Look!... I made you breakfast.

Homemade Granola

 

This was my first ever attempt at making my own granola... and it's pretty good, if I do say so myself. 

Pistachios, sunflower seeds, flaxseed, wheat germ, cinnamon

The thing that is so great about making granola is that you can really put just about anything you have on hand in it. There are no hard fast rules and it's kind of fun to experiment with different combos of fruit and nuts. 

I started with 1 1/4 C. pistachios, 1/4 C. sunflowers seeds, 1/4 C. ground flaxseed, 1/4 C. toasted wheat germ, and 1 tsp. cinnamon... then tossed it together with 6 C. of old fashioned rolled oats.

Then in a separate bowl, I whisked together the whites of 3 eggs and 3/4 tsp. salt until frothy. Then added in 1/3 C. oil and 3/4 C. sweetener... I chose to use Safflower oil and a combination of raw honey and real maple syrup for my sweetener.

Toss the egg mixture in with the oat mixture, spread in layer on baking sheet (you will probably have to use 2 seeing as how this is a boatload of grains & nuts!)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, stir and bake for another 5-10 depending on how toasty you want it.

Dried Cherries and Toasted Coconut

Toss in some dried fruit (i used dried cherries, apricots, and toasted coconut... about 2 Cups total) and you got yourself a nutritious breakfast with much less sugar than the granola you buy at the store... and significantly cheaper to boot.

(This makes quite a bit of granola but you can keep it in the freezer for several months.)

My Granola

P.S. You can easily toast your own coconut in a skillet on med-low heat, stirring until golden brown. It makes your kitchen smell Sooooo yummy.

(This recipe was adapted from the Power Foods Cookbook)

Enjoy!

Granola... why we need it.

Check out this article from the Mayo Clinic on 5 foods that lower your cholesterol.... this granola recipe contains all 5 (fiber in oats, omega 3's in flaxseed, healthy fats in nuts and olive oil, and plant sterols in wheat germ!!)

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