Granola

My granola recipe is ever evolving. So, this version includes many years of editing. I'm sure that there will be more versions in the future, too.

4 cups rolled wheat

8 cups old-fashioned rolled-oats (not "quick")

1 1/2 cups ground flax seed
3 cups sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds, hulled, roasted, not salted
3/4 cups raw wheat germ
1 cup honey
6 TB canola oil
ground cinnamon OR vanilla extract
3 cups dried fruit of choice (dates, cranberries, apples, blueberries, chopped apricots)

In a large mixing bowl, combine wheat, oats, flax, almonds, coconut, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Stir to combine ingredients.

Combine the honey and oil in a sauce pan. Warm gently to combine; do not boil or overheat. Add ground cinnamon or vanilla extract as the mixture is taken from the heat. (The fruit I choose to add later determines which flavor I use here.)

Pour honey mixture over grain mixture and stir well to combine. The mixture will appear crumbly and not very moist.

Divide the cereal into three greased jelly-roll sheets. Bake in a preheated 300* oven. Bake each sheet for 20 minutes. Then remove the pan from the oven, stir the granola and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the dried fruit to the granola after it has cooled completely. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dark place.

I make granola about monthly. Scott says that it sticks with him and lasts longer than cooked cereals. I will often change what nuts I am using by what I have on hand: pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds. To make the granola chewy, add some applesauce to the honey and oil mixture.

September 2013...True to form, I have made another change in this recipe. For the past year I have been trying to find ways to use coconut oil in order to incorporate more medium-chain triglycerides in our diet. This is the perfect place to do that! I have been using this recipe, replacing the 6 TB of oil with 1/2 cup of coconut oil. It is a great improvement!