Basic Granola

Do you remember Euell Gibbons?  I remember this commercial for Grape Nuts from my childhood.

I remember the 1970s when eating natural foods and being aware of the environment was not the norm but what hippies and those on the fringe did.  Granola could be found in health food stores in 1970 but didn't make it main stream until around 1980...can you believe it?

Granola is one of those great cereals to have on hand.  It is a great stand alone cereal but a good basic recipe can be used in so many other ways:  sprinkled on fruit or yogurt, used as a topping for fruit crisp, and sprinkled on top of muffins and coffee cakes to name a few.

Rather than buying some at the store (which can be pretty pricey), why don't you make some yourself.  This way you can control what goes into it!

Basic Granola

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned oats (thick cut works best but regular will work as well...do not use instant)

1 cup coconut (if you do not like coconut, you can increase the oats to 5 cups)

1 cup chopped almonds, cashews, or peanuts (any will work or a mixture works also, I prefer almonds)

1/3 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil but you can use canola, safflower, or grapeseed)

1/3 cup honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar (I use agave nectar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut and nuts.  Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, combine your oil sweetener, and extract(s).  Stir to combine well....there should not be any separation between the oil and the other liquid ingredients.

Pour your liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir to evenly coat.  Then turn this mixture onto a large baking sheet and place in the middle oven.

You will bake your granola for 30 minutes, stirring it every 10 minutes to ensure that the edges do not burn.

When nicely browned, remove your granola out of the oven to cool.  Store in an air tight container.  Enjoy!

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