Healthy, Homemade Granola.

Morning, folks.  How are you?  I'm great because I have off today for Presidents Day!  You gotta love a long weekend...

So here's my day:

Hair appointment at 8 ~ Dog Training at 1 ~ PT at 5

Plus a run needs to be fit in there somewhere.  

So as promised, here are the results of the Friendship Bread.  To be honest, I am a little disappointed in the outcome.  The recipe called for the bread to be baked for one hour.  Since my oven tends to bake quicker than normal, I set the timer for 53 minutes to check.  By that time, it was already overdone.  So sad.  

As I cut into the bread, the middle pieces were quite tasty, but the ends were not up to par.  I'm thinking of keeping one of the starter bags to try it again, but I will make that decision in the next few days.

On the good side, I put together a recipe for granola.  This recipe is healthy, yet full of flavor.  The combination of the crunchy granola, along with the tartness of the fruit and the sweetness of the dark chocolate makes this recipe a delicious snack on its own or the perfect add-in to your favorite Greek yogurt.

Homemade Granola

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

¼ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Toss the oats and almonds together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together honey, maple syrup, oil and salt.  Pour over oat mixture and combine very well.

Spread mixture onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown.  Mix granola occasionally throughout the baking process. 

Remove from oven when ready and cool completely.  Add the cranberries, apricots, and chocolate chips.   

Store in an airtight container or large plastic bag.  

Do not use olive oil for this recipe.  The reason?  Olive oil has flavor, and canola or vegetable oil is flavorless.  You don’t want the taste of the olive oil to interfere with the deliciousness of all the flavors in this granola. Yum!

Tomorrow I will have a special announcement to make so I hope that you'll join me.  Have a great day!

Tracy