Oh, granola. How seductive you are, with your oats, nuts and fruits congealed in a mess of crunchy sweetness. Granola could very well be the ultimate deceiver, masquerading as a delectably healthy way to start your day. Sure, the nutritious base elements are there, but when you start to consider the high sugar content (not to mention preservatives) of the dried fruit coupled with the heaps of processed sugars used in most commercially manufactured versions (and home recipes, actually), granola's wholesome-factor immediately plummets. Which is really such a shame (but explains why it is oh-so-good).
While I have absolutely no qualms with dumping buckets of butter and sugar into an epic batch of cookies, I try to keep my breakfasts relatively nutrient-rich and (processed) sugar-free. For this reason, I have steered clear of making my own granola. Until recently, that is, when I discovered this amazing, healthy and epically flavorful recipe for granola made with olive oil, pure maple syrup or honey, cinnamon and cardamom. Yes, please.
If you've never made granola before (or even if you have), I encourage you to check out this step-by-step tutorial over at The Kitchn. The one tip I would add that is not mentioned there is the addition of an egg white (if your diet allows) to the mixture just before baking. This little trick will make the grains, nuts and fruit clump together quite well, so you end up with actual granola clusters rather than a sheet of toasted but individual bits. If using this method, be sure not to stir the granola while it is baking and to let it cool completely on the sheet before breaking it up and storing it!
The great thing about granola (other than its general deliciousness) is that it is fully customizable. So I present two recipes: General Format for Olive Oil Granola (which I encourage you to use as a guideline and then get creative with your choices) and my own version, Almond Cranberry Date Granola (with some other delicious bits thrown in for good measure).
General Format for Olive Oil Granola
slightly adapted from Megan Gordon of Marge Granola
Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats and/or other grain (wheat, rye, barley...)
2 to 2 1/2 cups your choice of nuts and seeds*
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
3/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cups dried fruits, chopped
1 egg white (if using, to produce better clusters)
*In consideration of both flavor and nutritional value, I highly encourage you to always purchase raw nuts and seeds. If you are using roasted nuts in your granola, add them after the granola has been baked (otherwise they'll burn).
Almond Cranberry Date Granola
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups rolled rye flakes
1/2 cup raw almonds (some whole and some chopped)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes*
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup dates (chopped)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup currants
1 egg white
*If using coconut flakes, these should be added in the last ten minutes of baking.
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 176°C / Gas 4.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Mix grains, raw nuts and seeds together in a large bowl (leave out dried fruit!).
4. Add salt, cinnamon and cardamom and stir thoroughly.
5. Add olive oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix well.
6. Beat egg white (if using) until frothy but not stiff. Add to granola mixture and stir to coat.
7. Turn the granola out on your baking sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 20-40 minutes (depending on your oven), until golden and toasty.
8. Remove from oven when golden in color, even if the granola still feels a bit wet. It will harden as it cools.
9. Leave undisturbed on the baking sheet to cool (this helps the clusters form). Once completely cooled, break the granola off into chunks, add the dried fruit and any roasted nuts, and store in an airtight container.
Back when I was a notoriously picky eater, I didn't draw the line at vegetables. Despite always loving breakfast, oatmeal was one dish I could never get behind. I don't know if it was the mushy consistency or the bland flavor, but I always refused to eat it. Then one day, out of nowhere, along came along steel cut oatmeal--the oat that changed everything.
Surprisingly, I can't remember the first time I had steel cut oats. I just know that they entered my life in the relatively recent past and I haven't looked back since. I have such a profound love for their chewy texture, their retained form, their subtle nutty flavor. True, they take exponentially longer to cook than rolled oats, but if you have the time, the result is worth every minute.
I grew up in Los Angeles but moved to London just over a year ago to pursue an MA in Contemporary Art Theory and immerse myself in the city's unparalleled art organizations and offerings. I find London to be aesthetically stunning, culturally activating, and incredibly diverse--and right now, there is nowhere else I'd rather be. But it is damn near IMPOSSIBLE to find steel cut oats in this city. (Also: the avocados here are consistently underripe and tasteless, I really miss Trader Joe's, and most of all, I REALLY miss good, cheap, authentic Mexican food. But I'm sure you'll be hearing more about all that over time.) Apparently Brits enjoy 'porridge', as they like to call it, that has the consistency of complete mush. Their oats are typically milled to such a fine degree that a cooked bowl resembles a pile of beige slop. While I have graduated in my own eating to consume a hot cereal composed of whole rolled oats, the British mush heap is not a trend that I can, in good conscience, support.
It took a number of months, but I eventually found proper steel cut oats at a tiny, local natural whole foods market in Brixton, a predominantly Afro-Carribbean (but increasingly gentrified) neighborhood in south London. As you might imagine, my excitement could hardly be contained.
Without intending it, my slow-cooking steel cut oats have become a bit of a Saturday morning ritual. Standing over the pot, deciding what fruits, spices and mix-ins to add to enhance its deliciousness-factor on that given day, and then consuming a hearty bowl of the ever-fulfilling grain before embarking on the 20 minute walk to my local farmers' market initiates the perfect beginning to my weekend.
As the first autumn of my life as an amateur foodie rolled around a short couple of months ago, I quickly invested in all the typical warming spices that I didn't formerly have--ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom. I have since fallen madly for ground ginger. This sweet and slightly spicy flavor, coupled with the warmth of cardamom and natural sweetness of dates, makes for the perfect autumnal (or winter) bowl of steel cut oats for your slow saturday--or whatever day you have the time.
Ginger-Cardamom Steel Cut Oats with Dates
Serves one
Ingredients
6 Tbsp. steel cut oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk (dairy, soy, nut, whatever you prefer)
3 dried dates
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Directions
1. Place whole dates in combined milk + water (in the pot is fine--fewer dishes!) and let soak for at least 10 minutes. (This will begin to soften the dates and infuse the liquid with the dates' flavor.)
2. Remove dates, deseed and dice to desired size.
3. Put 2/3 of the chopped dates back into the pot and reserve 1/3 to mix-in at the end.
4. Add the steel cut oats and bring the liquid to a boil.
5. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Let oats simmer (leaving the pot uncovered) until most of the liquid is absorbed and the oats have softened, about 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
7. When the oats are nearing completion, stir in the spices.
8. Top off with remaining dates.
