Good morning, everyone! I’m usually not a morning person, but here I am today to share with you an easy homemade granola recipe. Mornings were always difficult for me. Growing up, I had to wake up at 5:30am to go to school because it started at 6:45! I can’t begin to tell you how hard it was… Later on, when I got accepted to college, I started attending in the morning but had to eventually switch to the night period because it was really hard to keep a satisfactory attendance. Every morning there would be a war going on in my head between the little angel persuading me to go and the little devil telling me it was ok to go back to sleep. The little devil usually won. (I guess it was easier to get away with this during college because I would be driving myself, while during high school my dad would give us a ride, so he would make sure we were awake and dressed to go!) Even nowadays, I can easily sleep past noon. However, the days I do wake up early I feel the benefits of the morning. My body feels better and so does my mind. I also get more things done, which is awesome. Now that I’ve been blogging constantly, I’ve been trying to wake up early so I can use daylight to photograph my dishes, as it makes a huge difference. And I started appreciating a good breakfast, something I had forgotten long ago (since I used to wake up at lunch time). The next recipe I’m making requires granola, so I figured why not make my own? It is so easy to make and you can even save money making your own, especially with the price of granola in the markets nowadays. The recipe asks for rolled oats, but you can use any type of rolled grains you want. You can also fully customize your granola according to your own taste, as there are so many dry fruits, spices and nuts available! Start by pre heating your oven to 300 degrees. In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, the raw sunflower seeds, the cinnamon, the salt and the brown sugar. Set it aside.
In another bowl, combine the oil, the vanilla and the honey. Whisk to combine.
Pour the liquid mixture into the oats and mix with your hands until everything is well combined. Believe me, it’s easier with your hands. But I suppose you could use a spoon.. :P
Spread the mixture into a baking sheet (coated with non stick spray) creating a thin layer. Bake for around 15 minutes, stir and then bake again until golden brown. Mine was light golden brown in 5 minutes.
While you let the oats cool, mix the chopped nuts and the raisins in a medium bowl. The oats are going to harden as they cool down and you should stir them every now and then.
Mix everything together and your granola is ready! You can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
