I forget how easy granola is to make.  Especially vegan, totally plant-based, real food granola.  There's no need to even melt anything with this particular recipe.  Just toss all the dry stuff in a bowl and all the wet stuff in another smaller bowl, mix those two together, spread it all on cookie sheets, and bake.  There are so many combination possibilities.  What I love about this particular granola is that lovely citrus-dessert flavor that comes from the orange zest and juice mixing with the vanilla and pecans.  Oh yeah.  I love coming across a bite that contains sweet dried apricot and a toasty coconut flake, too.  There's a nice balance of fruit, oats, nuts and seeds, and a richness from this balance even without any butter or oil added.  This granola is a variety of nutritious real food that satiates, is easily packable, and tastes delicious.

If I have a choice between trail mix and granola, I'm going for the granola.  Trail mix can often be too sweet, too salty, too much fat per handful, or yep - just too many raisins, people.  The oats in granola help spread the love without overdoing one component, and oven-toasting all the ingredients adds so much more yum to the situation.  The key is to let it bake until it gets that toasty brown color.  Flip it good every 15 minutes so all sides get toasted.  When I flip the granola, I like to push all the outer edges toward the center with a turner, then scoop from the middle back to the outer edges so I don't flip everything out of the cookie sheet.  Not that that's happened.  More than 100 times.

Our favorite ways to eat Orange Pecan Power Granola:

• The classic way: in a bowl with our favorite nondairy milk

• Decorating a smoothie bowl

• In lunchbox packable containers (just pour directly into pie-hole or eat by the handful)

• Either in individual containers or one big one to share on road trips

• Straight out of the jar after school

• In a bowl without milk that we (ok, I) take a pinch from throughout the day

• Sprinkled on top of cooked fruit, nice cream, or a coconut yogurt parfait

easy Orange Pecan power Granola Recipe

VEGAN | WFPB | EASY | GLUTEN-FREE | OIL-FREE | REFINED SUGAR-FREE | BREAKFAST | LUNCH BOX 

YIELD:  9 cups

| PREP TIME:  15 minutes
| COOK TIME:  45 minutes     
|| TOTAL TIME:  About 1 hour

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INGREDIENTS

DRY

• 4 cups old-fashioned oats (if necessary, make sure they're gluten-free)

• 1 cup pecans

• 1 cup coconut flakes

• 1 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

• 1 cup unsweetened dried apricots, chopped

• ¾ cup raw pepitas

• ¼ cup hemp seeds

• 2 tablespoons orange zest (from about 2 large or 4 med-small oranges)

WET

• About ¾ cup orange juice from the zested oranges (if there isn't enough, just make up the difference with maple syrup)

• ½ cup maple syrup or enough to make 1 ¼ cups liquid total

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

OPTIONAL

• A little sprinkle of salt if desired

METHOD

1. COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS: Add all dry ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. When adding the pecans, squeeze them by the handful to break them apart a bit before adding them to the bowl.

2. SET OVEN & LINE BAKING SHEETS: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

3. COMBINE WET INGREDIENTS: Add all wet ingredients to a small bowl and mix well.

4. COMBINE WET AND DRY: Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until all ingredients are wet.

5. SPREAD ON RIMMED BAKING SHEETS: Spread the raw granola evenly on the two baking sheets in as thin a layer as possible. Sprinkle lightly and evenly with salt if desired.

6. BAKE: Put the filled sheets in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, carefully flipping the granola about every 15 minutes to toast evenly. The granola is done when the granola is a toasty brown.

7. COOL: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool completely.

8. STORE AND ENJOY: Once completely cooled, pour the granola into containers or jars and store for up to a week.