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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Jeannine's Homemade Granola

Thought I'd just share this recipe with y'all. It's really simple, really nutritious, and really inexpensive (was there any doubt). My family LOVES it, and I make it at least once a week, usually twice. It's my adaptation of a recipe I got from my "More-with-Less Cookbook", which is a lovely Mennonite book, focusing on simplicity, nutrition, natural foods, and making from scratch rather than eating packaged food.

Most of the ingredients can be bought at Aldi, MUCH cheaper than anywhere else. My rough estimate is that it probably costs about $3-$4 per batch (depending on the nuts and fruit, which can be pricey) . If you skip the nuts and fruit, it's about $2 per batch. Not bad!

Homemade Granola

6 c. whole oats
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. cinnamon (or to taste)
1 T. ground cloves (or to taste)
handful of almonds - optional
any dried fruit you like - optional

1 c. water
1 c. oil (I use canola, but you can use any veg. oil)
1/2 to 1 c. honey (or corn syrup, more or less to taste)

Set oven to 250-300 (hotter oven will make it a bit crispier)
In large bowl mix all dry ingredients thoroughly.
In smaller bowl, or 4-cup measuring cup, mix liquids, add to large bowl.
Stir until entire mixture is moist.
Spread on greased cookie sheet, bake for one hour.
Let cool completely, crumble, and store in airtight container.

Serve dry, or with milk (like cereal).

*you can substitute other spices you like in place of the cloves. I also really like nutmeg.
*you can also use other nuts like walnuts, pecans, etc, depending on what you like.
*to save money, I buy whole almonds and grind them in a food processor instead of buying sliced or slivered almonds.
*dried fruit has added sugar (and can be quite expensive) so I usually add fresh/frozen berries (thawed in the fridge), when serving.
*my favorite way to eat this is (for breakfast) with berries and milk, warmed in mic. for about 35 seconds

Hope someone out there can enjoy this! Let me know what you think, or if you have made your own modifications.

3 comments:

  1. ooooo. i am excited to try this - i love granola and it sounds yummy! i always add and tweak when i bake, so i'll let you know what i do and how it turns out! i am in the middle of trying a new bread recipe - look for the link on my blog tomorrow - i think it's going to be yummy! it's called WHO bread (wheat, honey, oat), and so far, it's looking delicious!

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  2. i forgot to mention... it's also good with berries and yogurt, kind of like a parfait!

    your bread sounds yummy, Elizabeth!

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