I despise granola. Yes, I realize that this is a funny thing to say at the beginning of a post with this title. But it's something I am very used to saying.
The thing is, I don't actually hate granola. I just have a troubled relationship with it. When I was younger, I struggled dieting and a horrible binge/purge cycle (I am still in recovery for disordered eating but bingeing and purging has not been a problem for quite some time). Granola was one of my binge/overeat foods. So when I began to recover, avoidance of the stuff was necessary for a good long while.
As I went into adulthood, my avoidance of granola began to take on an air of disdain. "Don't like the stuff" I would say. I would say this about a lot of foods I was avoiding because they were potential triggers, like french fries or chips or fried foods. After a while, I began to believe it.
But now that I am in advanced recovery, I am actually starting to rediscover some of these foods. One by one, I'm adding them back in my repertoire and seeing if I actually might like them after all.
So, here is my offering for a granola recipe. There's nothing fancy about it, but it's awfully good in its simplicity. It's got a nice balance of crunch and crisp and soft, and it tastes great with milk (my favored delivery) or with yogurt.
You know, I think I might like it after all.
Note: this recipe is very open to adaptation. Up the oats, add more or less nuts, omit the coconut, use melted butter or olive oil instead of the coconut oil, or add different mix-ins entirely; do whatever you wanna.
GRANOLA THAT I DO NOT HATE
Makes about 4 cups (loosely packed)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup wide coconut flakes
- 1 cup nuts (I used a mix of slivered almonds and pecan pieces)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, and nuts.
In a separate microwave-safe bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave by heating it for about 10 seconds. You might not need to do this at all if your kitchen is warm and the coconut oil is liquid.
Add the honey, vanilla, and salt to the bowl with the coconut oil. Whisk or stir with a fork or spoon to combine.
Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to combine.
Scatter the mixture evenly on a parchment lined (easier cleanup) baking sheet. Bake anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes, or until it reaches your desired level of crispy. Remove from the oven and let cool entirely before transferring to storage containers.