The Ultimate Trail Food

5 Ways to Use Granola

This hippie super food is not only healthy -- it's also tasty and highly versatile.  So, whip up a batch of your favorite granola (see recipes below) and starting getting creative.  Granola is much more than a fiber-filled breakfast treat -- and the possibilities are almost endless.

5.  Give your bake good some brawn. Add about a cup of granola to almost anything you are baking – from cookies, to homemade breads, to muffins, to scones. 

4. Make your own trail mix. Fuel up for an outdoor adventure with some homemade trail mix.  Add some chocolate chips and your favorite nuts and dried fruits to your homemade granola for a great trail snack. 

3. Make a gorgeous parfait.  Layer your homemade granola with slices of your favorite fruit and yogurt in the following order: granola, fruit, yogurt – and repeat.  

2. Top a vegetable gratin.  Sprinkle a little granola on a baked vegetable gratin (best with root vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots) to add some tasty texture to your dish. 

1. Make Your Own Granola Bars. Add peanuts, peanut butter (1 cup), brown sugar (1/2 cup) and extra honey (1/4 cup) to the granola recipe listed below (but be sure to use quick cooking oats instead of rolled oats for you granola bars).  Follow the recipe for granola but after you have combined the wet and dry ingredients, line and baking tray with parchment paper and press the granola mixture down flat and then instead of baking it, place the tray in the fridge for 30 minutes and then cut into bars of your desired size. 

Easy Granola

3 cups rolled oats

½ cup wheat germ

½ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup flax seeds

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

½  cup honey

6 tablespoons water

6 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300˚.  Grease a shallow baking pan (a cookie tray works great!).  In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients—rolled oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds.  Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl until well combined, the best way it to just throw a hand in there and mix things up.   In a small saucepan, combine honey, water, canola oil, and cinnamon and bring to a simmer.  Once simmering, remove from the heat and drizzle over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.  Bake for 25-30 minutes (check the granola after about 15 minutes, remove from oven and mix up the contents on the pan if any parts appear to be getting burned). 

Gluten Free Granola

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup pecan halves

½ cup chia seeds

½ cups flax seed

1 cup applesauce

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons cinnamon*

2 tablespoons vanilla extract*

*Cinnamon and vanilla are usually gluten free, but be sure to check the products you are using to cook with are safe with your gluten allergy.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a shallow baking pan (a cookie sheet works great!).  Combine all the dry ingredients (except the pecan halves) in a large bowl and toss until well mixed.  In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Drizzle the wet ingredients over the combined dry ingredients in the large bowl and stir until well mixed.  Place in the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.  After the first 15 minutes remove from heat, add the pecan halves to the mix, return to the oven and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes (check the granola after 20 minutes to be sure all parts are baking evenly).