daily grind granola
Recipe Tuesday | the delicate art of savouring
I have just returned from four days in Berlin, where the the winter wind, ice-cold, cuts the skin like a knife, and drives a flurry of falling snowflakes into the eyes, nose and mouth as soon as you step outside. But in an odd way I liked the mist, the greyness, the bitter cold, the falling snow. The sprawling, functional, grey city suited the cold mist and the bleak sky somehow. Rich in history and culture (and counter-culture) and a lot of truly excellent vegan food, the city cannot really be called beautiful, and yet in a strange way reminded me that there is a kind of beauty in everything. In cold white sunlight falling on icy cobbles, in chaotic street art, in a beautifully iced donut, in the dusting of snow on rooftops.
It also had a calmness and a spaciousness about it after Paris, which always feels crowded and narrow. Being away from home also always helps me to feel able to take things a little more slowly; to enjoy each slow sip of hot coffee on a cold morning, to watch passers-by from the steamed-up window of a café, to see the cold mist and driving snow as atmospheric and conducive to adventure, rather than an impediment that must be endured. In other words, to savour.
Although I am very much back to my daily grind now, I did find myself savouring a little more this morning - my coffee, my breakfast, the cold morning sunlight. It is a pleasant kind of holiday hangover.
Homemade granola is by far my favourite savouring breakfast. Its taste and texture is truly luxurious, and yet unlike more time consuming breakfasts of the cooked variety it is quick enough for a weekday, requiring only that you pour it into a bowl and add milk and whatever else you want (I like fruit and yogurt too). The flavours bleed into the milk, it’s crisp and satisfying, it pairs nicely with coffee (or even with a novel if it’s your day off and you’re so inclined). Whether you have five minutes or an hour, savour it.
Makes c. 5 cups of granola
Ingredients
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of flaky sea salt (optional)
2.5 cups of oats
2.5 cups of nuts and seeds - use whatever you have! personally I like a blend of almonds and pecans (roughly chopped), coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 170 C
Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan or in the microwave. While it’s still hot, stir in the maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, and flaky sea salt if using.
In a separate large bowl, stir together the oats and nuts/seeds (if you’re using large nuts I recommend roughly chopping them first). Pour over the melted coconut oil mix and stir well until all the dry ingredients are coated with the wet ingredients.
Tip onto a large baking tray (spread it out so it’s an even layer) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned, but keep an eye or it will start burning round the edges.
Remove from the oven and leave it to cool completely before you transfer it - this is important for getting those nice clumps to form. Once fully cold, transfer to an airtight container and eat within a few weeks.
Currently…
Reading: Smiley’s People by John le Carré (cold, misty Berlin had me craving a Cold War spy novel)
Eating: a lot of exceptional vegan donuts - they appear to be sold on every street in Berlin!
Enjoying: this article from Vittles on post-war English cuisine, as seen through literature (including a list of every single food item mentioned in Brideshead Revisited, and it reads like a poem)