One Last Farmer's Market (and a recipe)

Not much left at the market these days. In my town, yesterday's gathering was the last of the season so I popped on over to check things out—and boy, was that wind blowing in from the lake! It was almost too cold, which is why I snagged a cup of (decaf) joe from one of my favorite coffee spots. I also, despite my freezing fingers, managed to snag a few pics of the goods:

I walked away with a red onion and a little, tiny butternut squash—and a deep curiosity about the funny lookin' flowers. Are they even flowers? I don't know, and the owner of the booth was too busy, and I was too cold, so I left without finding out.

I had other things to do, you see.
Things that involved these little guys:

Fresh carrots from one of my clients. We don't eat a lot of carrots, so they've been sitting in my crisper for a week or two. I thought I'd cut them up for some hummus, and then I checked my Google Reader and found a recipe for Carrot Cake Granola on Make it Naked. Combine that with the fact that I've been craving some cereal and milk and, well...all signs were obviously pointing to "yes, please...make me please!" So I did.

...and the end result was awesome. IS awesome. It's a sweet granola. But not too sweet, really. The carrot cake spices are delightful and the crunch is perfect. The original recipe calls for unsweetened coconut, but I left that out simply because I couldn't find any that wasn't already sweetened. I don't miss it. I also used honey instead of agave nectar because that's what I had on-hand. Top it off with some milk and a few banana bits. You can't go wrong (unless you're lactose intolerant).

Breakfast is served, m'dears. 

Carrot Cake Granola
Ingredients
2 cups oats
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 cup carrots, finely shredded
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/8 cup honey
2 tbsp. ground flax
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp canola oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins

Directions
1) Preheat your oven to 325F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2) Mix oats, pecans and coconut in one bowl. Mix everything else in another.
3) Combine the two, stirring until everything is evenly coated. Spread evenly on the cookie sheet.
4) Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to promote even cooking.
5) Once done, let cool on the counter. (It will crisp as it cools.) Store in an airtight container.

REMINDER! Don't forget to enter my giveaway! You just might win a sampler pack from Umpqua Oats! (Contest ends at midnight EST on Thursday, October 6, 2011).