Cranberry Almond Granola

I have a slight confession to make: I LOVE cereal. My feelings about it may more accurately border on obsession. I can eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I was young, I was all about the Lucky Charms. While I mostly loved the marshmallows (what kid doesn't?) Dad always made me finish the whole bowl, including the actual cereal portion. Since I'd always preferred to save the best for last, I developed a unique way of eating them: cereal first, marshmallows last, NEVER mixing the two. In fact, on the rare occasion that I get Lucky Charms today, I still eat them that way.    :)    Anyone else do that?

As I've grown up, my tastes have changed rather dramatically. Gone are the overly sugary cereals with cute little marshmallows. Now, I look for lots of fiber and protein, not a lot of sugar, and as unprocessed as I can get it. As you might guess, these criteria make my choices pretty limited. While there are a select few on the market, I was interested in making my own. Thus, the research began.


With such a wide variety of cereal on the market these days, most people aren't all that interested in making their own. So my resources were fairly limited. One article actually recommended cooking the grain (oats) in a single layer on a baking sheet and then using a rolling pin to smash them so that the end result looks more like the cereals we know and recognize. This suggestion blew my mind just a little bit. I couldn't imagine all that work for what would probably amount to a couple bowls of cereal. But, then I thought, why do I have to smash it? Why can't I just have toasted oats, maybe some dried fruit, a few nuts...wait a minute...why can't I just make GRANOLA?!

I like am crazy about this granola recipe for several reasons. First, it is perfectly sweet. Store bought granolas are often so loaded with sugar (just like cereals), but this recipe has just a hint of sweetness, letting the nuttiness of the oats come through. Second, I can put it in a bowl with some milk for breakfast and then pack a baggie of it for a snack throughout the day. So versatile!! Third, it literally took me about 5 minutes to mix it all up and throw it in the oven. It doesn't get much easier than that! Lastly, it is endlessly customizable. I'm already dreaming of the different flavors that I can create: replace the cranberries with pineapple and add a squeeze of lime juice to the mixture and I have tropical flavored granola, use apples and add a little nutmeg and I have apple pie flavored granola. The list is endless; your imagination is really the limit here!


Needless to say, this granola will become a staple at our house. I'm already planning a second batch for next week, since Eric and I are sitting on the couch mindlessly munching the toasted goodness. But you know what? This is one snack that I don't mind mindlessly munching on.   ;)

Cranberry Almond Granola
makes 12 servings
1/2 cup serving size
adapted from The Kitchen Sink Recipes


Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. ground flax seed (flax meal)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 cups of dried cranberries


Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet in aluminum foil, parchment paper, or Silpat. (I used a jelly roll pan lined with my Silpat.)
-Combine all ingredients except dried fruit. Mix well to ensure butter and honey is distributed evenly throughout the mixture.
-Bake at 10 minute intervals for about 20-30 minutes, stirring well after each interval. Your goal here is to ensure an even toasting on all of the oats. As you stir, you'll notice that the granola on the top is toasted and the stuff on the bottom isn't. Make sure to mix it up! Also watch the granola on the edges, as that's the part that will burn the fastest. It took my oven 24 total minutes of baking time to yield that perfect golden brown color in the pictures.
-When the granola is done baking, place the pan on a cooling rack until the granola is cool.
-Once it's all cool, add the cranberries and stir it all together.
-Keep in whatever type of air tight container you wish. Our's is just in a big Zip Lock baggie for now.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving = 1/2 cup

Calories: 226 Fat: 8 grams Carbs: 50 grams Fiber: 7 grams Protein: 4 grams

Enjoy!