Granola

Oatmeal season is gone for sure. No more need for a steaming bowl of goodness to keep me warm all morning. I eat oatmeal literally every morning from fall through winter-but around this time each year, the thought of oatmeal for breakfast doesn't sound appealing at all. So, the natural alternative is granola...or muesli. Unfortunately, granola doesn't have the bulk of being cooked with water to be super satisfying...unless you eat a lot. It's kind of up there in the calorie realm so most servings should only be about 1/4 c.-which never really does it for me. To accomodate my need for a larger portion I made up a batch of granola, sweetened with apple juice and using only a few tablespoons of oil. It's really not sweet at all but adding a little vanilla to the milk or a squirt of agave nectar helps without straying from the original purpose.

The recipe is from the Rose Bakery cookbook. In itself, this is a beautiful cookbook from a Paris cafe I would LOVE to visit. They give two granola recipes-one being this sugarfree version and also a honey granola recipe. Both are delicious but naturally the one with honey is great in a wow-I'm-having-dessert-for-breakfast kind of traditional granola way.

My favorite part is the toasted almonds...oh, and the dried apricots that I use. I also added some shredded unsweetened coconut because I like how subtly it flavors the milk. While part of me is sad to see the comfort of oatmeal be tucked away for awhile, I'm totally prepared to embrace the onset of this granola season.

Sugar-free Granola

from Rose Bakery

4 c. rolled oats

1 c. whole almonds

3/4 c. sunflower seeds

1 c. pumpkin seeds

1/4 c. sesame seeds

1 tbsp. wheat germ

1/2 c. apple juice

4 tbsp. sunflower oil

dried or fresh fruits

*shredded unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 325-degrees.

Mix all ingredients, from oats to oil, together in bowl.

Spread out evenly on a baking tray.

Bake, turning often, for 45 min. to 1 hr.

Remove from oven and leave until cool.

Add dried fruit and serve with yogurt or milk.

(I use vanilla almond/rice milk)