Granola

The holidays are over and I don’t know about you but I’m feeling large. 

Side story – David was filling out some forms the other day which included providing our weight.  That statement alone should give you a sense of where this is headed.  He wrote down “x” for me (go with it – it’s to protect the innocent) and let’s just say that “x” was like my weight in high school.  So in a follow-up interview, I corrected the information to be “x+15” (again, go with it) and the lady on the other end of the line begins the inquisition with “Your husband says ‘x’ – you say ‘x+15’.  Which is it?”  To which I reply “do you mean before or after the holidays?”  She was not amused and we proceeded to the next question.  So let’s try to eat healthy (at least for a few days) and then we’ll move on from that new year’s resolution because there are too many good recipes out there to ignore even if it means getting busted by some uptight woman who believes that your husband would actually know what you weigh. 

Granola

My Uncle Willy (the banana bread recipe is his too) makes his own granola.  If we’re visiting and he has extra on hand, he’ll send us home with a container.  Since we don’t get to Houston as often as we’d like, he gave me the recipe.  The first time that I made it he asked “how did you adjust the recipe?”  I just laughed.  I figure that recipes are written for a reason and that’s for me to follow them.

Here's to a happy and healthy new year!!

-----------
UPDATED: The original post has been modified with a another granola recipe submitted by TBM reader and contributor, Stacey W.
-----------


Uncle Willy's Granola

Ingredients

1. 4 C oats
2. ½ C wheat germ
3. ¼ C sunflower seeds
4. ½ C chopped pecans
5. ½ C chopped walnuts
6. ½ C chopped almonds (skin on)
7. 1 t cinnamon
8. ½ C brown sugar (dark or light, according to preference)
9. 1/3 C vegetable oil (or any other oil, except olive, according to preference)
10. 4 T honey (or karo or molasses or maple or a combination, according to preference)
11. ½ C water
12. 1 t vanilla

Mix ingredients #1-6 together.  Other than the oats, all other items can be increased, decreased or eliminated all together, depending on preference.

Combine items #7-12 together in a pot.  Warm them slightly on a stove burner – they will combine and dissolve easier). 

Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and mix well.  Spread out on a baking dish or jelly-roll pan.  Depending on your desired crunchy-ness, bake at 325 degrees for at least an hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. (For very brown and crunchy granola, your baking time may exceed one hour.  It also depends how shallow your mixture is on the baking dish.)

When cooled, consider adding raisins, chopped dates, chopped prunes, dried cranberries - just about any dried fruit.  Store in an air tight container.

Stacey's Granola
Ingredients

1.      7 cups rolled oats

2.      1 cup wheat germ

3.      1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

4.      1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

5.      1 cup chopped almonds

6.      1/2 cup coconut oil

7.      1/2 cup honey

8.      1/2 cup boiling water

9.      1/4 cup brown sugar

10.  1/2 teaspoon salt

11.  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Boil water.  Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds and almonds.  In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, honey, boiling water, brown sugar, salt and vanilla.  Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until evenly coated.  Spread in a thin layer onto two large baking sheets.  Bake for 2 hours. Switch racks every 30 minutes for even baking. Granola will crisp up more when cooled.