granola

Craftsman and Wolves Granola

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I AM A GRANOLA SNOB. I say that all the time, because it is true — I love love love granola. And I eat it everyday, but it has to be good granola. My all time favorite still is the Eugene Aunt Maple’s Crunchy Granola, but when in San Francisco, I was (thankfully!) introduced to a new one — Craftsman and Wolves  — and it was so good that I had to bring three packages home. Even more perfect, we walked by the bakery on our food tour, so I was able to quickly run in and buy the granola (as well as some other treats to eat on the spot).

 

Yes, in my tiny carry on, I brought these three packages home. I would have brought more if I had more space….

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Homemade Granola

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I am a granola snob and nothing makes me happier than eating delicious and great granola. I have yet to find a homemade granola recipe I love — until now. And now I am obsessed. This granola is not overly sweet, delicious and has the perfect mixture of nutty, sweet, and grains. The beauty of it is that you can add whatever you want to customize it to how you love granola!

 

Ingredients:

 

Ingredients

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The Hampton Grocer Granola

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As someone who (1) eats granola all day every day and (2) can never go in to a grocery store without buying a new kind of granola, it is no surprise that recently I came across The Hampton Grocer Granola inside a store, and fell head over heels for it. It is so tasty that I ate the jar in less than a week.

 

I initially bought the lemon poppy flavor — so good — a different and unique taste.

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Savouries Cookies and Granola

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A couple weeks ago on a beautiful Fall day, I got off at the wrong subway stop (to go to Trader Joe’s) and ran into a dear old friend, Christine, whom I had not seen in a decade. (A decade!) It was one of those powerful encounters that both brought us to tears as we were SO happy to see each other and be reconnected. She is magic — and everything around her is positive, joyful, and magical. Long story short, turns out Christine is now a full time bad a$$ actress as well as a baker (a good friend to have). She makes the most incredible cookies and granola (my favorite food group) and you can’t stop eating her creations. And she sells them!!!!! Savouries! Get them!

 

Savouries! Rosemary Cookies and granola.

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Park Lane Pantry Granola

Josie Girl 1 Comment

A self proclaimed snob (and expert) on granola, I recently sampled Park Lane Pantry, and I can’t get enough! Wholesome, delicious, nutritious. And on top of that, the back story of how the granola was created is truly inspiring — read about Elaine here and how she decided to create her own granola after her experience with cancer.

 

Granola perfection. Small batch

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Grizzlies Aunt Maple’s Crunchy Granola

Josie Girl 4 Comments

My favorite food in the world for any meal or snack is granola. And not any granola, but granola from Grizzlies who just happens to be from my hometown of Eugene, Oregon. This granola is THE MOST AMAZING GRANOLA IN THE WORLD. It has the perfect amount of sweetness, chunks, flavor, and nuts. The granola, Aunt Maple’s Crunchy Granola, is a staple at all the grocery stores in Oregon. But guess what — they ship! In the past, I have always requested (demanded) that my parents ship it to me (along with my favorite Oregon coffee). But now, I go straight to the source and order a 5 pound bag from Grizzlies website. I am apparently a grown up now.

 

One of the many canisters that are filled with my beloved granola. It is like precious gold to me. Only true granola snobs can eat it — which in my family is me and my daughter.

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Hu Kitchen Granola

Josie Girl 3 Comments

Recently, the Upper East Side has become more hip with good restaurants and stores (not that it makes the UES hip or cool… but it’s moving in the right direction….). My favorite addition is Hu Kitchen. Back in the day, I would take the subway downtown to Union Square, just to go to Hu Kitchen and get my hands on some cashew cream mash (think frozen yogurt, but not).  Now that there is a location close-by, I go there weekly to get my fix of granola, crack bars, raw brownies, and drinks. As a granola snob, I can safely attest that their granola is TO DIE FOR.  INCREDIBLE. And made with healthy, pure and raw ingredients!

 

Paleo Granola!

Paleo Granola! Say what??? SOLD SOLD SOLD.

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Grizzlie’s Granola

Josie Girl 6 Comments

Best Granola Ever. I am addicted and obsessed with granola and this is HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE brand. No other type of granola comes close to this heavenly bowl of goodness! For the past several years (at least 5 years, or even more!), my dear mother in Eugene, Oregon, has been sending me boxes of this granola from the bin in our local grocery store (which is ten times better than any Whole Foods) to New York City. I never knew that it was sold elsewhere! Until I found it in a random Korean Deli Store in Upper Manhattan. It was startling, exhilarating, and life changing! Grizzlie’s Granola — Aunt Maple’s Crunchy Granola — the best of the best.

 

Heaven in a bag

Heaven in a bag

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Homemade Granola Bars

Josie Girl 5 Comments

As the self proclaimed Granola Queen (both in terms of the noun “granola” and the verb “granola”), I have played around with making granola bars. This granola bar is a winner. It takes under 30 minutes, requires no baking, has no sugar (unless you count honey and/or dates as sugar), and is delicious (obviously). MAKE ‘EM!

 

Ingredients:

 

Screen Shot 2014-10-16 at 7.14.38 PM

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Mu Mu Muesli

Josie Girl 8 Comments

As a sucker for all granola, I am also obsessed with muesli. Although very similar, they are not the same thing. Both granola and muesli contain oats, fruits and nuts, but muesli is raw, whereas granola is baked. People enjoy muesli like they do granola (served with milk, sprinkled over yogurt, drowned in kefir) or they soak it overnight (in milk or yogurt) to create a cool, porridge-like consistency. Both of my parents (foreign born) eat muesli almost every morning (except for Saturdays when Papa Proskurowski makes his famous omelet) so I have been around different forms of muesli all my life. And Mu Mu Muesli, my friends, is one of the best. The best.

 

mu mu

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Quinoa Granola

Josie Girl 7 Comments

Since I love granola, quinoa, and making granola, I thought trying out a recipe for quinoa granola would be a no-brainer. If you have been out of the health loop in the past several years, quinoa is considered to be a super food and one of the most healthy ingredients out there. It is protein packed, full of fiber, rich in magnesium, high in iron, and is overall magical. I first read a recipe for quinoa granola in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook, but it took me months to find “quinoa flakes.” Once I found them, I was ready to go. And let me tell you…. quinoa granola is heavenly, light, sweet, crunchy and perfection.

Ingredients:

Ingredients

Quinoa Flakes!

Quinoa Flakes!

* 1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* 1/2 cup of maple syrup

* 3 cups of quinoa flakes

* 1 cup of shredded coconut

* 1/2 cup of sliced almonds

* sea salt

* 1/2 cup of chopped dates

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees

* In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil and the maple syrup.

I do not recommend linking the whisk / spoon after this combination.

I do not recommend licking the whisk / spoon after this combination.

* Then, add the quinoa flakes and mix, followed by the coconut and almonds.

Kinda like cookie dough?

Kinda like cookie dough?

* On a parchment paper lined pan, spread the mixture out evenly. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally and checking to make sure it is not burned.

Lined up evenly.

Lined up evenly.

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Homemade Granola

Josie Girl 8 Comments

I am a granola snob (fun game to play: what are you a snob about? For example, I am a granola snob as well as a coffee, grocery store, shampoo, and gym pant snob. I just have expectations for these items to be the best of the best. And if they aren’t, then I am snobbily unhappy). I absolutely love granola, and as you may recall, absolutely love Blackberry Farm Granola. I have tried to make my own granola but have never been satisfied (I am a tough critic), until NOW! Big cluster maple granola from the cookbook “The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook” did the trick. And not just with the granola recipe, but with every recipe. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen!

Ingredients:

ingredients

Ingredients. Simple.

* 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats

* 1 cup of unsweetened shredded/flaked coconut

* 1 cup of crushed walnuts (or any other type of nut)

* 2 tablespoons of olive oil

* 1/2 teaspoon of salt

* 1/2 cup of maple syrup

* 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

* 1 large egg white

* 1 1/2 cups of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, raisins)

cookbook

The Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Everything about this is to-die-for. First of all, it reads like a novel, the pictures are divine, and the recipes themselves are winners. I can’t wait to try more recipes!

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 300 degrees

* Combine all ingredients but the egg white and dried fruit in a large bowl. Make sure to mix evenly.

2nd part

Mixing everything together made me want to eat the “dough” before cooking it. It smells like perfection.

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