Granola

I enjoy preparing gluten-free recipes and food and bringing them to you each weekend.  Today is one of my favorite.  I brought out one of my first gluten-free recipes because my mind has been on other things and if you will indulge me I will share them with you.

Part of this weekend was spent at a bridal shop with my beautiful daughter Samantha.  Treating her like the beautiful princess she is the bridal stylist helped her into one romantic white gown after another.  All the while I sat there with thoughts racing.  First was the day she was born and I relayed to her fiance's mother how her father adored her from the moment she was placed in his arms.  When she told me who her four brides maids were to be my mind went back to the day she met each of them, all before she was four years old.  I couldn't be prouder of the woman my daughter has become!  Sam wants her stunning dress to remain a surprise to as many people as possible so I will honor her request by not post pictures till after she weds her love in December. 

If there is a segway from that to my next recipe I can't find it.  So here goes...

When I first found I needed to cut gluten from my life it was breakfast that was the most difficult.  My mornings start early and they begin full speed.  Breakfast needs to be fast and I mean real fast.  One of my favorite is a bowl of plain yogurt with blueberries and granola.  Only trouble was I couldn't find a gluten-free granola that tasted good and didn't have something in it that I didn't care for.  I don't want raisins or sunflower seeds.  And whoever heard of sesame seeds in granola...yuck!  Why was this so hard?  Bob's Red Mill makes perfectly wonderful gluten-free oats so why can't somebody make granola with it.  They can...you can...here's how...

Granola

Ingredients:
3 cups gluten-free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
2 cups nuts (you can use any combination you enjoy but I like sliced almonds)
3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons liquid sweetener (I use maple syrup but honey or agave syrup are also good)
1/4 cup coconut oil (measure melted)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl combine the oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine liquid sweetener, coconut oil and salt.  Combine both mixtures and pour into a large pan or two smaller ones.  It should be a shallow layer and you will want to be able to stir it.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve even cooking. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.  If you like raisins or other dried fruit you can add it now but you won't catch me doing that. 

*have you ever had to cook something in increments and find you can't remember how many times you've stirred.  I place a piece of paper beside the oven and write five 15's on it.  When I put the pan in the oven I circle the first 15.  This tells me that I am in this 15 minute segment.  When I stir the mixture and place it back in the oven I put an X mark through the first 15 and circle the next one and so forth. 

**This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown's granola recipe at http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/granola-recipe/index.html