Delicious, Healthy, Versatile Granola

Looking for a fun cooking activity that is healthy, easy and versatile? Well look no further than granola. It’s not complicated, you can tailor it exactly to your tastes, it has a long shelf life and you will save so much money by making your own.

It’s the perfect cooking activity for kids too. They can help chop up the dried fruit, mix the granola and choose some of the ingredients. If they have a say in how it’s made they’ll be more interested in the final product!

Granola

This recipe will net you about 10 cups of wonderful granola.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 20 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups whole rolled oats you can substitute spelt or kamut flakes
  • 1 cup oil (canola, corn, vegetable, avocado)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup sesame seed
  • 1/2 cup wheat germ
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1-2 cups nuts cashew, almond, pecan, pistachio or a combination of any of these

Optional Ingredients

  • dried fruits dried cherries. cranberries, apricots, mango
  • large or small flaked coconut
  • goji berries
  • raisins
  • dried prunes or figs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Put the oats, wheat germ, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds and any nuts you are using in your baking sheet. Use your hands to mix them so all the ingredients are spread evenly.
  • In a small saucepan, combine oil, maple syrup and honey. Heat until the honey is melted. Add the vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour them over the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, turn the granola over on itself and pull it from the corners of the pan so everything is covered in the wet mixture.
  • Put the granola in the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the granola and give it a good stir and fold. Make sure all the granola on the bottom has been moved around and that everything is covered in the wet mixture. Repeat this two more times.The granola will cook for a total of 40 minutes.
  • While the granola is cooking, chop your dried fruit. When the granola is cool enough to handle, add the dried fruit and coconut (if you are using it) and toss with clean hands or a wooden spoon.
  • Serve with yogurt and fresh berries or eat it with milk or just have it on it's own.

Notes

You can store it in an air tight glass jar or plastic container.
Healthy, high in fiber and protein and delicious.
Happy cooking!
Lisa
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