Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Maple Granola with Pecans and Figs

Yes I'm sure I've never had dreadlocks...

I recently spent a weekend with four of my closest childhood friends and their lovely significant others.  As old friends are wont to do, we spent most of our time together reminiscing. In the process, we bored our better halves near to tears.

This did not stop us.

During our bajillionth "Do you remember when...?" conversation, one friend casually asked me,
"You had dreads for awhile, right?"
"No, I never had dreads", I replied.
"Yes, you totally did!!!", another of my friends chimed in.
"No, I'm VERY certain I did not..."

Several childish minutes later of "Yuh Huhs" and "Nuh Uhs", I had not successfully convinced my friends that though my hair has indeed been nearly every color of the rainbow over the years, it has never been in dreadlocks.

But I did go through a bit of a crunchy phase for a few years in high school and early college. Most of my clothes were from a truly terrifying (and equally fabulous) thrift store in Ithaca, New York, I dyed my hair with henna instead of my go-to Manic Panic, I switched to all-natural (barely-functioning) hygiene products, the Indigo Girls played on repeat in my mini-van, and yes, it was during that time that I stopped eating meat.

It's been many years since that particular phase, but a little part of me looks forward to a day when I live in a place where it's socially acceptable for my wardrobe to be 100% linen and well-worn Birkenstocks, my music collection to be composed entirely of acoustic guitar and angsty chick rockers and where it's easier to buy local organic vegetables than imported fake Chanel.

But only part of me.

Maple Granola with Pecans & Figs
(adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light magazine)

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups regular oats
  • 1/2 cup pecans (broken into small peices)
  • 1 rounded teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons wheat germ
  • 3 tablespoons ground flax seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup chopped dried figs
Preperation:

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine water, honey, syrup, sugar, and oil in a small saucepan; bring to a boil.

Pour over oat mixture; toss to coat.

Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper

Spread oat mixture on baking sheet. 

Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes.

Place in a large bowl; stir in figs.

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Serve with plain yogurt or milk & fresh berries, and enjoy a patchouli candle lit breakfast.

1 comment:

  1. as one who has had dreadlocks and loves a good patchouli scented anything, i found this post particularly endearing :-)....and delicious!

    ReplyDelete