Cinnamon Cherry Pear & Walnut “Oats & Flakes” Granola [Gluten-Free]

So, I’m studying graduate student eating behavior for my dissertation.

And it’s all very meta, really.

I mean, I AM a graduate student, and my eating behaviors have certainly become a bit out of the ordinary, so I do constantly feel like I’m analyzing myself through the lens of all the other research.

A common refrain about my eating habits lately has been, “It will get to be 2:00 and I think to myself, “Have I eaten anything besides granola today?”

I laugh it off as a joke.

But, oh, if only you knew.*

*Remind me to tell you the story about the Jason’s Deli catering granola one day.

The latest incarnation and experimentation in my “granola”making (which is really always just a matter of throwing random grains, seeds, spices, and dried fruits into a bowl and seeing what happens) involves products from two of my favorite companies: Love Grown Foods and graze box.

This is more of a sweet(ish) snack mix, because the instant oats get very well stuck on the flakes–without any added honey or nut butter or oil–and it’s a very chunky granola…but it’s also very, very tasty.

Cinnamon Cherry Pear & Walnut “Oats & Flakes” Granola [Gluten-Free]

• 1 cup Love Grown bean flakes (or substitute another GF flake cereal)
• 2 packets Love Grown instant Apple Cinnamon or Brown Sugar oatmeal (or substitute another GF instant oatmeal)
• 1 cup GF rolled oats (or not GF if that isn’t a concern)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/4 cup dried pears, diced
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine flakes, instant oatmeal, rolled oats, and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger.
4. Pour applesauce mixture over oat mixture and stir well to coat.
5. Spread granola onto a metal jelly roll pan or baking dish.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the granola is pretty crisp. (The granola will continue to crisp as it cools.)
7. Remove granola from the oven and stir in dried cherries and pears.
8. Allow to cool completely before storing.