Fruit & Nut Granola

We are back with another recipe!  It's hard to do lots of crafts this summer with the kids home, but we always have to eat, right?  :)

Our brother is undergoing surgical school training and recently shared with us his experiences with

the colon and rectal segment of his training.  Our brother is a fantastic story teller who also likes to pull out his study books to share pictures of today's diseases....yikes, I know this is TMI, but it scared the "poo" out of us...literally.

He said that in today's society we are eating way too much processed foods and it is creating many diseases of the intestines that we didn't see 40 or 50 years ago or more frighteningly even 20 years ago.  Our brother said that it is essential to add whole grain fiber to our diets to avoid many of these problems and whole oats are one of the best choices. 


Our first solution~a yummy granola recipe our Mom made that is chocked full of fiber and whole oats.  It's our Aunt Susan's recipe and it is so good! The flavors of the honey, butter, and vanilla make eating oats easy.  You can add whatever favorite nuts, or dried fruit that you like. 

Fruit & Nut Granola

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup cashews or pistachios

1/4 cup hulled green pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried blueberries or other dried fruit

(optional-add a couple tablespoons of flax seed)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl stir together oats, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt.  In a small bowl melt butter with honey and stir to combine.  Add vanilla and pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well combined.

On a large baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer.  Bake, stirring once with a spatula halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.  Do not overcook; the granola will crisp more when cooled.  Cool the granola on the pan on top of the stove and then stir in dried fruit.  Granola is best if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Yum!

This would be so great added to your favorite yogurt!  

Now go on out and eat some fiber! :)