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| Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits |
It might surprise a lot of people to learn that among the five regions identified as the longest lived in the world, there is one in the US. And, it is right here in beautiful, health-conscious California.
Loma Linda, located in Southern California, is a unique vegetarian oasis in the area. The Seventh Day Adventists, who live in the area, follow a well-balanced, plant-based diet which includes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and is low in salt, sugar and refined grains. Of course this is in addition to other healthy habits like not smoking, not drinking sodas, having close social interactions, and regular exercise.
Curiously, even though we have traveled up and down the state, V and I have yet to make our way to Loma Linda. We have been to several of the surrounding areas (such as Palm Springs and Los Angeles), and done hikes in the nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Well, Loma Linda is in our travel plans now!
So, after a marathon session with more than 10 recipes in the fermentation series, we have decided to make a healthy jump to a recipe from The Blue Zones Solution.
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| Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits |
The book has several great recipes from the five different regions, but as soon as I saw the recipe for the Homemade Granola, I knew it was the one! Not only is it a California recipe, but V has been pestering me to make granola for a while now, so it was kind of fortuitous.
Recipe for Homemade Granola
Adapted from The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner
Ingredients:
- 3 cups rolled oats (If you are sensitive to gluten, make sure you buy Gluten Free Organic Rolled Oats. I got mine from the bins at Whole Foods Market)
- 1 1/2 cups raw, chopped nuts (I used a combination of walnuts and almonds, but feel free to use anything you like)
- 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup if you are vegan. Also use more if you like it sweeter)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (you can also use walnut or almond oil or plain canola oil or vegetable oil)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup dried berries or raisins or other fruits (dried blueberries are yummy but I couldn’t find them so I used currants and raisins)
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| Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits |
- Heat the oven to 350F
- Combine the oats, nuts, honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. (If needed very gently warm up the coconut oil and honey to melt them a bit)
- Spread evenly on two cookie sheets (~15″ trays)
- Bake for 10 minutes and then use a spatula to turn over the granola
- Bake for another 6 to 10 more minutes keeping an eye on it so that it does not burn
- Sprinkle on the dried berries or fruits
- Let it cool and store in an airtight container
- Enjoy for breakfast over plain yogurt or with milk (or with almond milk if you are vegan)
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| Store homemade granola in an airtight container |
Veggie Sutra may languish a bit for the next couple of weeks as I will be in India. As much as I will try to keep posting from there, family will take priority. I will however think of Veggie Sutra as I am enjoying all the delicious, healthy vegetarian food over there, and may be I will bring back a recipe or two! Any requests?