Blueberry Pecan Granola

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My oldest son is on a healthy eating kick. He really wants to play football in the fall and one of his dad’s and my criteria for letting him play was that he needed to clean up his diet. I understand that he is 10, but I really want him to start treating his body with respect. In my mind, eating healthy foods is a form of respecting your body. He plays lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and now football, so I think that it is time that he learns that food is fuel.

Slowly, we are making some changes and adding new things and getting rid of some others. But he is still a kid, we don’t want him to feel like he is being punished either. Just make better choices. He really loves a bowl of cereal, but often they are loaded with sugar and other not-so-healthy things. The granola from Whole Grain Mornings is the best of both worlds. Super fast breakfast, and just sweet enough to taste like cereal.

I have made this granola weekly for months. I love it. You can use any combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, that you like. We are getting ready to move (a month from today!) and I am trying to use up what is left in the pantry. Blueberry and pecan is my favorite combination and the flavor that I make most often.

I have a cookbook issue. The issue is that I don’t have enough book shelves for all of them.

Instead of not buying any more cookbooks, I just buy more shelves. Some I look through a few times and they find a permanent place on the shelf, not being moved often. And then there are books that I stop putting away altogether because I use them so much, they seem to live on my kitchen counter. Such is the case with Whole Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon. I love this book. This granola is a base recipe for her famous Marge granola. I used to order it, now I just make my own.

3 cups rolled oats
2 1/2 cups needs and seeds (for this I used almonds, pecans, and flax)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 plus 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used dried blueberries)

Mix together oats, nuts, seeds, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Whisk together olive oil and maple syrup. (I keep my maple syrup in a squeeze bottle diner-style. Less mess when the kids are pouring maple syrup. And I buy syrup in jugs, so it is easier to put it into smaller containers.)

Pour over the oat mixture.

Toss until fully coated.

Spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, turning the granola every 15 minutes. It is done when the oats are golden brown and the nuts are just toasted. (It might still look a little wet, or not completely dried out. That’s okay, it will as it cools. I have let it go too long before because I thought that it was not cooked, but I ended up just burning it.) 

Remove from the oven, and let cool completely. Add dried fruit and toss to combine.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 weeks, or 3 months in the freezer. Who knew that you could freeze granola?