Recipe for Health: Granola

The autumn snap in the air signals a change of gears and provides a good excuse to go hiking and appreciate the beauty in nature.

“Every family trip to the park or the woods should include a bag of granola,” write Julie and Charles Mayfield in their new cookbook The Paleo Summer Survival Guide.

“It seems nearly impossible to think that in all my years of camping and hiking, I’ve never made my own version of this stuff until recently,” says Charles. “And now that I’ve made my own, I’ll never go back to store-bought! If you have a hankering for cereal, this is a great alternative, and many Paleo folks top such creations with coconut milk to relive their cereal days (unsweetened almond milk would also work).”

1½ C coconut flakes
1½ C slivered almonds
½ C sunflower seeds
½ C cashew pieces
½ C pecans, coarsely chopped
½ C pumpkin seeds
½ C finely shredded coconut
¼ C coconut oil
1 T honey
1 T maple syrup
½ t vanilla extract
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t sea salt
¼ t ground nutmeg

Recipe Key
C = cup T = tablespoon t = teaspoon oz = ounce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. In a large bowl, combine the slivered almonds through shredded coconut. Microwave the coconut oil, honey, maple syrup and vanilla in a small microwave-safe glass bowl for 20 seconds. Whisk the oil mixture, blending it thoroughly, and then pour it over the nut-seed mixture and stir until the nuts and seeds are completely coated. Spread the nut-seed mixture out onto a cookie sheet and bake for 3 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven; sprinkle the cinnamon, salt and nutmeg over the nut-seed mixture; and bake for another 3 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow it to cool. Serve it at once or store it in airtight container. The granola will keep for up to 2 weeks in airtight container and for a month or longer if stored in freezer.

Variations: Feel free to mix and match ingredients to come up with your own version of portable goodness. Add in some dried fruit after baking the granola to bring in a bit more sweetness and an interesting texture.

Source: Reprinted with permission from the book The Paleo Summer Survival Guide by Julie and Charles Mayfield. Copyright © 2013 by Harlequin® Nonfiction. For more information, please visit www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: © Mark Adams