39. Granola not Graffiti!

Fresh homemade Granola

What can you say about homemade granola, when the photo of the day was slated to be graffiti! Didn't take long to find out there isn't any graffiti in White Rock.  That will be a fascinating story for another day, once the alphabet theme ends.

The granola is a worthy subject and I shall tell you a little bit about it.  Eaten in many parts of the world makes it  “global cuisine” and it is easy to carry along on a hike or camping. 

Wikipedia 1893 advertisement for Kellogg's Granola

They claimed that it was thoroughly cooked and  “partially digested” by whom I’m not sure! Plus, one pound equals more than three pounds of best beef. Vegetarians would be delighted reading that! Their version contained wheat and oats, but it doesn't look like they added nuts, raisins, or other dried fruits.

The thing most appreciated about granola, other than the versatility of eating it for breakfast is that it can be added to oatmeal or cereal, sprinkled on fruit and yogourt or eaten for dessert with ice cream. Each time an ingredient is changed, the complexity of the granola changes with it.  Dried apricots, dried dates or dried figs can also be added or substituted. It's fun to make and have included my recipe:

Homemade Granola

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 4 c. rolled oats
• 1/2 c. almonds, I like them left whole
• 1/2 c. chopped in half or whole pecans
• 1/2 c. coarsely chopped dried cranberries
• 1 c. raisins
• 3 tbsp. ground flax
• 1/2 c. unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 c. unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 c. large coconut flakes
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, almonds, pecans, cranberries, raisins, flax, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds,  coconut flakes, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine oil, honey, and sugar. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Drizzle syrup over oat mixture; toss with a wooden spoon. Pour granola onto baking  sheet and spread evenly. Bake 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Let granola cool completely on a wire rack. Break into chunks and store in an airtight container.

Jan's Granola