Clean Out Granola

You can literally make granola out of anything.  Yes, anything (if you have some oats).

We are still cleaning out the pantry (and freezer and cupboards) in preparation for the spring, summer and fall harvests.

Just in case you need a reminder of how bad it was, I am reposting this picture of my atrocious pantry:

There is actually a box of industrial-size plastic wrap in this pantry that we bought when we moved in THIRTEEN YEARS AGO!

I will not post an “after” picture yet.   We still need to do some work.

But, I decided to whip up up some granola WITHOUT going to the store.

Here is our Clean Out Granola  (and remember this is about cleaning out the cupboards, not cleaning out your system.   I do apologize for the negative connotations.)

Maple-Coconut Granola
There, I worked on the title a bit.

6 cups old fashioned oats
1 c. pepitas
1 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. unsweetened coconut
1 c. flax meal
3/4 c. coconut oil
3/4 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. sea salt
2 1/4 c. dried fruit  (I used a bit of goji berries, some cranberries, and some blueberries.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, pepitas, sunflower seeds, coconut, and flax meal.      Place coconut oil, syrup, cinnamon and salt in a blender and pulse until emulsified.  Pour liquid over dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Line two large jelly roll pans with aluminum foil.  Pour half of granola mixture on each sheet and spread it out in an even layer.  Place baking racks in top third and bottom third of oven.  Place one pan on each rack.  Set timer for 15 minutes.  After timer goes off, stir each pan and rotate pans in oven.  Set timer for 15 minutes.  After timer goes off, remove from oven.   (Total cooking time is about 30 minutes).

 After granola is cooled, stir in fruit.

Makes about 18 cups.

 

For other granola posts, click here.

16 comments to Clean Out Granola

  • I heart granola. In a way that turns this healthy treat into a not-so-healthy burden on my hips. 😀

    YUM! Delish.

    And you won’t catch me posting any pics of my pantry.

  • You purposefully had goji berries in the house? I don’t think I could even find them in the store. My cupboard definitely looks like yours and now you’ve guilted me into needing to do something about it. Thanks ever so much. The granola; that makes up for it (a little). 🙂

  • I love it – you have given me a reason to clean out my pantry just so the Ingredients can be tossed into granola 😀
    Obviously works since yours looks do tasty!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    • Eliot

      Jen–
      I know what you mean. I think I am eating healthy with huge spoonfuls of Greek yogurt (NOT lo-fat) and tons of granola. I guess it is healthier, just pretty calorific. 🙂

      Christiane–
      I did have goji berries in the pantry. Who knows what else I will find!

      Choc Chip Uru–
      Glad I inspired you to do some spring cleaning. Hope your clean out goes faster than ours.

      🙂

  • I do love granola–any kind. I tell myself it is nutritious as I serve it with Greek yogurt thinned with cream and sweetened with brown sugar. I guess I should also call it dessert??

    • Eliot

      Oh, thanks Cindy for giving me the idea of adding cream and brown sugar to Greek yogurt. More for my hips to love there! 🙂

  • Man, every time I look at your pantry I crack up! I’m going to be doing the same thing! It’s become critical, especially the freezer since I have a 1/2 hog coming soon.

    • Eliot

      We are always talking about getting a quarter of beef (lots cheaper that way) but there is no way I could get that in the freezer yet! (Glad my pantry makes your day! LOL)

  • Yes, we do need some motivation to make use of what we have got. Thankfully I do not have a big pantry like that so, the amount of food around is not a lot. However like everyone, we have some things that we keep ignoring, so I need to at least use that up. Granola always makes for a great snack or breakfast, yours looks tasty!

    • Eliot

      I know if I had a bigger (or smaller) pantry it would be just as messy. I blame this on my mom. LOL

      Her grocery shopping had to be once a week or even twice a month. She had to stock up on staples and other items b/c there was no grocery store around the corner—more like 18 miles away. But, I am working on breaking that habit of having to stock up on everything b/c there is a grocery store less than a mile away AND we continue to try to grow our own. My goal is to stock up on home canned items this summer for next winter.

  • I love how many crunchy ingredients you’ve included in this–I especially love pepitas. My pantry looked just about as bad a couple of months ago, and David and I have lived in our house less than three years!

    • Eliot

      I am a firm believer that one should at least act like they are moving every five years to streamline all the accumulated “stuff.”

  • Liz

    I love granola, too…and yours is full of all my favorite add ins. I can’t believe there is anything left in your pantry after all these weeks 🙂

  • Great recipe but I really like the picture of your pantry 🙂

    • Eliot

      I really HAVE to do something about that! You would not believe our grocery bill—it has plummeted with this clean out! Now I just need to be concerned about my FM budget (ours just opened last weekend). I tend to over spend there!