Granola is so much more than its hippie/crunchy/earth mama associations. When homemade, it’s a simple, hearty, and healthy dish with a myriad of applications. Forget the chewy store-bought bars and $8 per pound “granola cereals” – this is the real deal.

So, what can you do with granola? Serve it cereal-style in a bowl with milk, microwave it with a little water and butter for a hot dish, or eat it straight out of the bag as a snack. The image above is my breakfast from this morning: granola with almonds, cranberries, and milk, hot out of the oven.

Granola

Ingredients:

• 5 cups rolled oats
• 2/3 cup agave nectar*
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• Your choice of add-ins, in any quantity and combination: nuts, seeds, wheat germ, dried fruit, etc.

Preheat oven to 375° F and lightly grease two 13×9″ pans. Whisk together the agave and oil; set aside. Combine oats, powdered milk, salt, spices, and all non-fruit add-ins in a large bowl and toss until thoroughly combined. Add agave/oil syrup and toss until all ingredients are coated and slightly moist. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly toasted (do not overbake, especially if using nuts!). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Move to bowl and toss with fruit add-ins. Store in an air-tight container.

*Your favorite sticky sweetener (honey, corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup) can be substituted for the agave.

Image by iamsalad

One of my favorite things about fall is the fresh produce selection, particularly apples and squash. This squash tastes almost like candy. this recipe works well on all types of squash – even leftover pumpkin!

Honey-Glazed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

• 3 medium acorn squash
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve and seed squash and place cut sides up on sheet pan. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, lime juice, and seasonings. Brush mixture over squash.

Cover squash and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until squash is fork-tender, basting with honey mixture every 20-30 minutes. Uncover dish, baste again, and place under broiler until sugars have caramelized.

Serves 6.

I am a hardcore bread fanatic. Wheat, sourdough, deli rye, potato — even the plasticine white sandwich bread you can buy for $0.69 has its place in my heart. I tried for a number of years to make my own bread, but ended up with more hockey pucks than dinner rolls. One day I decided to experiment by combining bits and pieces from several different recipes, and struck gold with this.

The use of coarsely ground wheat flour adds extra texture and depth to these rolls; if you can’t find it at your grocery, it can be had from most bulk suppliers and health food centers.

Honey Wheat Hamburger Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups white flour (all-purpose is fine)
• 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups coarsely ground wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon dry yeast
• 2 eggs, eaten and at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons very hot water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of each flour and set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Immediately add yeast mixture, salt, eggs, and 1 cup oil to flour. Mix until dough comes together, adding remaining flour if needed. When dough holds its shape but is still loose, turn out onto a well-floured board and knead for ten minutes, or until the dough is elastic and smooth.

Wipe the inside of a large clean bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise in a draft-free place until the dough has doubled in volume, about 45-50 minutes. Punch down the dough and recover. Let the dough rise again. This second rise will take less time (about 30 minutes).

Punch down dough and cut into 12 equal portions. Sprinkle cornmeal on your baking sheet. Form each dough portion into a round bubble, and set them on the baking sheet, evenly spaced. Cover the rolls with a damp tea towel and let them proof until double, about 20 minutes.

While the dough is proofing, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl or mug, whisk together the hot water and honey to make a glaze. When the dough has finished rising, remove the tea towel and gently brush the top of each roll with the glaze. Bake for 20 minutes or until the rolls sound hollow when knocked. (Mind the glaze when you’re knocking — melted sugar makes for nasty burns!)

Transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Allow to cool and split for hamburgers, or serve warm as large dinner rolls with butter.

Makes 1 dozen rolls.