From granola, to salad dressings, breads, cheeses and whole meals, you can bring DIY- Do it Yourself - into the kitchen. Your kitchen. Vanessa Barrington's book, D.I.Y. Delicious covers recipes and ideas for Simple Foods from Scratch. Learning to make homemade granola is worth the cost of the book alone.
The cookbook opens with a dedication to every eater and cook who has ever asked the question "Why can't I make this myself?" This is more than a cookbook, it's a resource guide and friend in the kitchen.
If you've found yourself paying for granola you may have thought the same thing. Why?
Now you cannot only make your own, but make it to your very own preferences. Hate raisins? Leave them out. Like coconut? Add it. Less fat, better ingredients, and if you like, just at touch of chocolate.
The granola recipe is s a good example of the flexibility of this book. You get a basic recipe (so you have the ratio essential for success.) You also get a list of options or variations. Here for sweeteners (honey, brown sugar, maple, agave) fats (butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil, olive oil) flakes (oat, Kamut, Triticale, Spelt, Rye) nuts and seeds (chopped or sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds), and dried fruits (apples, pears, peaches, plums, cranberries, currants, raisins, cherries.)
Recipe for Granola Your Way
DIY Delicious (p. 175)
- 1/3 cup of oil
- vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom
- 4 cups oat flakes
- wheat germ
- flax seeds
- pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- sunflower seeds
- 2 cups chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped golden raisins
- good quality chocolate to taste
- 1/3 cup of honey
Preheat oven to 350 warm oil and spices - fresh ground cardamom and cinnamon make a big difference. Toss all ingredients together but honey, raisins and chocolate. Spread on one or two baking sheets. Bake about 20-25 minutes till golden brown. Toss to bake evenly about halfway through.
As soon as you remove pan(s) from oven, toss with honey and raisins. Grab a vegetable peeler and a good chocolate bar and shave bits of chocolate over the warm granola. Toss, shave a little more. To taste. The chocolate shaves will melt over the granola and give it a light chocolate-y taste. Much more subtle that chunks of waxy chocolate in store-bought brands.
The honey will cause the granola to clump a bit, which makes it lovely for snacking. The protein makes it a great afternoon pick-me up. Layer with homemade yogurt and fruit in a parfait glass.
- To see another DIY recipe check the sustainable seafood stew recipe roundup here. You get Meyer Lemon Aioli recipe and a garlic crouton recipe, too.
Resources, websites to order supplies and ingredients and links to helpful sites are included in the Source section.
For more DIY Delicious recipes get:
DIY Delicious, Vanessa Barrington, photography by Sara Remington, Chronicle Books.
Jacqueline Church - Award-winning writer, speaker, teacher on topics at the intersection of gourmet and sustainable food issues.
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