Lemon, Pistachio and Ginger Granola
Oh no, I’ve done it again. I fall into the “what new granola flavor can I make” trap every two weeks, when the last batch runs out. With the intention of bringing a “thank you” jar to my ultimate pals in Colorado, this time I went beyond my usual slapstick approach of tossing in new herbs, spices and combinations of dried fruit and nuts. I’m also still tinkering with savory variations proposed by my Mamma, a fiercely loyal ginger-lover like me. And you might know by now that I revel in candied citrus peels! All in all, it’s a happy recipe when the full lemon is used, zest and juice! This version has more sophisticated tones that might pair well with a whiskey cocktail, believe it or not! Still, it marries perfectly with a bowl of fresh fruit and plain yogurt dribbled with vanilla extract.
(Scroll to the bottom for more granola recipes…)
Lemon, Pistachio and Ginger Granola
Ingredients
- Lemon – Zest of 3 lemons
- Lemon Juice – Juice of 3 lemons
- Ginger – 1 teaspoon, grated fresh ginger
- Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup
- Honey – 1/2 cup
- Extra virgin olive oil – 1/2 cup
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- Oats – 5 cups rolled oats
- Golden flax seeds – 2/3 cups golden flax seeds, or brown
- Sesame seeds – 2/3 cup raw, unhulled sesame seeds
- Ginger – 2 teaspoons, ground
- Sea salt – 1 teaspoon
- Pistachios – 1 cup
- Wheat germ (optional if not gluten-free) – 2/3 cup
- Chia seeds (optional) – 2 tablespoons
- Water (optional) – 1/4 cup
- Crystalized ginger pieces – 1 cup diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275.
- In a small pot, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh ginger, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir until the sugar is dissolved, and then cover the pot and continue to simmer for about 7 minutes while you prepare the dry ingredients. Remove the candied lemon mixture from the heat and whisk int he olive oil and vanilla extract.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, flax seeds, sesame seeds, ground ginger, sea salt, pistachios and optional wheat germ and chia seeds. Mix well.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, and mix together until the oats have a wet sheen to them. If the granola looks a bit dry, stir in a bit of water.
- Spread the granola on two baking sheets, packing it down with the back of a spatula.
- Bake the granola for 1 hour, rotating the trays between racks halfway through (if you’re oven cooks unevenly, as mine tends to heat more in the back, spin the baking sheets around as well).
- When the granola is toasted brown in color, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before transferring to your mouth, um, I mean granola jar. If you break up the granola before it is cooled, you won’t get those tasty, intact, chunky morsels!
- Add the crystalized ginger to the batch of granola once it has cooled.
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