The Crazy Simple Life

I have tried seven or eight different granola recipes now. They’ve come from magazines, cookbooks, relatives (thanks Sue Ann!), even the back of the oatmeal canister. Each one has been unique and usually has several ingredients I like (dried cranberries, almonds, coconut – yum!). But there’s always something missing (cinnamon and maple syrup, please!), something it needs more of (where’s the fruit in this thing?), and something it doesn’t need at all (too much sugar!).

I have come to terms with one fact… there is no perfect granola recipe… for me.

Until now! Here is one of my own creation. This recipe has plenty of crunchy seeds and nuts, healthy flax seeds, and canola oil. If you’ve never tried freeze-dried strawberries, you’ll find their crispness balances chewy dried cranberries well.

Top o’ the Morning Granola

Ingredients:

8 cups of old fashioned oats, not the quick-cooking kind

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup roasted soy nuts

1/2 cup flax seeds

2/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup real maple syrup

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 ounces freeze dried strawberries, broken into smaller pieces

1/2 - 1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300°F

In a very large bowl, combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the coconut, strawberries, and cranberries.

Spread the mixture into baking sheets that have been sprayed with oil.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove baking sheets and stir granola.

Mix in coconut and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Remove again. Stir again. Allow granola to cool completely.

Stir in the strawberries and cranberries.

Serve over milk or with yogurt.

And how’s this for a lovely gift? Pour some of your fab granola into a classic mason jar with screw-top lid. Cut a piece of scrap fabric into a 4x4 inch square and place it between the metal lid and rim. Print up my chic Tasty Morning Granola recipe card (You’ll find it on our Freebies page). Tie the recipe card around the rim with a coordinating ribbon. And there you go!

This is my idea of the perfect granola, but what would you put in yours? Raisins? Toasted pecans? Share your ideas in the comment box below!