Homemade granola

I made granola last night for the second time... and let me tell you- if quality ingredients and nutrition are important for you and your family, I highly recommend taking an hour out of your day to make this recipe. It's soo delicious and packed with nutritious ingredients.

My recipe is modified from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. The nice thing about granola is that you can change up your recipe to fit your taste or your needs as long as you have the base ingredients. I replaced the raisins with blueberry-infused Craisins and it really altered the entire flavor (YUM- my fav!). Either way, it's delicious and my family can't seem to get enough!


Granola
4 cups oats (toasted in the oven @ 300 degrees F for 15 minutes)
1 1/2 cups wheat germ
1 1/2 cups textured vegetable protein
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup + dried fruit (raisins, Craisins, apples, etc)
2/3 cup vegetable oil or butter
2/3 cup honey 


Mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl (except for the oats and fruit) and set aside. Combine oil or butter and honey in a small sauce pan and heat for 5 minutes. Pour this over the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly, then add the oats and bake in the oven preheated at 300 degrees F for 15-30 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Remove from the oven and add the dried fruit while it's still hot. This can be stored in the pantry for 5 days in a closed container or in the refrigerator for 1 month.