Tasty & Simple: Granola
This edition of Tasty & Simple features a hippie classic: granola. Forget the crap you get at the supermarket (or even the health food store, for that matter), making granola at home is cheap, fully customized to your tastes, and makes a great gift.
Full disclosure: this basic concepts of this recipe comes from Mark Bittman’s New York Times column, “The Minimalist”. Since the Tasty & Simple feature is all about straightforward recipes, I fully acknowledge the influence Bittman’s column has on my everyday cooking.
For my spin on Bittman’s granola recipe, I’ve upped the nuttage, tweaked the spices, and discovered a secret ingredient that really takes it to the next level: French coconut cubes. I don’t quite know how they do it, but the French have discovered a way to distill a coconut down to sweet, chewy perfection, without any additional ingredients. In granola, it melts beautifully and forms irresistible coconutty clusters. I’ve only been able to obtain these from NYC’s Fairway Market, so I guess this one may be out of reach for many… if anyone discovers them outside of NYC, please put a note in the comments.
I highly recommend Trader Joe’s for all the raw ingredients — excellent quality and prices. The bulk food section at the health food store is also fairly economical.
