granola
/I love granola. Always have. I love it by the handful, with milk as cereal, and on yogurt... always will. I know it seems to have lost some of its favor with today's paleo and "clean eating" crowd, but I don't care. I am still eating it. It's delish. My kids love it too.
I like to make my own granola in big huge batches (I usually double the recipe below). MMMMM it makes your house smell wonderful while it bakes. If you can stop yourself from munching munching, it keeps well in lidded jars. The ingredients are simple and there is A LOT of room for creative license. Almost anything goes. Are you ready for the basic recipe? Here goes:
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup blanched/slivered almonds
1/3 cup honey
1/3 coconut oil (melted)
2 T vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (I love dried figs, apricots, cranberries, cherries, blueberries- you get the idea. Branch out. Raisins are merely a starting point. Even little bits of crystalized ginger are good!)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl mix the first four ingredients. Then pour honey, oil, and vanilla all over the oat mixture. Spread out into a thin layer on baking sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes stirring granola often (every 5 minutes.) Remove from oven, allow to cool, add dried fruit, and mix together. Store in a sealed jar to maintain freshness.
Example for enjoyment:
Oh yum. You'd better go make some.