Even though Fall is right around the corner, it’s not actually here yet.

I don’t care what the calendar says. I don’t care what the weather resembles, and I definitely don’t care for the pumpkin mania which has taken the blog world by storm. Every year, it’s the same damn thing.

Call me Scrooge, call me blasphemous, call me petulant, call me whatever you want, just don’t ask me to drink a pumpkin spice latte. Well unless you throw some booze in there, and then I might reconsider. It’d have to be an awful lot of booze though.

Which is why I am respectfully requesting…Nay, I am demanding….alright fine, I am respectfully requesting in a sassy and slightly stubborn tone, you stop shutting the door on summer before her time is truly up. It’s not right to cut a woman down in her prime, and of course I’m referring to Summer as a woman. It’s fitting, says me.

We are only exposed to Summer’s beautiful berries, succulent stone fruits, and warm weathered veggie for so long. Can you blame me for wanting to hang onto those juicy and bountiful flavors? Especially when compared to something many are getting from a can or doesn’t even contain real pumpkin. The answer is “Hell No,” and yes, sometimes I do answer my own questions. People say that’s a bad sign, and I’d suggest they come and tell me to my face. I’d laugh at them, answer my own question, and then likely offer to feed them. I wouldn’t give them seconds though.

Speaking of seconds and summertime fare, you should grab a spoon and bask in the tropical delight that is my newest granola concoction. Hands down, it’s my now favorite flavor, and guess what? It’s made with real limes. I give you….drum roll please….

Coconut Lime Pineapple Granola.

Let’s talk about this granola.

It contains the juice of not one, not two, but three limes. Yes, three whole limes. I know three limes seems like an awful lot, and that’s because it is. We’ve long since established the whole point of anything citrus is to wallop you with flavor. Think about it. Only people who love all things lime are going to want to make this granola, so of course they want to be walloped. I get it, and I’m here to wallop you. Go with it.

This granola is also chock full of nuts because in my world, they’re the star of the show. Take that whatever way you want, just don’t skimp on the nuts. You can also use any kind: almonds, brazil, macadamia, pecans, walnuts, or even chestnuts. Alright fine, those last ones might not work, although I do consider myself an equal opportunity nut lover. The only non-negotiable is the half cup of pistachios. They play so well with the lime and coconut, you’d be remiss to skip them altogether.

Since we’ve segued into coconut, this recipe calls for a cup and a half, and it is well worth every single shred. If you can get different textured coconuts, do it. I personally used a mix of finely shredded and larger pieces. Along with nuts, I’m a texture girl, so the more different kinds I can get, the happier I am.

The pineapple is the final kicker on this granola, and I have to thank Arman for that. The sweetness of the dried pineapple offsets the tartness of the lime and makes me feel like I should be eating this in a tropical location, while lounging on hammock and downing an umbrella drink, except I wouldn’t actually need the drink. All I’d need is this Coconut Lime Pineapple Granola and a spoon. Scratch that. I’m not above using my hands. The spoon is a luxury item.

Coconut Lime Pineapple Granola 2014-09-11 18:31:07 A tropical granola packed with fresh lime, coconut wedges and pineapple. It'll make you feel like you're on an island basking in the rays of the summer sun. Write a review Save Recipe Print Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 45 min Total Time 1 hr Prep Time 15 min Cook Time 45 min Total Time 1 hr Ingredients 4 cups rolled oats 3 cups nuts, roughly chopped (I used a mix of almonds and walnuts) 1/2 cup pistachios, roughly chopped 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (3/4 cup finely shredded and 3/4 cup large shreds) 4 Tbsps. flax powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. almond extract 3 limes, juice from and zest of 1/2 cup oil (canola or olive) 3/4 cup maple syrup 1 1/2 cup dried pineapple pieces Instructions Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine dry ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly (from the rolled oats through to the salt). Add in the almond extract, the zest of and the juice of your three limes. Mix well to coat everything. Add in your oil, stirring often. Add in the maple syrup, once again stirring to coat everything. If you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of the mixing part. It's important if you want the flavor to penetrate every nook and cranny, and believe me you do. Once combined, spoon mixture onto two rimmed baking sheet. Leave clumped together. Do not spread out on the baking sheet. See process picture below for an example. Bake at 300 for 45 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes, then every 10 minutes after that. When I stir it, I'm really just working the outside edges into the center to prevent burning. I will lightly turn the center. Remove from oven and let cool at least thirty minutes and up to overnight. Add dried pineapple. Notes Baking it for 45 minutes as the recipe calls for lends a slightly crunchy yet still chewy texture. If you like your granola on the crunchier side, you can cook it longer, just keep stirring those edges so they don't burn. Also, if you like big clusters, don’t stir it once you've remove it from the oven. It'll cool in clusters. By Meghan McCarthy Clean Eats, Fast Feets http://cleaneatsfastfeets.com/

For kicks, I’m sharing some process pictures taken by one of my blogging besties . The day we drank Kombucha beer and canned tomatoes, we also made a batch of this granola. Actually, I made the granola, while she photographed it all. It’s good to have friends in the business.

This post is being shared with Sprint 2 The Table’s Strange But Good because that’s my girl. It’s also being brought to the table at the following fabulous parties: She Eats Fresh Food Wednesdays, Anyonita Nibbles Tasty Tuesday’s, Hun… What’s for Dinner’s Simply Supper Tuesday’s, Buns in my Oven What’s Cookin’ Wednesday and The Novice Gardener’s Fiesta Friday.

Looking for other granola recipes:

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip

Lemon Blueberry Granola

Are you a fan of citrus flavors? Would you try this granola? Have you kicked Summer to the curb (ahead of its time, I might add) and jumped on the all things Fall bandwagon (for shame)?

**All granola recipes are the property of City Hippie LLC and not intended for resale purposes.