Most weeks, my husband and I have a date night. It’s usually a frugal date with either a walk to the grocery store or a walk to the library. My husband is not much of a cook but he has been getting into cookbooks, especially those geared towards runners and athletes. On one of our recent library dates, he came home with Run Fast. Eat Slow: Nourishing Recipes for Athletes by world-class marathoner and 4-time Olympian Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky. The library is the perfect way to test out a new cookbook. I don’t have much cookbook space in the kitchen, so I’m picky about the ones I buy. The library lets me bring them home, read them (yes, I love reading cookbooks!) and try out the recipes without committing to giving an untried book, precious shelf space. If you haven’t seen Run Fast.Eat Slow., I highly recommend it! The recipes are delicious, healthy and nourishing, the writing is entertaining and the pictures are gorgeous! This cookbook has some great advice for runner but as a non-runner I also really enjoyed it. There are tons of delicious recipes in this book but this Ginger-Molasses Granola is the one we make the most. It’s quick, easy and better than any granola you’ve ever bought in the store.

“A hearty granola packed with oats and seeds is a must for athletes. But the expensive store-bought stuff is often loaded with sugar. Our ginger-spiked granola is lightly sweetened with blackstrap molasses, the sticky good stuff that’s left behind after sugarcane is refined. That makes it high in minerals, including potassium, calcium, iron and magnesium — minerals many athletes don’t get enough of.” – By Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky, authors of the Run Fast. Eat Slow. Cookbook

Our favorite way to enjoy it is on Greek yogurt with some fruit. It makes for a yummy, well-rounded breakfast with protein packed Greek yogurt, vitamin and fiber-rich berries and this granola, which tastes more like a treat than the mineral-rich supplement it is. Go nuts with this recipe and use it to top yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, salads or whatever else you think of. Just be warned, once you make this, you won’t be able to stop!

Ginger Molasses Granola

From: Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky
Yields: 8 cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if sensitive)

1 cup finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut

1/2 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup cranberries

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/3 cup virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (darkest variety, which has a stronger flavor and more minerals than regular molasses)

Instructions

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins or dried fruit, ginger, cinnamon, and salt.

In a small saucepan, melt together the coconut oil, honey, and molasses over low heat. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined.

Spread out in a thick layer on the baking sheet. Bake, gently stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly browned, 45 minutes. Granola will still be moist at the end of baking. Allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before packaging it up.