Vegan Granola

Vegan, gluten free, soy free

Healthy and Easy

Recipe by: Jennifer Coatanroch

Granola is a classic that never gets old. We always have some sitting on the counter in our house. My husband loves a scoop in his cereal in the mornings, and I love it in my yogurt. As for my son...well...we're still working on it. He likes the idea of it, and he likes helping me make it...but after a couple of bites he's over it. I'm holding out hope though!

Granola is fun because you can't really mess it up. Almost anything works in it. And especially in times when your pantry might not be as stocked as you'd normally like it (ahem...like if you've been house bound for a while...), you can substitute almost anything on the ingredient list. So feel free to play around and use what you have!

This also freezes well. So if you don't want to keep a big batch on the counter, you can freeze it to pull out at a later date.

I love these dried wild blueberries from Trader Joe's. So good. And I had to include the homemade vanilla that one of my friends made me for Christmas. It's the best vanilla I've ever had. I'll work on getting the recipe to share!

The shredded coconut adds a really nice flavor. I keep the quantity a little lower to cut back on calories, but you can definitely play around with the amount.

Putting my son to work!

Bake for 40 minutes, let cool, and add your dried fruit. And that's it! Healthy granola to add to a meal or snack.

Bon Appetit!

Granola variations: pumpkin spice and cranberries; ginger spice and dried apricot; dark chocolate chips and dried cherries...

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Vegan Granola

Recipe by Jennifer Coatanroch, La Vie Plenty PRINT RECIPE

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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Yield: 29 servings _________________________________________

Equipment needed: 1 large mixing bowl, 1 small mixing bowl, 1 sheet pan, 1 whisk

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats (use gluten free if needed)

• 1 cup chopped nuts (any variation: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, etc.)

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

• 1/4 cup seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc.)

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup dried fruit of choice

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300⁰

2. Combine all dry ingredients (aside from dried fruit) in a large bowl and mix well.

3. In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla and mix well. (I like using a whisk.)

4. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix well.

5. Next, add the melted coconut oil to the bowl, and mix until well combined. (Coconut oil solidifies quickly when added to cold ingredients, so you don't want to add it to the cold, wet ingredients in step 2.)

6. Spread into an even layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 40 minutes, mixing 2-3 times during baking.

7. Let cool, and add dried fruit or chocolate if desired.

8. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks, or store in the freezer.