in my kitchen | homemade granola

1.27.2014

gluten-free, processed-sugar free, really damn delicious.
i rarely- if ever- buy granola from the market because it's always so damn 'spensive. and if you want the healthy granola that isn't full of a bunch of shit that's bad for you, it's even more ridiculously pricey. eff that noise. joe begins to develop a hive if i bring home milk that costs five dollars a gallon so eight dollars for granola is a little out of the question.

pick your battles, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah.

it's not something i ever thought of making until recently. which is odd because i tend to prefer making things myself if i can. it's far cheaper to make it versus buying it and, even more importantly, you know EXACTLY what's in it. does it freak any one else out to not know what or how much of something is in your food? american food standards are disgustingly poor, so, it scares me a lot.

oh. and a small side bonus? it actually tastes better. so, here's my recipe for some homemade granola.

what:
2 cups gluten-free, old-fashioned rolled oats (i use Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries (i used 1/2 cup each)
1/3 cup of water
1/3 cup organic grade A maple syrup. do not use that cheap shit. it's loaded with processed sugar.)
1/4 cup organic coconut sugar (you can find this at almost any grocery or market)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

how:
preheat your oven to 325 (i looked up a bunch of granola recipes and the majority of them baked the granola at this temperature so i just went with it. marlo was hangry, therefore, i didn't have time for an error.) evenly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. (i used coconut oil spray.)

in a sauce pan, melt the sugar and cinnamon into the vanilla, maple syrup, and water.

in a separate large mixing bowl, combine the oats, various nuts, and dried fruit. after the syrup mixture has melted together nicely, pour on top of the oats mixture. stir until well combined and then evenly pour onto the baking sheet in a single layer.

bake at 325 for about 25 to 27 minutes. let the granola completely cool once you pull it out of the oven so that it can become crunchy.

marlo prefers to snack on it as is so that's always an option. however, i like to serve on top of my chia seed pudding and fruit. enjoy!

4 comments:

Heidi said...

I make our own granola too but my recipe calls for more maple syrup and no coconut sugar. I am intrigued by coconut sugar... I will have to try this recipe. :)

VelmaRose said...

I wasn't sure where else to post this... But after reading your PPD blog on whattoexpect.com and reading some of your posts on here, I am absolutely hooked on your writing and the adventures you share. To chronicle your life and include your child in such a major way is beautiful and admirable. Thank you for all of your writing; it's the inspiration I need!

Christine said...

Thank you so much Velma (is that your name?)! I really appreciate that and you for reading along! It's not always to share certain things so when people read it and relate to it, it's always extremely rewarding for me. xx, C

VelmaRose said...

(Velma is my internet alias ;] Real name is Samantha.. Nice to meet you!) I love all of your blogs and it is extremely inspiring. I used to write every day - for a few years, on a LiveJournal account - but gave up on it all when I began to heavily struggle with my depression (and this was a bit before my son entered the picture)... I am hoping it comes back to me, as this winter has been awfully cold for me this year. That, and it seems to be giving you a light to follow in tough times, and that inspires me with the thought that it might work for me too. :) Thank you again!

 

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