Homemade Pumpkin Granola

Breakfast is undoubtedly my favorite meal of the day. I'll eat breakfast foods for lunch or dinner. Every day, if I could.

Funny thing is that it happens quite often that I'll have cereal or toasted bread (feta cheese and arugula make great toppings, you should know) at lunchtime. Just like many mothers of small children, my days are busy, and unfortunately I often resort to quick meals to satiate my hunger. And so, cereal and toast it usually is. It's healthy-ish, I reason.

The problem with eating too much cereal is that it gets boring, especially since I try to keep it wholesome. So, I decided to shake things up and instead of having cereal with my milk, I put in some granola.

I made this Pumpkin Granola in very little time and it tastes oh, so much better than store-bought granola. The oat chunks came out crispy and let out the flavors of the pumpkin and spices. I savored each spoonful to the point that I refused to share, not even a little.

The pumpkin puree and spices add a delicate touch of flavor and aroma that makes it perfectly spiced and not overbearing. It makes a great topping for yogurt, as well.

The recipe is from The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook which I told you about already. And it was so it. So the sprouted kitchen to make something healthy and delicious. The granola is naturally sweetened (with maple syrup), has healthy fat (olive oil), and enough crunch that it's addicting. I surely don't mind eating this every day.

It's a perfect recipe and one I will surely double next time. It didn't last more than 2 days, making my lunches quite delicious.

This would also make a lovely homemade gift for someone packaged in mason jars and tied with ribbon.

{Enjoy}

Pumpkin Granola
from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice*
1/3 cup Grade B maple syrup
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup of pecans*
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, combine the the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree and whisk to combine. Add the oats, pecans, and sesame seeds and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the mixture on a baking sheet, keeping some of the clusters of oats and nuts intact so that the finished granola will have some chunks. Bake the granola, stirring every so often by scooping the mixture from the edges of the pan toward the middle and spreading it evenly again, until dry and light brown in color, 35-45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Add the raisins and toss to mix. Store in an airtight container.

Note: I did not have pumpkin spice so I substituted with 1/4 teaspoon of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Also, instead of pecans, I used almonds.