recently my husband and i went to the annual yarmouth (maine) clam festival and i’m really glad we did. not because we like clams (we don’t) and not because the weather was beautiful (it was really hot). no, i’m glad we went because of a bunch of folding camping chairs.
you see, unbeknownst to us, the clam festival parade on friday night is a big deal. we were there earlier in the day on friday and all up and down main st., which was the central corridor for the festivities as well as the parade route later that evening, both sides of the street were lined with a motley assortment of those portable fabric chairs.
folks had evidently come out early that morning to claim their spot by leaving their chairs set up along the edge of the street. this may not seem terrifically exciting at first glance, until you realize that these people who had put their chairs out expected that, all day long as neighbors and strangers alike traipsed up and down main st., no one would steal the chair itself or move the chair to secure a prime viewing location for themselves.
i mean, really?? when is the last time you left your personal property out in public for hours, unattended/unsecured and really expected that it would still be there when you returned for it later? as far as i know, unlike parking space savers during snow storms in south boston, there was no implied (or, sometimes, explicit) threat of bodily harm or property damage if anyone moved or stole a chair. just mutual faith in the social contract. ::happy sigh::
what does this have to do with ginger granola? very little. the best connection i can make (and it’s a stretch) is that both the friendly faith demonstrated in yarmouth and this ginger granola make my feelers happy. and if you’ve read the news at all lately, perhaps a reminder that everything is not terrible everywhere all of the time is… welcome.
ginger granola
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 396 g. (4 cups / 14 oz.) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 50 g. (1/4 cup / 1 ¾ oz.) millet, optional
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ cup (4 oz. / 120 ml) olive oil
- 1/3 cup (2 ½ oz. / 79 ml) molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 170 g. (1 ½ cups / 6 oz.) raw pecans, broken into pieces
- 92 g. (1/2 cup / 3 ¼ oz.) diced crystallized ginger
- 38 g. (1/3 cup / 1 3/8 oz.) dried cranberries (see notes)
for serving
- greek vanilla yogurt
- chopped nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, cherries… whatever fruit looks good
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 350° F. line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- in a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, millet, cinnamon, and ginger. stir to combine. stir in the oil, molasses, and vanilla. once all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined, spread the granola out in an even layer on the lined baking sheet.
- bake the granola for 20 minutes, then take it out of the oven, sprinkle the nuts over the top, and toss it all around (especially the bits along the edge). put the granola back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
- remove the granola from the oven and set the pan on a rack to cool. add the ginger (and cranberries, if using) and carefully stir them in to the mixture.
- let the granola cool completely. it will also dry out a bit as it cools.
- once cool, store the granola in an airtight container. it will stay fresh for 2 weeks, longer in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
everything about this recipe is really flexible. when i make the granola in the winter, i add the dried cranberries but for this summer version, i left the cranberries out so as not to compete with the fresh fruit available now.
if you don’t like nectarines or they’re not amazing at the farmers’ market right now, i’ve enjoyed this ginger granola with strawberries and blueberries and bet it would be amazing with cherries too. in the middle of winter, i usually just add the dried cranberries and skip fresh fruit.
if your pecans are already toasted, add them in after baking (at the same time as the ginger) so that they don’t burn.
if you need to avoid gluten, make sure your oats are labeled gluten free.
adapted from cookie + kate’s gingerbread granola, which she based on a basic formula/recipe from granola expert megan gordan of marge granola.
nutrition facts are for a 1/3 cup serving