Happy Canada Day

maple granola

Canada Day is fast approaching and although I now live an ocean away I am celebrating in the best way I know how. With food. After all, what is a celebration without food? Because I'm living in Germany, I was a bit perplexed as to what Canadian inspired dish I could make for the Taste Canada event. I have little access to truly Canadian products here, and though I tried to find Oka cheese, my request was met with only a blank stare. But when I first moved here I was happy to find pure Canadian maple syrup in one of the local shops. Sundays in Heidelberg would have been alot less exciting without french toast and pure maple syrup, there is no doubt.

I did worry that perhaps this was too predictable for the Taste Canada event, that perhaps I was not stretching my imagination enough. But to me, maple syrup is as Canadian as it gets. Throughout my childhood I had relatives who would visit us from Belgium and would inevitably return home with bottles of it. It was this that made me realize, from an early age, that as Canadians we had something quite special.

Because I'm so far away from my friends and family, I was most tempted to cook something that would remind me of home. Maple syrup fit the bill, and not surprisingly, it brought breakfast to mind. I found a recipe at Epicurious.com for Maple Granola that seemed so simple and healthy that I was immediately drawn to it. I had never made my own granola before so it was, at the same time, a new (although not entirely difficult) experiment for me.

The result? Well, it seems that I am now hooked on homemade granola. A dollop of natural yogurt, some fresh berries and a sprinkling of my own granola and I am a happy girl. There's nothing like a good wholesome breakfast to remind me of home. And what I especially like about this recipe is that it's not at all fussy. A minimum of ingredients, but full of flavour.

The recipe that I used is posted below. I left out the raisins when I made it, as I preferred to have a plain granola which I could use with fresh berries, which are far more tempting to me than dried fruits. I also used a purchased bag of unsalted mixed nuts which contained almonds, cashews and hazelnuts, which I chopped coarsely.
I have also tried the recipe with honey instead of the maple syrup and found that to be absolutely delicious as well. I think I will be a regular granola girl from here on in, and I look forward to experimenting with various flavours.

So, happy Canada Day to one and all. My fellow Canadians will have to celebrate en masse without me but I will have my trusty granola to keep me feeling festive. The offical Taste Canada roundup will be posted here!



mixed berries with yogurt and granola

Maple Granola (from Epicurious.com)

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix oats and almonds in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine 1/4 cup maple syrup and butter in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil. Pour maple syrup mixture over oat mixture; stir to blend well. Bake 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add raisins to oat mixture; stir to blend. Bake until mixture is golden and crisp, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes longer. Cool granola completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)