Granola

My family loves Granola! I prefer to make it in a crockpot, because it is easier to stir than in a shallow dish in the oven. In addition, I find cleanup easier with the crockpot and in the sweltering heat we almost completely avoid using the oven. Granola is a lot of fun because you can try so many different mix-ins-- dried apricots, dried mango, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried coconut, etc.

Here's the kind I made today (although I did double the recipe). My recipe below is based off of a granola recipe in the book Whole-Grain Mornings, which I checked out at my local library. I have loved trying some of the recipes from this book! I definitely recommend it.

3 cups rolled oats (I buy this in 50 lb. bulk bags!)
2 1/2 cups raw nuts or seeds, or a mixture (I used sliced almonds and flax seed)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey (could also use maple syrup)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Heat coconut oil on medium-low in a small saucepan. Add vanilla and honey and whisk until combined. Pour oil mixture over dry ingredients and mix well until all oats are covered with the liquid mixture. Place in a crockpot on high. I leave it heat for 30 minutes and then after that I stir about every 10 minutes. Sometimes I turn the heat down to low at some point. Cook granola until lightly browned. Remove from heat and mix in dried fruit. The granola will be soft will become harder as it cools. Store in an air tight container for 3-4 weeks.