I have always been a breakfast cereal girl. My roommate in college and I used to go to the on-campus store, swipe our IDs (which were directly billed to our parents) and load up on box after box of cereal.
Don't judge. There are worse things to spend your parents money on in college, thank you very much.
But over the years I've become increasingly aware of all the "stuff" that's in those boxes... some of it good. Some of it not-so-good. And the stuff that's NOT in there... hello fiber.
The following is my very loose take on Orangette's popular granola recipe. I've changed a great deal and made it suitable for my taste, but I give her credit for the inspiration. Molasses is certainly not your run of the mill granola ingredient, but I'm a big fan of the bold, unique flavor it provides. And chia seeds may be new to many of you. But they're a powerhouse of fiber and one particular form of healthy fat. I'm becoming a fan.
The best thing about this recipe, though, has to be the fact that you give it a little bit of attention before you go to bed, let it work it's magic overnight and voila! Breakfast cereal at the ready...
...no college ID card required.
250g (3 cups) old-fashioned oats
60g (1/2 cup) ground flax
80g (1/2 cup) chia seeds
8g (1 tablespoon) ground cinnamon
2g (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
150g (1/2 cup) molasses
100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
120g (1/2 cup) orange juice
12g (1 tablespoon) vanilla extract
12g (1 tablespoon) oil
Dried and/or fresh fruit
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flax, chia seeds, cinnamon and ginger. In separate bowl, whisk together molasses, brown sugar, orange juice, vanilla and oil. Pour over oat mixture and mix well.
Spread granola evenly over baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring at 15 minute intervals. Turn oven off. Leave granola in oven. Granola will crisp as it cools overnight. Just before serving, toss in dried fruit and/or fresh fruit of your choosing.
Makes 5 cups
Questions:
-Did you ever use a swipe card in college for stuff your parents didn't know you were buying... c'mon be honest ;-)
-Have you used chia seeds? What did you think when you tried them?
