Blueberry Lemon Granola

Blueberry Lemon Granola

On Monday mornings our alarm clock goes off at 4:45 a.m. so we can get cracking in the fields and harvest for our CSA deliveries in Portland. We have 50 shares in the Portland area and harvesting and washing all of the produce takes a really long time when it's just the two of us. Not to mention the hour + commute. The first words out of my mouth at a quarter to 5 in the morning usually go something like this: "I feel like I was hit by a dump truck yesterday and I don't think my body can handle this anymore. I actually might die today." Taylor always responds with an appropriate answer: "Babe, I made your coffee extra strong and your're going to kick ass. Let's do this." We then both roll out of bed and stumble into the fields- extra strong coffee in hand of course. I am ashamed to admit that Mondays are the only day of the week where our eating schedule is totally out of whack. We usually end up eating peanut butter out of the jar in the field because we literally don't have a second to spare. And while I know there isn't anything wrong with peanut butter out of the jar I am committed to fixing our Monday craziness. Nothing is worse than an over-caffeinated and underfed farmer. Trust me!  What I love about this granola is that is can be prepared any evening of the week and stores really well in glass jars. I made this today and really regret not having had it yesterday for our Monday crazy eating schedule.  We've enjoyed it with homemade almond milk and even dry by the handful. It's simple and delicious-plus it tastes great eaten with a spoon full of peanut butter too. I can't help myself! Don't let the long baking time scare you away from this recipe. I am the first person to admit that time is precious and I don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. However, this granola only requires a few minutes of hands on time and the slow and low temperature that it's baked at really improves the texture, taste, and nutritional value.  The hands on time is less than ten minutes and I promise you will never make granola another way. (Or maybe you will which is fine too but this is my favorite method.) Grab a spoon, pour some extra strong coffee and get ready to kick ass! Enjoy

Blueberry Lemon Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:
  • 4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (GF if necessary)
  • 1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
  • 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • zest from 1 large lemon
  • 1 1/2 cups dried blueberries
Wet Ingredients:
  • 1/2 cup raw honey
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. In a large bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients (minus the blueberries)
  3. In a smaller bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients (if needed melt the coconut oil in a saucepan)
  4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (minus the blueberries). Taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary. I added more lemon zest!
  5. Place granola on two prepared baking sheets and bake for three hours. Remove granola from oven, toss and add dried blueberries. Return to the oven and bake for 1 more hour.
  6. Store granola in an airtight glass container for up to two weeks.

Notes

*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go

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