Granola

  Update: This was originally on my written when we lived in San Diego and posted on my first blog.  I left on the information for San Diego in there.  I miss Trader Joe's in our new location, but I can find a lot of this stuff on Amazon and the Commissary. 

Granola

In honor of our trip to Balboa Park for the Earth Day Fair, I made some granola. Just so you know, we did not learn one thing at the Earth Day Fair but what a hippie looks like. We also had to leave because A LOT of information being distributed and yelled was not appropriate for kids. We did enjoy a walk through the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice refreshing break from the chaos.

So this is my recipe for granola. We love it with yogurt or by the hand full.

Granola

Mix together:
3 cups oats (I used steel cut this time and I likes the bigger chunks it made)
3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt (depends on your liking)

In a separate bowl:
2 tablespoons melted butter (you can use canola oil)
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon of molasses (any dark syrup, I use Alaga, made in AL)

Mix the wet ingredients and pour over the mixed up dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into a pan. Cook at 325 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.

When the granola is golden brown it is done, remove from oven, break up large chunks, and add any dried fruits that you like. We love dried cranberries. When completely cool you can store for a couple weeks, if it last that long.

Really and truly you can substitute any of the nuts that you like just as long as they are raw going in. I broke up some walnuts one time and that was very good.

Can I just say that I love Trader Joe's, this is the first time we have lived by one and that may spell trouble. The cost of the raw nuts was actually pretty good. There was a better selection per price than the commissary. We will be back and we just won't talk about how good their chocolate peanut butter cups are.