Granola!

My friend, Mildred, makes the best granola ever.    Not too sweet yet full of flavor and packed with nutrition.  It's so popular that it is a coveted raffle prize at the bi-annual women's spirituality conference she attends where she has been the head cook for a number of years.  

I finally got the recipe from her.  It is a modified version of the Amish granola recipe from the book New Recipes From Quilt Country by Marcia Adams.  I modified it a bit as well, adding vanilla extract and a touch of toasted sesame and pumpkin seed oils for their wonderful flavors.  I cut back on the vegetable oil by the amount of the sesame and pumpkin seed oils I added.  While I use extra virgin olive oil for almost all of my cooking, I recommend using canola or another very mild oil for the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to avoid adding an unwanted "olive-y" taste.

The main ingredients are oatmeal and a variety of nuts.  I can get all the ingredients from my local Amish store, but you can find them easily at most grocery stores.  Oats, in their natural form, are a gluten-free grain, but they can sometimes contain tiny amounts of gluten if they are processed on the same equipment with grains which contain gluten, so if you are gluten intolerant, you may want to go to a health food store and get certified gluten-free oats, just to make sure.  If you are allergic to any of the nuts, substitute others which you prefer.  You can also add dried fruit as well.  I have never been a fan of coconut in granola, but if you must... well, go ahead.

I like to eat this granola with a generous dollop or two of non-fat vanilla Greek yogurt.  You may want to eat yours with milk or soy/almond milk.  You can also cook it as a hot cereal, too, or just munch it from the jar.

This recipe makes two quarts, but it will be eaten before you know it, and it can be refrigerated or frozen if you need to keep it for a while.  It is so delicious, though, that this is unlikely to be a problem.

Mildred's Granola

6 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped English walnuts (or hickory nuts, if you can get them)

3/4 cup unsalted raw almonds (whole, chopped, or slivered as you like)

1/4 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/2 cup vegetable oil (less about two tablespoons if adding the sesame and pumpkin seed oils)

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional:  1 cup dried, unsulfured fruit such as cherries, cranberries, apricots, or raisins 

                 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil

                1 Tablespoon pumpkin seed oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  In a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, almonds, brown sugar, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds.  In a small bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey,  and vanilla extract, and the sesame and pumpkin seed oils, if you are using them.  Drizzle this mixture over the dry ingredients, and combine well

Transfer the mixture to two jelly roll pans or two 9 x 12 pans coated with non-stick cooking spray, putting half of the mixture into each pan and shaking the pans gently to spread the mixture evenly.  Bake the granola for 10 minutes, stir well, then bake for another 10 minutes.  Do not overcook, as the granola will begin to overcook and burn quickly.  Remove from the oven, and stir again.  Cool completely, and break up any large chunks, if necessary.  Store in an airtight container.  The granola will keep fresh for at least a couple of weeks in summer, a bit longer in cooler weather.  If you plan to keep it for an extended period, refrigerate or freeze it to retain its freshness.