Pumpkin Coconut Granola

I can’t be the only person who thinks breakfast and lunch should be banned on Thanksgiving. As if waking up early to get the turkey into the oven and cook endless amounts of food isn’t enough, I actually have to come up with breakfast and lunch items to feed my little turkeys? I admit it, I dread it.

Growing up, we had a tradition of not eating anything prior to the Thanksgiving meal. We would essentially starve ourselves in preparation for the massive feast. Old habits die hard and still, to this day, I like to eat very little before the Thanksgiving meal.

As much as I love to cook, the idea of whipping up some complicated breakfast on Thanksgiving makes me cringe. But, I know there will be hungry mouths to feed so I have a plan. I will figure out ways to keep the meals very simple on Thanksgiving.

For breakfast, I will offer Pumpkin Coconut Granola Yogurt Parfaits with Pepitas. I will make the granola ahead of time so the parfait prep will take only minutes. Homemade granola is so simple and easy to adapt to different variations. Here is my recipe for Pumpkin Coconut Granola which makes a nice-sized batch.

4 tbsp. pumpkin puree

4 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups of oats

1/2 cup shredded coconut

Pinch of brown sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Combine pumpkin puree and maple syrup in a bowl, stir.

Stir cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla into pumpkin puree and maple syrup mixture. Add oats and coconut and stir until oats are completely covered in pumpkin mixture. Spread out oat mixture onto prepared cookie sheet, lightly sprinkle with a pinch of brown sugar, and bake for 20 minutes until granola is slightly browned. Let cool until granola is crunchy.

Here is how things should look for the Pumpkin Coconut Granola.

After the Pumpkin Coconut Granola is dry and crunchy I like to place mine in a nice airtight jar.

To assemble the parfaits, layer yogurt and granola. I like to serve mine in a ice-cream dish. Once all layers are in place, top with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to finish the parfait.