A mere decade ago, I was simply interested in eating healthier. But as time passed, I started studying labels, reading books about food, cooking all the time, learning on the internet, the television, anywhere I could.
Then a few years back, in an effort to remove harmful items (preservatives, msg, additives) from our diet, I started making my own taco seasoning (you know, the old-school American tacos our moms made us!)
It was seriously so easy to make, I couldn't believe I had not tried it earlier! Next came marinara, salad dressings, pizza dough, ice cream, popsicles, pancake mix, waffle mix, bread crumbs, croutons, granola bars -- a whole rash of other pantry staples that were honestly quite fun to make, not to mention almost less effort than buying and certainly healthier!
Now I've always been a "cereal for breakfast" kind of girl and one morning I sat and read the ingredients in our (healthful) cereal boxes and just thought, "I can do better than this." So, I started making my own granola. I realize that literally every food blogger out there has a granola recipe online, but as I want to keep this real, it was
then that I decided I wanted to expand on this idea of making
even more of the essential items I keep in my kitchen.
Here is a partial list of things I'd like to try:
Yogurt, Butter, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Crackers, Stock, Pasta, Tortillas, Nut butters, Applesauce, and Jam.
But back to the granola.... I've been making this recipe regularly. I'm in the process of trying oil vs. butter and alternative sweeteners for the honey, but so far I still prefer this the most. If I find a winning combination I'll be sure to amend this post!
Homemade Granola
4 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup of unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes
1 cup of sliced almonds
1 cup of coarsely chopped pecans
3 TBL of brown sugar
1/3 cup of honey or brown rice syrup*
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1 1/2 tsps of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp of sea salt (generous)
1 stick of butter/1/2 cup of Safflower oil*
2 cups of dried fruits (cherries, cranberries, raisins, apricots, blueberries, currants, etc.)
*optional add-in's: sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or pepitas
*UPDATE: Since this was originally posted, I've been using 1/3 cup of Brown Rice Syrup in place of the honey and 1/2 cup of Safflower oil instead of butter. It's a great alternative and it clumps! Also, I started refrigerating it and LOVE IT. Don't even bother keeping it at room temp. It tastes even better slightly cold.
Preheat oven to 325º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a very large bowl, stir together oats, coconut, brown sugar, nuts, spices and seeds (if using.) In a small saucepan melt butter with honey until smooth. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to evenly disperse. Then divide and spread the mixture equally onto two lined baking sheets (preferably jelly roll style.)
Place the pans in upper and lower thirds of the oven. Bake for a total of 30 minutes or until deep golden brown. However, every 5 minutes lightly stir the granola and halfway through switch the position of the pans. Allow to cool. Pour into an airtight container and add the dried fruits, mixing to combine.
Note: Do not cook the fruit unless you'd like to break a tooth! And the toastier the color, the more flavor and crunch you'll end up with!
This recipe has a shelf-life of about a week, although stored in the refrigerator it will last up to a month. Or in our household one week!
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