Recently, I've been craving for simple things to eat. Not that I've ever longed for the opposite, but more so nowadays, chomping on a thick slice of good bread, thoroughly soaked with the best fruity olive oil one can find, makes me more cheerful than I'm genetically inclined to be in the late afternoons.
I've long gone by the yard stick that the best foods are those made with five ingredients or less (without counting salt and pepper). Think for instance, pizza margherita, spaghetti aglio olio, scrambled eggs on toast, a piece of salmon belly sushi, the perfect steak, a wedge of butter cake, and my home-made granola.
Everybody has a granola recipe to share, and for me, it's all about finding one that is fuss-free, and creates granola that is crunchy, nourishing and not cloyingly sweet. So after a few trials, I've finally come up with a recipe that makes me the best granola.
Nourish with Five- Granola
Ingredients:-
3 1/2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp light brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
100 grams slivered raw almonds and/or 100g sunflower seeds/ pumpkin seeds/ chopped pecans/ chopped walnuts...
50g sesame seeds
a pinch of salt
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 150degreesC.
2) Mix oats, almonds (and any other nuts/ seeds), salt and brown sugar in a big bowl.
3) Mix in oil and honey and stir till everything's coated.
4) Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
5) Pour mixture onto baking sheet, flatten out evenly, and bake for 30-40 min, until the granola's a deep brown. But be sure to take the granola out of the oven every 10-min to give it a good stir around to ensure even baking.
6) Cool completely before storing it in an airtight container and use within two weeks.
You could of course jazz this simple recipe up to suit your taste. Try adding a teaspoon of cinnamon, stirring in some butterscotch chips/ chopped dark chocolate at the end (I like!), or throwing in some currants/ cranberries/ dates. But the simplicity of this basic granola really does it for me. I eat a bowlful of it with plain Greek yogurt and a splash of unsweetened soy milk, and a fruit on the side for breakfast, and it keeps me going all the way till lunch; no icky hunger pangs in between! I pack a little for Fuzzy to munch on throughout the day in the office, since it keeps well, and is also wheat and gluten-free, and full of good fat from the almonds and sesame seeds. I really hope you enjoy this.
My bucketful of bird-food-looking joy.
