Glorious Granola
The first blog of 2017 - Happy New Year! I have been inspired by Instagram for this weeks blog. So many wonderful light, crisp, fresh images as people transition from the dark, sparkly festive photos of the last months. Not really a New Year's resolution, but one thing I am trying to do is eat breakfast consistently. I find it easy to miss this meal out of the day as I am not always hungry first thing, but when I do have breakfast, unsurprisingly I am more focused and productive.
To make breakfast more interesting, I have been finding different ideas to try rather than a piece of toast - one that I fancied trying was granola. You may think that it is not the most glorious breakfast suggestion, but the thing is…it can be!
I started with making a base out of all my favourite flavours and kept it quite simple, so that an abundance of yummy toppings could be added to mix it up
Glorious Granola
350g muesli base (I used a muesli base from Waitrose, which is a mixture of barley flakes, whole rolled oats, rye flakes, wheat flakes, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)
100g pecan halves (roughly chopped)
100g blanched hazelnuts (chopped in half)
25g coconut flakes (found in health food shops, rather than desiccated coconut which is very sweet)
60g maple syrup
60g honey
1 tbsp sunflower oil
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
pinch of sea salt (optional)
Preheat oven to 180ºC
In a large bowl combine the muesli base, pecans, hazelnuts, coconut flakes and if using - cinnamon and salt. Mix together until fully combined.
Add the maple syrup, honey and sunflower oil and mix though until the dry ingredients are coated.
Tip the granola mixture into a large roasting pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a golden brown. Give the mixture a quick shuffle about with a wooden spoon half way through baking.
Once golden brown, remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.
For some topping ideas, try any or a combination of;
Natural yoghurt
Almond milk
Fresh berries
Dried fruits, such as apricots, raisins, cranberries
Fresh figs
Cocoa nibs
Grilled peaches
Grated apple
I would love any inspiration for breakfast ideas you have, please share in the comments below. Right I am now off to have some more granola for lunch!
