Tea Time Tasties - Pistachio, Cherry and Toasted Coconut Granola

granola + vintage Ball jar = love

Granola. The most versatile snack/breakfast food ever. It's like trail mix, or pasta salad . Millions of combinations. Seriously, millions. I like granola with milk (flax milk, coconut milk, almond coconut milk), homemade yogurt, or by the handful. It might even be good on ice cream, an idea that I just realized and will be trying shortly. When I realized I had to go gluten-free I thought my granola days were over. But NO! Oats don't contain gluten. They can be contaminated during the growing or processing process, but they carry that little gluten protein. Thanks to Bob's Red Mill I can have oatmeal and granola forever. 

I've tried a few combinations in the past few months. Last time I really just put a bunch of random ingredients together. Today I took a suggestion from a recipe my mom sent me from Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients. This granola recipe called for egg whites which seemed very odd to me. Although I have been eating eggs again thanks to my daughter -I just wanted to eat omelets the whole pregnancy- I do not think they belong in granola. It also used a ridiculous amount of oats, like six cups. So I combined my go to granola recipe à la A Beautiful Mess with one of the suggested combinations in Everyday Foods, and created this delicious granola. I used both recipes as starting off points and went with my gut. As all granola making experiences should be.

A few months ago I toasted coconut so hopefully it is still eatable. Because I'm eating it. I've also had a variety of dried fruits in the pantry and I think the jar I finished was full of dried cherries. We'll go with that. Dried fruit never goes bad, right?

So now I'm currently snacking on this while drinking Mother's Milk Tea by Traditional Medicinals and watching the Orioles play the Pirates. And my husband isn't even home to see me watching baseball without him. (He's at the game.)

Pistachio, Cherry and Toasted Coconut Gluten-free Granola
Adapted from the A Beautiful Mess and Power Foods recipes

2 cups gluten-free oats
¾ cup pistachios
¾ cup sunflower seeds
⅓ cup hemp hearts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
pinch of powdered ginger
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup honey (I have convinced my better half that local is the only way)
splash of vanilla extract (Nielsen-Massey is gluten-free)
1 cup dried cherries
½ cup toasted coconut

Preheat oven for 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together all of the dry ingredients, except for the cherries and coconut. Add in the oil and honey and mix well. Spread in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for ten minutes, stir, bake for another ten minutes. If you want it extra crispy leave in for another five minutes, but it should be pretty well done by now. Transfer to a large bowl so it isn't in contact with the hot pan and let cool for five minutes. Add in the cherries and coconut and mix. Allow to cool completely then put in your favorite granola holding vessel. I like old, giant Ball jars. 

Snack on with a cup of your favorite tea.