For breakfast on “move days” we have granola. It is fast and filling and leaves time and energy for packing up camp. The granola I make is an old recipe I received years ago. It is full of fruit and it is very, very yummy. It is a bit heavy in a pack, but worth the effort.
I like to make it just before we start our trip, so it is fresh even in the second week. However, sometimes it is just too hot to have the oven on in the summer. I came up with the solution a few years ago – barbecued granola.
Ingredients
2 cups oats
1/2 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup coconut (sweetened if you want)
1/2 cup nuts (we use chopped hazelnuts)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dried fruit chopped (apricots, cherries, raisins, apples…)
zest of 1 orange
Directions
Preheat oven or barbecue to 325 F (165 C).
Mix oats, bran, sesame seeds, coconut, nuts and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.
Slowly heat oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in a pot, mixing until blended. Remove from heat and pour over the dry ingredients. Mix this well, until the dry ingredients are coated.
Spread the mixture onto a lightly oiled pan – we used a very large cast iron frying. You can do it in smaller batches if you don’t have a large pan. You can also use a parchment lined cookie pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Begin by setting the timer for 10 minutes and then stir. Then, set the timer for another 10 minutes and stir. On the third round, start to keep a close eye, the edges will cook faster. Stir more often. It will brown quickly so watch it closely.
While it’s cooking, prepare and mix the fruit and the zest in a small bowl.
When the granola is done, remove it from the heat and stir in the fruit and the zest. Let cool and then break it up; I use a spatula. Package the granola into small Ziploc bags, one for each day.
In Camp
It will be a bit sticky, so you may need to break it into bowls. We pack powdered milk, but if you forget the milk, it will still be delicious.