Our Beautiful Journey

Homemade Granola! YUMMY!

My mom and I were talking over the weekend about the yummy healthy granola she used to make all the time when we were kids. I have always had a love for granola, but I have never found a store-bought one that I really liked that wasn't full of sugar and other fillers(not to mention expensive!). I found this recipe last night and decided to try it out - it is really similar to what my mom used to make - and it turned out AMAZING! I used what we already had, so ours contains almonds, flax seed, unsweetened coconut, dried tart cherries and golden raisins. I also used Texas wildflower honey instead of agave. We have some vacuum seal canisters that came with our Tilia food saver that I finally got to use - so our granola should stay nice and fresh for at least two months! Brian tried it and it got his seal of approval, so we probably won't be buying store-bought granola anymore - which is fine with me! :-)

Healthy Homemade Granola

Dry Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
2 cups of raw almonds and/or walnuts (or other nuts)
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds or pecans)
½ cup whole flax seed
½ cup wheat germ or ground flax seed.
Optional: ½ cup unsweetened coconut,
½ cup dried fruit (add after cooked and cooled) –date pieces, cranberries, cherries, apricots, mango

Wet Ingredients & seasonings:
2 individual cup unsweetened applesauce (about 1 cup total)
1/3 cup agave nectar (or brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup)-I usually use honey or agave
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients. Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into two baking dishes. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Stir every 10 – 15 minutes to ensure even browning. If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled. Store in the refrigerator.