Kristy from Keepin’ it Kind is an amazing blogger with heartfelt writings to pair with her delicious dishes and her husband’s gorgeous photography. So, of course I had to have her be a part of my healthy guest-blogging series! Doesn’t this Vanilla Almond Fig Granola Parfait look incredible?! (Yes, is the obvious answer) Without further ado, one of my favorite vegan power-couples!

Happy Monday Vegan Yack Attackers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I am pretty thrilled to be here today because Jackie is just one of my absolute most favorite bloggers. Period. Jackie was kind enough to participate in my Vegan Cookie Swap Party last year and she brought the most beautiful cookies! I had to repay the favor with something almost as pretty.

I used to make granola all the time. Like, every week. A big bowl of granola and almond milk is one of my husband’s favorite breakfasts and since granola is so expensive, I would make our own. Plus, it’s a super easy and somewhat relaxing task that makes your house smell like heaven.

Why did I stop, you ask? Well, life. You know. It just happens and the little things you enjoy doing kind of get pushed to the wayside. You stop doing things like folding laundry, looking at cute animal videos on YouTube, and making your house smell lovely with homemade granola in order to make time for things like recipe testing, writing grocery lists, and a little more exercise (to balance out all of the recipe-testing).

When my husband recently asked if I could pick up some granola at the store (rather than the shredded wheat he’s been so keen on lately), I realized I needed to get some priorities in place. Rather than buying him a bag of granola, I got working and came up with this very vanilla-y granola studded with sliced almonds and chunks of dried figs. I did not mess around in the vanilla department, either. One whole tablespoon of vanilla extract and the seeds from 2 vanilla beans give this a powerful vanilla flavor while the tiny bit of almond butter with the agave syrup help create those lovely little clusters we all love. And then there’s the figs…

While it was in the oven, making my house smell like a vanilla-scented wonderland, I treated myself to some cute animal video time. I suggest you do the same. Once the granola was out of the oven and cooling on the counter, I had the impulse to treat myself to something else I hadn’t had in ages: Granola Parfaits. Some plain coconut milk yogurt and some blood oranges I had on the counter did the trick.

I know you’re all expecting me to tell you how delicious this Vanilla Almond Fig Granola Parfait was and I wish I could do something different to surprise you but I can’t. This parfait was one of the best little afternoon snacks I’ve had in a long time. It was so light and refreshing, yet bursting with flavor. Figs and blood oranges were born to be eaten together. In order to keep these parfaits in my life, I have a new motivation to bring back the weekly granola-making.

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Yield: 2

Vanilla Almond Fig Granola Parfait with Blood Oranges

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Ingredients

Granola

• 2 cups rolled oats, gluten-free if necessary
• 2 cups crisp brown rice cereal
• 2 cups puffed millet
• 2 cups puffed kamut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup dried figs, quartered with stems trimmed
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• seeds from 2 vanilla beans

Parfaits

• ounce one 16- container of plain or vanilla coconut yogurt
• 1 pieces to 2 blood oranges, peeled and chopped into bite-size
• Make the granola

Instructions

Granola

1. Preheat the oven to 275 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown rice cereal, puffed millet, puffed kamut, almonds, and cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the agave syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and thoroughly combine. Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets and spread out evenly.
4. Bake the granola for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the chopped figs out over the granola and mix to combine. Respread the granola on the sheet and return to the oven for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely (don't touch) before storing in an airtight container.

Parfait Assembly

1. In 2 bowls or mason jars, fill the bottom with about 1/4 cup of granola each. Scoop about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of yogurt over the granola. Top the yogurt with a few slices of blood oranges. Top the oranges with another layer of granola, then another layer of yogurt and then oranges. Top with granola and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

Makes 8 Cups of granola, and 2 parfaits.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

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Thank you, Jackie for having me over today and thank you to all of you for hanging out! Have a great week and enjoy the Vanilla Almond Fig Granola Parfait!

Kristy Turner is the writer, recipe developer, and food stylist behind the blog, Keepin’ It Kind. Former fromagier and mutterer of the words “I could never be vegan,” Kristy now loves her compassionate lifestyle and works with her photographer husband, Chris, to make veganism accessible, fun, and delicious for everyone. You can find Kristy at Keepin’ It Kind or on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.