Happy Easter! If you can believe it, I am actually finished with classes for the semester (and forever). With Holy Week and Easter being so late this year, it has been stress and anxiety central at the Divinity School. Fortunately, I think I have everything generally under control, and being able to participate in Holy Week services actually calmed me. Graduation and my ordination are coming up quickly, which is surreal. Just a few more weeks!
With all of the craziness of Holy Week and Easter and the end of the semester, there hasn’t been much cooking or blogging. I have a take on a beloved local restaurant salad that I want to show you, but every time I make it, it’s too dark to take a picture! So I made granola instead.
Granola, unfortunately, is one of those foods that seems really healthy but is usually a calorie-bomb. I do love it though, and I can’t believe that I hadn’t made my own before. I made this on Good Friday in between writing papers and going to church. After it cooled, Joe and I couldn’t resist eating some of it. We almost ruined our dinner! Even though I messed up by putting the chocolate in too soon, the peanut butter and chocolate flavor still came through. I adapted the recipe based on what I had around the house. The fortunate thing about granola is that it is extremely adaptable! I’ve enjoyed nibbling on the granola by itself or eating it with some Greek yogurt to add some crunch.
Elvis Granola
source: Eat, Live, Run
Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup chia seeds (or ground flaxseeds)
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup slivered almonds (or sunflower seeds)
2/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Preparation
Preheat oven to 275.
Bring the canola oil, maple syrup, peanut butter, salt and cinnamon to a simmer on the stove. Cook for three to five minutes.
While that’s cooking, mix together the oats, chia seeds, peanuts and almonds. Pour hot syrup mixture over the oats and toss well to coat. Spread out granola onto two lined sheet trays and bake for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and turning trays midway through.
Let granola cool completely before adding the chopped chocolate.
