Granola for the Girl

My daughter likes granola. And every single time we go to buy it in the store, I have two reactions.

The first is the to think, "Why does this cost so much?" How hard is it to make? I could make this. I should make this. You know, later. When I have all that extra time.

The next thought is "This is not health food!" Take a look at the nutritional facts. There has got to be a better/healthier way. Which I should find. You know, later. When I have all that extra time.

Well, recently, I came across a recipe that prompted me to give it a try. You can find it here - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/megans-granola/. It seemed like something the Girl would enjoy. Turns out, it isn't all that hard to make. I could make this. I DID make this. And you know what? It didn't even take all that much time.

Megan's Granola Recipe - Modified for the Girl

The original recipe seemed like A LOT of granola, so I cut it in half. It's just me, the Girl, and the Big Guy, so we didn't really need all that much.  Also, the original recipe calls for a combination of maple syrup and honey. I use agave syrup instead of maple because that is what I had in the cupboard. But you could use maple or agave or honey, or whatever combination floats your boat.  My recipe looks more like this:

• 4 cups rolled (or old fashioned) oats
• 3/4 cups wheat germ
• 3/4 cups oat bran (the cereal... trust me, it took me a while to figure this one out)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons blue agave syrup
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. 

Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. (For what it's worth, the original recipe says to "finely" chop the nuts - we like them left a bit chunkier in the recipe.)

Stir together the salt, brown sugar, agave, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat.

Spread the mixture on the baking sheet. Bake until crispy and toasted, about 25 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Now, depending on your oven, it might take more or less time. Keep an eye on it. There's a fine line between toasty and TOASTY, if you know what I mean.

Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries. The recipe, officially divided in half, calls for 1 cup of dried cranberries. The Girl says that is not enough. We add about 1 1/2 cups. Or 2 cups. Or the entire package and whatever we have on hand. What can I say? She likes her dried cranberries.

Once it's all cooled and mixed, store in an airtight container. We keep it in the pantry, and this batch will usually last us about a week.  We like to add it to Greek yogurt. It's good on ice cream. The Big Guy likes to add a handful to whatever breakfast cereal he is eating. Which is usually Cheerios. Because they're good for you and it's what adults should eat for breakfast. Which is what I tell him when he is whining that I didn't buy him Captain Crunch.

My next granola experiment is to figure out how to get the amount of oil down. I was reading somewhere that you could replace half the oil with applesauce. If that works, it would also add a nice flavor to the recipe.

P.S. Being that this is the first "official" recipe that I am posting, I feel compelled to remind you that I am still learning. If something is wrong or not clear, I'm sure we can work together to get it corrected.

P.P.S. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!