Granola

On these bright summer mornings, who wants to linger over breakfast? There are places to go, gardens to play in. A quick but nourishing bowl of cold cereal fits the bill, especially if you can take it outside and sprinkle it with fresh-picked berries.

But don't waste your time and money on packaged cereals from the grocery store. Instead, make your own with inexpensive wholesome ingredients from the health food store.

Nuts and seeds keep your heart healthy because they’re rich in unsaturated fats, including monounsaturated fats, as well as Vitamin E, fiber, folic acid, and other B vitamins. Buy raw nuts and toast them yourself - the pre-roasted kind may contain trans fats.

Oats contribute fiber, both soluble and insoluble, which lowers cholesterol, among other health benefits.

Add dried fruit to taste, but avoid the sweetened kinds like cranberries and blueberries (why they have to add sugar to dried blueberries I do not know). You don't want to have a sugar spike then crash in your morning. Instead use unsweetened dried fruit - plenty sweet but with a complex sugar that burns more slowly in the body, providing fuel for the whole morning.

This cereal is dense, so a half to three-quarters cup will be enough. Chew it well - carbohydrates are broken down by enzymes in your saliva, and you want to get maximum nutrition from this delicious breakfast. Eat it with soy, rice, oat or almond milk. Add berries or chopped fresh fruit to your bowl if you like. A sprinkling of ground flaxseed. Some yogurt. Variations are only limited by your imagination.

This is a good basic recipe from John Robbins’ classic book May All Be Fed. You can vary the grains, nuts and fruit to taste. You could add 1/2 cup soy flour before baking for extra protein. I can rarely find organic wheat germ, so I use wheat bran or oat bran instead, or sometimes just omit it entirely.

Nutty Sunny Granola
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup.

Combine oats, wheat germ, walnuts, and seeds. Spread on 2 baking sheets and cook at 275°F for 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 15 min.

Pour into a bowl. Stir in dates, raisins and cinnamon. Slowly stir in maple syrup.

Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Makes 6 cups. This will stay fresh in the cupboard for 3-4 weeks.