Ways to Use Trail Mix or Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts (GORP) and Granola

[Gilda]

Hi Everyone! I was checking through the FGRV food threads and little is said about that camping staple Trail Mix or Good Ol' Raisins and Peanuts (GORP). We all have our favorite Trail Mix recipe or brand that we buy at the store. By itself it is a high energy, nutritious food perfect for camping and hiking.

I just made homemade granola using trail mix with everything in it including almond, peanuts, coconut, sunflower seeds, raisins, dried cranberries and more. Of course, you could purchase pre-made granola but homemade fills your home with a terrific aroma, tastes so much better and is thrifty! A basic recipe for granola is as follows (see some variations below) Note: add dried fruit after baking to avoid over-cooking:

Granola Recipe
Yield: About 8 cups
Time: 30 minutes
6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: a combination of sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc.
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1 /2 to 1 cup honey or maple syrup, or to taste
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the oats, nuts and seeds, the coconut if you’re using it, cinnamon, salt, and sweetener. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. The mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
2. Remove the pan from the oven and add the raisins. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until the granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.

Peanut Butter Granola. Any nut butter or tahini will work nicely here; toss in some chocolate chips if you like very sweet granola: Add 1/2cup peanut butter and mix with the 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup until blended. Proceed with the recipe; stir the granola every few minutes while it’s baking to prevent the peanut butter from burning.
Spiced Granola. Add another teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon each ground anise and cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Ginger-Molasses Granola. Crumbled gingersnaps are a great addition to this: Substitute molasses for half of the sweetener and add a 1- to 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated into the sweetener. Add 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger along with the raisins.


Ways to use granola:

• Mixed it with yogurt. As a dessert or breakfast, use granola, yogurt and fruit. Then dig in.
• Use as a topping for a baked apple!
• Add to muffins
• Bake it in bread
• Make granola bars! These are so good, and only 4 ingredients. Granola, honey, peanut butter and chocolate!
• Roll bananas in granola and freeze
• Top a salad with it.
• Toss it with oatmeal for a crunchy twist
• Add it to smoothies
• Soften it up with heated milk and let sit. Then eat.
• Use instead of bread crumbs for stuffing
• Crush and roll chicken in it before baking for some crispy chicken.
• Eat it straight with various nuts and seeds as add-ins. Try sunflower seeds, almonds, raisins, craisins, pecans, m&m’s, cashews, dried apricots, dried apples, dried pineapple.
• Makes a great neighbor gift. Pour granola in decorative cellophane bag and tie with ribbon.
• You can make granola bars using trail mix.
• Breakfast baked goods. Toss a handful of granola into your muffin or pancake batter to add texture and crunch.
• Gratins. Instead of bread crumbs, top a root vegetable gratin with granola after baking.
• Fruit crisps. In a food processor, pulse granola with softened butter, flour and sugar for a different kind of streusel topping.
• Puddings. Bring the yogurt parfait into the 21st century and sprinkle granola over your chia seed pudding.
• Cupcakes. Sprinkle it on top of the frosting for a little crunch.

Basic recipe for trail mix:

Here’s a basic method of making your own trail mix. To start, follow a general ratio of 50 percent nuts, 30 percent dried fruit, 10 percent seeds, and 10 percent “other”–whatever flavors or extras you’d like to add. Keep in mind that this is merely a starting point.

Foods to make with trail mix (you can find endless recipes and ideas online):

• Trail mix can be used as a crumble in a fruit cobbler.
• Biscotti (twice-baked Italian cookies) with trail mix.
• Mix with popcorn
• Mix with Chex cereals
• Add pretzels
• Chocolate "bark" candy with trail mix (melted chocolate and trail mix)
• Trail mix brittle candy
• S'mores trail mix
• Cajun blend trail mix

Question: What ideas do you have for trail mix and granola?

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... Here's a recipe from a book "Muffins... a cookbook" by Joan& Marilyn... and we've used it for years.
1&1/2 Cups very hot water,
1/2 cup molasses, 1/2 tsp baking soda,
1/2 cup natural bran, 1 1/2 tsp salt,
1/3 cup rolled oats, 1/3 cup veg. oil,
3 TBSP white sugar, 2 Lg. eggs,
3 TBSP brown sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla,
1/2 cup all purp, flour, 1/2 cup coconut,
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup walnuts,
1/4 cup Graham flour, 1/2 cup skim milk powder,
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup chopped apricots,
3 TBSP wheat germ, 1 cup raisins,
1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup chopped dates.
1. In a large bowl combine water and molasses.
2. Add bran and oats to soak for 15 min.
3. In an other bowl combine sugars, flours, milk powder, wheat germ, baking powder, soda and salt.
4. To soaked bran- oats add and beat oil, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Add dry ingredients. Combine thoroughly.
6. Stir in nuts and fruit.
7. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350*F about 20 minutes.
Makes about 18 Lg. Muffins... Great for trail hiking and trailer towing too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Kai in Seattle]

Years ago, we began making our own trail mix, starting with the standards, plain raisins, peanut halves, etc.


Then as we looked over the many dispensers of goodies, we began to branch out. Every trip to the bulk food aisle of WinCo found us more treasures and thrills!


Long recipe journey short--we ended up realizing that we were now making tail mix out of M & Ms, tiny candies with soft fillings, chocolate raisins in five different colors, chocolate orange stix, yogurt balls in six colors, and if there was a single ingredient without sugar in it, we were omitting it.


So we no longer trust ourselves to make trail mix...but we do buy nuts, several varieties, and stick to those.


So much for our sad saga of supermarket excitement.


Kai in Seattle