THE MENU: Granola with almonds, flax, and dried cherries
THE SONG: Bad Diary Days by Pedro the Lion
I asked her for a walk, but she had to be on her way
So I told her that I knew she’d been stepping out
David Bazan’s lyrics don’t exactly invoke morning cheer, but this granola can carry the dialogue in his depressing scene from a failed relationship. And fortunately, I can promise that it will make you a lot happier than realizing your girlfriend is a cheat.
I adapted this recipe from the New York Times’ Olive Oil Granola. It’s easy to adapt, and dead easy to make. Important culinary techniques include: stirring. But just be sure you set your timer every ten minutes while it’s baking; if you don’t stir, you could end up with a seriously botched batch of granola, like I did (wah, wah…). The most important thing is to get roughly the right ratio of dry to wet ingredients, but otherwise the spices, nuts, and fruit can all be customized to your liking.
BAD DIARY DAYS GRANOLA (adapted from the New York Times)
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds or chopped pecans
grated zest from 2 lemons
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup dried cherries
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silicone non-stick baking mat.
Combine oats, seeds, nuts, lemon zest, spices, and salt in a large bowl and combine well. Add syrup, oil, and vanilla extract and combine well; spread evenly on lined baking sheet.
Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring and re-spreading every 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack; store in airtight container.
