Issha Marie (isshamarie.com) is our talented food stylist and photographer. She is also a gifted cook, recipe developer and dear friend. This is her take on granola that is also a love letter to the iconic flavours of our Railway Chai she has come to enjoy very much.
Here is what she says about it in her unique online cookbook Amalgam by Issha Marie :
“Although I still lean more towards savoury breakfasts or skip the meal altogether, I turn to granola on the odd days I wake up super hungry in the morning and don’t have much time to make eggs on toast. Monsoon Coast’s Chai Pie Spice gives this granola a subtle fragrant and spicy twist, but feel free to increase the amount to another tablespoon to give your mix a more chai kick!”
Check out Issha story in her wonderful cookbook at https://amalgambyisshamarie.substack.com/p/chai-spiced-granola
Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut.
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup hemp hearts
½ cup millet
½ cup buckwheat groats
1 TBL Chai Pie Spice
1 tsp kosher salt
2 TBL nut or seed butter of your choice (we used sunflower seed butter)
1/3 cup oil of your choice (we used melted coconut oil)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 TBL light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the salt, chai spice, nut or seed butter, oil, maple syrup, light brown sugar, and vanilla bean paste and whisk these ingredients thoroughly until a homogenous mixture has been formed.
Toss in your oats, seeds, coconut flakes, and grains and mix thoroughly to ensure that every grain and seed gets evenly coated.
Place the mix on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, giving the granola a stir after 15 to 20 minutes into the baking process.
Let the granola cool completely before placing in an airtight container or jar. The granola should keep fresh for about a week. It can also be portioned out in airtight containers or freezer bags and frozen for longevity.
Enjoy this granola on top of plain or vanilla-flavoured yogurt drizzled with a little bit of maple syrup or topped with some fruit preserves of your choice… or even both! It also makes a lovely crunchy topping on top of warm oatmeal or cold ice cream.
Spices Used: Chai Pie Spice