Restricted to... /-/ Tropical Kitchen sink Granola

I am still resting up from going under on Monday. Even though it has only been 3 days? Max, I am as bored as hell staying at home.



Yep, not even you Dr. Phil, The Doctor’s and Ready steady cook can keep me entertained. Sad, that I know the afternoon channel schedule off by heart? Totally that is only one station, I know the other free to air schedules too…

WHY do I store useless information!?

While I might not the party animal personality type, I do like to get out and about. Going to do supermarket shopping, green grocers and library on occasion. Maybe, just maybe the odd run or two to fill up the time. However under the strict supervision of a damn piece of paper and the watchful eye of my parents (not really but they do worry about me still being sleepy); I am stuck at home.





As a child I never use to go out but for some reason those days seem to past faster than they do now. Maybe I have been trained by high speed ADSL and Apple to expect instant gratification from every single minute of every day. I am sure I am not the only 20 something year old to feel like this, since thanks to instagram, everyone is having a better time than me with their constant party and delicious food.






It also doesn’t help that the foods I eat take AGES to chewy or swallow. I ate slow before, now I am at the turtle pace. I hope my microwave does not hate me after these few weeks for setting to 30 seconds every single time. Veggies have been nuked to kingdom come and forget out eating meat or any kind of protein (besides really runny eggs and tofu). Funny how you miss things once you cannot have them.





Now I understand what my sister is still going through being on restricted diet for her pregnancy. Life without cheese and bread is meaningless.

Of course I am doing university stuff but really who can sit and read about the problems with intimacy and love when you have a love hate relationship going right on it your mouth. Stitches to the right and left please dissolve quicker pretty please? I really want to eat an apple like a normal person; not like my chipmunk friends.

Either way this does allow me to make recipes that I only make in bulk. I am talking about the home made butter, crème fresh, ice cream (If you saw me on Instagram) and this recipe for granola.





Granola has to be saving grace around these parts because I think it helps my dad to stop eating Potato chips and mini chocs. Did I mention he sometimes eats into my baking supplies? Not happy Jan. Now we all evolved from thinking that granola is only for free spirit yuppies; So you can have granola without needing to pay the $6 price tag. I made these from whatever I had in the house, so you can say it is my kitchen sink granola?




Never mind that you probably wonder why I post a recipe for granola after the massive influx a few months back. My only reason is that this is the result raid of pantry left overs and almost out of date ingredients. The combination of rice syrup, half a vanilla scrape, grated dark palm sugar and coconut oil (left overs) melt to form the glue which help bind the normal granola good stuff together. I know I am not vegan, but I think they deserve a bit of love. The inspiration for this granola came from having a lot of fibrous mango puree left after making ice cream, so in place of apple sauce I used that. Throw in coconut, freeze dried tropical fruit mixes, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds; you got yourself a top notch brekkie. Tropical inspired granola to transport to a sandy beach even when your mornings are less than perfect.

I am not complaining.








Kitchen sink granola (Tropical version)

Makes a little less than one kilo


300g Rolled oats

100g bran straw

50g wheat bran

50g white sesame seeds

80g pumpkin seeds

100g Chopped raw almonds

100g coconut, shredded

2g nutmeg ground

2g cinnamon ground

2g salt

400g mango thick puree



Melt mix

120g grated palm sugar, light or dark

60g Coconut oil

150g rice syrup

Half a vanilla pod


60g Freeze dried pineapple, apple and orange



Pre heat your oven to 150C. Line two trays with baking paper and set aside

Melt the Melt mix in a medium pan until combined. Set aside to cool

Combine all the dry ingredients in large bowl and mix to combine.

Add your puree and melt mixture. Stir to fully coat the dry mix. Leave to rest for minutes.

Place on your tray, pressing it as flat as you can.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Take it out and stir. Up the temperature to 180c

Now every 10 minutes stir until brown, about 30 minutes. Turn off oven and leave to cool. Stir in Fruit pieces.

Store in air tight jars.