granola

The other day I opened a cabinet and was terribly disturbed by what I saw. On the shelf, sat eight opened boxes of cereal. The packaging alone was ridiculous, and even more problematic was the fact that they probably would never be eaten because they were all pretty much gnarly. I'm not talking Cocoa Puffs and Captain Crunch, either. These were 'healthy' and for the most part organic. But what a waste!

Earth to Ivey! It's time to make my own!

I gave some thought to what I do and don't like in my morning cereal, and then blessed fate intervened and showed me the way. Which is to say that I ran into my friend Carla Borelli at Natural Grocers and she told me exactly what to do! Carla was the baking genius at Absolut Bakery in Mancos for years and years and her granola is rich and wonderful.

I pounced on her.

And she shared her secrets, and now I share with you! Bearing in mind that granola is a very personal business, this is a template for you to follow. I do not like 'sweet' in the morning. I do like sesame seeds. There are thousands of variations on this theme and you are only limited by your own creativity! This is my version with Carla as inspiration.

Seedy Granola

Preheat oven to 325 and cover two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix together the following:

4 cups rolled oats
4 cups rye flakes
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds

In a saucepan stir together the following ingredients till melted and bubbly, then add to the above dry ingredients.

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup safflower oil (or any high oleic oil)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon

 Carla says to mix it all in a kitchen aide and it will get nice and clumpy. I did not do this and mine was NOT nice and clumpy. All the same, spread the final product on baking sheets in a thin layer and toast until golden and fragrant. This should be between 15 and 25 minutes. Stir occasionally and be careful not to overcook!

The final product is delicious, but I am already contemplating the next batch and what I will change. I rarely follow a recipe for long. FYI, the kiddos and husband thought there were too many sesame seeds, so maybe a half cup there and some pecans and coconut thrown in....Carla says walnuts, too.

I have tree-cycled all those boxes, fed the contents to my sparse winter birds, and am thrilled by my big jar of granola goodness! Because there are so many variations on this theme, I am including a link to Miss Ray and her take on it, just for the sake of comparison!

Happy Breakfast!