The kids are out of school, inviting friends over, and attempting to eat us out of house and home. Their favorite sentence becomes, “I’m hungry!” Followed by their favorite question, “What do we have to eat in this house?”
The kids are out of school, inviting friends over, and attempting to eat us out of house and home. Their favorite sentence becomes, “I’m hungry!” Followed by their favorite question, “What do we have to eat in this house?” It’s tempting to purchase a stockpile of junk food and snacks, but instead I try to provide healthy alternatives for the munchies. With this goal in mind, I embarked on the challenge presented by the California Table Grapes campaign of creating a fresh and healthy snack idea featuring California Grapes.
California Grapes are just coming into season and account for 98% of all grapes sold in the US, so I could easily find them at my local grocery store. To spark my creativity, I was sent a copy of GreenBlackRed: Recipes for Cooking and Enjoying California Grapes by Susan Vollard. Tempting, slightly different recipes like Creamy Penne with Blue Cheese and Grapes caught my eye, but I wanted something simple that young child would enjoy. After careful consideration I decided to create a Great Grape and Granola Parfait. While the recipe might sound complicated, it only takes a few minutes to mix the ingredients and it tastes so much better than purchased granola. The only problem I had creating this parfait was keeping the kids from eating the grapes while I was working!
Homemade Granola Ingredients:
4 cups old-fashioned oats (do not use quick cooking, they will burn!)
2 cup almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (depending on taste)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup each: raisins and dried cranberries
Parfait Ingredients:
1 cup California grapes, halved (use a medley of green, red, and black for a colorful presentation)
2 cups Vanilla yogurt (I used lowfat)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl mix mix the oats, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon.
In a saucepan warm the oil and honey. When warm, add in vanilla. Mix well.
Carefully pour the liquid over the oat mixture. Stir gently until well coated. Spread granola in a 9×13 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray .
Bake 40 minutes, stirring after every 10 minutes. Granola will burn if not stirred! Check granola carefully as it might take only 30 minutes to cook, depending on the oven. Allow Granola to cool completely. Stir in raisins or cranberries.
(For storage: Seal granola in an airtight container or self-sealing plastic bag. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for 3 months.)
To make parfaits:
Place a layer of vanilla yogurt on the bottom of two 8 ounce glasses. Cover the yogurt with a layer of grapes and then granola. Repeat layers in this order twice, ending with yogurt on top. Sprinkle a few sliced grapes and granola on top of the parfait.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It looks so refreshing. I’ve never made granola before but it really looks simple enough that I wonder why I never tried before this. My family loves grapes so this would be a win for us.
Carol L.
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
I love Granola and Yogurt for breakfast I will be trying this recipe.
Looks like something the whole family could enjoy. We routinely have a wide selection of fruit on hand at home so the kids aren’t eating garbage. We freeze fruit and blend it with yogurt or frozen yogurt for a treat.
that looks amazing! i am so wanting one now….making up a list for the store
Looks yummy! Wish I had a recipe for the contest, but alas, I don’t.
I really love these recipes and am copying this one to use with the grand kids.
Hey this is great– just what I was looking for– I need a health snack-besides the snackbar, carrots and celery–this is going to work–Thanks
don’t you get tired of hearing ‘Im hungry’??? OMG my kids are driving me nuts! We are huge grape fans. Never thought of doing anything with them other than eat them!
That would be such a great snack – granola is healthy and filling and it would be delish with the yogurt & fruit.
This looks yummy. I don’t think I have ever made anything with grapes besides just eating them raw.
Thanks for the idea.
Oh yum! This looks so easy and delicious. I can’t wait to try it this summer!
Wow, that looks great! Need to add to my cookbook shelf 🙂
Looks like a refreshing healthy tasty treat
Yummy! I love grapes but never thought about using them in cooking. I want this book! 🙂
ok ! now im hungry
Oh, my word! That looks sooo good! Where is the cooking lessons sign up sheet? (looking around)
I’ve never made granola, I bet ths kids would like this..they certainly love grapes. Thanks for sharing