granola {the noun, not the adjective}

i'm so surprised i haven't told you guys about this. it's one of my favorites to make... granola. it's so inconspicuous in it's plainness.

my semester ended friday. so naturally by monday i was still not completely rested. maybe that's why i decided it was time to make something comforting. i enjoy this treat in the mornings - and you'd be surprised at how little you actually need compared with a normal store bought bowl of cereal. i think it's because of all the protein you get in the nuts.

also, i try to limit my dairy intake so i enjoy mine with rice milk or almond milk. there's so much flavor in it that you don't need anything fancy. another thing - you can mix this with yogurt and fresh fruit if you'd like. it's really good that way. whatever you do, keep it simple.

so, on monday afternoon i gathered up the ingredients, put in a movie, and got to baking my granola.

{here's what you'll need}

Dry ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats
2 to 3 cups raw almonds

1 cup hulled raw sunflower seeds
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt

Wet ingredients:¾ cup unsweetened apple sauce (i buy the kids packs so it doesn't go bad)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

{here's what you'll do. it's so easy.}

1. set the oven at 300 degrees F.

2. combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. combine all of the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl

4. pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones in the large bowl.

5. spread everything over a pan. if you're like me and left all of your proper baking pans in tahoe, a

pizza pie pan will work.

6. plan to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, but every 10 minutes pull your pan out and stir. this will prevent burning. also, don't be fooled. it's not going to seem done at 40 minutes but definitely pull your granola out of the oven. it's mischievious and will continue to cook without the oven.

7. while it's cooled but still maleable, go ahead and scoop it up into your favorite storage container.

8. store in the fridge. it'll keep.

thanks to orangette for the bulk of this recipe.