“Nuts and twigs.” “What crunchy people eat.” “Dry.” “Boring.” These are just a few of the stereotypes of granola over the years. But what is granola, really? How about delicious? In this episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we unmask granola…we clear up some misconceptions and talk about how to make great granola at home.
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Here’s what we mention in this episode:
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again.
- Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars
- Chewy Healthy Granola Bars
- Pumpkin Seed and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Resources Used for this Episode:
- Is Granola Good For You?
- Is Granola Cereal Good for You?
- 9 Surprising Benefits Of Granola
- The World’s 10 Healthiest Granolas
- Make Perfect Homemade Granola by Avoiding These Common Mistakes
Recipe of the Week
Danielle’s ‘Clean Out the Pantry’ Granola
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats (regular basic quaker style)
- 6 tablespoons chopped nuts
- 1/4 cup maple syrup – really good quality.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Spread granola mix on a cookie sheet lined with parchment
- Bake for 5-8 minutes. It is ready when you can smell the oats and the edges are browned.
Notes
- You can use any nuts. I use any nuts that I have leftover in the pantry. The combos I have the most success with:
- peanuts with added dried apricots (chopped to the same size as the nuts, maybe 1/4-1/2 cup)
- macadamia nuts with dried pineapple and 1/4-1/2 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
- cashews with about a 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom.
- This recipe doubles REALLY well. I usually make a double batch & store it in a gallon size freezer bag in the fridge
- It doesn’t really matter what additional things you mix in (raisins, coconut shreds, sunflower seeds, etc) you never really need to add more maple syrup. the 1/4 cup just keeps it all together. This is a ‘clean out the pantry’ kind of granola!
Quotes of the Week
Drop your shrink and stop your drinkin’, crunchy granola’s neat.
— Neil Diamond (lyrics from Crunchy Granola Suite)
Question: Do you make your own granola? What are your go-to ingredients?
Thanks for listening!
Peace and Veggies,
Vickie and Larissa