In my dream scenario, I spend the first week of spring at Rancho La Puerta, just yoga and long walks through the Mexican dessert to occupy my days. But then I remember who I am! I'm not headed to any fitness spa any time soon, so I do the next best thing—crack open their cookbook and enjoy a little bit of spa life within my means, with this stellar, healthy recipe for granola.
Store bought granola is expensive, overly sweet and there's bound to be some ingredient my kids insists on picking out—usually whatever is healthiest or most expensive. That said, I find it easier, cheaper, and healthier to make my own.
The hands-on time is minimal, but you do need to stick around for a few hours while it toasts in the oven.
Rancho La Puerta Granola
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 120 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped raw almonds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¼ cup oat or wheat bran
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¾ cup honey or agave nectar
- ½ cup unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flour, bran, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.
- In another bowl, whisk together honey, apple juice, vanilla, and oil until the honey is thoroughly incorporated. Add the orange zest and orange juice.
- Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the granola evenly over the baking sheet and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, checking every 15 or so minutes. When the granola begins to brown, stir and turn over gently with a spatula. Take care that the outside edges do not burn. Your house or apartment should, by this point, smell spectacular. When golden and dry, scrape onto a cool baking sheet and set aside to cool. Granola will crisp as it cools. Store in an airtight container, preferably in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 622
- Sugar: 33
- Sodium: 2
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 99
- Fiber: 15
- Protein: 19
- Cholesterol: 0
Post updated March 13, 2017
karen
i am making it right now finally!! cannot wait. i messed up the honey, adding it to the dry instead of the wet. it looks fine so i am baking without worry.
Well Vegan
Hello Karen! Photocopying recipes with you was definitely a highlight of my time there 🙂 I still have a binder of those recipes I reference often. Feel so old fashioned now! Enjoy the granola!
Karen
Ooh, Katya! Can't wait to try this!! i remember checking the La Puerta cookbook out at the library and photocopying half of it. I can't wait to try this!! Beautiful site!
Well Vegan
Yes! Absolutely. And you'll need a gluten-free flour as well, but it should be great! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Sabrina
Oh I can use gluten free oats to modify this!
Well Vegan
In the works 🙂
Michele
It would be helpful to have calorie info with these recipes