Category Archives: Breakfasty

Strangely Awesome Buckwheat Granola

Buckwheat granola is a roasty toasty taste of fall

Buckwheat granola is a roasty toasty taste of fall

So here it is mid October, and where’s the apple post? Apples rule my life in the fall. They beg to be picked. Their fermented scent spikes the air when I step outside. They pile up on the ground until they are weaponized by the lawnmower. I can’t pick them, eat them or cook them up fast enough. So I was feeling badly about not doing an apple post…until I realized we did a pretty complete one last year. In case you missed it, here it is. It’s got you covered on apple scones, pie, soup, cake, sangria, sauce and a few more apple inspired extravaganzas.

That frees us up for something different, even weird, on this Columbus Day. It involves buckwheat groats, which sound sufficiently scary. I’ve always loved their rustic, earthy taste, even though I never really knew what to do with them. Now I know!

I fully admit that I have weird food tastes (my sister even advised I seek medical advice on the particular quirk at one point), so before posting this granola I tried it on many people. Even those with mainstream tastes either loved it right away or quickly warmed up to its sneaky, crunchy addictiveness. It’s good, it’s good for you, it’s super easy, it’s different and it’s indestructible. All that makes it wayyyyy Bring It worthy.

And here’s the October bonus: you can substitute applesauce for the mashed banana. So you get to try something new while staying seasonal and plugging away on that apple stash.

Buckwheat Granola

Very slightly adapted from Food52

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups raw buckwheat groats
  • 1 1/2 cups mixed seeds and nuts (I use sunflower seeds and either almonds or pecans, roughly chopped)
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 ripe banana, or ½ cup applesauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or coconut oil or almond butter)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a bowl, stir the buckwheat groats together with seeds, nuts, coconut, and spices.

In a separate small bowl, smash the banana with a fork and add it (or the applesauce) to the groats mixture, along with olive oil and maple syrup. Stir until everything is nicely coated. Spread across a baking sheet (lining it makes for easier clean-up) and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until fragrant and golden. Let cool before storing in a glass container.

Some for you and some for a friend. Granola is always the right thing to bring.

Some for you and some for a friend. Granola is always the right thing to bring.

Bun Control Strata-gy

Pretty? Not so much. Tasty? Hearty? Perfect for a chilly fall morning? Oh yeah baby!

Pretty? Not so much. Tasty? Hearty? Perfect for a chilly fall morning? Oh yeah baby!

So, you made too many hot dogs or sausages. Worse yet, someone actually put the dogs or sausages in the buns and now you are left with slightly meaty tasting buns. Not to worry. We’ve got a solution, and it’s called strata. Not only will it solve your meaty-bun-surplus problem, but it will also serve your, what-the-heck-am-I-serving-for-breakfast problem.

Strata is assembled the night before, and sits in the fridge overnight while all the ingredients have a party and get to know each other. In the morning you pop it in the oven and have a dish of hot, savory, awesomeness that can be eaten as is or topped with a scootch of maple syrup.

This particular recipe was born from too many buns, but also from the pressing need to use up apples… as well as the daily desire for a tasty no-brainer breakfast. The purpose of strata (besides satisfying hunger in a very complete way) is to use up your surpluses or everything, so do not feel constrained by these ingredients. If your dinner leftovers happen to include, say, multigrain baguette slices and roasted onions and butternut squash that would be a fabulous combo. In fact, I’d probably show up unannounced.

If your buns are pristine (not meatified) you might want to consider using them for croutons, stuffing, bruschetta, berry bread pudding, chocolate bread pudding, P B and J bread pudding (ok maybe not), bread crumbs, gazpacho, French Dip, panzanella, meatballs. You get the idea. Too many buns is no cause for lamentation. This isn’t gourmet, but it will get your day started right and make you feel pretty darned ok about over-committing on buns.

Bun Control Strata

Ingredients:

  • 1 package hot dog buns (8)
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil (plus more if not using sausage)
  • 1 lb sausage, browned, or leftover grilled sausages, cut up. Meat is optional!
  • 1/2 onion diced (you can also use green onions, leeks, shallots or a combo)
  • 1-2 med apples, diced
  • Pinch kosher salt
  • Rosemary, or whatever fresh herbs in your garden survive.
  • 1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I married a Vermonter so I have no choice. It has to be sharp
  • cheddar. You have a choice. Unless you married a Swiss from Gruyere or Emmental.)
  • 3 c milk (or a combo of milk and half & half)
  • 6 eggs
  • Squeeze of Dijon mustard

Method:

Butter two 8″ pans (one for you, and one for the hostess whose leftover buns you took home) or one 9”x13” pan.

Make bun croutons: (If using heartier bread you can skip this step) Split buns through at the crease then cut lengthwise once more, then horizontally into cubes. Toss w 1-2 Tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 for 30 mins or so. Check and stir around. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Note: Fully expect all inhabitants including yourself will grab some of these as they walk by. Don’t be angry. Remember—you are trying to use these up! If they are transformed into a form that gets consumed that’s fine. Call it good, go to Plan B for tomorrow’s breakfast and ignore further instructions.

Brown sausage (if using). Add onion and apple (if not using sausage or using already cooked sausage, cook onions and apples in olive oil) and cook until softened. You could add chard, kale or spinach at this point if you are going for extra credit. Add herbs of choice at the end and cook for another minute.

Add apple/onion/sausage mixture to croutons. Add grated cheese. Stir to combine.

Pour the whole shebang in to the baking dish/dishes.

Whisk together eggs, milk or half and half and Dijon. Pour over crouton mixture, dividing if using two pans. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove plastic wrap. Give strata another baptism of kosher salt for good luck.  Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes, until it looks set and is starting to brown.

Serve it up and be loved!

 

 

Mini Banana Muffins

Mini Banana Muffins III know it’s the height of summer and the gardens are bursting with fresh produce. I really wanted to write about kale or Swiss chard or basil.  My garden is overflowing with these greens and there are many other veggies and fruits on the scene as well. However, I felt I would be remiss in not posting this recipe for banana muffins. These are seriously the best banana muffins I have ever tasted. I kid you not! They are healthy too.

‘These muffins come to you from my friend Janeen. She is beyond talented in the kitchen and has a knack for creating her own twist (click here to check out her website for hand crafted cookies).  Next I promise, you’ll see a post with something from the summer bounty. But for now, make these muffins and count yourself lucky to be in Janeen’s circle. Some day when she’s a famous blogger and TV personality, you can say you first saw her on Bring It Eats.

Happy summer everyone!

Ingredients

2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tins with paper or foil liners (I used mini muffin pan).

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients – almond meal, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl, mix together wet ingredients – banana, eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla.

Add dry ingredients, all at once, to wet ingredients. When batter is almost completely mixed add in walnuts. Mix to combine well but do not over mix.

Spoon into prepared muffins tins. Fill ¾ full. Bake 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve warm and eat immediately. Store in plastic bags and eat over several days. Or freeze and pull them out as needed.

Peanut Butter Coconut Bites

These are so easy they practically make themselves.

These are so easy they practically make themselves.

These are tasty little energy bites that go a long way with flavor and energy. They are super easy to make, no bake and a vehicle for any flavor, chip, dried tidbit, or other food item you have on hand. I made half of these with chocolate chips and the other half with cinnamon chips. Both worked really well.  I bring them on hikes. bikes, or other vigorous outings. They travel well and provide a “zip” when you need it.

I got this recipe from a friend of mine who likes to eat super healthy and bring ‘good-for-you’ goodies to all those around her. She brought these to work one day and everyone raved about them. The original recipe is adapted from the Oh She Glows cookbook which we know and love at Bring It Eats!

These take about 10 minutes to make. Go for it and share. You will be happy with the results and they are a fun food to pass around at any time.

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
2 TBSP coconut oil
2 TBSP peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/4 cup maple syrup (or other sweetener)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup almond flour (or use whole wheat pastry flour – remember previous posts, we should not use almonds right now because of the drought in CA)
1/4 tsp salt (go light)
2 TBSP chocolate chips or any flavoring you like.

Method

Blend oats in blender until a fine flour forms.

Combine coconut oil, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add almond (or other) flour, oat flour, and salt. Beat until combined. Add chocolate chips.

Form into 14 balls and freeze on parchment paper. Store in Tupperware in refrigerator until you are ready to eat. You can eat them cold or bring to room temperature.

Surf’s Up Banana Almond Butter Pancakes

Banana Almond Butter Pancakes. Jack Johnson sold separately

Banana Almond Butter Pancakes. Jack Johnson sold separately

“Like waking up too early
Maybe we can sleep in
I’ll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it’s the weekend now”

Let’s all agree on something. Jack Johnson is hot. Sadly, this recipe for banana pancakes will not bring him into your kitchen. BUT it will leave you plenty of time to fire up some of his music, and perhaps a video of him on youtube. And you will say, DANG I want to feel like a hot groovy surfer too. Or, DANG I want a hot groovy surfer to make me banana pancakes on a rainy day.

The best part about this recipe is its simplicity. 3 ingredients, and no measuring at all. Oh yeah baby. We’re talking weekend.

The original recipe calls for almond butter, which really is excellent, but my Cali sister informs me that using almonds is not cool with the drought. You can use any nut butter. I also tried peanut butter and tahini, and much preferred the tahini to the peanut butter. So do what you must, but file this recipe in your head (along with some Jack Johnson videos) for the next time you need some really healthy pancakes and something to make you smile.

Banana Almond Butter Pancakes

Ingredients:

Makes enough for 2 people who like each other

  • 1 Tbsp Almond Butter (or good quality nut butter of choice)
  • 1 ripe but not overripe banana
  • 1 egg

dash of cinnamon or vanilla (optional), oil or butter for cooking

Method:

Stay with me here. There are some pesky details. Mash all ingredients up and mix until smooth. Heat griddle, but don’t make it sizzling hot.  Grease up the griddle or pan. I have the best luck with coconut oil but you can use butter or canola oil. Don’t skimp though.

Spoon batter on to griddle so you have roughly hockey puck diameter pancakes. They will be thin. Let them cook until you can romance a spatula underneath them all the way around. It takes some patience so make sure they have some integrity before you flip. Flip those babies and cook them a minute or so on the other side. Use your best pancake judgment on this.

Enjoy, as ever, with pure maple syrup. And some music.

 

Sun-baked Banana Bread

A small rappel into a beautiful canyon

A small rappel into a beautiful canyon

For those of you living in the northeast, I don’t have to tell you, it’s been COLD here since last October!   Although we are a gritty type and can normally take whatever weather comes our way, I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say, we are ready for some warmth and sunny skies. Unfortunately, the cold weather is persisting, but the warm weather will eventually come our way. It always does.

In the meantime, many of us high-tailed it out of here for Spring break hoping to find weather to warm our hearts and souls. My family, and some fine friends, headed to the southern Utah for a week of canyoneering in the desert slots. We were looking forward to that blast of hot air that hits as you walk off the plane.  As it turned out, this was not the case. The weather was okay…..until it snowed. And then, as if the snow as not enough, we were greeted with mixed precip….hale, sleet, snow, rain, and wind….. which was a real treat!  We muddled through, as we always do; and fortunately, most days, the weather was fine and did not curtail our outdoor canyoneering activities. We had a lot of fun making our way through the canyons (see photo above) and the trip was amazing despite the slight chill (see photo below).

With that introduction, I move onto the topic at hand….. how to make the sun-baked banana bread….. that’s what you came here for after all…

My friend Tom, who is good at everything he does (his main strengths being all outdoor activities, Scrabble, and baking banana bread) made this amazing banana bread. When he pulled this out one chilly morning and we toasted it on the grill with a dab of butter, it was heart and soul warming (if the sun can’t warm us, the food can, right?). But, even better than this delicious bread was the way he baked it. He used a sun oven. This sun oven is mobile. He can place it in his back yard in the direction of the sun whenever he wants to bake on a sunny day (which is most days in southern Utah). There is a photo of the sun oven below and a link to get more information. This oven gets up to almost 300 degrees Fahrenheit and can cook a regular size banana bread in just about an hour.

Thanks Tom for the banana bread and the fun time in the slots. I’ll give you a Plus One for the effort!

Ingredients

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 overripe bananas
1.5 tsp vanilla
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (filberts, if you¹re from Oregon)
 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional) 

Method

Mix butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and bananas one at a time into butter/sugar mixture. Then add vanilla and mix until blended.

Mix dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt). Then add to wet ingredients slowly, being careful not to over mix. Add nuts and chocolate chips if using.

Fold into bread pan and bake at 325 for 50 minutes (or 1 hour at 275 in sun oven – if you are lucky enough to live where you can use one of these puppies).

 

Brrrr.....cold morning at camp

Brrrr…..cold morning at camp

Tom rounding the top

Tom rounding the top

For more information on sun ovens, check out this quick video

No need to turn on the oven on a hot day with the sun oven!

No need to turn on the oven on a hot day with the sun oven!

Date Night

CROPDATE

Just another bad, desperate date picture. Imagine the real deal with greek yogurt (not Yoplait), big flaky sea salt (not Mortons) and a real photographer (not me). By the way, even as stand ins these were still darned good.

There are certain things I can’t make when I am going to be home alone for a long stretch. One is bread. I learned this the day after I received a bread machine for my birthday—something I had in fact pleaded for. I was single at the time, recently out of a career and not entirely hopeful about my future. A bread machine was the worst thing to add to this mix. I made a loaf, I ate the loaf, I wiped out the machine repackaged it and brought it back to the store. If you happened to buy a bread machine around the spring of ‘95 at the Reno Macy’s it may have been test driven. Sorry.

That’s the long way of saying that I’ve discovered yet another thing I cannot make when I am alone. Sauteed, salted dates. Really, they are ridiculous. Salty, sweet, creamy and even crunchy (if you cook them too long the way I like to). Also they are easy to make, to serve and to eat. They are very quick, pretty healthy, and totally delicious.

The only beef I have with the recipe featured on Food52 is that they call for unpitted dates and then suggest luscious variations, all using pitted dates. Now really, who wants to deal with date pits, especially at a party? Let’s just leave them out. So here you go. Happy date night!

Sauteed Salted Dates

Serves as many as you care to serve

Ingredients:

  • sharp extra-virgin olive oil.
  • pitted medjool dates (Deglet will do, but medjool are A team material. (count on 4 to 5 per person as an appetizer)
  • flaky sea salt. The good stuff here–you need those big flakes.

Method:

Heat 1/4 inch olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Fill the pan with dates and cook, turning them a few times, just until they’ve warmed through. (They burn easily, so don’t overdo it if you want soft dates, but do overdo it if you want some crunch) Serve them on a plate with flaky sea salt.

Notes:

These can be served as is or… with warm bread to sop up the oil, on a shallow plate spread with good plain greek yogurt and drizzled with the leftover oil in the pan, with a wedge of blue cheese and a sprinkling of nuts. Get totally pro and add pistachios to the pan as you heat the dates. Or just saute and salt those babies and be done with it. Be as plain or as fancy as you like.

There are no amounts here, which is key. If you are alone and feeling vulnerable to sweet salty overindulgence, make just a few. If you are having a party, make a whole bunch. Leftover dates, if you manage to resist, are good any time of day. I know. I’ve tried. A-ny-time.

 

Victory Bran Muffins

Fresh muffins, yogurt, toasted coconut. What's wrong with this picture? Yeah, nothing!

Fresh muffins, yogurt, toasted coconut. What’s wrong with this picture? Yeah, nothing!

It’s the weekend people. Regardless of our need to post more healthy, hearty fare and veggies, right now we need muffins. Why are these a victory? First, they come from my cousin Victoria, via King Arthur Flour, via Zella Lane who was the radio voice of Betty Crocker. So, yes, these have been fully vetted. Most importantly, these muffins are delish, whether made as mini muffins (Victoria’s favorite way—less commitment per muffin and way cuter) or as full-sized ones. I took them to a ski race recently and they were devoured by adults and teenagers alike. They are substantial enough to stand up to packing and travel, but still tender and awesome.

Perhaps the biggest bonus, however, is the fact that this batter can stay in your fridge, at the ready, for up to two weeks. They are a bit of a process to put together, only because they require three separate bowls, boiling water and a bit of cooling time. But none of it is difficult, and the reward for that time on the front end is being able to dole out muffin batter as and when needed, for fresh muffins anytime within a half hour. They will save your butt on a busy morning and make you look like a red-hot muffin-bearing kitchen goddess. That, my friends, is a victory.

Notes: Pay attention here to the bran cereal amounts. First, they depend on the type of bran cereal you are using, and second there are two places in the recipe where the cereal comes in, so make sure you have enough. Otherwise you might be subbing in whatever cereal you have in the pantry—doable for sure, but potentially risky (e.g. Raisin Bran vs. Capt’n Crunch). Coconut is an addition from Victoria that is totally good. If you are warming kids or bran-phobes up to these muffins, sweetened is the way to go. Unsweetened, while more virtuous, will dry out the batter more, so be more generous with your buttermilk. Finally, this makes a lot. You can easily halve the recipe if fridge space is at a premium.

 Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup bran cereal (buds or twigs); or 1 3/4 cups bran flakes
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup shredded coconut (Optional, sweetened or unsweetened).
  • 2/3 cup hemp hearts (Optional, but yummy in pretty much anything).
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar (demerara or coconut sugar take these over the top)
  • 2 cups bran cereal (buds or twigs); or 3 1/2 cups bran flakes

 Method:

1) In a small mixing bowl, pour the boiling water over the 1 cup twigs (or 1 ¾ cups flakes) of cereal. Allow the mixture to cool to lukewarm, 30 minutes or so.

2) While the water/cereal mixture cools, blend together the flour, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. (Pro move here is to use a bowl with lid that can be used to store batter in the fridge). Stir in the cranberries, coconut and hemp hearts if using. Set it aside.

3) Stir the vegetable oil into the cooled water/cereal mixture. Set it aside.

4) Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and sugar. Combine this with the flour/raisin mixture.

5) Stir in the 2 cups twigs (or 3 ½ cup flakes) dry cereal.

6) Finally, add the water/bran/oil mixture, stirring till thoroughly combined. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight, or HOWEVER THE HECK LONG YOU WANT!

7) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease your muffin pan of choice, or line with paper cups, and grease as many wells as you like.

8) Heap the thick batter in the muffin cups; a generous 1/4 cup batter works, but feel safe knowing these are not exploding muffins.

9) Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, till a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

10) Remove from the oven, and tip the muffins in the pan to prevent their bottoms steaming and becoming soggy. Serve warm; or transfer to a rack to cool completely.

11) To bake mini muffins, heap the batter in the muffin cups, and bake for about 15 minutes, till the muffins test done.

Yield: at least 18 standard muffins, or 45 mini muffins.

Bringing it:

These taste great out of the oven but also when cool, and even if baked the day before. They have saying power! Victoria suggests the following for a hostess gift: “present your hostess with a gift bag filled with a container of the refrigerated batter, a mini-muffin pan, and a card that includes the recipe. Alternatively, just show up with those things and commandeer the oven while everyone else is still sleeping in — the fragrance beats an alarm clock any day!”

Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins

Super Sunday ski muffins

Super Sunday ski muffins

It’s cold outside (if you are in the north!) and breakfast is such a cozy time to be indoors, by the woodstove, sipping coffee and eating something warming. These whole wheat banana blueberry muffins are perfect when toasted with a dab of butter. They are healthy and tasty, not always a combination you get with a muffin.   This recipe has six (yes six) bananas in it. That is a lot of banana. You will be so happy when you bite into one if you are a banana lover like me.

And…since this blog is called Bring It, I thought I best bring them somewhere. I decided to pack them up as I headed out with some friends on a Super(bowl) Sunday ski. So while many were eating wings and nachos, we were enjoying these tasty muffins at the top of a run with a thermos full of hot ginger spice tea. Yummmmm…

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup honey
3/4 cup canola oil (I used 1/2 cup)
6 mashed ripe bananas
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Method

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine honey, oil, bananas, and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients mixing only until the ingredients are combined. A good muffin batter should be lumpy. Cover and refrigerate or bake now.

To bake, set your oven to 350 degrees F. While it preheats, bring your batter to room temperature and grease and flour muffin tins, or line with paper liners.

Gently fold the blueberries and walnuts, if using, into the batter. Fill each muffin cup at least 3/4 full. These muffins do not rise very much.

Bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Test with a knife. The point should come out clean when the muffins are ready.

Gingerbread Granola

Ginger Granola OneHere’s a thought.  How about an EASY holiday baking project? How about granola? Don’t get me wrong. I love to create festive holiday cookies and build gingerbread houses (structurally sound mind you— I’m married to an engineer), but every now and then I just want to throw everything in a pan, bake it at 350, and call it a show. Granola is easy peasy and this recipe has one of my all-time favorite ingredients, candied ginger! It’s medicinal, flavorful, and spicy. What more could you ask for in one ingredient. Plus, granola is a great holiday giveaway for friends and family.

I got this recipe from Cookie and Kate. Kate is a vegetarian food blogger extraordinaire, and Cookie is her cute little dog. You should check out her site. The photography is beautiful and she has a ton of great recipes. 

Have fun making batches of granola. And if you want to stick to the basics, you can also make my traditional Simply Sue’s granola.  Give it away, but make sure to save a generous bagful for yourself or you’ll have to make more.

Oh, and one more thing before we get started with the granola recipe….. when you are at the store, pick up some pomegranates because Edie has some quick and easy pomegranate intel coming at you this weekend.

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups raw pecans, walnuts, or both
1 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped candied ginger

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Stir to thoroughly combine.  In a separate bowl, stir together oil, maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Turn granola out into baking pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove granola from the oven and add coconut flakes. Mix in the coconut and return the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes. In the meantime, roughly chop the candied ginger.

When granola is done cooking, let it cool completely. Then add the cranberries and candied ginger.

Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Bring It!

There are a hundred ways to package granola to bring it as gifts to friends and family.  You can use mason jars, cellophane or paper bags, Chinese take out boxes, and much more.  For tips and tricks on wrapping, go to our Boot Camp Bonnie wrapping expert and you are sure to find something fun and festive.

Bonnie and Sue with just a smattering of supplies.

Bonnie and Sue with just a smattering of supplies.