Come September I’d have lived in this city for a decade.
It feels like not so long ago that I was trying to cram everything I ever owned into my giant red suitcase.
Yet, in some ways it feels like an eternity has passed, this is the longest I’ve lived in one place continuously, I’ve inadvertently become a different person, or perhaps I’ve just grown.

I remember a co-worker gave me a jar of homemade granola when I first moved here, sounds unbelievable now, but I was incredibly impressed that she could make granola.
The granola I’d had before always came from the grocery store in a box; I couldn’t imagine making my own granola, it felt a bit too hippie West Coast for me.
And yet, here I am, a decade later having made granola so many times, it’s hard to believe there was a time when I didn’t.

Of course the granola is a metaphor for a slow decade-long transition.
But it struck me as symbolic when I found myself swapping granola recipes with my old co-worker; and then last week, I was the one giving a jar of granola as a welcome gift to a friend who’d just moved to the city.

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Four Grain Granola

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon applesauce
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground ginger (or ginger powder)
• ¼ cup rolled oats (I used Country Choice Multi Grain Cereal)
• ¼ cup rolled barley
• ¼ cup rolled rye
• ¼ cup rolled wheat (or spelt)
• ½ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup pecans
• ½ cup peanuts
• ½ cup coconut flakes
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup dried mango, cut into pieces
• ½ cup dried cherries

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk olive oil with maple syrup, applesauce, vanilla and ginger in a saucepan
2. Heat on low for a 2 minutes stirring occasionally
3. In a large bowl, combine grains (oats, barley, rye, & wheat) with sunflower seeds, pecans, peanuts, coconut flakes & salt, mix well
4. Pour the maple syrup and oil mixture over oats and stir until well mixed
5. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes stirring every ten minutes until oats are golden
6. Remove granola from the oven, and stir in dried mango and cherries
7. Cool completely and store in airtight container, it’ll keep for up to a month

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