Granola for fellow "Granolas"

Author Notes

According to the “Urban Dictionary,” granola can be defined as:

“An adjective used to describe people who are environmentally aware (flower child, tree-hugger), open-minded, left-winged, socially aware and active, gay friendly, anti-oppressive/discriminatory (racial, sexual, gender, class, age, etc.) with an organic and natural emphasis on living, who might refrain from consuming or using anything containing animals and animal by-products (for health and/or environmental reasons), as well as limit consumption of what he or she does consume, as granola people are usually concerned about wasting resources. Usually buy only fair-trade goods and refrain from buying from large corporations, as most exploit the environment as well as their workers, which goes against granola core values. The choice of not removing body hair (see ‘amazon’) and drug use are not characteristics that define granola people, and people, regardless of granola status, may or may not partake in said activities. This definition is sometimes confused with hippie.”

I’d like to wear the “granola” badge proudly, and I’ll bet this granola recipe can bring out the granola that lives deep down in you too! Okay, it’s a goofy thought but if tree-huggin’ ain’t your gig, this will at least get you rolling for a perfect day living your best life. - Happyolks —Happyolks

Test Kitchen Notes

I am a huge fan of homemade granola and I just love this recipe by Happyolks; I've nicknamed it "loaded granola" because of all of the great stuff in here. I liked how all of the nuts, seeds, raisins and spices worked together to create a very flavorful mix without all that much sweetener. I left out the nutmeg because I don't really like it and used Lyle's cane syrup instead of the maple or rice syrup, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. When you bake it, definitely follow the instructions to spread the granola out between 2-3 pans, because if you pile it all onto one pan, it will take much longer than an hour to bake. With plain Greek yogurt and berries, this is pretty much my ideal breakfast. - WinnieAb —WinnieAb