An Easy Granola Recipe Anyone Can Enjoy

Think of this basic recipe like the foundation of a yoga practice – something you can build on.

Susan Timpano

Articles\Food

Food, gifts, granola, kitchen, recipe, sanctuary

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When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I make granola. When I want to give someone something that comes from my heart, I make them granola. Over the last couple of years, I have found a base recipe that is fail-proof: it has options to accommodate the ever-changing tastes and dietary needs of individuals, tastes good no matter what the season, has stood the test of time (almost five years), and I always have the ingredients handy.

Think of this recipe like the base sequence of a yoga practice: simple, available for all, and can be enhanced to your liking or needs. The secret(s):

Bake it slowly at a medium temperature, then turn the oven off and let it slowly cool with the oven – almost all day. This gives it chunk and crunch.
Egg whites also add crunch and chunkiness. A great (and vegan) alternative is garbanzo-bean water!
Trick your sweet tooth by generously adding flavors that enhance the maple syrup: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pumpkin-spice mix, vanilla, and almond extract.

Ingredients

4 cups oats (regular or gluten-free)
1 tbsp flax meal
~⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
~1-2 tsp cinnamon
~½ tsp cloves
~¼ tsp ginger
~¼ cup egg whites (or garbanzo bean water)
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Line a large baking pan (preferably shallow w/ sides) with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine and stir oats, flax meal, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
Using a measuring cup, measure, stir, and add vegetable oil, maple syrup, egg whites, and vanilla extract to dry mixture.
Combine, and stir/press around in the bowl for full incorporation.
Pour into the baking pan and spread/press down to cover the whole baking pan (the granola will be about ¼ inch in thickness).
Grind Himalayan salt on top of the granola.
Bake for 30 minutes, then stir, mix, and break up the large clumps. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Turn off the oven. Leave granola to cool with the oven.
Taste, jar, and enjoy for the week!

Optional

Depending on your liking, dietary restrictions, and the time of year, you might consider adding in:

chopped nuts
unsweetened shredded coconut
dried fruit
other seeds (i.e. sunflower)
flax meal or flax seeds
½ can pumpkin or ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk

Susan Timpano

Susan is a mother to two elementary school-aged girls, a wife to an equally active outdoor-loving husband, an English teacher, a youth sports coach, and an avid reader. Born in Boston, leaving a piece of her heart in Colorado, and traveling to various parts of the world throughout her life, she and her family have finally rooted in San Jose. Susan is creeping toward her 500 YTT hours at BTY and, in our current situation, teaching online classes for her colleagues where she works. For her, the sharing of the yoga practice in all its forms is invigorating. Susan believes in showing up to life and having a well of resources when it gets tough. Yoga has helped immensely in filling that well.

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