Granola
Food for the inner hippie
I have a soft spot for hippie culture. For me, “hippie” means a free, independent life; Walking barefoot in the garden; dinner by candlelight with my friends under the sweeping trees; going skinny dipping; living and eating in harmony with the environment; wearing long dresses; not really caring what others think of you; listening to music and dancing in the moonlight; meditating and doing yoga; loving nature; living with animals; and – yes – eating granola.
I think in a way we all long for that feeling of peace and love. Who doesn’t go to yoga or a meditation seminar today? Who doesn’t order a “grain salad” in the chic restaurant around the corner, as only so-called “muesli eaters” used to eat? We feed our inner hippie with Buddhist wisdom, with organic vegetables, with holidays in Ibiza and thus get a bit of peace of mind in a world that can be chaotic, harsh and terrifying. I think this is not an escape from reality, but rather the creation of a new world in which we feel more comfortable. Nothing else has ever driven the hippie movement, and I think that’s a nice and worthwhile goal for us “neohippies” too. How do we get there? Step by step. And what do we eat on the way? Granola, of course!
And now my question for you: do you have a soft spot for the hippie way of life too? Then please let me know in the comments below!
Granola
Ingredients
All ingredients are listed in cup sizes. I used a standard Ikea teacup for this because mixing the contents is so much faster and easier.
- 4 cups oatmeal large leaf
- 2 cups corn flakes unsweetened
- 2 cups puffed rice unsweetened
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup raisins alternatively: dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C degrees top and bottom heat.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oatmeal, corn flakes, puffed rice, chopped almonds and desiccated coconut. Heat the coconut oil in a saucepan until it is liquid and mix in a small bowl with maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla extract. Add to the dry mixture and mix well with a spoon or with your hands. Place half of the mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet and distribute evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Turn with a spoon every now and then so that it browns evenly. Take out and let cool. Then bake the rest of the granola in the same way. Only when the granola has cooled down, mix in the raisins.
- The granola will keep for about 3 weeks in an airtight container.