Lazy Days and Granola

Winter in Canada can last up to 6 months. In Montreal the first snowfall usually happens in November and the last one in April (sometimes even May). To avoid going completely insane, many of us take up winter sports like skiing or skating. On top of keeping us entertained, winter sports teach us some valuable skills. Most importantly, they teach us how to fall. Basic rule of thumb; sideways is better than backwards.

This week was a tough week for me in terms of falls. Thursday night I was walking home from the bus when I slipped on some ice. My skiing training kicked in, and I managed to fall on my side. The only bruise I suffered was to my ego. Friday was a different story. It was around the same time of night, and the same place, but this time the training did not kick in. My feet went straight out from under me, my tail bone hit the ground first, immediately followed by both my elbows. This fall was bad, the kind that makes you want to cry for your mommy. Unfortunately I’m a grown up and crying for my mommy is no longer socially acceptable, although there was no one around so I guess I could have done it.

Thankfully, I had three days to recover. For Saturday and Sunday, my couch and I were almost inseparable. I had planned on doing nothing the whole time, but by Monday nothing got kind of tiresome, and moving wasn’t that painful. So to pass the time I decided to make granola.

If you are looking for tips on how to make good crunchy granola that actually stays in clumps, this post from Gourmande in the Kitchen is great. Sylvie gives several easy tips in the post, and I added a couple of them to my standard granola recipe. First I used her idea of adding fruit puree to the granola to provide extra moisture, second I used her “clumping technique” to create nice chunks of granola. The granola turned out really well, next time I think I’ll try a few more of her tips.

Granola

• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup puffed millet
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1/3 cup apple sauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup raw pistachios
• 3/4  cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 300. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
2. In a large bowl, mix the oats, puffed millet, salt, and cardamom together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the apple sauce, maple syrup, sugar, and butter together. Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture. Make sure all of the oats are covered.
4. Spread the granola mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. Clump some of the granola together making sure there is room on the sheet for air to circulate.
5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6. Add the nuts and seeds, and stir the granola. Bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the granola is a golden colour.

Enjoy!