There are few things better than some good, homemade granola, at least that’s true for me. Granola needn’t be reserved for breakfast – you can take some along to work for an afternoon snack. At The Hungry Wife, granola is made from nutritious ingredients that are less refined than the ingredients in most commercial cereals, and we bake it only briefly so it retains nutrients. For the most healthful cereal, avoid using coconut, heavy vegetable oils, sweeteners, and lots of nuts, all of which can add dramatic amounts of fat, sugar, or calories.
Here at The Hungry Wife, our basic recipe includes rolled oats, oat bran, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and barley malt. We then add a pair of ingredients to distinguish each batch, offer two types of granola for us to choose from: one with a modest amount of nuts and one with dried fruit but not nuts. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t. Adding only a pair of ingredients to the basic recipe helps create a balanced granola without competing flavors.
When we have fresh granola on hand, it is served with milk or soy milk and use it as a crunchy topping for yogurt or ice cream. It is also delicious when paired with our favorit fresh fruits. Granola doesn’t take long to cook and can burn easily, so stay nearby while it bakes. Also, if you choose to use dried fruit in your granola, it can burn even faster than the granola, so add it after the granola has baked and cooled.
