Alright, I know I’m about four years behind here, but I’m just getting into goji berries, and holy mother are those things amazing.

Delicious, just the right amount of chewy, full of good stuff – and then to top it all off, they give a gorgeous splash of vibrant red into any recipe. It’s like they were made just for me.

I got some goji berries on sale from Real Foods last week; my basic modus operandi with that place is to wander around, see what’s on sale, then craft some sort of meal or recipe around that. Both the goji berries and the coconut shavings in this recipe were on sale at Real Foods, and the shaved coconut was only a pound for 100 grams – so if you shop right, this is a budget recipe!

It was a goji berry granola recipe in the Guardian that inspired this, as well as a Cardamom-Coffee Cake (recipe coming soon) that used pistachios. Pistachios are probably my favourite nuts, next to macadamias, and cardamom is my favourite spice, so any excuse to use them in a recipe makes my day. The result is just the perfect balance of sweet and saltiness in this granola, meaning that you won’t be buzzing on a sugar high before you get out of the front door.

Coconut oil, maple syrup, goji berries and nuts all make this a nutritionally-dense little dish, and when served with vegan yogurt, added to a bowl of stewed figs or even sprinkled on top of porridge, this granola is just incredible.

Just a note: granola isn’t the be-all-and-end-all healthy option that people (mainly granola companies) would have you believe. My brother refers to it as “deep fried muesli” and for the most part, he’s not wrong; commercial granola has more sugar in it that some boxed cereals and a hell of a lot of processed ingredients. However, if you avoid sugar, use good fats and pack your granola with fantastic ingredients (like these), the home-made stuff can be fantastic.

You’ll need:
(Makes 1 medium batch)
3 cups rolled oats (be sure to make sure it’s gluten-free if you are)
3/4 cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
the insides of 2 cardamom pods, ground
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 coconut shavings

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius and grease a large baking tray
In a bowl, stir together the oats, pistachios, walnuts, cinnamon, ground cardamom and the pinch of salt
In a small pan over a low heat, melt together the coconut oil and the maple syrup
When melted, pour over the oat mix and stir to cover everything
Spread out on a baking tray and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the oats are light brown. You’ll need to stir every 10 minutes or so to break up the clumps
Remove from the oven, then stir in the goji berries and coconut shavings. Place into a container and keep for up to 2 weeks (though it never lasts that long). Serve with vegan yogurt and berries, with almond milk and banana, or just throw it into a smoothie for some more punch!

Isn’t it pretty? It makes every breakfast Pinterest-worthy, and will bring smiles to some little faces (and some big ones too). Not pictured is the Vegan Masala Chai that I had with it – Indian spices in the morning make me happy.

It’s my mission this year to get you all eating healthy, tasty-as-hell breakfasts that don’t leave you running around like headless chickens in the morning. Setting aside a Sunday night to make some granola while you catch up on Better Call Saul can mean that your mornings will be easy, your stomach will be sated, and you’ll even save money. I’m so inspired by the idea that I might even create a hashtag: #betterbreakfasts (sorry, sorry, sorry. But also, notsorry).