a.m. granola

I don't consider myself a picky eater but I am picky about the granola I put on my morning yogurt. No raisins or dried bananas and it can't be real sweet.

I also didn't find any recipes online that inspired me. So I decided to create a personal granola recipe based on my tastes and what I had on hand. I really liked the idea of controlling the ingredients and incorporating favors I thought would compliment any of the fruit yogurts I eat daily.

Here's what I came up with:

1 cup raw organic pumpkin seeds (Costco purchase late last year so I wanted to use up the bag. Tip: Nuts can be stored in the freezer to prevent them from going rancid)

1 cup organic walnuts (Trader Joes)

2 cups Irish oats (Trader Joes and these look like large grains and are very crunchy)

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (Trader Joes)

1 cup chia seeds (Trader Joes)

1 cup finely ground flax seed (Whole Foods. I'll use whole flax seeds next time for a change)

1 tablespoon good vanilla (real vanilla, not vanilla flavor. Madagascar vanilla is delicious and worth the extra money.)

3/4 cup Cecchetti olive oil or another really good olive oil

1/2 cup local honey

And yes, I made way too much. I basically grabbed and poured everything into a large bowl and stirred it up.

Spread thinly on parchment lined cookie sheets. No more than 1/4 deep. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Stir. Bake another 10-15 minutes and pull from oven and stir. Bake to honey color, not brown.

I placed my granola abundance in glass jars and froze for future use. I do eat 1/4 cup every morning.

Alternative ingredients to add:

Coconut oil or dried coconut

Almonds, pecans, other nuts

Dried cranberries, cherries, figs

Bon appetite!