granola & yogurt: the new breakfast of champions

i've never been known to enjoy a healthy breakfast.  given my options, i'm the one that always orders the least healthy option on the menu, with an extra serving of sausage on the side please.  it takes all the strength i can gather in the morning to step away from the tater tots in the cafeteria in the morning.  i can just hear them calling to me, "we were your childhood favorite.  we might be lubricated with grease but how can you resist that deep fried crunchiness?  pour on some ketchup for an extra sugar kick in the morning.  you know you can't resist . . . " 

but as much as i love some greasy morning goodness, even i can't quite eat the way i used to.  luckily, i've been caught by the yogurt craze that has gotten so many addicted to the healthy treat.  and what better to compliment the creaminess and tanginess of fresh yogurt than some sweet crunchy granola?  when i started looking for my perfect granola, i found that all the packaged stuff just wasn't that great.  they were packed with too much sugar or too chunky or too bland or too hard to chew.  so i decided to make my own instead.  this basic homemade granola is incredibly simple to make and provides the perfect flavor and texture balance to some fresh yogurt.  so good that you'll forget that you're actually eating something healthy.

and of course, feel free to layer in any of your favorite granola ingredients such as coconut, cashews, craisins, raisins, pumpkins seeds, some bacon bits . . . ugh, i guess the greasy breakfast lover in me isn't completely dead.

the simplest granola
(makes 4 cups)

3 cups rolled oats
4 tbs. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup slivered almonds

preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

toss all ingredients together.  spread out onto a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

serve with fresh yogurt and choice of fruit (i pureed up some frozen raspberries here).  and as i'm still a newbie to the healthy yogurt world, i'm still trying out all different brands.  let me know what some of your favorites are.

Comments

[C-dubs]

Yogurt and granola also double as my favorite light dinner/dessert in the summer. I prefer throwing in some whole frozen blueberries (yes, frozen, but you can thaw them a bit first if you like) - with the right proportions, it's practically ice cream! I only have one brand of yogurt available so I won't be of much help there, but I prefer lowfat.

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[mitchell]

I like the little bonus image of you in the spoon!

I do nonfat plain yogurt with frozen blackberries and frozen blueberries (and a spoonful of brown sugar most of the time). You CAN thaw the berries, but they're better frozen: Just sit them out for two or three minutes before spooning the yogurt on top. Delicious!

[Kevin]

Making your own granola sounds like fun. I will have to try.

[Felicia]

I didn't venture far from Yoplait until college, when the chef at "717" turned me onto the beauty of whole milk, cream top yogurt by Brown Cow Farms in Contra Costa County. Try the Maple flavor. I'm also a fan of (low fat) Rachel's Dairy Essence yogurt line. Try Berry Jasmine and Peach Green Tea.

[Sarah]

Nancy's Yogurt is good if you live in Oregon. (It's good everywhere I imagine, but I know not how hard it is to locate in other states.)

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Now that's what i call a perfect recipe.. Cant wait to try this..
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