Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe:

Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

It has been a real pleasure to be part of the Organic UK Naturally Different campaign over the last eight months, and I was delighted when I was asked to be Organic UK’s blogger ambassador as I totally believe in the organic food movement on so many levels. I have also loved the monthly challenge of coming up with thrifty and organic meal plans, that are tasty and easy to cook, and if the comments and feedback is anything to go by, then they have all been HUGELY successful too, which is wonderful. Today’s post is not a goodbye however, it’s just an “au revoir” and I hope to see you next year with more organic news, recipes and lots of new ideas! Today’s post is also a perfect way for me to reflect on what I have learned over the last few months and to share some of my thoughts on the organic campaign, Naturally Different. As my brief was to create meal planners that were thrifty, as well as organic, my priorities were to try to show that organic is not as expensive as most people think; and that with careful planning and by using leftovers, organic produce can be as economical as non-organic produce. And, if there is ONE key thing I have learned over the last eight months, it has been that by making SMALL changes, bigger changes happen……….

Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

…………….I have discovered that by changing my shopping just slightly, I can and have made a difference. Here’s what I mean – before I started working with Organic UK, I DID buy organic produce wherever possible, but it was usually at the local farm shops or when I saw bargains at the supermarkets. Now, I have discovered that by making some very small changes to my shopping list, I can purchase organic ingredients regularly, and these ingredients have been mainly store cupboard ingredients that I use all the time and are always there for daily cooking and baking.  You can see what I include as my Top Ten Store Cupboard ingredients here: Organic September: My Top Ten Organic Store Cupboard Ingredients & Meal Plans. So, by buying ONLY organic flour now, I feel that I have made a difference not only for taste, health and the environment, but also to local producers too, as most of my organic baking ingredients are from local organic farms and small businesses. By just making that one small change, that is to only buy organic flour, I have made a difference with not much extra cost to my weekly budget either.

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

So, the message for me was that small changes make a HUGE difference, and as some people who attended the recent #ThriftyOrganic Twitter party pointed out, organic produce is NOT always more expensive, but it can be cheaper! I think it is all about careful shopping and comparisons with creative menu planning and using every scrap of food, so that leftovers can be magical. So, If we all make just ONE change, we are collectively ALL making a difference, which as been the thrust behind the Organic September campaign. My one change was to buy only organic flour, as I already buy organic sugar, meat and oats, and I have my own chickens, fruit and vegetable garden which helps too. My final thoughts are, that Organic is not just for September, but is for all year around and we can all benefit from being Naturally Different…….choose an ingredient that you use all the time, and switch it to organic; as well as flour, my other regular organic  ingredient is for oats, so for today’s au revoir post I would like to share a recipe for Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries – made with organic oats, sugar, dried blueberries, sugar, nuts and rapeseed oil and served with organic milk too, of course! 

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

I hope you have enjoyed my Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner posts, they can all be accessed here: Lavender and Lovage Thrifty and Organic Meal Planners. I would also like to say a BIG thank you to the Organic UK team I have worked with over the last months…….Nicola, Catherine, Paul, Gemma, Charlie and Sandra – it’s been a pleasure working with you all and I look forward to working with you in 2014 if not before! I will leave you with the recipe for my organic granola now, and I’ll see you soon for more new recipes and culinary news……Karen 

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Wild Blueberries

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Serves	1.2kg or two large 1.5 litre jars
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	20 minutes
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Breakfast, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Region	American
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A decadent home-made breakfast cereal that is packed full of oats, nuts, seeds and fruit. I used organic and Fair Trade ingredients in this recipe and added some Canadian maple syrup as a treat in place of honey, although honey can be used. I also used American dried organic wild blueberries, but any dried fruit can be used such as sultanas, apricots, figs, dates or even cranberries. I LOVE this granola with fresh fruit and yoghurt and you can see a recipe for just that here: Raspberry & Maple Granola Yoghurt Pots

Ingredients

• 125mls maple syrup (or honey if preferred)
• 25g Demerara sugar
• 30mls rapeseed oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 400g jumbo oats
• 100g porridge oats
• 100g mixed seeds and grains (such as pumpkin, sesame or sunflower)
• 100g whole almonds
• 100g pecans (or walnuts if prefered)
• 100g dried coconut flakes (not, dessicated coconut if possible, dried coconut flakes can be found in delicatessens and organic shops)
• 50g flaked almonds
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Maldon)
• 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice (or ground cinnamon if you prefer)
• 150g dried blueberries (I used dried wild blueberries, which are smaller and sweeter)

Note

A decadent home-made breakfast cereal that is packed full of oats, nuts, seeds and fruit. I used organic and Fair Trade ingredients in this recipe and added some Canadian maple syrup as a treat in place of honey, although honey can be used. I also used American dried organic wild blueberries, but any dried fruit can be used such as sultanas, apricots, figs, dates or even cranberries. I LOVE this granola with fresh fruit and yoghurt and you can see a recipe for just that here: Raspberry & Maple Granola Yoghurt Pots

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4. Line two or three large roasting tins or trays with baking paper.
Step 2	Pour the maple syrup or honey into a large bowl and then add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract. Mix well before adding the oats, mixed seeds, almonds - both whole and flaked, pecans or walnuts, coconut flakes, sea salt and mixed spice or cinnamon.
Step 3	Mix all of the ingredients together - the best way is to use your hands - so that all of the dry ingredients are coated in the the maple syrup and oil mixture.
Step 4	Spoon the mixture over the paper lined roasting tins/trays so that is is evenly spread and in a single layer. Bake it in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, making sure you check on it after 5 minutes and stir it well. You may also need to swap the trays around half way through baking too.
Step 5	After 10 to 15 minutes, the granola should be a light golden brown - remove it from the oven and allow to cool completely before adding the dried blueberries and stirring them though to combine.
Step 6	Decant the granola into airtight jars or tins, I used Kilner jars with rubber rings and use within 3 to 4 weeks.

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

Disclaimer:

Organic UK is paying me an agreed fee to create and develop these Thrifty and Organic Recipes, as well as providing me with all the ingredients. However, as I am a big supporter of organic produce, I am happy to share these sponsored organic recipes and posts on my blog, for the benefit of my readers.

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries

Organic UK Naturally Different and a NEW Recipe: Maple, Almond & Pecan Granola with Blueberries