Good Morning, Sunshine!

Yup, it's time to get up earlier than normal and go out to the gardens to see what's popping up and what needs attention. Time to set in some new flowers, start putting together hanging planters and set in new herbs, trim back established ones, and start cutting some of the first greens for salads and savory sauces...

All that energy calls for a nice little starter for the day and I found a nice granola recipe on The Witchy Kitchen yesterday, so today I'm making a quick batch of granola to sprinkle over my morning yogurt. That and a cup of coffee makes for a good start to my mornings...

We ( SB and I ) got in the habit of morning yogurt and mueslix while visiting our German friends; it's good for you and seems a habit that we should continue ... hope you have a place for some chewy crunchy fiber in your diet! I would imagine this would be tasty on frozen yogurt or ice cream, too! I was also thinking that it might be a nice addition to oatmeal cookies ( substitute the oatmeal measurement with the granola and go from there) ... hmmm. Or maybe as a covering for some baked boneless chicken thighs with a Thai peanut dipping sauce, lime juice, and cilantro ... oh,  and some beautiful rice as a side... OMG!  The possibilities are endless!

Papaya Coconut Granola - printer friendly

Papaya Granola

courtesy of The Witchy Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 c. organic oats
½ c. coconut
½ c. slivered almonds
½ c. dried papaya cubes
¼ c. sunflower seeds
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. honey
3 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. peanut butter

Making the Granola:

1. Pre heat oven to 320° F
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and toss to distribute.
3. Add the coconut, papaya, nuts, and seeds, toss again.
4. Add the honey and oil and stir to completely distribute.
5. Mix in the peanut butter.
6. Toss to lighten and spread in a layer over a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Then, toss with a couple forks to break up the granola and keep it light.
8. Increase the oven heat to 325° F and continue baking another 8 minutes. Check to make sure granola isn’t browning up too much. Toss again. Continue baking another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight jar or bag.
9. Enjoy over yogurt or ice cream, use as a snack.

Note: I made this granola in about half an hour ... so easy! Tastes really good, but the papaya is really chewy and sticky, so be careful when you chop ... and chew! I left out the peanut butter this time, but will include it next time we need a batch for breakfast. After making this, I'm thinking about all the other dried fruit and different nuts you could add - dates, golden raisins, cashews ... Enjoy!