Tasty. Easy. Healthy.

By Chef Domenica Catelli

I created this recipe when I was the Executive Chef at Raven’s, located at the Stanford Inn in Mendocino, California. If you have not been to this area of the country, I highly recommend it. The coastline is wild, the town is small and there are some wonderful hidden treasures. Stanford Inn is one of them. I worked closely with Master Gardener Dana Ecelberger, who harvested produce daily from the five-acre garden on site. Every day was a creative culinary event!

I used fresh citrus from the garden in this granola recipe. This is a good base recipe, so there are several things you can add to make it your own. Add your favorite nuts and dried fruits or cinnamon, and if there is something in this ingredient list you do not like, omit it! Have fun making this your own. This is a good recipe to make during the weekend so you can have some all week for breakfast, or to pack up in baggies as a snack throughout the day.

Raw nuts have more nutritional value than roasted ones, which is why this recipe calls for a mix of both.

Enjoy!

Citrus and Sesame Granola

Ingredients:

2 lemons, zested

½  lemon, juiced

1½  oranges, zested and juiced
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

½ cup pure maple syrup (or ¼ cup maple and ¼ cup honey)

2 egg whites

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 cups organic rolled oats

1 cup raw cashews
½ cup raw almonds or pecans

½ cup raw sunflower seeds
¼ cup raw sesame seeds

½ cup unsweetened dried coconut

¼ cup flaxseed, ground

¼ cup wheat germ

1 cup dried fruit (preferably peaches, apricots and papaya)

½ cup plain or flavored organic kefir or yogurt

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Stir zest, juice, extra virgin olive oil, syrup, egg whites and vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl.

In a large bowl mix the oats, ½ of the nuts, ½ the sunflower seeds, all the sesame seeds and the coconut. Stir in syrup mixture.

Spread thinly on two cookie sheets covered in parchment paper or tinfoil for easy cleanup. Bake for 15 minutes then stir granola on trays with a wooden spoon. Continue to bake for seven more minutes or until golden brown.

Remove and cool.  Stir in remaining nuts, flax seed, wheat germ and dried fruit.

When completely cooled, store in airtight containers and enjoy for up to a month, or keep in freezer for up to six months.

Serve with organic kefir or yogurt and enjoy!