Granola and I go way back.
WAY BACK.
As a kid, I grew up with Mom’s homemade granola and yogurt almost every morning before school.
I had a great life.
And, to this day, a warm, crunchy bowl of granola is one of my favorite things on earth, and elicits some of my most comforting memories of all time.
Thanks, Mom.
Janelle and I also go way back.
We grew up together WAY too long ago.
And, thanks to the magic of social media, we have been able to reconnect and share our love for health, happiness, and good food.
I’m honored to share Janelle’s creation and inspired by her bowl of yumminess and creativity.
The most impressive part, for me, of this recipe, is the secret little addition of nutritional yeast. Powered packed with B-12, the yeast adds not only nutrition, but a profound depth, savory and umami, above all others.
YES! Sweet and savory together. I love it!
Granula was invented in Dansville, New York, by Dr. James Caleb Jackson at the Jackson Sanitarium in 1863. The Jackson Sanitarium was a prominent health spa that operated into the early 20th century on the hillside overlooking Dansville. It was also known as Our Home on the Hillside; thus the company formed to sell Jackson’s cereal was known as the Our Home Granula Company. Granula was composed of Graham flour and was similar to an oversized form of Grape-Nuts. A similar cereal was developed by John Harvey Kellogg. It too was initially known as Granula, but the name was changed to Granola to avoid legal problems with Jackson.
The food and name were revived in the 1960s, and fruits and nuts were added to it to make it a health food that was popular with the health and nature-oriented hippie movement. At the time, several people claim to have revived or re-invented granola. A major promoter was Layton Gentry, profiled in Time as “Johnny Granola-Seed”.
Although I stake claim to my “princess” title, there has been more than one occasion in my life when I’ve been referred to as a “granola head,” and despite the fact that they may be embarrassed to admit it, Mom and Dad, YOU were the epitome of the “hippie.”
Carry on.
Janelle’s Gluten Free Granola
(in her words, exactly)
What I do is first mix the dry, then add melted coconut oil, then add honey and stir… for like 5 minutes to coat it! Then I stir it while baking once or twice.
5 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups finely ground raw almonds
3/4 cup flax seed
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup ground chia seeds
3 Tbs. cinnamon (Saigon)
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
just short of 1 cup coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup honey (I like clover for this)
I bake at 325 until brown – this is about 30-45 minuites… its not an exact science.
When I add dried fruit I bake it at 300 and stir more during baking; I also only do about a half cup of each.
Follow Janelle and all her marvelous magic at Simply Whole Life and @jpoletperry.
A very nice recipe, and interesting story.
Thanks, Mimi 😍
Love the granola fun facts and that your parents were hippies in their own!!
Oh yes…the granola heads from Boulder 😂🤣