homemade granola

Granola is a great camping food. It is lightweight, quick, and with the right mix of ingredients, nutritious. It is delicious with milk (even powdered), mixed in with pancakes, sprinkled on hot cereal, stirred in a yogurt and fruit parfait, and even just as a snack. Freshly made granola is a tasty, inexpensive, and easy-to- make alternative to store bought granola. Plus, the variations are endless. Here is a basic recipe that I really like:

4 cups uncooked rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened)
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium sized bowl, mix together oats, nuts and coconut. In a separate bowl mix honey, oil, salt and water over the mixture and stir well. Pour over the oats mixture Spread on a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes until nicely browned pn top. Stir the granola often while baking, every 5-10 minutes. Make sure it doesn't get too brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. Add dried fruit and stir. Makes 6 cups. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Variations: *add other dried fruit: currants, apricots, raisins, dried cherries, dehydrated raspberries
*add sesame seeds, wheat germ or oat bran
*add chocolate chips or m&ms
*add a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla extract
*add other chopped nuts: sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans
*if you want it a little sweeter, add 2 -4 T of brown sugar, dissolve in the wet ingredients

Enjoy - Deb