I’m not much of a breakfast person. Sure, I love brunch – but I’m talking about breakfast. You know, the food that you have to force down your throat first thing in the morning? No? Anyway, I never used to eat breakfast until I realized I need to eat all three meals in order to survive the day. There are two things I eat regularly: breakfast pitas; and yogurt with granola.

I’m a bit of a granola and yogurt fiend. I find store-bought granola to be expensive, and full of junk.

I’ve started on the path to making my own granola, full of things I like.

This time around, I wanted some variety so I made two different kinds of granola, instead of putting all of the ingredients into one big granola. It was a pretty good try, but I think I need some practise. The two kinds don’t taste different enough for me, so next time I’ll have to kick it up a bit. I also need to learn how to make better clumps of things – the smaller bits, like flax and chia, mostly fell to the bottom of the pan. It would be so much better if they stuck to some oats in clumps. I think adding some egg white to the mix will help with this.

Next time, I’ll try not to wuss out on the spices in the Spiced Pumpkin Cashew mix, and I think I’ll add some dried apricot. And maybe add some orange juice for a different flavour?

J says I’m a hippie, now that I make granola.

Recipes after the jump!

Granola, Two Ways!

Some guidance taken from this great article and recipe.

Ingredients:

Spiced Pumpkin Cashew 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup quinoa flakes (or any kind of fun grain flake) (optional) 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1 cup pumpkin seeds (I used pepitas) 1/3 cup raw cashews 1/4 cup hulled hemp 1/2 cup chia seeds 1 cup sweetened coconut (I used unsweetened) 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder (optional) 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 1/3 cup honey

Vanilla Almond Flax 2 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup quinoa flakes (or any kind of fun grain flake) (optional) 1 cup sliced or slivered almonds 1/2 cup flax seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 1/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup dried cranberries or the dried fruit of your choice

Preparation (can be used to prepare either variation):

1. Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the first dry ingredients (all ingredients up to – and NOT including – the oil).
3. Add the wet ingredients, and mix until evenly combined.
4. As needed, line rimmed baking sheets with parchment or grease them lightly with butter (depending on size, you may need one or two). Spread the mixture in a thin layer onto the baking sheets and place in heated oven.
5. Bake the granola for 30 minutes. Mix up the granola, and return to the oven turned 180 degrees. Bake until golden brown and no longer feels sticky, check every 10 minutes.
6. Let cool completely. Break up into small pieces and mix in the dried fruit.

*Note: Seeds such as flax may lose some of their nutritional value when baked. If you prefer, you can add them after baking, with the dried fruit.