I’m one of those people that can eat the same breakfast, day in and day out and never tire of it. In a perfect world, that would consist of a double espresso and a pastry. Alas, that doesn’t work for me. After about an hour I’d be shaking and foggy from lack of protein.
Over the years, I’ve come to realize the best breakfast for me is granola. I eat it almost every day without fail, making large batches several times a month. You’d think I’d be sick of it by now, but I’m not. In fact, I crave it constantly. It’s also one of those recipes that keeps evolving and getting better with each experimentation.
I call this my Winter Granola. It’s full of nuts and seeds, crunch and heartiness with just the slightest hint of sweetness. If that bothers you, you could certainly add some coconut sugar, but I don’t think it needs it. I know there are a bazillion different granola recipes out there, but this one is definitely a keeper. It’s paleo, vegan, vegetarian, easy to make and most importantly, energy sustaining.
- 2 lbs of rolled oats (gluten free, if preferred)
- 2 cups roughly chopped raw pecans
- 2 cups raw sliced almonds
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 cup raw pepitas
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup of olive oil
- 1 cup of maple syrup
- 12oz of dried tart cherries
- Set oven to 300 degrees F and make sure oven racks are in top 1/3, middle 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of oven. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir well. Add the oil then the syrup and stir to coat completely. Spread evenly onto 3 parchment-lined baking sheets. Pat granola down so it is flat and even. Put one tray on each rack. Bake for 10 minutes, then move the trays up/down a rack so that each tray bakes on each rack for approximately 10 minutes (you'll do this 3 times). The key is to have nicely browned granola. If it's underdone, it will not taste right! Likewise, it won't taste well if it's burnt. Generally speaking it's about 10-13 minutes on each rack to get a nice golden brown color. Once baked, allow to cool on racks or stove top for several hours (this is when it sets and crisps up). Pour dried cherries on top, then pour into storage containers. Refrigerate or freeze (it tastes best cold).
- If you only have 2 racks in your oven, set them up evenly and cook the third tray on its own in the middle. It's important that the baking sheets do not have too thick of a layer, so I wouldn't recommend squeezing everything on to 2 sheets.
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