the greatest granola

I once knew a woman who only ate at two restaurants and she always ordered the same thing. She never changed it up. I thought she was nuts. Unless I am absolutely crazy about a particular menu item (like the crabcake hand rolls at Wok 'n Fire or the raspberry chip ice cream at Grahams), I prefer to order something different every time.

Eating at home is a different story. On a pretty regular basis throughout the summer, we've been enjoying frittata, caprese salad, kale chips, egg salad, squash-crusted pizza and granola. These foods never bore me. Especially the granola that I now eat every. single. day.

Almost every breakfast and sometimes for an afternoon or late-night snack, I have this granola in my bowl with a couple spoonfuls of plain yogurt (the whole milk organic kind because if I'm just eating a couple spoonfuls I want it to taste really delicious - i.e., not the jello-y non-fat stuff) and either fresh berries or a compote-jam thing I make by simmering down fruit (rhubarb, peaches, berries, plums - whatever is in season) with a little agave nectar and lemon juice. The awesome part, though, is the granola. I think I have posted two granola recipes before but they are nothing compared to this one. The secret, I've decided, is the orange zest.

I think I'll probably make and eat this granola for the rest of my life. Is that incredibly boring? Probably, yes. Maybe even a little nuts. But I'm okay with that. Make it and I think you'll understand.

The Greatest Granola
adapted from Super Natural Every Day

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup unsweetened coconut, flakes or shredded
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 2 oranges*
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup

Combine oats through zest in a large bowl. Melt butter, whisk in syrup then add to oats mixture. Stir well. Spread out on two cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees about 35-40 minutes, turning the granola with a spatula once or twice while baking. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

*Once I successfully used a grapefruit because I didn't have oranges and I was - gasp - out of granola. Whatever you do, don't leave out the zest.