We all know (or should know) by now that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a great way to nourish and replenish the body after yoga practice. This recipe is by Sigrid Olsen–you may recognize her as a well-known fashion designer with stores throughout Canada and the U.S. bearing her name.

Some granola, even those found at health food stores like Whole Foods Market, are laden with sugar. This recipe keeps things healthy–no sugar, no wheat, and lots of great toasted nuts. She likes lots of nuts and no fruit in her version, but if you keep the basic proportions, feel free to adapt the recipe to your liking.

MAPLE NUT GRANOLA

Recipe by Sigrid Olsen

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1/2 cup hemp seeds

Also can add: pecans, cashews, coconut flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the maple syrup and oil in saucepan, blend thoroughly, and add vanilla extract. Combine oats, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl and pour the maple syrup mixture over the oat/nut mixture. Toss and blend well. Spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. It needs to be one layer, about 1-2 inches thick to toast evenly. Bake for about 45 minutes or until it turns golden brown and smells sweet. You can turn off the oven and leave it in until oven cools if you want to be sure it cooks thoroughly. I like it when it sticks together in large clumps and crumbles easily into smaller bits. Cool thoroughly on the sheet and then transfer to an airtight storage container where it will keep for weeks.