6.09.2012

Granola

There's going to be a day when I just can't leave my home anymore.   All the Bath Salts talk is freaking me out.  Why are you eating someone's face????????  I'm trying to get ya'll to eat more of a plant-based diet....not a face. 

So I leave you with a reminder of one of the Vegetarian Commandments: 
Anything without a face.

Try this easy and perfect granola recipe!!! 




Amee's Awesome Granola
My granola is perfect for 3 breakfasts:  (1) Your morning cereal, (2) a yogurt parfait, or (3) Simply topped with greek yogurt and strawberries or bananas.  It also makes a great stand-alone snack.
Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 pinches of salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries*
1/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/3 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, salt, and oil.  Heat over low heat for about 3-5 mins.  The oil will not combine with the sugar-honey mixture, so don't wait for that!  Just make sure the sugar-honey mixture is a warm homogenous goo.  Then remove from heat.
3.    Add sugar mixture to oats and nuts and mix well for about 2 or 3 mins until oats are evenly coated.
4.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, transfer oats and spread evenly.  Bake for 35 mins.
5.  Allow to cool completely and then break up the granola into pieces (as desired) Then add dried fruit (last 3 ingredients). 
6.  Taste how fantastic this is!!!!!!  Store in an airtight container.

*Chopped dates would be my preference here, but I didn't have any, so I used dried cranberries



If you like granola, please check out Valentina's recipe and her blog.  She will certainly inspire you with her gazillions of recipes and photography.  And she's just a very wonderful warm person!  Subscribe to Cooking on the Weekends!

23 comments:

  1. Amee - I LOVE it! I just linked to this post from mine. :-) Your photos are stunning!!!

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    1. I really liked the ingredients in yours!!

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  2. Ankur@I_Love_Amee_Food!.comJune 10, 2012

    Amee - the granola's delicious... and almost completely consumed:)

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    1. Thanks for commenting! Wow! You. Thanks for the feedback and telling me I should blog about it.

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  3. Great pics!! Who knew granola could look this amazing:) Now I know how disturbed you are about the bath salts when it made it into your post:P
    XOXO!

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  4. AnonymousJune 11, 2012

    perfect for the stash of cranberries that i keep trying to incorporate into a granola. i may sub pistachios for the walnuts.

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    1. aneelee, thanks for commenting. yes - you can use anything here! it's very forgiving!

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  5. You make granola the way I like it — studded with tons of nuts.

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    1. thanks susan! i always feel flattered and unprepared when a published cookbook writer such as yourself stops by unannounced. Like if someone visits the house and my house is a mess! :) Thanks for stopping by and writing a comment!!

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  6. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, raisins, lots of honey
    and those awesome cranberries ALL packed in ONE serving! You ought to have lived closer!

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    1. I wish!!!! I would love to see you more than once a decade. That would be lovely if we could be neighbors!

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  7. OH I forgot to mention it: I loved the vegetarian commandment:
    Anything without a face.

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    1. thanks! Adapted from Ankur, actually.

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  8. AnonymousJune 15, 2012

    You really should try to go vegan. By eating/drinking dairy products you are still supporting the rape/abuse of cows and hurting your body. Dairy products are acidic and leech calcium from your bones. Don't believe me? Look it up.

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  9. Thanks, Anonymous. I do appreciate your comment here. I haven't been able to make that jump yet, but thanks for sharing how you feel. I feel proud of anyone that is able to move towards a plant-based, organic, and/or locavore diet. We should support each other when we have good intentions, no matter our choices. Also, having strong feelings on the subject, you should really try to identify yourself. Why anonymous?

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  10. I just wanted to pipe in and say that that face-eating article was one of the few news stories that I simply couldn't finish reading. I literally could NOT read further than the whole "he started eating his face" part and then I was like, I'm so out of here.

    I assure you I will not be putting bath salts in my granola.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl. As it turns out, the guy was not on bath salts. They decided to release that information after I posted this so that I look like a complete tool. I concur...very disturbing.

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  11. Some people need to lighten up! I love granola AND yogurt! Thanks for reminding me how easy it is to make homemade granola! And, I don't care for the taste of bath salts - LOL!

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  12. Can I quote Cheryl on the "he started eating his face" part and then I was like, I'm so out of here." ; )
    And Anonymous: It's hard to make the leap from vegetarian to vegan because a lot of the dairy and meat substitutes are loaded with artificial crap and GMOs (but I agree with you too, because dairy has a huge carbon footprint, along with the animal issue). Oh, and Amee, your granola looks fabulous!! : )

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    1. :) Lentil....the funniest lady ever. Thanks for the comment. :)

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  13. Amee, you are so clever...and you make me smile! Thanks for the great posts...and encouraging people to make kind choices.

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