This Maple Pecan Granola is a perfect balance of sweet and salty. With brain healthy olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, coconut, flax seeds and oats, it’s amazing over Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries.
If you’ve ever tried the Food52 Genius recipe for olive oil and maple granola you know it’s pretty darn amazing. This is my take on that same recipe, with a few tweaks to give it a healthier spin.
It makes the most perfect breakfast-on-the-go which is essential for me these days. I just started a new job with an hour commute – so breakfast needs to be easy to throw in a jar and hit the road.
What I love about this Maple Pecan Granola is that it’s packed with lots of delicious nuts and seeds. Pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds. And then there’s the coconut chips which add that crisp, crunchy, natural sweetness.
A unique touch to this granola is olive oil. A brain healthy fat that adds richness to this granola. It’s pretty decadent. Which is why you only need about a 1/3 cup over Greek yogurt topped with berries to keep you full all morning.
Greek yogurt is great for a boost of probiotics to support gut health. My go-to Greek yogurt is Maple Hill Creamery vanilla – it’s organic, grass fed dairy straight from one of my favorite places, the Hudson Valley. It does have sugar which is important to be aware of. I cut the suggested serving size in half to monitor my intake.
There are so many nuts in this, I love all of them. But the pumpkin seeds really shine here. Pumpkins seeds are full of zinc – a mineral which is essential for enhancing memory and thinking skills.
Top this off with blueberries for your daily berry serving for plenty of antioxidants to further boost this brain healthy breakfast. I feel pretty great after diving into my little jar of this breakfast goodness.
I bought myself a super cute travel jar with a spoon attached to make it simple to transport my breakfast. It’s been a lifesaver to keep me organized in the wee hours of the morning before I’m completely awake! What do you bring for breakfast-on-the-go? I need more ideas! Leave me a suggestion!
This Maple Pecan Granola is a perfect balance of sweet and salty. With brain healthy olive oil, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, coconut, flax seeds and oats, it's amazing over Greek yogurt topped with fresh berries.
- 3.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup hulled raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut chips
- 1 1/4 cups raw pecans left whole or coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- 1/4 cup wheat germ (optional)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- serve over Greek yogurt and top with fresh berries
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Heat oven to 300°F.
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Place oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, pecans, flax, wheat germ, maple syrup, olive oil, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined. You'll need to mix it well to evenly coat everything with the wet ingredients.
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Spread granola mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.
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Remove granola from oven and let cool. Stores up to one month in an airtight container.
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Serve over Greek yogurt and fresh berries.
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