Recipe: Granola

Granola is great with yogurt and fruit for breakfast, mixed with butter and brown sugar as a topping for apple crisp, or sprinkled on top of your favorite zucchini muffin recipe. Try this versatile nut and seed-packed version. You can get pecans, butter, honey and vanilla extract from Lenexa Farmers Market vendors.

Recipe credit: 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds sliced or chopped
1 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raisins, dried cherries or other dried fruit (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275° F. Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds, spices and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Do not add dried fruit yet.
3. Heat the butter and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts, stir in the vanilla.
4. Pour the warm butter and honey mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together with a rubber spatula until evenly coated.
5. Spread mixture onto prepared pan in one even layer. Bake for 75 minutes, or until the nuts are browning and the oats are toasted, stirring and rotating the pan halfway through. This may take up to 30 minutes longer.
6. The granola will become crisp as it cools, at which point you can break it up into small chunks. Once cooled, add optional dried fruit and stir to combine. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.