Monthly Archives: December 2009

For those of you who are still too intimidated to try your hand at bagels (I promise they’re not as hard as you’d think!), here’s another great breakfast that you can make ahead of time – granola!

I’ve been flat-out obsessed with making my own granola lately. In addition to tasting great, it travels well so I’ve been eating it with yogurt for breakfast pretty much every weekday. I’ve already been through thee huge batches since I started making it earlier this fall! I’ve made each batch slightly different, while following the same general formula… until the last time. I was halfway through when I realized that I was almost out of oats! I mixed the last of what I had in and hoped that the higher honey to oat concentration would work. Best. Mistake. Ever! The extra honey really shines through and lends a great flavor without being too sticky or sweet, while pecans and raisins add texture.

Since honey is the predominant flavor here, you’ll want to use something that’s high-quality. I used a darkly colored wild honey from Germany that I picked up on a whim. I wouldn’t be able to even begin to tell you where to find the same kind, but I would use a dark/ amber honey. You should be able to find a decent on in any grocery store.

Once you have the basic oat/ honey combination down, you can really experiment with any other mix-ins that you want. If you don’t like pecans and raisins, how about dried cranberries and walnuts? Or coconut and macadamia nuts? The combinations are endless.

Since granola is relatively calorie-dense, I like to balance it out with yogurt and fruit instead of eating it with milk like cereal (which usually results in me eating way too much). Pictured above is a combination of granola, vanilla yogurt, and pomegranate seeds. It’s also fabulous with roasted or sauteed pears. What’s your favorite way to eat granola? [....]

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