So far I have kept my New Year’s resolution to eat healthy. (Okay, so maybe except for the wine and a little chocolate.) This commitment includes a granola breakfast. (Later in the day, the menu gets very green.)
I have been obsessing about making the perfect granola to support my resolution. I have played with ingredients such as coconut (all formats: oil, sugar, shredded), millet, dried apricots, wheat germ, quinoa, etc. and I intend to continue messing with the recipe just to keep things interesting.
But as of today, I’m eating the one described below. It’s tasty, and makes me feel almost good about the fact that I’m not eating a croissant with jam.
Try it, knowing you can substitute almost everything with something else, if you are feeling granola obsessive. (This may not be the case for you if you, say, have a life.)
2015 Homemade Granola
2 cups oats (old-fashioned, not instant)
1/2 cup puffed millet*
1/2 cup quinoa flakes*
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries
(Yield: about 3 1/2 cups.)
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Combine oats, millet, quinoa, walnuts sunflower seeds and kosher salt and mix well. Combine oil, honey, and vanilla and mix well. Add to oat mixture and mix well.
3. Pour the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 40 minutes. Mix well and bake for another 20 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Mix in the cherries. Serve with almond milk or yogurt.
Store in an airtight container.
*Available at Whole Foods.
Jessica Harper is an actor/author who lives in Los Angeles and New York. Her latest book is "The Crabby Cook Cookbook," and she also blogs at http://www.jessicaharper.com and at http://www.thecrabbycook.com.