Seedy Olive Oil Granola

Recipe

Makes about 6 cups

One day, in an attempt not to waste a nearly stale box of brown rice crisp cereal, I threw some into the dry mix of our weekly batch of granola. This may not be for everyone and perhaps it's some sort of granola blasphemy, but now I don't make a batch without it. It changes up the texture, giving you crispier bits between the shattering oats. I use olive oil here, but a scant 1/2 cup of melted coconut oil works great as well. Play around with the spices and seeds of choice, but keep the ratio of liquid sweetener to fat to dry ingredients.

You'll also notice this version doesn't include dried fruit. My typical preparation is a big bowl of berries, almond milk, and a scoop of this granola. I find that adding fresh fruit is just the sweetness I want; adding dried fruit ends up being too much. If your granola is more for snacking, stir in your dried fruit of choice after baking—apricots, cherries, or currants would be nice.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup

• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 3.5 cups old-fashioned oats

• 2 cups crisp rice cereal

• 1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds

• 3 tablespoons chia, hemp, sesame, flax seeds, or a mixture

Instructions

Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

Mix the olive oil, maple syrup, sea salt, cardamom, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add the oats, crisp rice, pepitas, sunflower seeds, and chia seeds. Mix to coat.

Spread the granola mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Use 2 sheets if it looks crowded. Bake on for 40 to 45 minutes or until the mixture is toasty, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure even crispness. Set aside to cool completely.

Granola will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks.