This blog post was sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company in partnership for their More Taste, Less Waste campaign. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting and making Chickpea in The City possible.
If you have been following my blog since the beginning, you’ll know that I originally started it because I loved creating and promoting healthy food products. From nut butters to overnight oats, the one staple that I always had on hand (especially my freshman year of college) was granola. While buying bags of granola seemed so convenient to me at the same, after venturing into the adult world and learning more about food waste, I thought – why not create my own granola?
When you think about what goes into granola, it’s pretty simple after all. Oats, grains, nuts and dried berries, an oil of some sort and a sweetener. The problem I have found with many store-bought granolas is that they’re usually overly sweetened, while making your own granola allows full customization with nutritious ingredients. which at the end of the day don’t do much for our bodies. That’s why I decided to drop everything on the shelves and make my own with the ingredients I had right in my very own pantry.
From coconut oil to spices and added seasonal fruit on the side, you can turn any plain granola into a nice sweet snack perfect on its own with a side of milk, as a yogurt topping or straight from the bag (or glass container as I like to store it!).
As part of Quaker’s More Taste, Less Waste campaign, I want to show you guys some new ways you can do more with less food waste. . Instead of buying expensive ingredients or adding to your already packed pantry and fridge, it’s time to use what’s in season, and what you have on hand- like oats, and get a little creative.
The two ingredients that I re-purposed in this recipe were leftover roasted butternut squash (you can use canned, or even canned pumpkin) and cashews I had previously purchased a few weeks back after making cashew milk. I used the leftover squash to give the oats an earthy and naturally sweet flavor, while added the cashews gave the granola a bit of crunch. One of my favorite parts about making my own granola is how I can control the ratio of oil and sugar, which can drastically affect the texture and crunchiness. Not to mention, if you like things less sweet like me, adding a starchy vegetable like pureed pumpkin, squash or sweet potato is a perfect solution to gaining a bit of sweetness without adding too much sugar!
Lastly, this recipe comes together fairly quickly thanks to having Quaker’s Quick 1-Minute Oats on hand. I can use them in pretty much every baking recipe whether I mix them with leftover roasted vegetables for this granola or soak them with almond milk in the morning for overnight oats – they’re extremely versatile and lately are always included in my morning routine, whether that’s savory or sweet.
- 1½ cups Quaker Quick 1-Minute Oats
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin or butternut squash
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ cup cashews, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Combine oats with maple syrup, pumpkin, coconut oil, pumpkin pie spice, and chopped cashews. Mix thoroughly until well combined.
- Spread mix onto a baking sheet and evenly spread out.
- Bake for 15 minutes, rotate pan and bake for another 15. Granola should be crunchy but depending on oven temperatures and how crunchy you like your granola, you might cook for an additional 15.
After cooking this granola and having my whole kitchen smell like pumpkin spice and oats, I love sprinkling some on top of a bowl of dairy-free yogurt and slicing up apples for a quick snack any time of the day or better yet, as a part of my breakfast.
If you make this recipe, let me know by tagging #chickpeainthecity and #JustAddOats as I’d love to hear your thoughts on this savory (yet still a bit sweet) granola recipe!
