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Shikha la mode

Eating Life to its Fullest in San Francisco, CA.

Home » Recipes » Multi-Grain Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Granola: The Best Granola for Backpacking (or even when you aren’t backpacking)

June 13, 2018

Multi-Grain Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Granola: The Best Granola for Backpacking (or even when you aren’t backpacking)

Have you ever been so excited to try something new and then so spectacularly failed at it that it’s giving you PTSD at how bad you were but then you want to try it again because you can’t just fail like that because you never fail at things?

That was me this past weekend when O and I went backpacking. It was 100 percent my idea and 100 percent my failure.

To be fair to myself, I’ve gone camping a number of times. So living in the wild doesn’t bother me. And I’d like to think I’m strong for my size—like I go to Barry’s Bootcamp, that should count for something, right? But no amount of Trader Joe’s snacks or offline map downloads could have prepped us for the three biggest pitfalls we encountered.

First, the keys got locked in our rental car, which set us back two hours and meant we had to hike to our campsite in the dark.

Then, I didn’t know that I had to use a women’s backpack. I borrowed a men’s one, which apparently distributes weight differently (women packs distribute more weight to the hips). The pack wasn’t fitted, and after a mile, I felt like my back was going to give out.

On top of that, the next day, there was a sudden windstorm that put our tent at risk of blowing away and turned my hands numb. With all my back pain and my miserable mood, exacerbated further by Anthony’s Bourdain death (I was crying most of Friday), I made us turn back and drive back home. We made it 7 miles in total.

I feel so bad about giving up, especially since I had wanted the weekend to be quality time and a cool new experience. But I guess I finally reached my limit, at least in that moment. But it also makes me want to try again, albeit with better weather conditions, a backpack that actually fits, and after enough time has passed so O doesn’t hate me anymore (shoutout to him for putting up with me for all that time).

I had made this giant batch of granola to sustain us during our trip. Since that was cut short, it’s now sustaining me through afternoon hunger pangs and evening cravings. It’s got a bajillion different types of grains and seeds, adding a ton of nutrition and making it look pretty. You can eat it plain and be satisfied, which makes it perfect for camping (…oops). And even though I failed terribly at that, at least I have this recipe out of it, which is something right? 

Do any of you have any recommendations to prevent me from dying the next time I go backpacking?

Multi-Grain Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Granola

Created by Shikha on June 13, 2018

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  • Prep Time: 20m
  • Cook Time: 30m
  • Serves: 12
  • Yield: 1 batch granola

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup red quinoa, COOKED
  • 1 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup millet
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds (black or white)
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and salt.
  3. Melt the butter, honey, and molasses in a small heatproof bowl. Stir in the vanilla, and pour over the oat mixture. Toss well to combine.
  4. Spread evenly on prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and give it a stir. If it\'s looking dry, add 1-2 tablespoons more of honey.
  6. Return to the oven for 10ish minutes until it looks golden.
  7. Let it cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Then stir in chocolate chips. Keep in an airtight container, if you\'re going camping, store in a large freezer bag that seals well.
  • Print

Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: backpacking, camping, Desolation Wilderness, Granola, Recipe, Tahoe

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Awanthi Vardaraj says

    June 14, 2018 at 6:41 am

    That looks delicious. I’m afraid I don’t have words of camping advice (I have an aversion to camping, but I think I could be persuaded to glamp), but I do think that the muesli sounds amazing. I love that it has quinoa.

    Reply

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About

Shikha here - a pastry chef, runner, and writer based in San Francisco. I've worked in several Michelin-starred restaurants and blasted a lot of hip hop during prep service. Now I develop recipes, write, run races, and teach classes so you too can eat life to its fullest.

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