Comfort in Familiarity

I know I've been seriously slacking in the recipe department these past weeks, but have some patience as moving and the holidays have me cooking tried-and-true meals rather than experimenting as much as usual.

I promise that with the new year I will have plenty to share in the way of recipes. But for now, I wanted to share {again} my favorite granola recipe that comes from my lovely friend Lael. It has been a great comfort of familiarity these past weeks and never gets old in my book!

Blessings Granola
Makes 4 cups

Combine:
¼ c. honey or agave nectar
¼ c. canola oil
2 T. orange juice
2 T. brown sugar (I consider this optional-it increases the sweetness and chewiness only slightly)
¼ t. vanilla

Separately mix:
½ c. pecans
1 ½ c. rolled oats
¼ c. slivered almonds
¼ c. pumpkin seeds

Mix both together. Thinly spread onto rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted in 325°oven.

Remove from oven. Stir in:
¼ c. coconut flakes
¼ c. golden raisins
7 dried apricots, chopped
¼ c. dried cranberries

Let cool before transferring to storage jar or container.

Clumpy and Crisp Applesauce Granola

A few months ago I jumped into the granola making world head on. And I fell in love. Granola always seemed far too time consuming and quite honestly, there were endless options out there. Much too confusing to a granola virgin. That is until it occured to me to use the tried and true formula of my good friend Lael, which is quite amazing (check it out here)! That recipe and I have gotten along quite nicely these past several months.

So why have I decided to venture any further? Well, because I love experimenting and I happened to have every ingredient on hand for this recipe.

And let me tell you, I am so glad I did! This recipe has some subtle differences from my dear friends. It is wonderfully clumpy, not too sweet and perfect atop some Greek yogurt with a few banana slices or fresh berries. Honestly, I love how healthy this version is. Though let me say, I did add a pinch of raw sugar for a bit of added sweetness. Either way, it turned out exceptionally well!

The result: this girl now has two fantastic granola recipes to go to!


Clumpy & Crisp Applesauce Granola
recipe from Everybody Likes Sandwiches

6 c large flake oats
1/4 c flax meal
1/2 c wheat germ
1 T cinnamon
large pinch of nutmeg
1/2 t kosher salt
3 c whole almonds (I substituted for pecans)
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
3 T olive oil
2 c applesauce
1/3 c honey or agave syrup (increase if you like a sweeter granola)
2 c dried cranberries or raisins or dried apple bits

Preheat oven to 300F. In a large bowl, mix together the first 8 ingredients. Add in the oil, applesauce and honey or agave syrup and mix well using your hands until everything is well coated. Spread mixture between two baking sheets lined with silpat or parchment paper and bake, turning mixture frequently and rotating pans until the mixture is dry and golden. For me, this took about 1 hour or a bit more. Add the dried fruit as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool and then store in a sealed container.

Homemade Granola that Satisfies the Soul

I believe a girl should have at least a handful of tried and true recipes to reference. And now, thanks to my dear friend Lael, I have a very special one to add to my collection.

Last night I attempted, with heavenly results I might add, to create the 'Blessings Granola' that Lael's Mom has used in her family for years. You see, as long as I have known Lael, she's always had a well stocked supply of what she deems, "the ultimate comfort food".


So, when I decided to attempt my own granola, why would I think to go anywhere but straight to her recipe? Lael shared this recipe in one of her very first blog posts at One Hungry Soul and I am so very glad she did!

This granola is as easy as it is delicious and satisfying!

I have posted the recipe below, but please check out Lael's original post for some great tips that really helped me with the cooking time and variations to this basic recipe.



Lael's Blessings Granola
Makes 4 cups

Combine:
¼ c. honey
¼ c. oil
2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 T. brown sugar (I consider this optional-it increases the sweetness and chewiness only slightly)
¼ t. vanilla

Separately mix:
½ c. pecans
1 ½ c. rolled oats
¼ c. slivered almonds
¼ c. pumpkin seeds

Mix both together. Thinly spread onto rimmed baking sheet. Bake until toasted in 325°oven.

Remove from oven. Stir in:
¼ c. coconut flakes
¼ c. golden raisins
7 dried apricots, chopped
¼ c. dried cranberries

Let cool before transferring to storage jar or container.