I love granola, but have a heckuva time finding granola in the stores that I can actually eat, because I am allergic to rice and most commercial granolas have puffed rice in them. A neighbor of mine made some at home, though, and that, combined with finding a good recipe on Sparkpeople.com, gave me the courage to try to make my own. I've tweaked it to suit me, but this stuff is awesome.
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup wheat germ (sold in the cereal section at both Target and the grocery store, and keeps forever a long time in the fridge)
1/2 cup almonds (or more, I really like them so I tend to throw in a lot)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup pepitas, or pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup maple syrup (NOT imitation, don't skimp, use the good stuff. It makes a difference)
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate (I usually get a can and divvy it up into 1/4 cup portions, pour them into snack-size ziploc bags, and freeze. I can usually get 6 batches of granola from one can)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried cherries
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix everything except the cranberries and cherries together in a big bowl, then spread thinly on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring every ten-fifteen minutes, but making sure to spread it back out thinly each time. After it cools, stir in the cherries and cranberries, then eat it. Each serving is 1/4 cup, and my favorite way to eat it is as a topping to greek yogurt over fruit of some kind. It's so good, I usually eat it for breakfast every day, but it doesn't last long in this house.
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