Olive Oil Granola / April 12, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Olive Oil Granola is addictive. There. I've given you fair warning. It's at once rich, sweet, salty, crunchy, and vaguely bitter from the olive oil. Sprinkle this over homemade yogurt, and the added tanginess has now put your tastebuds on full alert. It's all I wanted to eat for a week. (Yes, I know: I just got over my Coconut Tres Leches Cake for breakfast obsession and eating Broccoli Cooked Forever on everything before that. Clearly, I have issues . . . ) I'd love to take credit for this miracle granola, but the internet has well-documented the Olive Oil Granola phenomenon here and here and here. Mine is yet another adaptation, but really, it's impossible to have too many. It's that good.

Notes: This granola is on the sweet side, so you could certainly reduce or omit the brown sugar. I love it as written, especially with plain yogurt.

Read More: The Shared Brunch

Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 cups

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
1 cup raw cashews, left whole or coarsely chopped
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup dates, pits removed, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two rimmed sheet pans with parchment paper.

Combine first 10 ingredients (everything except the dates) in a large bowl, stirring well. Divide and spread mixture evenly between the two prepared pans.

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes to brown evenly.

Remove from oven and stir in chopped dates. Let cool completely. Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to one month.

Oatmeal Fruit-Nut Bars / April 3, 2016 by Amy Cantu

Notes: These oatmeal fruit-nut bars are essentially a bowl of oatmeal in a bar form. In other words, they are not really like granola bars. The are soft, not too chewy, and taste like my favorite bowl of nutritious oatmeal, loaded up with dried fruit, seeds or nuts, and touch of maple syrup. Store cooled and cut bars in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze in a sealed container for up to 4 months. Defrost frozen bars in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.

Read More: In the Kitchen Now - Oatmeal Fruit-Nut Bars

Adapted from Catherine McCord's Weelicious.

Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 18 squares

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk (any kind of milk — rice, almond, soy, cow’s — will work)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries, raisins, and cherries)
1/2 cup chopped nuts or seeds (I used sunflower seeds and pepitas)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 7 x 11 inch baking dish.

Place the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Mix the milk, applesauce, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stir to combine and then stir in the dried fruits and nuts. Pour the oatmeal mixture into prepared baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until thickened and golden. Cool, cut into squares and serve.