Granola with a Twist

I love granola for its versatility.  It makes a great breakfast on week days simply as cereal, or it is a delicious topping for yogurt or fruit.  It is really easy to put together on the weekend so you can have a healthy breakfast ready all week long.  I find most granola to be over sweetened, so I lightened up the sugar in this recipe.  If you prefer a sweeter granola, feel free to add more agave.  The recipe is very forgiving. 

                                                                              PB & J Granola

 Basic Granola

5 cups rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

½ cup sunflower seeds

2/3 cup wheat germ

½ cup agave nectar

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.  

2.       In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ.

3.       In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, canola oil, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pour the wet ingredients into the oat mixture, and stir until everything is coated.

4.       Spread evenly on sheet pan then bake for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally until golden brown.

5.       Allow to cool, then toss with dried fruit and serve.

The real reason I made this recipe was so I could play with the variations.  Feel free to create your own.  The Tropical Twist is my personal favorite.  Yum!

                                                                       Tropical Twist Granola

Variations:

Tropical Twist Granola

Reduce cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon, and toss 1 cup chopped dried papaya or mango and ¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes with the granola after it has cooled.

PB & J Granola

Add ½ cup natural peanut butter to the wet ingredients and top with 1 ¼ cups dried strawberries after the granola is cool.

Cherry Almond Crunch

Add 1 teaspoon almond extract to the wet ingredients.  Add ½ cup slivered almonds to the dry ingredients.  When the granola is cool, top it with ¾ cup dried cherries.

 

Apple Pie Granola

Add 1/4 teaspoon more cinnamon to the dry ingredients, and top with 1 heaping cup of chopped dried apples after the granola has cooled.

Apple Pie Granola