Granilla

A few weeks ago, some friends and I completed a three week detox. You know, no meat, dairy, gluten, soy, sugar, salt, caffeine, or alcohol. Right... cleansing, torturous, same thing. And while by no means am I a proponent of meatless or sugarless eating for the long haul, it did feel fantastic to get back to clean eating. I found some delicious recipes, shed the holiday guilt, and rediscovered my love for brussel sprouts. Not all bad.

That said, the detox ended. Sayonara celery. Helloooo... granola? Yes, for the those veggie-filled three weeks, I was craving granola. And while I could have made a detox-approved version, it just wouldn't have been the same. You just can't get it crunchy enough without the right amount of oil and honey. So hour 19 into return to toxicity, my kitchen was filled with the sweet smell of toasting pecans and baking cinnamon. The kitchen was also brimming with two anxious ex-detoxers as well as one ecstatic fiance, doing a celebratory dance over his long-awaited end to Meatless Mondays.

Granola: the perfect return-to-food food. Though did I mention we had previously eaten leftover BBQ pulled pork (that we willfully avoided on Super Bowl Sunday)? Or that the aforementioned fiance may or may not have run to the store for an emergency tub of vanilla ice cream (without contest from the granola fiends)? Oh, well I should. But because we are heart-conscious at heart, we subbed the majority of oil with honey and fresh blended pineapple. It was gone in three days.

Granilla
Adapted from Apples & Onions

4 cups rolled oats
2 cups raw nuts (I like a combo of pecans and almonds)
2 cup raisins
A few shakes of cinnamon (don't ask me how many shakes I shook)
1 tsp nutmeg
Dash of allspice
Dash of ground clove
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup cup honey
1 cup fresh blended pineapple
1 giant tub of vanilla ice cream (semi-optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the oats, nuts, raisins and spices in a (very) large mixing bowl. Pour in oil, honey, and pineapple and mix together with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are coated and small clusters begin to form.

Lay parchment paper (or a smear of olive oil) over 2 baking sheets and lay granola flat. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes with wooden spoon.

When slightly crunchy, turn the oven off but leave the granola in the oven with the door propped open. The mixture will dehydrate and become even more crispy. Check on it every 5 minutes until it's at your preferred level of crunch.

Serve over a bowl of creamy vanilla ice cream (and again atop your morning oatmeal). The granola will keep for about a week (if you let it) if stored in an airtight container.