Granola, Sweet Granola

Having spent childhood summers bathing in a freshwater lake and listening to Peter, Paul and Mary, it’s no surprise that I love granola.  I love it for its tree-hugging, free-loving connotation just as much as I love it for its strong flavor, rugged texture, and quick satisfaction.  And I’ve loved it even more during the past few months, as I’ve been eating gluten-free and eager for an occasional break from the monotony of eggs and oatmeal.

Inspired by some incredible (but insanely expensive) local granola made at Flour Craft Bakery in Marin County, I roped the kids into helping me make a batch of my own this weekend.  It was fun and easy, taking a few minutes to prep and 30 minutes to cook.  Here’s the recipe I used, based around Flour Craft’s Maple Pecan variety and a base recipe from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything:

• 6 cups gluten-free rolled oats (Trader Joe’s sells them)
• 2 cups mixed nuts and seeds (combo of pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds)
• Handful of flax seeds
• 1/2 C maple syrup
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 2T melted coconut oil
• Sprinkle of unsweetened coconut
• Dash of sea salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir.  Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet (I needed two) and cool for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Brown, without burning.  Remove from oven.  Let cool.  Store and gobble up!

This recipe is quite rich, so a little bit goes a long way.  I drizzle it with a bit of unsweetened almond milk and dream of what my life on a commune might be like…

Enjoy!  And remember, “one pound more than equals three pounds of best beef”…