Apple Granola 蘋果烤燕麥

This autumn is the first time that we have our own back yard. As nice as it is, I learned that it takes quite a lot of work at this time of the year to keep everything looking orderly and alive. Apparently, you have to trim most of the plants, so they will start setting new buds as soon as the old ones have fallen off. And then, as some of you already know, you have to rake all the falling leaves that cover the yard, so they won't interrupt the growth of the plants and grass. All this needs to be done before the winter arrives. Since our house is surrounded by quite a few big maple trees, picking up the leaves can feel like an endless job. With the large amount of physical work ahead of me, having a good breakfast has become especially important, as it gives me the energy to start off the day and last several hours without having to snack on much else.

This granola gives me all the energy I need and is very satisfying, and it has became one of my favourite breakfasts lately! It's everything that reminds you of fall: it smells apple-y and cinnamon-y and has oats, nuts, seeds, and fruits, but no sugar. The best thing about this recipe is it uses fresh apples instead of store-bought, dehydrated apples added after baking. This idea is taken from the book, The Juice Truck (you can see my review and some of their recipes here). Even though adding the fresh apples does prolong the baking time, with a little extra patience, the result is nice and crispy after the slow-drying process. You can make a batch on a lazy Sunday, so that on the days you work, you'll be grateful that it's there on the counter ready to be served with yogurt or milk and more fruits! 

這個秋季是我們第ㄧ次擁有自己的庭院，雖然很開心終於能有屬於自己的庭院，也不用再與別人ㄧ起共用，但對我這個新手來說，要把庭院裡的所有花草整理的好可不是件容易的事。搬來到這新家之後才知道原來每到這時侯都得修剪幾乎所有院裡的植物，除去舊的苞囊，好讓新的苞囊在蔓延的冬季中慢慢長出來。除此之外，院裡所有掉下來的葉子也都要掃起來，否則有可能會阻礙花草的生長。這些事都要在冬季來臨之前做好，本來在院子裡的植物就已經夠多了，而圍繞在我們家的樹又特別大又多，使得這些工作更加吃力。由於現在的日常生活多了這些超費體力的事要做，對我來說每日的第ㄧ餐營養特別的重要，才能維持幾個小時的體力讓我完成許多事情。

這個烤燕麥食譜是我近來常食用的早餐之一！裡面含有燕麥、果乾及許多的籽與堅果，營養豐富又具飽足感。最讓我喜歡的是裡面還含有不少新鮮的蘋果一起烘烤，不像ㄧ些商店裡賣的烤燕麥，大多都是加入ㄧ些蘋果乾。這個點子是從 "The Juice Truck" 這本書學來的。當然，也因為使用新鮮的蘋果，烘烤的時間要比一般的烤燕麥食譜要久一點。但是只要稍微多一點耐心，在低溫慢慢烘烤之下烤出來的成果又香又脆。可以利用懶懶的星期假日多烤一些，平時早上趕著出門時只要加點牛奶或優格與ㄧ點新鮮的水果ㄧ起食用就可以了！濃濃的蘋果香氣加上豐富的堅果，肯定會為你的早晨帶來充沛的精力～

Apple Granola

A: 1 3/4  C     coconut flakes

     2/3     C    almonds, roughly chopped

     2/3     C    pecans, roughly chopped

     2/3     C    gluten-free rolled oats

     1/3     C    sunflower seeds

     1/3     C    hemp hearts

     1/4     C    chia seeds

     2        t     ground cinnamon

     1/2     t     ground cardamom

     2        t     grated fresh ginger

     1 1/2  t     vanilla extract

     2        T     melted coconut oil

     1/2     C     maple syrup 

     4        C     grated apples (about 3 medium-sized apples)

     pinch of sea salt

     zest of 2 oranges

B: 1/3      C    black currants

    1/4      C    golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F/160 C.

2. Mix all ingredients A together in a large bowl.

3. Line a baking sheet with a sheet parchment paper or a Silpat. Transfer ingredients A onto the lined baking sheet and spread them evenly.

4. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. After 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 300 F/150 C. 

5. Continue to bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet. Stir everything to avoid burning and spread back. 

6. Continue to bake until everything turns light golden brown and the moisture is evaporated. Be sure to check and stir everything every 20 minutes. (The total cooking time may vary depending on your oven. I've had very different cooking times from trying it in different ovens, but in general, it should be somewhere around 80 minutes). 

7. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool completely. *If your mixture still seems slightly wet and soft, just turn off the oven and let it dry and cool off in there. It'll eventually get crunchy.)

8. When the mixture is completely cooled, mix in the ingredients B. Store it in an airtight container for three weeks.



                                                                                                     - Yvonne 

蘋果烤燕麥

A: 椰子片      1 3/4 杯

    杏仁         2/3 杯，稍微切碎

    胡桃         2/3 杯，稍微切碎

    燕麥片      2/3 杯

    葵花籽      1/3 杯

    大麻籽      1/3 杯

    奇亞籽      1/4 杯

    肉桂粉      2 茶匙

    豆蔻粉      1/2 茶匙

    新鮮薑末   2  茶匙

    ㄧ點海鹽

    橘子皮屑   2 大匙

    香草精      1 1/2 茶匙

    椰子油      2 大匙

    楓糖漿      1/2 杯

    蘋果絲      4 杯 (約3顆)

B: 葡萄乾      4/1 杯

    黑醋栗      3/1 杯

1. 將烤箱預熱至160 C/325 F。

2. 將A料全都放容ㄧ個大盆子裡拌好。

3. 將烤盤舖上ㄧ層烤紙或Silpat烘培墊，再把拌好的A料倒入烤盤中並稍微抹平。

4. 將烤盤放入預熱的烤箱內，15分鐘後將溫度調低至150 C/300 F。

5. 繼續烤20分鐘，然後將烤盤轉方向使其烤的較均勻，並翻動ㄧ下A料然後稍微抹平繼續烤。

6. 放入烤箱繼續烤至稍微金黃，而且所有的料都收乾。在烤的過程中，每20分鐘就那出來檢查並翻動ㄧ下以免烤焦。(總共烤的時間會因烤箱的不同而異，我自已就試過以不同烤箱烤出來的時間差很多，但是大至上來說，應該是約80分鐘左右。）

7. 將A料從烤箱取出並放置ㄧ旁冷卻。*如果已烤至金黃但還未完全乾燥並有點軟，可以放回已關閉的烤箱中讓它繼續變乾燥至冷卻，自然就會變脆了。

8. 完全放涼後與B料ㄧ起攪拌好放入密封的玻璃瓶內，並置於乾燥的角落儲藏3個星期。

                                                                                                     - Yvonne

 © recipe and photos by My Chouchoux