When I was 10 years old my parents decided it was time for an adventure, they began applying for jobs in far away, unheard of places, well unheard of to me, a naïve, 10 year old. My Father enticed us with stories of grandeur, he told us we would live in a castle that had a stable, and we would have our own ponies and horses. Well you can imagine our disappointment when we got to our destination only to find a regularly house and the only animals around were lizards. In addition our favorite foods were nowhere to be found. No Cornflakes no Rice Krispies and no Cadbury’s chocolate.
Unable to find foods we were accustomed to eating, my Mother, along with a group of mostly American women, developed recipes that we could substitute for those ‘home’ foods we craved. It was at this young age that I made my first homemade muesli or granola. It really is a delicious substitute for box breakfast cereals and so easy to make. So today I’m going to share this simple recipe with you. If there is one recipe you try this week, this is it. You will not regret the 10 minutes you spend making it. The results and the aroma in your house are unbeatable.
The basic combination that I usually use is 6 Cups of Oats, 3 cups of a variety of nuts and seeds, 1 cup of liquid (oil and juice or water), 2/3 cups of sweetener, 2 1/2 cups of fruit, optional items are spices and grated coconut (1 cup).
Today’s recipe is a Nutty Granola / Muesli.
Preheat your oven to 350F. You’ll need a large bowl. Add your 6 cups of rolled oats.
Add 3 cups of nuts and seeds. I used 1 cup of hazelnuts.
1 cup of slivered almonds.
1/2 cup of brazil nuts
1/2 cup of sunflower kernels.
For the spices, I added 1 tsp of cinnamon.
plus 1 tbsp of vanilla.
Mix everything together.
Now for the liquids, I added 1/2 cup of canola oil and 1/2 cup of apple juice.
For the sweeteners I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup
plus a 1/3 cup of honey.
Mix it all together.
Spread the mixture onto a nonstick cookie sheet or pan.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350F, stirring every 10 minutes so the top and sides don’t burn. Oh the smell, so divine. My kids love the smell of granola baking. Remove from the oven.
Pour into a large bowl and leave to cool. If you taste the granola at this point it will be chewy but as it cools it becomes more crisp. When cool, you can add your fruit. I added 1 1/2 cups of cranberries
plus 1 cup of raisins.
Mix and store in an airtight container.
Have it with milk, yogurt or anyway you like, it makes a great nutritious breakfast.
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