Colorful breakfast bowls filled with exotic & warming flavors.

Cheerful mornings filled with fresh thoughts and crisp, cool air.  Even though my sleepy eyes strain to open, morning is my favorite time of day, but most importantly, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! I could eat waffles, baked pancakes, or egg scrambles for any meal, and I frequently do.  Recently, the morning rise has called at an early hour when the sun has not yet peaked, and our dog still sleeps soundly.  As my husband and I scurry out the door, grabbing coffee cups and hugging the puppy goodbye, our usual egg scrambles have been pushed aside.

I love creating breakfast parfaits of yogurt, crushed nuts, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, and whatever fresh berries we have on hand.  But there is something about baked granola that is simply delightful.  The flavors blend together so nicely when baked and create nice crunchy clusters to crumble on top of yogurt.  Granola combinations and toppings are endless and something I really missed after being diagnosed with diabetes.  However, eating grain and gluten-free does not mean giving up your favorite foods; it simply means using your creativity to craft something new and healthy!  Making granola in the comfort of your kitchen allows you to control the sweetness and ingredients for a delicious breakfast full of flavors and quality nutrients.  Use this crunchy nut-based granola as a grain and gluten-free breakfast cereal alternative.

This breakfast bowl is filling, comforting and colorful, adding some cheer to your morning routine.  The sweetness of pure maple syrup provides a richness of flavor to your palate and a magical scent to your kitchen.  Bright green pistachios give life and color to these granola clusters.  Dried figs add a chewy contrast to the crunchiness of nuts.  Exotic and rich in taste, figs provide fiber, potassium, calcium, and iron to your diet.

Whatever your morning holds, remember to enjoy the beauty of a new day and the adventure that life might bring.

Bon appetite!

Cheerful Mornings & Fig, Pistachio Granola

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup pistachios
• 1/2 cup dried figs (about 10)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil*
• 2 tbsp maple syrup*
• 2 tbsp applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

whole milk, plain yogurt to serve

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add all ingredients except figs to a food processor. Pulse nuts into small pieces about the size of oats. *If you do not have a food processor, a nut chopper/grinder will work just fine!
• Chop figs into small chunks. Fold pieces into nut mixture.
• Spoon nut granola onto parchment lined baking sheet spreading evenly. Use the back of a spatula to flatten nuts into a thin, even layer. Nut mixture should be packed closely together.
• Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before breaking into clusters. Store remaining granola in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Serve with plain yogurt or simply by the spoonful.

Notes—

*For a less sweeter granola, I replace 1 tablespoon maple syrup with coconut oil.