spice of life!) so I fully intend to try this on my next food-prep day.
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, don't be hating on almonds. They make a dang fine nut butter. ;)
They do...but have you ever met Pecan Butter?
DeleteI'm definitely going to have to try this (or some variation)! I miss eating cereal and granola in the morning before work, but after finding out that 3/4ths of a cup has three teaspoons of sugar in it, I decided to switch to eggs in the morning. Eggs give me enough fuel until lunch, but they aren't that exciting day after day. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteGranola is amazing.
ReplyDelete