Great Granola

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Ingredients

  

• 3 T. honey
• 3 T. molasses
• 1/3 C. oil
• 4 C. rolled oats
• 1 C. nuts, chopped
• 1 C. dried fruit
• 1/4 C. flax seed, ground
• 1 t. vanilla
• spices, optional (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc)

Instructions

 

• In a small pot on the stove mix honey, molasses and oil
• Heat until just starting to bubble, stirring to mix well
• Place oats in a large ovenproof dish
• Pour liquid mixture over oats and stir well to coat evenly
• Bake for 10 minutes
• Remove from oven, stir well, add nuts and return to oven
• Bake for 10 minutes
• Remove from oven, stir well, add dried fruit and return to oven
• Bake for 10 minutes
• Remove from oven, stir well, add flax seeds, vanilla and any spices if desired
• Let cool completely before storing in a container

  Enjoy!

My friend Christine also shared her chocolate granola recipe. She said it's a big hit with her family, I'm sure it will be for yours as well.

With the addition of ground flax and coconut oil, this recipe provides some great fatty acids (flax seeds have omega-3 while coconut oil has medium-chain fatty acids). These healthy fats help provide satiety, or fullness, which means it helps fill you up. Dark chocolate and cocoa provide antioxidants, especially epicatechin (found also in green tea), which protect against cardiovascular disease.

Chocolate Granola

My friend Christine's recipe

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Ingredients

  

• Mix in crock pot:

  7 C. organic old fashioned oats

  1/2 C. ground flax

  1/4 C. organic brown sugar

  1/2 C. shredded coconut

  Pinch of sea salt

  ½ C. raw honey

  2 T. maple syrup

  ¼ C. coconut oil

  2 T. cocoa powder

Instructions

 

• Mix well and heat on low all day, stir once in while.
• After slightly browned (4-6 hours on low) stir in:

  ½ C. 70% chocolate or darker, finely chopped

  1 C. chopped almonds & walnuts
• Cool completely then store in an airtight container

Next recipe is...I was trying to decide what to call this cereal. It's probably somewhere in between granola and muesli.

It's not really granola because it doesn't have the hard, crunchy bits that so many people like in granola (mine is less crunchy mostly because I use less sweet stuff). However, muesli (pronounced moos-lee), isn't baked at all.  Rather it's mixed together - flaked grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

Anyway, "muesola" sounds silly.  On the other hand, "gruesli" sounds completely unappetizing.  I think I'll stick with calling it granola and leave well enough alone.

Granola

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Ingredients

  

• 4 C. flaked grains - oats, quinoa, your preference
• 1 C. raw, unsalted nuts, chopped - my favorites are pecans or almonds
• 1/4 C. flax seed, ground
• 1/4 C. sesame seeds
• 1/4 C. raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 C. raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

 

• Mix ingredients together well
• Store in an airtight container
• If making muesli:

  Place 1/3 C. of the mixture into a bowl

  Add 2-4 T. of dried fruit

  Mix in 2/3 C. milk, yogurt, or apple juice

  Cover and place in the fridge overnight

  In the morning top with 1/4 apple, grated and spicesYum!
• If making granola:

  Preheat oven to 350F

  Put dry mixture into a large 9 x 13 casserole dish

  In a saucepan mix together1/3 C. honey - I prefer raw and local1/3 C. molasses1/3 C. coconut oil

  Heat in a small pot until just starting to bubble

  Pour mixture over the base recipe, coating evenly

  Bake 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to avoid burning

  Pull mixture out of the oven and sprinkle with 2 t. vanilla extract, incorporating well

  Let mixture cool completely before storing in an airtight container
• To serve:

  Place 1/3 C. of the mixture into a bowl

  Add 2-4 T. dried or fresh fruit

  Mix in milk to the desired level

  Enjoy!