Bite Of Minnesota: Sunflower Seed Granola
Based on the comments from the last post, there appears to be a lot of breakfast eaters in the Bite of Minnesota readership. Since I can't make the Baked Aporridgy every day, I turn to another oat-infused standard for breakfast: granola.
My obsession with granola started eight years ago after trying a simple recipe from a USA Weekend insert in the Sunday newspaper and I've been making homemade granola ever since. Once I got the pattern down, it became increasingly easy. Since I made a batch every week or two, I often mix up the dry ingredients before work and then bake it after work while I'm working on dinner and can tend to stirring halfway through.
Making granola at home allows for the customization of ingredients and control over the sugar level, a main concern of store-bought granola. I usually use whatever dried fruit and nuts I have on hand, getting most of my supply from Trader Joe's. I usually eat it with yogurt or milk, but it is also good plain, as a dry snack. Here's a doubled recipe from Clean Eating that I've been enjoying lately.
Sunflower Seed Granola
1 cup sunflower seeds
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup ground flaxseed (or wheat germ)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
6 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup agave nectar or honey
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 300°. Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until evenly blended.
Transfer mixture onto a large cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Let cool and store in an airtight container. If pieces stick together, shake the container to break up pieces.
