This, this is the perfect breakfast for these steamy mornings (even coffee seems too hot to bother with). Cool, refreshing, fruity, and full of nutrition. Easy, too: Just pile sliced fresh peaches, vanilla yogurt (I love the Snowville Creamery brand) … and the topper: Homemade toasted pecan granola. Because who doesn’t love peaches and pecans together?
I’ll be making this all summer long, rotating in fresh fruit as it comes into season. Now that I’m down to my last 3 peaches, I’ll soon move on to blueberries and raspberries. The yogurt and granola, of course, will remain the constants.
toasted-pecan granola recipe
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup very coarsely chopped toasted pecans
1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon water
Preheat oven to 325°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, mix together oats, sunflower seeds, nuts, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg white and water; add agave, honey, maple syrup and vanilla, and whisk until mixture is blended and slightly frothy. Pour agave mixture over oat mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold ingredients together until the dry ingredients are well-coated. Spread granola on baking sheet; if you want some clumps, press down on the mixture with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the granola gently, moving the mixture from the outer edges of the pan toward the middle and vice versa. Bake 8 to 10 minutes more until lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 250; return pan to oven and bake another 15 to 20 minutes until the granola is toasty brown and mostly dried. Remove pan from oven and let cool. Store in a plastic bag or container.
