"granola" news and stories

Tired of eating the same thing for breakfast? Here are two ways to incorporate super foods quinoa and flax into your morning meal, whether you like it hot or cold.

Quinoa, sometimes called a whole grain, is actually the seed of a green leafy plant that is still cultivated in South America. Revered by the ancient Aztecs as a source of energy, chefs and home cooks now admire it for its mild taste and creamy texture. Quinoa is as easy to cook as rice, but it's also a complete protein (translation: it has all 9 essential amino acids) and is very high in manganese (which helps keep bones strong), niacin and fiber.

Flax is another nutritional heavy hitter and has a nutty flavor reminiscent of toasted coconut. The seeds range in color from golden to brown to reddish brown. Heavy with omega-3 fatty acids, just two tablespoons of flax a day can give you almost all of your daily needs – but remember to purchase them ground, or grind your own, since the whole seed can pass through your system undigested. Ground flax can be sprinkled on top of or stirred into many of your favorite recipes.

After the jump, find my nutritious breakfast recipes...

There's nothing better than sweet and crunchy homemade granola mixed in with your yogurt or even alone as a snack. Only five ingredients are needed in SweetBeetandGreenBean's version, which uses rolled oats, flax seeds, salt, oil and maple syrup.

The author uses olive oil for its health factor, but you can substitute it with coconut, flax, avocado or walnut oil.

Don't have a dehydrator? Toast the granola on the lowest heat setting in your oven to obtain those hearty clusters.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Pile of Maryland crabs. Photo: Kjunstorm, Flickr

• Piles and piles of glorious crab with a dip into Maryland's crab shacks.
• Calling all mixology fans -- Manhattan will preview its namesake Cocktail Classic at a two-day event this fall.
• Rejoice, Canadian expats! Coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons hits the Big Apple through Dunkin Donuts converts. More on the invasion, and even more here.
• The Minimalist makes a frittata.
• Spain's Ribeira Sacra wine region might be a couple of thousand years old, but it's getting new energy and life with renewed vineyards.
• Kronos Foods explains exactly what a gyro is, and why it's so prevalent on Greek menus stateside.
• Olive oil adds a new element to granola.
• Grand Central, Chelsea and Essex St. Markets all offer great fare for a picnic.
• Kid quirks: Dining Editor Pete Wells' son Dexter selects his own carefully managed stash from the weekly grocery haul.

Granola was one of the staples of my childhood. It was always in the house and we ate it with milk for breakfast, with yogurt for lunch and straight out of the jar as an afternoon or evening snack. Sometimes my mom would make batches of it up from this recipe but as life got busier, she would resort to buying bags of it from the bulk bins at the local health food store.

So going into this particular taste test of Bear Naked Native, I brought along with me my years of granola eating experience. My first encounter with these two new flavors (Mango Agave Almond and Yumberry Goji Currant) were during lunch. I settled down with a bowl of yogurt (Pequea Valley, to be precise) and sprinkled a few spoonfuls of the mango flavor on top. I crunched my way through and then did the same with the yumberry variety.

This is a breakfast, and you can probably guess from the name that it's not the most healthy breakfast you could have. But you know what? It's really not as bad as it sounds. I mean, they have peanut butter, honey, and granola in them.

This recipe for Crunchy Monkey Peanut Butter Banana Sticks is from one of the Rachael Ray shows on Food Network (I know, I know, she's everywhere, but stick with me here). They make for a good breakfast for when you're in a hurry and need something portable, and I think they'd be a great snack for at night when you're watching television.