X's and Oats Granola Recipe — The Dirt on Vegetables

The Gift of Gourmet Granola + Engagement Party PicturesThis past weekend, my future in-laws hosted our engagement party in Sam’s hometown of Newton, MA and they invited some family and many of their friends to the celebration. I had very little responsibilities when it came to organizing this shindig until I volunteered to make the party favors. Even though I host my fair share of gatherings, the only party favor that I usually send my guests home with is a hangover, so coming up with an edible, cute, healthy, and fairly easy concept, was a bit of a challenge. I figured that as a personal chef, it would be a nice touch to make something for the guests that came straight from my kitchen.

My future in-laws really admire my attempts to be health-conscious, even mentioning it in their speech on Sunday. So in an effort to stick to my health-supportive ways, I wanted to make sure that the edible favor wasn’t cookies, pies, or any sort of treat loaded with white sugar.

I was brainstorming with my business partner and we came up with making granola and having a tag made up that said "x's and oats! Love Michele & Sam." This recipe is AWESOME! I want to sprinkle it on my yogurt every single day. It is simple, but full of flavor and it's super easy to make one batch (making enough for almost 100 people is another story, but it was worth the effort)! There are hints of vanilla, coconut, and cinnamon as well as chunks of crunchy almonds that balance the flavor of this yummy snack.

There is no comparison... homemade granola tastes WAY better than the store-bought brands and it's way more economical to make at home. I went to the bulk section of Whole Foods and got all of my organic ingredients, which cut down the cost as opposed to buying each individual ingredient in packaged form. Make sure that you buy the big coconut flakes and pick the ones that are unsweetened. This will help keep down the sugar content and if you are using this recipe as a present as I did, you can still feel like you are giving the gift of healthy inspiration.

Your friends will thank you. So will your in laws. And your doormen.

X's and Oats Granola

Author:

Michele Wolfson

Ingredients

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup raw almonds, chopped
1.5 cups coconut flakes (the big ones)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. finely ground sea salt
1/3 cup agave
4 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat over to 350°F.
In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, whisk agave, oil, and vanilla together.
In a large bowl combine oats, almonds, coconut, cinnamon and sea salt.
Pour oil and agave mixture over dry ingredients and stir very well to coat. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes; remove from oven and stir. Place back in oven but remove and stir every 5 minutes or so until the oats are golden brown ( total time is approx. 20-25 minutes).

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