I made my first ever granola today from a recipe that I modified that had a foundation based in the 70's. I wanted something to mix with my delicious Greek Gods Low-Fat Yogurt. This is the culmination of research of about 7 granola recipes that I found online to learn the foundation of what is in granola. This is what I came up with. I hope you like it. It is high in protein and absolutely delicious. I am so proud of myself. Try it out if you like.
Shandalla's Soon To Be Famous, Delicious Granola
3 cups of rolled oats
1 cup combined of crushed mixed nuts and slivered almonds
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds (I buy mine raw and then toast them myself)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
2/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2/3 cup of unsweetened cocunut
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of melted coconut oil (note: cocunut oil is solid at room temperature)
2/3 cup of honey
Non-stick cooking spray
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of dried fruit of choice (craisins, apricots, apple, etc)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, nuts, sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, unsweetened coconut, and vanilla. Next, measure the cocunut oil and then, place the measured solid oil in a small microwave safe cup and put the cup in the microwave for 20 seconds allowing the oil to melt**. Next, pour the oil over the mixture and stir thoroughly coating the granola. After the mixture is well combined, mix in the honey and combine until even. Next, take a large deep oven safe pan and spray it with non-stick cooking spray, and then pour the granola mixture into the pan. Finally, place the pan in the preheated oven, uncovered for 30 minutes making sure to stir approximately every 7-10 minutes to ensure even cooking. After 30 minutes, remove the pan, give the granola a final stir and let it cool for 15 min. Stir again and place granola in a bowl and mix in the dried fruit. Allow to finish cooling. Store in a clean dry sealed container and enjoy when desired.
**Note: If you do not have a microwave, you can simply place the measured oil in a cup and place the cup in a bowl of HOT water, ensuring the water does go into the cup. This will melt the oil in a matter of minutes.
Variation:
Add a 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or cholcolate nibs to make a very divine stand alone sweet treat.
