So I knocked together some toasted muesli (or granola if you prefer), with lovely spices and chewy dried cherries.
Recipe for Chai spiced cherry coconut granola:
3 cups natural oats
Chai spice mix
Pinch finely ground sea salt
20g walnuts, chopped
30g whole almonds, chopped
20g pecan nuts, chopped
80mls organic rice syrup
1 tspn vanilla extract
30mls grapeseed oil
1 tspn finely grated orange zest
40g dried cherries
1 x 20ml tblspn sunflower seeds
3 x 20ml tblspns dried unsweetened coconut flakes
Chai spice mix:
2 tspns ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn ground ginger
1/4 tspn ground cloves
A couple of grinds of black pepper
Fresh berries, Greek yoghurt or milk of your choice to serve
Preheat oven to 140C. Place baking paper over a large, flat baking tray.
Place oats, spices and nuts into a large mixing bowl. Mix together brown rice syrup, vanilla extract, oil and orange zest in a small jug until combined. Pour wet ingredients (you might need a spatula to get all of it) over the dry and stir until everything is coated – use clean hands to make sure everything is really incorporated well.
Scatter oat mixture evenly over prepared baking tray. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until light golden brown and fragrant (be careful not to burn the mixture). Break up clumps with a spoon, then set aside to cool on baking tray. Stir through cherries, sunflower seeds and coconut flakes. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks. If you live somewhere warm, I would store this in the fridge.
Before using, stir or shake as contents tend to settle down at the base of the container.
Serves: 8-10
Yes and yes to all of this. I’ve been reading Megan Gordon’s ‘Wholegrain mornings’ and am inspired to make a big batch of granola. So this is perfect for a chai-lover like me. I’ll now have to kick my butt into gear about it! Smoothies I find difficult to make around work + owning no car because you have to have the ingredients and then clean the blender etc. Sounds lazy just writing it out! So that’s why I’ve fallen into the porridge habit, but granola should shake that out. I love how more and more products are either non-for-profit, or somehow set up to support a particular cause like Red Ape.
I love porridge! But sometimes I need the crunchiness of granola/toasted muesli.
+ 1 on ethical products, they’re a bit harder to find but worth it.
Wowser, this looks so so good. I’ve always loved some chai, but I can imagine with berries and coconut and muesli, oh so amazing.
I’m a berry girl 😀