i have discovered the ease and joy (and money savings) of making my own granola. i used to buy bare naked granola, top it over some vanilla yogurt and fresh fruit when in season (mostly berries, sometimes mangoes, peaches, etc). but then i got to thinking, this is probably really easy and inexpensive to make! there's a great local healthfood store near us that sells bulk items for super cheap (like organic thick rolled oats for $1.50/2 lbs!), so i bought some ingredients to make my own granola, inspired by a recipe i found online (but heavily modified cuz i didn't want as much sugar or the combo of nuts and dried fruit she used)...and here 'tis.

Easy Vanilla Almond Granola

4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup toasted wheat germ
3/4 cup oat bran
2 cups slivered almonds (or sliced, tho i prefer slivered)

*Mix in a big bowl

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar (or you can use maple syrup)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract

*Combine in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Pour over dry ingredients and stir well to coat. Spread mixture evenly on baking sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, stir, then bake another 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.



the great thing about making your own granola is you can really use whatever nut/fruit mix you desire. get creative, use what you have on hand, whatever. i like mine plain and simple. :) if you want to add dried fruit, wait til the granola has cooled completely before mixing it in.