Mighty Quick Granola

Mighty Quick Granola

May 18, 2020 Candyce Lucien Rusk, Facilitator for The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre®

In these days of quarantine, mundane but necessary tasks, such as recycling, watering herbs, vacuuming, and cooking can weigh heavily on our weary shoulders.

When that dread looms, I look for a recipe that is forgiving (strict measurements not required), thrifty (utilizing ingredients I likely have on hand), and immediately satisfying (don’t have to wait for it to cool and you create on the spot).

Mighty Quick GranOla takes its inspiration from the Stovetop Granola recipe that I’ve demo’d in several Cooking After Cancer classes. You can vary the ingredient amounts and make a few batches for yourself, or feed an army, depending upon your need.

And be bold, this recipe is mighty good and a great way to empty a cupboard of tasty, but leftover bits.

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
¼ cup of roughly chopped nuts and/or seeds (almonds, pecans, sunflower or chia seeds)
¼ cup of roughly chopped dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, dates, apricots)
4 tablespoons of olive and/or coconut oil
½ cup of honey, maple syrup or agave
Dash o’ salt
Spice it up with dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg, few drops of vanilla, a few cardamom seeds, or red pepper flakes. I added wasabi sesame seeds, because of the nice hits of heat they offer and, I had 'em. Be adventurous if you’re up to it.
1/4 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions:

Heat a deep-ish skillet, keep at low-medium heat. Pour in the oil and allow it to warm. Add the oats and stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, allow to toast lightly.

You’ll catch the nutty scent when the oats are ready. Add the nuts, stir a bit. Next comes the chopped dried fruits. Allow all to toast to a light golden brown.

I usually dance around at this point, so, have your favorite songs on hand.

When the oat/seed/fruit ingredients are toasted and roasted, move the mixture to the sides of the pan. In the middle of the pan, pour a touch more oil and then the honey.

It’s really satisfying to stir and blend the dried ingredients with the liquids. Once reasonably coated, add the salt and spices. Stir kindly until the granola is well-combined.

Then grate in some orange zest. This is a lovely addition, giving the recipe a tart but sweet-ish finish.

Spread out in glass pan or parchment covered cookie sheet to cool or eat warm and at will like I did.

You can store the remainder of Mighty Quick Granola in glass containers or plastic...anything with a tight lid.

This snack can save the day when you’re hassled, hungry, or relaxed.