Hola Granola

I love granola, but I'd never attempted to make it myself. Heck, I didn't even realize you could make it yourself - I'd never really stumbled across a recipe. But I found one in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet. I didn't want to make as much as her recipe would, and I didn't have many of the ingredients on hand, so I decided to use her recipe as a basis and wing it. The results are delicious! Next time, I'll leave out the dates - they were just too hard and chewy after baking - but the rest is a keeper! Wonderful eaten dry as a snack, but even better in your breakfast bowl and topped with almond milk.

Granola
1 1/4 c. old fashioned oats
2 oz. pkg. English walnut pieces
2 oz. pkg. pecan pieces
1/2 c. golden raisins
3 tsp. flaxmeal
1/4 c. sunflower nuts
12 pitted dates, chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. Grape Nuts cereal
1/3 c. canola oil
2 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the oats on a large, foil-covered sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7-8 minutes (watch them carefully so they don't burn). Transfer the oats into a large bowl, then toss together with the walnuts, pecans, raisins, flaxmeal, sunflower nuts, dates, cinnamon and Grape Nuts. In a separate smaller bowl, wisk together the oil, syrup and vanilla. Pour the oil mixture over the dry mixture and toss to coat well. Pour all onto the same foil-covered sheet pan, spreading it into a thin layer. Bake for 7 minutes, stir, then bake for another 5 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container.