From the Galley - Homemade Crunchy Granola and Yogurt for Breakfast
/Getting over jetlag and dealing with the recent heatwave have precluded me from being in my galley much other than to make quick meals. A weather change offered a short respite from the heat and a chance to get to know my galley again and do a little cooking. One of our favorite breakfasts, especially in the warm weather, is crunchy granola with yogurt, so I thought I'd start there.
We can certainly buy yogurt in the supermarkets here, but it tends to be expensive and also takes up too much room in the fridge if we want to buy in quantity ... for a passage, for instance. I purchased an EasiYo Yogurt Maker for $20 when we first arrived in New Zealand and I've never purchased yogurt in the supermaket since.
I buy yogurt powder, available in plain as well as all sorts of flavors, mix it with water, shake it up and let it firm up in its hot water bath for 8 hours or so and voila, I've got a liter of thick, creamy, fresh yogurt that stores easily in my fridge and is always ready for breakfast. There are a couple of different brands available and I choose the one that's cheapest at the time with the same delicious results. Sometimes I add fresh fruit or flavoring, but usually it's perfect as is when poured over granola. Because we always conserve water, I use the “bath water” from the firming up process in the teapot or as dishwater rather than just throw it away. I keep a good supply of yogurt powder packets on hand, so we never run out. On smooth passages, I've made it en route.
Granola is also available in the supermarket, but it, too, is expensive and I don't always like the combination of ingredients they offer. The granola recipe below I've been using for years. I'm sure I got the original somewhere along the line since I'm not all that imaginative when it comes to basic recipes, but I've modified it to our taste and I think it's probably fairly original now.
- 2 cups (160g) rolled oats
- ½ cup (85g) sliced almonds or other nuts
- ½ cup (65g) sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup (40g) sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil
- 5 Tbsp (75ml) honey
- ½ cup (40g) shredded coconut
- ½ cup raisins or sultanas (75g)
- Combine oats, nuts, seeds and coconut in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the honey and oil until combined.
- Add honey/oil mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until the oats are thoroughly coated.
- Spread in a very thin layer on a baking sheet (in our case, a pizza pan … no baking sheets aboard).
- Bake 15 minutes in oven at low heat (300F/150C), turn mix on pan and return to oven for 10 more minutes.
- Let cool.
- Add raisins.
- Store in an airtight container.