Lovely, Simple Granola

Granola is one of those foods that is often very expensive to purchase but is quite easy and inexpensive to make.  Here's the recipe I use, which we love!

Ingredients:

4 c. rolled oats

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup sliced almonds or whole pecans 

1 T. cinnamon 

2 T. ground flax seeds

1/3 c. coconut oil (or any other oil you'd like to try--but coconut gives a nice flavor)

2/3 c. honey (I use a raw honey that I buy in bulk)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together. I use my KitchenAid mixer to mix at the lowest setting, with the paddle attachment, for a minute or so.  Bake on parchment paper at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, then stir and bake another 10 minutes, but be very careful not to burn!  My oven runs hot so I typically do 300 for about 10 minutes, then stir, then another 5 minutes, then I cut the oven off and let it sit for a few more minutes because I really like to dry it out.

After baking and cooling, you can add in other goodies, such as dark chocolate chips, bits of dried cherry, etc.  During baking you can stir in some coconut, just take care not to burn it--so I'd put it in near the end.

My husband loves this granola, which helps fuel all those long runs he does.  I like a tablespoon sprinkled on my Greek yogurt sometimes. (But I don't run up and down mountains, so portion control is essential for me.)

Annie likes this mixed with a sugar-free compote of summer berries. 

And for most of her life she has called it "granana," which is, of course, so endearing.  Finn is the only one who doesn't like "granana," but that's alright: more for the rest of us!