In a medium-size saucepan, whisk together the soy nog (or nondairy milk), raw sugar, raisins, rum (if using), ground cinnamon, salt, and arrowroot powder.
Bring the mixture to a low boil, then turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the stove.
Pour in the uncooked bulgur, then place the pan back on the still-hot stove.
Cover with a lid and let stand for 15 minutes.
Stir the mixture well and remove from the stove.
Let it stand, covered with a lid, for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy the bulgur warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
Sprinkle with chopped pecans, if desired, upon serving.
Notes & Wine Advice
Wine Recommendation:
A light dessert wine like Moscato or a spiced rum would complement the flavors of this dish.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C, or gas mark 2).
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together brown rice syrup, canola oil, vanilla extract, and molasses until well combined.
In a large bowl, mix together rolled oats, wheat germ, sea salt, ground cinnamon, shredded coconut, carob chips, slivered almonds, chopped pecans, and raisins if using.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture, stirring thoroughly until evenly coated.
Spread the granola mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, then stir well.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown.
Allow the granola to cool on the baking sheet.
Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Notes & Wine Advice
Wine Advice:
Pair this granola with a light, refreshing white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc to complement its nutty and slightly sweet flavors.
Crunchy homemade granola with rolled oats, coconut, Brazil nuts, pecans and sesame seeds, sweetened with agave and finished with tangy dried raspberries and creamy nondairy white chocolate.
Combine the rolled oats, brown rice flour, shredded coconut, Brazil nuts, pecans, sesame seeds and sea salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk the canola oil, agave nectar and vanilla extract together in a small mixing bowl.
Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Spread the granola evenly over a large rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes, then stir thoroughly.
Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, watching carefully because the agave can brown quickly.
Remove from the oven and immediately stir in the dried raspberries and nondairy white chocolate chips so the chocolate partially melts and coats the granola.
Leave the granola on the baking sheet until completely cool.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serving Suggestions
Serve the granola with nondairy yogurt, fresh raspberries or your favorite plant-based milk. It also works as a crunchy topping for fruit bowls and desserts. Browse our Breakfast Recipes and Brunch Recipes for more ideas.
Recipe Notes
Watch the granola carefully during the final minutes because agave nectar can brown quickly. Stirring after the first 8 minutes helps the mixture bake evenly. Add the raspberries and white chocolate immediately after baking so the warm granola gently softens the chocolate.
Variations
Replace the Brazil nuts or pecans with another favorite nut, or use a combination. Freeze-dried raspberries can provide a brighter raspberry flavor and crispier texture. Dark nondairy chocolate can replace the white chocolate for a less sweet version.
Storage
Allow the granola to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator to keep the nuts, raspberries and nondairy white chocolate fresh and crisp. Always use a clean, dry spoon when serving to prevent moisture from entering the container.
Wine Advice
When serving the granola as a dessert rather than breakfast, a fruity sweet wine works best with the raspberry and white chocolate. For breakfast or brunch, coffee, tea or a cold plant-based milk is the more natural pairing.
Raspberry White Chocolate Crunch Granola combines toasted oats, coconut, nuts and sesame seeds with tart raspberries and creamy white chocolate. Agave nectar sweetens the mixture while helping the ingredients develop a crisp, golden coating in the oven. The result sits somewhere between traditional granola and a sweet crunchy treat, making it suitable for breakfast, brunch or a simple dessert.
The recipe contains several different textures. Rolled oats provide the familiar granola base, brown rice flour helps bind the coating, shredded coconut adds chewiness and Brazil nuts and pecans supply plenty of crunch. Browse our Breakfast Recipes for more ways to start the day.
Creating Crisp Homemade Granola
Good granola depends on getting the balance between moisture, fat and dry ingredients right. Canola oil coats the oats and nuts, while agave nectar provides sweetness and encourages browning. Mixing everything thoroughly before baking is therefore important. There should not be large areas of completely dry oats or pools of liquid sweetener.
Spread the mixture in an even layer over the baking sheet. Stir after the first 8 minutes so ingredients near the edges do not become significantly darker than those in the centre. Agave browns relatively quickly, so watch the granola closely during the final few minutes.
Raspberry and White Chocolate
The combination of raspberry and white chocolate gives this granola its distinctive character. Raspberries provide tart fruitiness that cuts through the sweetness of the agave and chocolate. Nondairy white chocolate adds creamy sweetness without introducing dairy ingredients.
Adding both ingredients after baking protects the raspberries from becoming overly dry. The residual heat gently softens the white chocolate, allowing some of it to cling to the oats and nuts. For more sweet ideas, explore our Chocolate Recipes.
Nuts, Coconut and Sesame
Brazil nuts and pecans make this granola particularly crunchy and rich. Brazil nuts have a firm texture, while pecans are slightly softer and naturally buttery. Sesame seeds add smaller bursts of nuttiness throughout the mixture, and shredded coconut contributes both texture and flavor.
If you enjoy recipes featuring nuts, browse our Nuts Recipes. You can also change the nut combination according to what you have available, although this will slightly alter the nutritional values.
Serving Your Homemade Granola
For breakfast, serve the granola with plant-based milk or spoon it over nondairy yogurt. Fresh raspberries, strawberries or blueberries add freshness and make a useful contrast to the sweet white chocolate. It can also be sprinkled over a smoothie bowl or served with fresh fruit.
Because the granola contains white chocolate, it can easily cross over into dessert territory. Try sprinkling a smaller portion over nondairy ice cream or a fruit dessert. You can find more ideas in our Dessert Recipes and Snack Recipes.
Cooling and Storage
Let the granola cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring it to a container. It becomes noticeably crisper as it cools, so do not judge its final texture immediately after it leaves the oven.
Once cool, transfer the granola to an airtight container and refrigerate it. Keeping moisture away is particularly important because moisture quickly softens toasted oats and nuts. Serve only the amount you need and return the remainder to the refrigerator. Stored properly, the granola stays convenient for quick breakfasts, snacks and sweet toppings throughout the week.
Soak Lentils: If using Spanish lentils, place them in a medium bowl, add cold water to cover by 1 inch, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Drain and rinse.
Cook Base: Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring, until wilted and transparent (about 5 minutes).
Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until transparent (about 10 minutes more).
Add Lentils and Broth: Stir in the lentils, water, crushed tomatoes, parsley, bay leaves, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, thyme, rosemary, vinegar, and the garlic.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes until well blended.
Add Potatoes and Spinach: Add the potatoes, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes more or until they are tender.
Add the spinach, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes until the flavors are well blended.
Finish and Serve: Squeeze the garlic flesh into the soup and discard the skin and bay leaves.
Serve hot.
Notes & Wine Advice
Wine Advice:Pair with a robust red wine such as a Rioja or Ribera del Duero
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.