Granola

Granola has always been a bit of a struggle in our house.  My husband likes it a certain way (although I'm not quite sure I've figured out what that way is) and the kids all argue over what type of fruit to put in it.  A couple of weeks ago I had an epiphany.  Why put fruit in it at all?  The fruit can easily be added when we eat the granola.  Sometimes I wonder how simple ideas like this can take ten plus years to figure out!

So, while searching for breakfast ideas I stumbled on a Crunchy Homemade Granola from Spoonful by Disney.  As with most recipes I changed it to accommodate our gluten free house and our specific tastes.  Here's the recipe I came up with:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts (sometimes I put these in, sometimes I leave them out)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together the oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the oil, honey, and water.  Stir the mixture until the dry ingredients are well coated, then spread it evenly on a cookie sheet.
Bake the granola 40 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes to keep the mixture from sticking.  Let it cool completely then store in an air tight container.

This recipes feeds the five of us for at least two breakfasts.  I serve with bowls of bananas, blueberries, dried cranberries, and dried cherries for toppings.  I also offer both vanilla yogurt and milk to put over the granola.The best part?  Everybody likes it!