So as part of my “Goals for the Summer (of Lauren!)“, I pledged to attempt to make and then share a recipe once a week from a blogger I admire. This goal is two-fold. First off, I simply want to practice my baking and cooking (especially while I read Michael Pollan’s latest, COOKED), and secondly, I want to reach out to bloggers in attempts to make more BLOG FRIENDS!
I know I’ve appreciated every little bit of support I’ve received for this blog in the deepest depths of my soul, and I want to pass that feeling on.
But when I think about the blogs I read, I often feel like they already HAVE so many blog friends and love and support! My blog idols (A Cup of Jo, Oh Joy!, Design*Sponge, Herriott Grace, etc) are already KILLING IT, so I want to reach out to blogs who are doing amazing things, but perhaps aren’t as widely known or feeling the love of a community. So if you know of a blog that has a recipe I must test out and get to know, please let me know (or even if they don’t have food involved at all, still let me know so I can show them some love in other ways).
Now for my first recipe, it comes from someone who isn’t just my wannabe-blog friend, but also my SISTER-IN-LAW. She honestly is one of the most thoughtful, driven human beings on the planet, and she is seriously the Queen of Granola. As the Empress of Oats she has made hundreds of different granola variations, but this one is my absolute favourite. So here it is, me attempting to make The Compost Cook‘s best granola recipe ever: Olive Oil Granola with Honey, Salted Pistachios, and Dried Apricots (adapted from The New York Times).
Ingredients:
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup salted pistachios, hulled
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup coconut flakes
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
3/4 cup chopped apricots
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C)
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, pistachios, sunflower seeds, coconut, honey, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cardamon.
3. Spread mixture on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so that the mixture will not get burned on the sides. Bake till granola is nicely golden brown and well toasted (however it is up to you! If you want it crunchier bake it longer, if you prefer chewier bake it less).
4. When granola is toasted to your liking transfer it to a large bowl and add the apricots, tossing to combine.
5. Keep in a jar or other kind of air tight dish.
Last but not least, try not to eat it all in one sitting!
