Around here, we love granola. Love it. But. Granola can get pricey. And high in calories depending on where you get it. With all that to worry about, why not make it yourself? That way you not only know what goes in it, but you save money too! So after looking at a bunch of different granola recipes, I came up with my own. I decided I wanted to use only raisins (because they don't have a ton of added sugar in them) and sliced almonds (rather than spend an arm and a leg on 3 different types of nuts). It's really yummy and great with soy milk (or regular), in a yogurt parfait and as a snack! I'm sure it'd be fabulous on top of ice cream, too.
The Recipe:
G-G-Granola
What you need:
3 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup agave nectar (you can also use honey)
1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 to 1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 baking sheets
Preheat oven to 325˚. In a large bowl, combine oats and spices. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, agave nectar, brown sugar and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and using your hands, combine them by gathering the oats into a fist.
Continue until oats are thoroughly covered with olive oil mixture. Dump onto baking sheet and spread out evenly, leaving a few clumps here and there.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to stir and flip the granola. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and flip granola and add almonds. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir and flip granola and return to oven for 5 more minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Add raisins and serve! Or transfer to a container for later. Yields 4 cups of granola.
Time: 30 minutes.
