Granola (1 Star)

This is my favorite granola recipe (though it is not enjoyed by our boys, Brandon and I like it so much that I almost always have some on hand) because it is so healthy and tasty. Most granola I have tried is so sweet it seems like dessert but this is lightly sweetened allowing the wholesome flavor of the other ingredients to come through. I like that it is sweetened with very little sugar/honey but mostly bananas and dates and a bit of grape juice concentrate. I also like that there is no added oil. I adapted this from a recipe found here on Allrecipes. The cool thing about this recipe is that you can easily adjust it according to your taste, trying different flavors and ingredients. Just be sure to keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same. The bulk food section of our health food store is where I can easily stock up on many of these ingredients.

Ingredients

3 bananas, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup honey or packed brown sugar
1/4 cup hot water or 1/4 cup hot 100% white grape juice concentrate
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
5 cups rolled six grain mix
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup oat bran
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 cup roughly chopped raw almonds
1 cup roughly chopped raw walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried raisins

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
2.Puree the bananas and dates in a food processor. Add the honey or brown sugar, hot water or juice concentrate, vanilla and cinnamon; mix well.
3.In a separate large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except the dried fruit.
4.Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix well.
5.Spread onto 2 large baking sheets and bake at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 1 to 1 1/2 hours stirring frequently. Cook longer for crunchier if desired. Once cooled add the dried fruits, as little or as much as you want, and mix.
6.Store in an airtight container up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for several months. Storing in the freezer will also keep it crunchy if you live in a humid climate.