Granola

I love granola. I haven't made it in a long time, but now that I'm trying to figure out more ways to eat healthier and more local, I thought it would be a great addition into our household. This granola would make awesome cereal or sprinkled in yogurt. I have to dig out my all time favorite granola recipe since this batch of granola will be disappearing quickly! I used quick cooking oats since that's what I had in the pantry, but the original recipe calls for old-fashioned oats. You can also change up the dried fruit. Most premade granolas call for apricots and since I don't like them, I just added more cranberries.

5 cups oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried banana slices

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, sunflower kernels and flax. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil and cinnamon. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes or until brown sugar is dissolved and mixture is heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture and toss to coat.

Transfer to a large jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 8 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Once cooled, stir in the dried fruits. Store in an airtight container to keep fresh. Enjoy! :)

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazine