Mmmmm granola!

I was amazed to look at the ingredients in granola in the ceral aisle.  Sugar in so many forms! High fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, cane sugar.  It was so high in sugar and really low in actual substance.  For what I was paying ($4-$6 a box) I was essentially getting oatmeal with sugar on it, in clumps, with a random raisin here or there.  If I bought granola in bulk at our local health food store, I was cutting out all the crud, but paying $6-$8 a pound for it.  I wasn't willing to sacrifice on price or quality, so I began making it at home. A big way to cut the cost on this recipe is to buy the spices from the bulk bins of the health food shop. BUYING SPICES FROM THE BAKING AISLE OF THE GROCERY STORE IS A RIP OFF! And they are often old and lacking in taste.  I get great, potent ginger for a fraction of the price, with much less packaging too.  I just take it home and throw it in a small mason jar.  I use mason jars like most people use tupperware. 

The best thing about granola is you can suit it to your nutritional desires and tastes. Or maybe the best thing is that it is soooo much cheaper than store bought. Or maybe the best thing is that there is no high fructose corn syrup or processed sugars.  Or how it makes the house smell when you're baking it. Or that kids of pretty much any age (if they can stand, they can help) can be a part of the process. Or that it is really hard to screw up. Or that you don't need a recipe.

There are so many great things about making granola at home. I'm going to share my go-to recipe with you, but I add or subtract based on what we happen to have(or not) in our cupboard.  Sometimes I forget ingredients, sometimes I accidentally put in way too much of something, I've even burned a batch pretty badly, and it always has tasted pretty good. I eat it every day, topped with homemade yogurt and bananas or whatever berries happen to be on sale.  I feel great about giving this to my daughter, knowing exactly what I'm serving her, and the benefits of each ingredient that go in.  I also feel good teaching her that healthy food doesn't have to taste bad.  I find cinnamon and ginger go a long way in helping to reduce the amount of sweetners needed.  She loves participating in making it, and loves to remind me when I forgot an ingredient!  My mom originally showed me how to make granola, and this is the recipe(I use that term very loosely in this case) that I have ended up at after experimenting alot. We compare notes often, and adjust our recipes and techniques based on what we are continually learning.

 I make a HUGE batch when I do this, you can easily halve, or quarter this recipe, but I figure it keeps so well in the cupboard and I go through it so quickly, I might as well minimize my efforts.  

THE INGREDIENTS

(Group 1)

10 cups old fashioned oatmeal, rolled oats works fine too

2 cups almonds

2 cups walnuts, broken up a bit by hand

2 cups coconut

3 heaping tbsp ground ginger

3 heaping tbsp ground cinnamon

2 heaping tbsp ground nutmeg

3/4 heaping tbsp ground cloves

1/2 cup wheat germ

(Group 2)

3/4 cup cocnut oil

1 cup honey,(or molasses, agave, maple syrup, or any combination of these or other sweeteners)

(Group 3)

2-3 cups dried fruit (I use a mixture of dates and apricots, but any dried fruit or berries is good - my mom swears by dried sugared ginger root)

2 cups raisins (I use 1 cup regular, 1 cup golden raisins)

1/2 cup brown flax seed

1/2 cup golden flax seed

I like to cut down on dishes so I mix my ingredients in the pan I plan on using to cook them in.  I use a big potluck size lasagna tray.  First and most important step.....SPRAY YOUR DISH WITH NONSTICK COOKING SPRAY! Otherwise you will be begging your granola to come off the pan.  Mix group one ingredients in pan until they are evenly distributed.  Then mix in your oil and then  sweetener.  If you like a wetter, clumpier, chewier granola, add more oil and more sweetener. I prefer mine crunchier, and not clumped.  Mix well. 

I bake it in a 350 degree oven, stirring every 7-8 minutes for about 25-35 minutes.  When its starts to get a toasty browned look, its done. (You can't really undercook it).  My mom prefers to cook it on 175 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes for an hour. 

While it is baking, I chop my fruits. You can often buy them chopped already, but they are usually rolled in sugar when you do this. So I buy them whole, sometimes with pits. Its cheaper and healthier....my two favorite things! 

When it comes out of the oven, stir in Group 3.   Let it cool and put it in a storage container.  I used to use large ziploc bags, but now I keep it in an old fashioned cookie jar on the countertop with a measuring scoop right in it.  Its easier for me to portion it out, and I don't have to get it out of a cabinet for breakfast each morning.  Plus I think its pretty.

Benefits of these ingredients

Oatmeal- great source of soluble and insoluble fiber, which means its a cancer fighting food, as well as lowers your LDL cholosterol without lowering your HDL.  It slows down your digestion of starches, lowering risk of sugar spikes after eating(helpful to diabetics of gastric bypass patients).  It lowers the risk of heart disease.  Great source of vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium and protien.



Flax Seeds - full of Omega 3 essential fatty acids- these are shown to have heart healthy qualities.  Linguans which have plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities high in flaxseed. Great source of fiber! (They really keep you regular) Don't bake flax seed to retain all the benefits!

Honey - Natural enery booster and immune system booster. Full of antioxidants.

Almonds -  good for a healthy heart. lowers LDL cholesterol.  Full of magnesium, manganese, and vitamin E

Walnuts- FULL of omega 3-fatty acids! and manganese.  Very important for heart health and circulatory system.

Wheat Germ- great source of fiber, antioxidants, and phytosterols.  Good for heart health, lowering cholesterol and bowel function.

Ginger -  helps relieve gas, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

Coconut oil - shown to help brain function, and increased immunity



 Other ingredients to try

Pumpkin seeds

Sunflower seeds

Pecans

Dried Cranberries

Dried Cherries

Figs

Prunes

Dried Mango

Dried Apple

Dried Pineapple

Dried Pear

Be creative!