Granola

There's going to be a day when I just can't leave my home anymore.   All the Bath Salts talk is freaking me out.  Why are you eating someone's face????????  I'm trying to get ya'll to eat more of a plant-based diet....not a face. 

So I leave you with a reminder of one of the Vegetarian Commandments: 

Anything without a face.

Try this easy and perfect granola recipe!!! 

Amee's Awesome Granola

My granola is perfect for 3 breakfasts:  (1) Your morning cereal, (2) a yogurt parfait, or (3) Simply topped with greek yogurt and strawberries or bananas.  It also makes a great stand-alone snack.
Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 pinches of salt
1/3 cup dried cranberries*
1/3 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/3 cup raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, salt, and oil.  Heat over low heat for about 3-5 mins.  The oil will not combine with the sugar-honey mixture, so don't wait for that!  Just make sure the sugar-honey mixture is a warm homogenous goo.  Then remove from heat.
3.    Add sugar mixture to oats and nuts and mix well for about 2 or 3 mins until oats are evenly coated.
4.  On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, transfer oats and spread evenly.  Bake for 35 mins.
5.  Allow to cool completely and then break up the granola into pieces (as desired) Then add dried fruit (last 3 ingredients). 
6.  Taste how fantastic this is!!!!!!  Store in an airtight container.

*Chopped dates would be my preference here, but I didn't have any, so I used dried cranberries



If you like granola, please check out Valentina's recipe and her blog.  She will certainly inspire you with her gazillions of recipes and photography.  And she's just a very wonderful warm person!  Subscribe to Cooking on the Weekends!