Cashew Turmeric Granola

I stay prepared, big and small.  

I’m prepared for tomorrow’s day of work.  I mean… insofar as I have a bra and a pair of jeans set out on my bedroom chair. 

I’m prepared for my hungry hungry cat with extra bags of food. I’m prepared for my travel schedule with my passport and this face mask.  

I’m prepared for a good time with a drawer full of sparklers and a bar full of gin and a freezer with plenty of ice.  

I’m prepared for a hurricane with extra drinking water, a mostly full tank of gas, and flood insurance like a dang adult. 

But mostly I prepare for my hunger… and the hunger of anyone who crosses the threshold.  This granola, or some version of it, stays in my pantry.  It’s something I pile in a bowl for breakfast and snack on in the afternoon. You best believe I’ll shake up a handful with chocolate chips for a midnight snack.  It’s versatile and really so so satisfying. 

The turmeric cuts the sweetness almost adding a savory quality to this granola.  Cocoa nibs offer a perfect chocolate bitterness and dehydrated fruit is much more amiable than dried fruit. 

What do you think? Add this to weekend food prep?  

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• old fashioned oats.
• raw cashews though raw walnuts are a great option. 
• sesame and flax seeds. 
• coconut oil and maple syrup for fat and sweetness. 
• turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dash of black pepper and salt, too.  
• dehydrated raspberries (or strawberries) and cocoa nibs make this granola wealthy in flavor and health. 
• date syrup is optional but rich in nutrients and helps the granola clump. 

In a food processor or small spice grinder blend half of the nuts and half of the oats to moderately fine. 

This will help the granola clump as it bakes. 

Add the remaining oats and nuts along with the flax and sesame, salt and spices. 

Toss to combine. 

In a small bowl whisk together melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and date syrup if you’re using it 

Thoroughly combine the wet ingredients. They’ll thicken and emulsify. 

Stir the wet ingredients into the oat and cashew mixture. 

Toss together to coat all of the dry ingredients in the coconut and maple concoction. 

The turmeric will tint the oats orange. That’s a good sign. 

Spoon the unbaked granola onto a parchment lined baking sheet and here’s the trick: press the granola into an even layer. Not chunks scattered around the pan. Press the granola into an even and cohesive rectangle or oval shape. Bake until the edges are golden and the nuts have browned. 

Allow the granola to cool for 15 minutes or so and crumble as you’d like.  

When the granola has cooled sprinkle in cocoa nibs.  

Add dehydrated fruit. Raspberries are my favorite, but dehydrated bananas or strawberries would be an equally solid choice. 

Serve with yogurt  or whipped cream.  Munch on it straight out of a bag.  Make your airplane seatmates jealous with your breakfast snack.  Keep it in the pantry in case of emergencies and really the emergency is 2nd breakfast and this is perfect.  

Recipe inspired by Jessica Murnane of One Part Plant. Photographs with Jon Melendez. 

Cashew Turmeric Granola

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• Few grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon date syrup (optional)
• 1 heaping cup dehydrated raspberries, or any other dried or dehydrated fruit you like
• 1/3 cup cocoa nibs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor or spice grinder, pulse half of the cashews and half of the oats to moderately fine. It’s ok if there are still a few chunks here and there.
3. Transfer the oat and nut mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining cashews and oats, sesame seeds, flax seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together maple, coconut oil, vanilla, and date syrup (if using) until well combined. Pour into the oat mixture and toss until everything is evenly coated.
5. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and press it into an even layer, about 1/2-inch thickness. Baking a mixture that’s pressed together will help create a granola-bar-like chunkiness.
6. Bake for 20 to 26 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned. Check the granola halfway through baking and see if you’d like to use a spatula to flip the granola over in sections (breaking it up a bit) to brown on both sides. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before breaking the granola up further Toss with dehydrated raspberries and cocoa nibs. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for weeks though it’s so good, it really won’t last that long.