Friday, June 26, 2009

Chocolate Kissed Grain-ola



Food Storage has worked its way into my heart. It must be a parasite, boring itself into a place where it knows I will never be rid of it. Oh, well. If it is here to stay, we might as well enjoy it. Granola is a great way to use some of the food stored under the stairs.

This recipe originally came without the cocoa, vanilla, or Raspberry enlightenment. Both versions are good. It is especially good with Mom's homemade yogurt in a parfait. This granola is low in sugar and oil, and it is just as tasty as other recipes. Next time I will try it with the rolled 6-grain rolled oatmeal that Mary gave me when I helped her organize her storage room, and you could easily triple the cocoa powder without it being too overwhelming.


Homemade yogurt and blueberries make a great pairing to soften up the granola.

Grain-ola
4 C old fashioned oats
3/4 C salted sunflower seeds
1 C walnuts or macadamia nuts, halves or in quarters
1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 C dried fruit, chopped (mixed berries, ginger, tropical fruit, etc.)
zest of 2 oranges
3/4 C honey
1/4 C oil
1 t vanilla
1 t cocoa (optional)
1 t Raspberry Enlightenment from Penzeys (optional)
leftover cereal (Rice Crispies, Wheaties, Bran Flakes, etc.)

Measure the oil and honey into a microwave safe dish and heat 30-60 seconds until it is warm and runny. Add the vanilla, cocoa, orange zest, and Raspberry Enlightenment to the honey and oil. This ensures it is evenly mixed throughout the batch of granola.

In a large bowl, mix the granola, nuts, and coconut. Stir in the honey mixture to evenly coat. Put onto 2 rimmed baking dishes and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Add the dried fruit and let everything cool on the sheet. Mix in any extra cereal if desired and store in an air tight container.

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