Pear Ginger Nut Granola

Similarly to adjusting to buying my produce at a small neighborhood market, it took me a while to realize that the supermarket was not the best place for nuts, seeds, dried beans, and dried fruits (staples in my cabinet). The selection is limited, the quality bad, and the prices high, so I’d resigned myself to not having these around as much. Then I realized that the stores here called “dieteticas” were not, as I’d originally thought, purveyors of vitamins and protein powers, but instead actually specialized in just these sort of bulk goods that I like so much. At a nearby one, I stocked up on ingredients for this surprisingly easy to make granola. I tried to use a minimum of oil and honey in this recipe to keep it on the healthier side (although you can take it even further by using applesauce in place of the oil). With extra flavor from fresh ginger and orange zest, alongside traditional oats, nuts, and raisins and less traditional coconut flakes, chia seeds, and dried pears, this granola has more than enough in it to keep it exciting. And, like all granola recipes, it can be easily modified to your liking.

Pear Ginger Nut Granola
Yield: about 8 cups granola

Ingredients:

• 5 cups rolled oats*
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped**
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup honey***
• 4 Tbsp oil****
• 1/2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger*****
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 3/4 cup dried pears
• 3/4 cup raisins

*Oats are gluten-free, but many are processed on the same equipment as wheat, so make sure to check the label if you can’t eat gluten.
**Sliced almonds will work perfectly fine, too, or you can use whole almonds, if you like.
***Or use agave nectar for a vegan version.
****You can use pretty much whatever your favorite oil is – I used a mix of coconut oil and olive oil.
*****For a more intense ginger flavor, up to 1 Tbsp or even a little more.

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together 5 cups rolled oats, 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped, 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped, 3/4 cup coconut flakes, 1/3 cup chia seeds, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg.
2. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup honey, 4 Tbsp oil, 1/2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, and 1 tsp orange zest.
3. Pour the wet mixture over the dry mixture, and stir together until it starts forming into clumps. You may need to add an additional tablespoon or two of honey.
4. Transfer to a greased pan (this is a large quantity so you will probably need to use two pans or bake in two batches), then move to the oven, and begin heating the oven to 300 degrees (you can also use an already pre-heated oven, but there’s no need to). Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until crisp and toasted, about 40 minutes to 1 hour.
5. Remove from oven, and stir in 3/4 cup dried pears, roughly chopped and 3/4 cup raisins, then let cool before transferring to a storage container.