Mulberry and Apricot Granola

i loath store bought granola. its loaded with sugar and fat - not to mention that its been sitting in a plastic bag on a shelf for somewhere around 6 - 10 months. since i was sick a few weeks ago i've somehow lost my pancake breakfast abilities. so i am once again stumbling around my breakfast routine try to figure out what the next craze will be. so far i'm looking at yogurt and granola, an oldie but goodie.

again, i am attempting to clear out the pantry so this is what i got. i love mulberries - super high in vitamin C and very low in sugar, but you can add what you wish. i made some for josh and used mini chocolate chips instead of fruit (yeah you have to coat with chocolate to get him to nosh on anything remotely healthy) and it was a definite hit.

MULBERRY APRICOT GRANOLA

2c oatmeal

1/2c sliced almonds

1/2c chopped almonds

1c unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2c wheat (or oat) bran

1/2c agave nectar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tbs coconut oil (melted if needed)

1 c dried mulberries

1/2c chopped turkish apricots

*combine oatmeal, almond and coconut - toast in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes.

*remove from oven and transfer to mixing bowl and turn oven down to 300F

*stir in wheat bran

*while still warm add in agave, vanilla, salt and oil. stir to combine

*spread on a shallow edged baking pan

*cook 25-30 minutes

*let cool completely then crush up as needed.

*toss in apricots and mulberries

Pumpkin Apple Nut Loaf

so i'm back - kinda sorta.

got hitched, got swine flu (seriously), attended two after the fact receptions and have the apt packed up and ready to move on out. so like any home purchase - it takes longer than you think. i sadly packed away my kitchen so there hasn't been much baking lately. but i couldn't take another weekend void of fun treats so i trekked downstairs to duane read and got myself a few disposable baking pans in various shapes and sizes - then got to baking.

lesson here: disposable baking pan are worthless. yeah worthless. basically you have to increase cooking time by 50%, don't ask me why. seems to me the pans; basically made from thick foil would cook faster. just untrue. everything comes out all doughy and weird. like i said increase cook time by 50%.

fortunately, after "fixing" the cooking time for my pan's shortcomings, this loaf came out great! below is the correct cooking time if you are using real pans. i am trying to clean out the pantry and i have a ton of canned pumpkin from thanksgiving last year as well as mini packs of pecans my mom mailed me a while back that were getting rancid. throw it all in and happy autumn!

PUMPKIN APPLE NUT LOAF

Topping:

1 1/2 tsp flour

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oil

Loaf:

1 1/2c flour

1/2 tsp (scant) salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ginger

1c canned pumpkin

1/4c + 2 tbs canola oil

1c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

1/2c chopped pecans or walnuts

* preheat oven to 350F, grease 2lb loaf pan

*mix together all topping ingredients and set aside

*sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger

*in separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar

*add wet to dry ingredients and stir just to combine

*fold in apples and nuts

*pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with topping

*cook for 50 mins - 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean