Monday, September 5, 2011

RECIPE: Nutty, Fruity Granola



They say "You are what you eat" ... and you know what that means: I'm nutty and fruity!!!



That being said, here's how I made my special granola...

I preheated the oven. I chopped some nuts. I got out every last mini dish I had in the kitchen... and I lined up all my ingredients.




The coconut flakes got toasted...



And set aside to cool, looking all toasty and scrumptious...



Next? I got the oat mixture into the oven after mixing together the oats, agave nectar, water, oil and sugar...













I spread it out on a baking sheet... and slid it into the hot oven. I closed the oven door and waited to smell the amazingness that is homemade granola.



The nuts and seeds? They got toasted in a little smidge of butter in a big ol' skillet. I melted a pat of butter (or maybe it was two) in a skillet over medium-low heat and cooked the raw taste out of the nuts.

Depending on how many nuts and seeds you have in that skillet (and the size of the nuts) this will take between 10-15 minutes.

I added the flax seed in the last 3-5 minutes... they are very tiny and don't need much cooking time...





I transferred the nuts and seeds to a large bowl to await the toasted oat mixture. Once they had cooled slightly (waiting was the hardest part) I added the oats, coconut and dried fruit to the nut/seed mixture.









It's so simple... you can do this too! ENJOY!!! But let me warn you, you might want to make sure you have enough of these ingredients to make a second batch... because it's so tempting that it will go faaaassst!!!

You might even want to make sure you have yogurt on hand so you can enjoy while the granola is still warm...




Or you can just put some in a little dish and carry it with you around the house, munching on it all along the way. That's what I did...


Just call me nutty (and fruity)!!!


Now... go make your own! And quit judging me...


Nutty, Fruity Granola
Recipe courtesy Lori Tisdale

Ingredients
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 cups old-fashioned oats
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
¼ stick butter
¼ raw pecan halves, chopped
½ cup shelled pistachios, chopped
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup sunflower seeds (roasted/salted is ok)
2 tablespoons flax seed
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
Pinch kosher salt/black pepper
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ dried/chopped apricots

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread coconut on rimmed baking sheet; toast until light brown. Stir occasionally; about 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In large bowl mix together oats, canola oil, agave nectar, sugar and water. Spread in thin layer on baking sheet. Bake until oats are golden brown, stirring occasionally; about 20-25 minutes (or to your personal liking). Set aside to cool.

In large skillet, over medium-low heat, melt butter in large skillet. Add chopped pecans and pistachios, pine nuts, sunflower/pine/pumpkin/flax seeds. Cook until nuts are golden, stirring occasionally (about 10-15 minutes). Sprinkle with pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, toss well. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In large bowl mix coconut, oats, nuts/seeds, and dried fruit. Store in airtight container. Consume within 1 week.

Serving suggestions: Serve granola over yogurt, with fresh fruit, etc.





enjoy your time in the kitchen...

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