Make It a <i> Good</i> Morning

Weekend mornings mean early hikes or runs followed by a big healthy breakfast--at least they did for our family. My dad, the enthusiastic leader of our family pack of runners (or stragglers as the case may be), would always sit down to a huge bowl of granola after what seemed like a mini-triathlon. But he was always bothered by the fact that granola is high in fat.

This recipe ended my dad’s quest for a low-fat, nutty granola. Tossing the granola in the oven gives it a toasty flavor and golden brown color. It’s perfect for topping with mounds of blueberries or whatever fruit is in season. Serve the granola with vanilla yogurt stirred with a touch of maple syrup. All of the ingredients are available packaged in grocery stores or in the bulk sections of health food stores.

With the granola, try this moist, light scone recipe. The scones taste great with the plump blueberries that arrive from Oregon this time of year. If fresh blueberries are not in season, frozen work well. (You can also freeze fresh blueberries by spreading them in a single layer on a jelly roll pan, freezing them until they are hard, and pouring them into plastic freezer bags.)

Another good morning idea with the granola: Arrange an assortment of fresh fruit on a platter or in bowls and pour papaya-mint dressing over the fruit. Papaya nectar adds a touch of sweetness to the dressing, which enhances the natural sugars in the fruit. Run or no run, this hearty breakfast will provide plenty of fuel for the weekend.

Menu

Homemade Granola with Maple Yogurt

Blueberry Buttermilk Scones

Fresh Fruit With Papaya-Mint Dressing

Orange Juice

Staples

Rolled oats

Vegetable oil

Honey

Maple syrup

Flour

Sugar

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt

Butter

Egg

Rice wine vinegar

Olive oil

Shopping List

1 (12-ounce) package raw sunflower seeds

1 (16-ounce) package wheat bran

1 (16-ounce) package walnut pieces

1 (16-ounce) package sliced almonds

1 (32-ounce) container vanilla yogurt

1 (1-pint) basket fresh blueberries

1 quart buttermilk

1 papaya

1 (12-ounce) can papaya nectar

Ginger root

1 bunch fresh mint

Fresh fruit in season

Orange juice

Game Plan

* Day before: Make granola. Prepare mint dressing and refrigerate. Bake scones, cool and wrap tightly.

* Morning of breakfast: Slice fruit and arrange on platter or in bowls. Mix syrup into yogurt.

* Last minute: Drizzle dressing over fruit.

GRANOLA

5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 cup wheat bran

2 cups walnut pieces

1 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup honey

Combine oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat bran, walnuts and almonds in large bowl. Toss well, drizzle with oil and continue tossing to coat lightly.

Place honey in small saucepan over low heat until honey liquefies, about 5 minutes. Drizzle honey granola and toss to coat.

Spread granola evenly on 2 (11x17-inch) jelly roll pans. Place in 350-degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove pans from oven, stir granola well and spread out again.

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees, return granola to oven and bake about 20 more minutes, stirring after 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Remove from oven, let cool completely and store in airtight containers up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 4 months.

Makes 8 cups.

Each 1/2-cup serving contains about:

408 calories; 5 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 1.66 grams fiber.

MAPLE YOGURT

4 cups vanilla yogurt

6 tablespoons maple syrup

Place yogurt in bowl and stir in maple syrup.

Makes about 4 cups.

Each 1/2-cup serving contains about:

142 calories; 106 mg sodium; 14 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0 fiber.

BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK SCONES

2 cups flour

2 tablespoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and drained, or frozen

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in bowl. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in chilled butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently stir in berries. Combine buttermilk and egg in small bowl. Pour into flour mixture, stirring just until dough holds together.

Flour hands. Turn out dough onto floured surface and shape into ball. Transfer to greased and lightly floured cookie sheet and pat into circle 9 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Using serrated knife, cut 8 wedges, leaving them intact in circle. Dough can be wrapped and frozen at this point.

When ready to bake, brush tops of scones lightly with milk. Bake at 425 degrees until golden and toothpick inserted in middle of dough comes out clean, about 15 minutes (time will be longer if using frozen berries).

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about:

196 calories; 369 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.32 gram fiber.

PAPAYA-MINT DRESSING

1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

3/4 cup canned papaya nectar

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint, plus some whole leaves for garnish

Combine papaya, nectar, vinegar and ginger in blender or food processor. Process until smooth. With motor running, add oil in slow stream and process until incorporated.

Pour into bowl and stir in mint. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 1 hour. Serve on fresh fruit.

Makes 2 cups.

Each 1/4-cup serving contains about:

100 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.22 gram fiber.