Early Bird Granola is the ultimate salty-sweet combo

I take my granola very seriously. No super sugary blends, and definitely none of that flabby half-toasted stuff. I want the real thing: slow baked and crisp, with plenty of texture and a bit of sweetness. I had given up on finding the perfect mix until I happened upon Nekisia Davis’s Early Bird granola at the Brooklyn Flea. It’s far and away the best granola I have ever had – an oh-so-sophisticated blend of oats, pecans, coconut flakes, and pumpkin and sesame seeds that gets a slightly caramelized flavor from maple syrup and brown sugar. But what really makes Nekisia’s version truly amazing, is her genius use of olive oil and sea salt. The salt kicks it over the edge into dangerously addictive territory.

Nekisia still makes all the granola herself in a Brooklyn commercial kitchen, and sells it through pedigreed local shops like Brooklyn Larder and Murray’s Cheese. But with everyone from the NYT’s Melissa Clark to Martha Stewart singing its praises, her granola is in high demand. I tried to recreate the granola a couple weekends ago using her recipe but it wasn’t quite as good as the original – luckily Nekisia hooked us up with a couple bags for the road. That is, if I don’t eat them first. Check out the recipe after the jump. (more…)

In my short but intense biking love affair, I’ve quickly realized that the key to our relationship is the proper snacks. And that road food doesn’t have to mean goos, gels, and bars (though I still love my Luna Bars).

Recently I’ve been packing Dr. Kracker crackers on my rides. My favorites are the Seedlanders, sweetened with agave and molasses and sprinkled with poppy, pumpkin, and sesame seeds. I can spread them with almond butter, wrap them in plastic, and stick them in my jersey for a mid-ride snack.

Co-founder George Eckrich is also a cyclist — he did the 450-mile RAGBRAI this past summer— and we’ve been trading ideas for on-the-go energy concoctions.

We’ll be partnering up for a Dr. Kracker recipe contest so stay tuned!

I’ve been camped out in the kitchen all day, Bonnie Raitt on the CD player, happily playing in piles of flour and sugar and trying out recipes I haven’t had the time or space for: slow-roasted cherry tomatoes with thyme, Nekisia Davis’s absolutely cracktastic Early Bird Granola, and Smitten Kitchen’s adorable bourbon peach handpies.