Hot Plate Granola Recipe

We have been eating oatmeal every single morning for the better part of a month. I love oatmeal, I truly do. In my old life, I looked forward to the weekends so I could make big bowls of oatmeal, topped with tons of fruit, cinnamon, vanilla and other spices (it had to be on the weekends, I usually ate at my desk during the week because the snooze button always won out over a steaming bowl of oatmeal). I dreamed up all kinds of oatmeal on the weekends- healthy carrot cake oatmeal, blueberry vanilla oatmeal, cinnamon banana. Yum!

Growing up, my family would get together every year at Christmas and for breakfast we often had oatmeal smorgasbords which featured toppings from chocolate chips and maple syrup to bananas, apples, coconut, cinnamon- really anything that we could find and put on our oatmeal. Isn’t it amazing how food always conjures up memories? I had almost forgotten about those breakfasts…

Anyway, my point is, I love oatmeal. However, lately I have been less enthusiastic about it and have been looking for a little more out of my breakfast. I think Nick has been ready to move on for sometime, but he doesn’t complain. We were walking through the grocery store the other day and saw some granola- a nice change from oatmeal- but it was almost $5 for a tiny bag. I saw that and declared that to be highway robbery “Ha! I could do it better and cheaper!” I told Nick. “Ok, so do it” I was stunned, usually he doesn’t take me up on my ridiculous declarations. So before he changed his mind, we hightailed it to the health food store across the street and bought quinoa, chia seeds, mixed fruit and some nuts. I did spend a little more then the $5, but I have enough to make several batches. So there.

One of the things that I do not like about granola is all the sugar it takes to make it. In order to make this recipe just a little healthier, I reduced the sugar and replaced it with pear puree and orange juice. This didn’t impart a lot of flavor (darn, I was really hoping it would), but I did drastically reduce the processed sugar content. I also added quinoa which increased the protein content. Chia seeds are great for adding fiber, protein, antioxidants and bulk but won’t really impact the overall favor so if you are hesitant about using them, don’t be. The addition of the mixed nuts, notably the walnuts and almonds helps boost the unsaturated (healthy) fat content including omega-3’s. The nuts also add vitamins, minerals and fiber. The added fiber, fat and protein from the nuts, quinoa and chia seeds works with the carbohydrates in the oats and raisins to help you feel satisfied and to help keep you fuller, longer. Not only was it cheaper, this tasty granola also packs an awesome nutritional punch!

Instead of baking my granola in the oven, I had to do it on the hotplate. Since the hotplate only has “on” as a temperature I turned it on for a minute, then off for a minute to prevent the hotplate from getting too hot. If you have a stove, turning it to low heat would probably work as well and be so much easier. Another confession: I don’t have actual measuring cups, so everything is proportional to this cup:

The ratios are more important than the actual amounts, and this worked well for that purpose.

Hotplate or Stovetop Granola:

Makes about 4 cups

1/2 cup uncooked Quinoa, rinsed

1/4 cup pear, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp Orange Juice

2 Tbsp Oil

2 Tbsp Sugar (or Honey, or Maple Syrup would be nice here)

1 cup Oats

1/4 cup Chia Seeds

1/2 cup Walnuts or Mixed Nuts

1/2 tsp Fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Raisins

Cook quinoa according to manufacturers directions. Allow all the water to boil away, getting the cooked quinoa as dry as possible.

Meanwhile, combine pear and orange juice in a microwave safe bowl, microwave 1-2 minutes until pear is soft and mash it with a fork until no lumps remain. Stir in oil and sugar.

Combine oats, chia seeds, nuts, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Toss with quinoa and liquid ingredients, mix well to ensure everything is thoroughly coated.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat (or, if you have a hotplate, heat over “on”), Spoon enough to cover the bottom of the pan and cook, stirring constantly. When mixture starts to brown, after about 3-5 minutes, turn heat down and cook over low heat about 8-10 minutes more, stirring often. You may have to do it in batches, depending on the size of your pan. When everything is nice and browned transfer to a baking pan or several plates to cool. It is important that it has plenty of space and time to cool. When it is cool, seal and store in an airtight container.

**Notes**

To crisp up- toast over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

This also makes a killer Overnight Oats recipe- add milk and let it sit overnight in the morning you will have an awesome cereal!