Vegan By Mercedes Aspland / March 31, 2015 I was really excited to take part in a ‘Perfect Porridge’ campaign in association with Flahavan’s Irish Porridge Oats. As part of the campaign I need to come up with 3 tasty recipes using porridge oats to prove they are anything but boring. I have had so many ideas and have already shared one through Instagram with the recipe coming very soon. This granola was so easy and as I did it in the pan was quick and can be done on the morning you are going to eat it so no long term plans needed! I think the idea of this recipe came from a massive craving for orange, I am not really sure why but it is quite a while since I did a granola recipe and this one is so yummy I am sure you will love it. There are a few steps to it which starts with caramelising the oranges. I did some segments and some slices and all I added to the pan was a dash of water and agave. There are really quick to caramelise and you could just to this bit and use them on any dessert but they are perfect when added to your granola. You will know when they are ready because you end up with a lovely thick syrup and slightly browned oranges. I need to interject my story of the recipe here to tell you about the interruption I had while shooting the recipe. My cat is slightly obsessed, confused and frightened by my camera and on the day of taking these shots the weather was lovely so I was doing it in the garden. Before I knew it my cat clearly wanted his picture taking as he took several poses. I got some really lovely shots and thought I would share them with you. Anyway after that slight diversion back to the recipe. When the oranges were ready I took them out of the pan and set aside but left all that lovely syrup in the pan and then added the coconut oil, maple syrup, oats, spices, pistachios and orange zest and mixed it all up really well. It is then a matter of cooking it all up until the oats begin to brown and crunch up slightly, which only takes about 10 minutes when you do it this way, be careful to keep stirring though as it can burn quickly. So finally all you need to do is mix in your chosen seeds, goji berries and candied orange. You can serve this with the milk or yoghurt of your choice, my personal favourite at the moment is Provamel’s Natural Soya Yoghurt but I have photographed it with Yoyo’s Coconut Milk Yoghurt which is also really yummy. One other thing I have to tell you about is the fact that from tomorrow I will be taking part in Abigail Geer’s 30 day Smoothie Bowl Challenge and will be sharing all my creations on Instagram so if you want to see what it is all about then come and follow me for all the updates. function printContent(id){ str=document.getElementById(id).innerHTML newwin=window.open(”,’printwin’,’left=100,top=100,width=822,height=600′) newwin.document.write(‘nn’) newwin.document.write(‘Print Pagen’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(‘function chkstate(){n’) newwin.document.write(‘if(document.readyState==”complete”){n’) newwin.document.write(‘window.close()n’) newwin.document.write(‘}n’) newwin.document.write(‘else{n’) newwin.document.write(‘setTimeout(“chkstate()”,2000)n’) newwin.document.write(‘}n’) newwin.document.write(‘}n’) newwin.document.write(‘function print_win(){n’) newwin.document.write(‘window.print();n’) newwin.document.write(‘chkstate();n’) newwin.document.write(‘}n’) newwin.document.write(‘$(document).ready(function(){ $(“iframe”).remove();}) n’) newwin.document.write(‘$(document).ready(function(){ $(“#contactInfo”).remove();}) n’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(str) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.write(‘n’) newwin.document.close() } Spiced Orange Skillet Granola Serves 4 Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 30 mins Ingredients 2 Oranges (one sliced with peel on and one peeled and cut into segments) 2 tbs Water 1 tbs Agave Nectar 100g/1 heaped cup Flahavan’s Irish Porridge Oats 1 tsp Mixed Spice 1 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Vanilla 15g/2 tbs Pistachio Kernals 1 tbs Orange Zest 2 tbs Coconut Oil 1 tbs Maple Syrup 2 tbs Goji Berries 2 tbs Sunflower Seeds 2 tbs Pumpkin Seeds Instructions 1. Place the orange slices and segments in a large pan and pour over the water and agave. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until browned, turning half way. 2. Remove oranges from pan and set aside. Return pan to heat and add in coconut oil and maple syrup to pan. Heat until oil melts. 3. Stir in the oats, spices, orange zest and pistachios and cook until browned and crisp (about 10 minutes). Remember to stir regularly as the oats can quickly burn if left alone. 4. Remove from heat and mix in seeds, goji berries and orange pieces. Granola will keep in an airtight container for about a week. Nutrition So this is actually quite good for you and so tasty, if there is one negative about it then it is slightly high in sugar but it really is not that bad and there is so much vitamin C it will be a good start to any day.