Golden Granola

This recipe is excellent for using up any half used bags of nuts, seeds or dried fruit (you know we’ve all got these hangin around!) and it’s completely adaptable. I love and need anything anti inflammatory so I’ve added turmeric to this one but you can use any lovely warm spice your heart desires. I’ve also made it minimally sweet because I think it’s best to build sweetness to your liking when eating the finished granola.

Makes about 8 servings, I store mine in a large airtight mason jar.

Ingredients

2 1/2 c. Oats (I used gluten free)

2/3 c. Pecans, chopped

1/3 c. Hazelnuts, chopped

1 c. Coconut flakes or shavings

1/3 c. Mixed seeds (I used a mix of pumpkin, sunflower, sesame and flax)

2 Tbsp coriander seeds *optional but truly adds an exotic twist

1/2 Tbsp Chai spice or pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

1/4 c. Agave syrup or honey

2 Tbsp dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 egg whites (save the yolks to make a quick fancy mayo like this one for another time)

* any dried fruit tossed into the cooled granola is works well too!

1/ Preheat oven to 300f/150c. In a big bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Cream together the agave, brown sugar and olive oil then fold in till well coated.

2/ Add the egg whites to a large bowl and whisk or beat till foamy and light as air. Gently fold in the egg white foam till we’ll coated (sounds strange I know but it will give the granola lots of crisp!)

2/ Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread mixture evenly over the sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or till golden brown, stirring annd breaking it up about halfway through to get an even toasting.

3/ Remove from oven and let cool completely before transferring to an airtight jar or Tupperware. Keep for up to 3 weeks but it’ll be long gone by then!

* if you prefer more sweetness feel free to add more brown sugar or agave.

* also feel free to use whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand! Just make sure they’re chopped to the same size and match the same quantities as listed.