Granola

A versatile travel companion
We're huge into Granola when we travel. It may seem sort of weird, but we make a bunch of granola, put it in a big ziplock bag and put it in our luggage. If we're staying in a hotel, we don't have to eat 30 dollar pancakes. If we're camping, hiking, or going international, it's nice to have a bag of granola on you. Hungry? Granola. Don't feel safe leaving your hotel room because the people are rioting? Granola. Stuck in the airport because the workers went on strike? Granola. Don't feel like eating plain yogurt? Granola.
Ingredients
  • 6 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 cup Pecans (crushed)
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Heat over to 350
Directions
  1. Mix in the dry ingredients (oats, brown sugar, coconut, crushed pecans)
  2. Stir in and combine with the oil, honey, and vanilla
  3. ​Speed on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 16 minutes (maybe a little more, but never a little less)
  4. Scoop off the cookie sheets and enjoy with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, black berries or huckleberries. 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup crushed pecans
  • 1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 cup of shredded coconut
  • 1/2 tsp  fine grain salt (maybe 3/4 but be careful)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2  cup melted coconut oil, olive oil (or heaven forbid, vegetable oil)
  • 1/2 cup of honey

​Preheat over to 350
Directions
  1. Mix in the dry ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, salt, and cinnamon)
  2. Pour in the oil, honey, and vanilla and mix it well (really well!) with a wooden spoon
  3. Cover a cookie sheet with butcher paper
  4. Scoop the granola onto the baking sheet with your wooden spoon and pat it down gently with a spatula or the wooden spoon. 
  5. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until just golden brown (I usually start checking at 19 minutes). 
  6. Remove from oven and let it cool for 30 - 45 minutes.
  7. Break it up, eat it, store it, or do as you wish! It's your granola!
Granola is a chose your own adventure recipe

There are many other ways to make granola and many other nuts, seeds, little dried berries (currants, cranberries, etc.) that you can add to granola and make it delicious. Sara likes it super plain and simple so that's what you get here. Some people like it really wild and overdone with stuff and if that's you, then use this as a base and figure out your own granola recipe. It's really fun to experiment with different things in the kitchen. Like the time Abby and I tried to make cookies and we ended up with an inedible mass of rock solid dough that went straight in the trash can. Sometimes, it's best not to stray too far from the beaten path.