Great Great Granola
Eating store-bought granola is more like sampling from a mystery grab-bag – ingredients are difficult to pronounce, processed additives are skillfully hidden and sugar dominates the nutrition label. I like making my own, which sounds far more complicated…not to mention domestic…than it really is. This is a great recipe that takes ten minutes to pull together, and if you’re an avid reader of The Fit Post (which you are, of course) then you’ll notice this is the same one I posted in October 2009… apparently October is my granola season.
- 2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 cup toasted almonds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup coconut (can be either sweetened or unsweetened)
- 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (dried apricots, cranberries, blueberries or dried apple)
- 1/4 cup cooking oil (not olive)
- 1/2 cup honey
Mix the oat, nuts and grains in a large bowl. Measure oil into the measuring cup and swirl it around before pouring into bowl. Then measure out the honey in the same, unwashed cup. The oil will help the honey exit the cup. Toss everything together until evenly coated and then pour out into a baking pan. I use a large roasting pan, as it keeps everything contained. A cookie sheet with a lip also works. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, turning it with a spatula every ten minutes or so. You want everything to be an even golden brown. When it is finished cooking, return the baked granola to the mixing bowl, add the dried fruit and stir to combine. Stir gently several times as it cooks, so that it doesn’t clump together too much.
