Do you make your own granola? There are plenty of reasons to do so, and plenty of reasons not to buy it pre-made.
Why do it? Your home will smell like cinnamon. You can control what kinds of nuts, grains, oil, and sweetener go in it. It’s easy. It’s delicious.
Why not buy pre-made? Needless packaging. Extra $$. Take-what-you-get ingredients. A texture which to me says “stale.”
I’ve been making granola since I was old enough to hold a big wooden spoon. Well, at least, my mom has always made her own granola, and I started doing so for myself as soon as I left the nest. (Am I corny enough for you today? I’m trying to be crunchy.) When I first met Peter, he mocked me for being a twig eater and still calls me granola-girl when he smells it cooking. Food trafficking goes both ways in a relationship, though, and now he eats more twigs while I eat more flesh (after a vegetarian hiatus in my teens).
Anyway, back to the granola. It takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to make, 2 hours of which are unattended. I buy all of the ingredients in bulk, and get organic when it’s available. They all store well in the freezer.
mmm... can you smell it?
Granola
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. each: cashew pieces, peanuts, chopped walnuts, soy nuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, wheat germ, unsweetened coconut, sliced almonds
1/4 c. freshly ground golden flax seeds
1-2 tbs. cinnamon
1/3 c. canola oil mixed with 2/3 c. maple syrup and 1 tsp. vanilla
Pre-heat oven to 225. Stir together all dry ingredients and cinnamon. Douse with the wet ingredients and stir thoroughly. Spread on two cookie sheets and bake for 2 hours.
The Roving Locavore 