Recipes

When my mom left us to fend for ourselves after William was born, she stocked our freezer and cupboards with food. (Thanks, Mom, again!) My favorite? The big batch of granola she left for my breakfasts.

I ate it every morning until I ran out. And then I promptly baked another batch. And another, and another.

This stuff is really, really good. And it’s healthy. And best of all, if I eat a generous portion, I’m not hungry again for hours — which was important those first few weeks, since I couldn’t count on sitting down to a meal at 12 noon. (Ha!) I like mine with plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum!

Here’s the recipe, the way I’ve been doing it:

Simple Granola
adapted from More With Less

Preheat oven to 250.

Combine in large mixing bowl:

2 c. whole wheat flour
6 c. rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. wheat germ (or 2/3 c. whole wheat flour, if you keep forgetting to buy wheat germ like I do!)
8 oz. slivered almonds
12 oz. dried fruit (I like craisins, dried blueberries, and dried cherries.)

Blend together separately:

1/2 c. water
1 c. oil
1 c. honey
2 t. vanilla
1 T. salt

Add blended liquid to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Spread out on rimmed cookie sheet and bake 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring halfway through, until golden (for chewy; longer if that’s your preference.)

Store in covered containers (but I bet it won’t last long!)

*Granola is, of course, an amazingly flexible food. Beef up the nutrition with the addition of all sorts of goodies, or change the flavor with the addition of cinnamon and other spices. (Dried apples, walnuts, and cinnamon would be yummy!)