Since you all enjoyed yesterday’s recipe for Thai Macaroons, I’m excited to share another savoury twist on a comfort-food classic. When coconut oil was selected (great choice Kim and Ricki!) as this month’s SOS Kitchen Challenge feature ingredient I started thinking about how I use it most. Given that we’re in the middle of January, my recent meals have been more focused on warm and comforting dishes than usual. Although I love to start my day with a creamy smoothie, or a bowl of overnight oats – I crave crunch.
That crispy, crunchy texture you get from baking grains coated in fat is undeniably satisfying. I find just a little spoonful of crunch added to a bowl of cereal, soup, or salad makes all the difference. I often add a little raw buckwheat granola to my morning smoothie or bowl of fruit. So, armed with a jar of coconut oil, I was ready to toss some oats in the oven.
But of course, everyone has a favourite go-to sweet granola recipe (if you don’t, let me know and I’ll post one soon). In order to really play with coconut oil and all it brings to both sweet and savoury dishes I thought we should think about granola has a “neutral” – ready for any flavour variations.
Can’t you just imagine a savoury parfait of baby arugula, cucumber, mango, cashew cheese and spicy, crunchy granola?
Although, I’ve plated it here, on top of a vegetable salad – it would work equally well in soups, a creamy noodle dish, or processed into a coating for tofu cubes. This granola garnish has a lot of potential.
