Breakfast doesn’t have to be some limp toast or soggy cornflakes. You deserve better than that! Granola, fruit and yogurt is simple, healthy and such a tasty breakfast. If you make a big batch of granola today, you will have breakfast sorted for the next month. Plus, you know what’s in it, so no extra sweeteners with unpronounceable names or lots of hidden salt. You can make it exactly to your taste. I personally love dried cherries, pecans and almonds, so this granola is packed with yummy nuts and fruits. I like my granola kind of crisp and toasty, so I cook it until it’s golden brown – just right! The OH calls granola, summer porridge. It is essentially lots of oatmeal which is the perfect breakfast, as it will keep you full just until lunch time. I served this granola with some yogurt and mango compote. The compote is simply some pureed fresh mango with vanilla seeds, but you could serve this granola with any fruit you like. So, if you are stuck in a breakfast rut, try making some granola, it’s simple, nutritious and better than anything you’ll get in a box.
Granola
Makes a very large tub of granola – will last about a month!
Ingredients
- 400g of rolled oats*
- 50g of desiccated coconut
- 100 ml of sunflower oil
- 80 ml of honey
- 200g of mixed nuts, roughly chopped – (I use pecans, almonds and hazelnuts)
- 100g of dried fruit (I used chopped cranberries, chopped cherries and blueberries)
- pinch of salt
*I used quick oats, but you if you use old fashioned oats, cook for 5 minutes longer
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix the oil and honey together and stir well.
- Pour the oats, nuts and coconut into the bowl with the oil and honey.
- Mix together with a spoon.
- Divide the oat mixture evenly between two baking trays / cookie tins.
- Place the trays of granola in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes. Check them after 5 minutes and give the mixture a stir with a spoon, to ensure it is not browning too much at the edges.
- Toast until golden. Mine took 12 minutes, so keep a close eye on them so it doesn’t brown too much.
- Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool.
- Next, add the chopped fruit and a pinch of salt to each tray, and mix well.
- Once the granola is cold, put it in an airtight tin / Tupperware until you are ready to serve.
Mango Compote
Ingredients
- 1 large mango
- A few vanilla seeds scraped from a vanilla pod
Method
- Peel, stone and chop the mango into small chunks.
- Place the mango chunks and some vanilla seeds in a food processor and puree until smooth.
- Serve with some natural yogurt and a few spoons of the home-made granola.
