Crunchy Granola

After doing my undergraduate work at UC Santa Cruz and now living in Boulder, CO, it is inevitable that some of the "hippiness" has rubbed off on me. This is a recipe I adapted from my Aunt Melinda because her recipe was healthier than the one I had been using. This granola is packed with energy from all the nuts and whole grains. The sweetness comes from unsweetened apple sauce, agave and just a little brown sugar. I like using agave because it has an extremely low glycemic index. I added flax seeds which adds fiber. If you are buying flax seeds for the first time make sure you get them whole and not ground since they keep for longer and loose less nutrition that way. You can easily grind them in a coffee grinder before adding to the granola. For the oats, you can use instant or regular, but regular are less processed and therefore better for you.

Crunchy Granola

This granola is nutty and sweet. It makes a great breakfast or snack. My favorite way to eat it is with fresh fruit and greek yogurt.

Servings: 6-12

Prep Time: 10 mins

Active Cook Time: ~1 hr

Total Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients  

4 cups oats

1 ½ cups nuts, roughly chopped

½ cup wheatgerm or flax seeds (optional)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup honey or agave

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 200. Mix first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix all other ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the butter is melted (about 2 minutes). Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture. Put on two baking sheets lined with foil. Bake for about 1 hour checking every 15 minutes and turning as needed.