Homemade Granola

The great thing about do-it-yourself homemade granola is that you can think outside the box and customize it with whatever nuts, seeds, and dried fruit sound good to you. The problem I often find with store-bought granola is that it always seems to skimp on one ingredient or another -- the one that happens to be your favorite, of course.There isn't really a specific recipe to making granola - take a stroll through the isles of your local Bulk Barn and pick and choose some ingredients that look good to you. The main ingredient is rolled oats and you will need 4-5 cups for a batch. You can use your granola as a healthy snack throughout the day, with milk for cereal in the morning or with yogurt as a dessert. When you make granola yourself, you can adjust the proportions to your liking. Add more dried fruit and honey for sweetness and texture, nuts for richness, even a little vanilla or apple cider for flavor. Bon Appétit!


Ingredients that I often throw in could include:
- 4-5 cups of large rolled oats (NOT the quick oats!)
- sunflower seeds
- walnuts
- dried apricots, cranberries or mangoes
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- sliced almonds
- wheat germ
- raisins
- figs
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup honey 


Instructions:
1. Line an 8x11 baking dish with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil, set oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all of your ingredients in a bowl and pour the honey over top, mix again.
3. Bake your ingredients in the oven for 25 minutes to 1/2 an hour - stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is golden brown. Watch your granola carefully so that it does not burn.  Enjoy!