Recipe: Granola Goes Glam

lr-ds-the-kitchen-table-homemade-granola-640x480Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But when you’re in a rush to get out the door, it can be all too tempting to grab a bagel or cereal bar and hit the road—or worse, skip breakfast altogether.

Mistress Ginger‘s Glamola Granola to the rescue! Whip up a batch of this sassy cereal on the weekend, and—voilà!—your boring-workday-breakfast dilemma is solved. Think of this recipe as a template, which you can change to suit your tastes. Don’t like raisins? Use dried blueberries or cherries instead. Want to fancy it up even more? Add cocoa nibs, unsweetened dried coconut, and/or orange zest. Serve with almond milk and fresh fruit, or make a parfait by layering the granola with vanilla coconut yogurt and berries.

For more vegan deliciousness—such as French-Kissed Toast, Moroccan Broccoli, Chichi Panini, and Coconutty Ginger Cheesecake—check out the fun new cookbook Mistress Ginger Cooks! Everyday Vegan Food for Everyone by (who else?) Mistress Ginger.

Mistress Ginger’s Glamola Granola

Adapted from Mistress Ginger Cooks!

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup chopped raw nuts (walnuts, cashews, or almonds)

1/2 cup raw seeds (pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup canola oil

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. molasses

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup raisins

  • Think glam. Preheat the oven to 325ºF.
  • Put the oats, nuts, seeds, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Stir until well combined. Put the maple syrup, oil, sugar, molasses, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until combined.
  • Spread the mixture in a 13-inch-by-9-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven, stir in the raisins, and spread the mixture on three or four dinner plates to cool.
  • Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Glamola Granola will keep for 2 weeks.*

Makes 8 servings

*My batch lasted only a few days—because I scarfed it all down. Don’t judge.