Granola-Yogurt Parfaits

 

I almost clicked on the “Weeknight Suppers” category for this post featuring Granola-Yogurt Parfaits because, to be completely honest, this is one of those breakfast meals that I’ve had more than a few times for dinner.  It is light, refreshing, and reasonably healthy so it makes a quick evening meal.  Of course, it is a wonderful breakfast, too, especially with all the gorgeous, ripe summertime fruit and berries coming into season.

Golden Brown crispy, crunchy, sweet granola

I’ve had my own granola phase for a while over the past few years, once I learned how easy it is to make and how much better it can be to make from scratch to keep out all the extra sugars and stuff.  It also gets me to eat more yogurt and fresh fruit, although during the winter, I might used dried fruit or a dollop of really good preserves or jam.  I just love the toasted, nutty, sweet crunch of this granola, and often have to stop myself from eating it plain straight from the container and dry so that I can have enough to cover me for breakfasts during the week.

 

Granola Yogurt Parfaits

Serving Size: 4 portions

 

Prep Time: 10 minutes (minus time making granola)

 

Ingredients:

You can really use any seasonal fruit that you like in these

1 Mango, cut into small pieces

16 Strawberries, hulled and cut into slices

8 Tbsp plus 4 tsp. Yogurt, plain

1 cup Granola (recipe to follow)

 

Assembly:

In the bottom of each of four wine glass bowls, parfait glasses, or, uhem, margarita glasses, place several pieces of mango and one strawberry’s worth of slices.  Top the fruit with 1 teaspoon yogurt.

Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of granola, per glass, over the fruit.  Top with more strawberry slices and mango pieces, distributing them evenly among the four glasses.

Put 2 Tablespoons of yogurt in each glass on top of the fruit.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tablespoon of granola per glass over top of the yogurt and fruit.  Serve immediately so that the granola doesn’t start to become soggy.

Granola Ingredients

 

Homemade Maple-Pecan Granola*

Serving size: Makes about 4 cups

 

Prep time: 5 minutes, cooking time 45 minutes

 

Ingredients:

2 cups Oats, organic rolled (you don’t want the flakes to be small)

1 cup Pecans, chopped

1/2 cup Coconut, unsweetened, shredded

1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds

1/3 cup Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbsp Flax Seeds, ground

1 tsp. Ginger, ground

1 tsp. Cinnamon, ground

1/4 tsp. Salt, kosher

2 Tbsp Canola oil or other neutral oil

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup high-grade

 

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 2).  Line a large baking sheet with sides with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (oats through salt), mixing them together thoroughly.

Pour the oil and maple syrup into a microwave-safe measuring cup in that order.  The oil will make for easier pouring and cleanup.  Heat liquid on beverage setting for 15 seconds.  [Alternatively, you can heat the oil and maple syrup on the stove top in a small saucepan over low heat.]  It should not get overly bubbly.  Pour liquid over dry ingredients and stir to coat the oat mixture completely.

Dump out oat mixture onto the parchment paper-covered baking sheet.  Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the sheet.  Place in the oven to bake.  Set the timer for 10 minutes.

When the timer goes off, remove the tray from the oven without turning off the heat.  Stir up the mixture and redistribute it evenly over the sheet once again.  Place the sheet in the oven to bake for 10 minutes more.  Repeat this stirring, distributing, and baking step again, so that the mixture has baked for a total of 30 minutes.  If the mixture still looks too light, leave it in the oven for a further 5 minutes.  This method might seem odd, but it keeps the mixture from clumping together and ensures a more even toasting overall, so that no parts get burned.

As the granola bakes the scent of toasted nuts and oats and spices will fill the air, giving your home a well, homey feel to it.  This is why it is so hard to resist snacking on it when it comes out of the oven, but you must.  At the 30-minute mark (or a few minutes more), remove the tray from the oven, and it set aside so that the granola can cool down.  To store, pour granola into an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator.  It should keep for at least a month.

Buon appetito!

 

*Kitchen Witch Tip

This would be an easy and tasty recipe to get kids involved in the kitchen, as there’s lots of measuring and pouring.  If you cut up the pecan pieces for them (or buy them pre-chopped), then there are no knives needed in the preparation.  They would need assistance with heating the oil and maple syrup as well as the baking part, but in the end, they could feel as though they’d helped out by putting all the initial ingredients together.