PLAIN OL GRANOLA TIME!

I want to call this George Michael Granola because you gotta have FAITH! that it will turn out. I was a granola virgin and I was upset because I wanted plain ol' granola and every recipe online is the fruity nutty one (though those might be more appropriately named "George Michael Granola"...).

Bob's Red Mill is was my favorite. It's low-fat, not too sweet, and I could mix in whatever I want. Plus I like to snack on dry granola when I need to veg out, and sometimes I don't want all the extra delicious nutty fats.

You see, I'm one of those Do It Yourself-ers, and I think that when you're trying to maintain a balanced diet, fixing your own meals is not only the perfect way to know exactly what you're putting into your body, but by preparing your own nourishing meals, you're giving yourself attention that is probably much needed. That's one of the reasons I get upset (like I said, I HAVE PROBLEMS) with stuff like V8 Fruit Fusion or Instant Oatmeal with Flaxseed and Raisins. Of course, there are much worse ways to spend your breakfast calories, and oatmeal with flaxseed and raisins is a great breakfast. But why not wake up a few minutes earlier and prepare it yourself? I personally enjoy the ritual of adding seed and nuts and raisins and cinnamon and WHATEVER to my oatmeal / granola. But I digress! Not everyone is me, I must remind myself, and aren't we alllllllllllllllllllllll lucky that's the case!

MARJA'S PLAIN OL' GRANOLA

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

In bottom of medium to large bowl, whisk together 1/4 c. vegetable oil, 1/4 c. maple syrup and 1/4 c. honey (you could probably do all syrup or all honey, or sub the honey for brown sugar or try agave or whatever). I added a few pinches of cinnamon and a teaspoon of vanilla extract but that's up to you. I think next time I'll omit both and see how it is. I LIKE IT PLAIN, BABY!

Add 3 cups of old fashioned --not quick-cooking-- oats (you could definitely try adding more-- just make sure that they're all pretty well coated. This recipe turned out almost like candied granola... talk about a yuppie treat!). I used a salad fork to mix it all up. Put mixture on two baking sheets, spreading oats out so they bake evenly.

Bake, stirring 2-3 times, for 25-35 minutes or until all is golden brown. "But wait, Marja," you say, "the oats are all soft! I thought we were making granola!" We are, my child, for you must let them cool for 15 minutes and then scrape them from the pan. Voila! You will immediately need to eat granola and you will have it. Bob's Red Mill will no longer get my granola money! In fact, no one will get my granola money! 

I WILL KEEP MY GRANOLA MONEY

print this plain ol' granola

For a big batch (7 cups) of less crispy and less sweet, and therefore probably more healthy, granola, I make it like this:


Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.


1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c maple syrup
1/4 c honey
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 t ground cinnamon


I whisked these in a metal bowl and set it right on the flame to melt the brown sugar. You can do it in a saucepan (or skip it entirely) if you don't feel like melting your plastic mixing bowls....

Using a spatula, toss 7 cups old fashioned oats into the syrup mixture. Turn, turn, and turn, taking care to coat each special little oat. 


These go on 4 baking sheets, and my oven is a little unbalanced (aren't we all?), so I set the timer for 15 minutes, rotating each pan (two on top, two on bottom) and stirring the oats. For the second round of 15 minutes (for a total of 30 mins), I took switched the top and bottom pans, stirring as needed.


The granola will be relatively crispy and will taste like normal granola but it will be much cheaper.