HOMEMADE GRANOLA

6 c regular rolled oats
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c sesame seeds
1 c sunflower seeds
1 c chopped dates
1 c raisins
1 c coconut
1 c water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c chopped nuts
1 c nonfat dry milk
1 c vegetable oil
1 Tbsp salt
1 c brown sugar
1 c honey
1 1/2 tsp maple flavoring


To begin you will need a very large bowl as this recipe is quite big and a large, long handled spoon.

In your large bowl add the oats, wheat flour, seeds, dates, raisins, coconut, milk and nuts.

In a blender add the oil, salt, brown sugar, honey, water, vanilla, maple flavoring and blend well. Pour the liquid over the oats and stir well. Divide the contents onto three cookie sheets, baking at 250 for approximately 2 hours. Make sure you stir the granola 2 to 3 times while on the cookie sheet, it should still be soft and moist when removed from the oven. Cool, then place in a plastic container with a tight lid for storage.

VARIATIONS:

Try substituting dried fruit or craisins instead of dates.

You can use walnuts, pecans, almonds or just about any nut of your liking.

If you have other extracts such as coconut or almond instead of maple, give them a try. You will be surprised at the wonderful flavors you can create.

SUBSTITUTIONS:

If you do not have enough regular rolled oats you can substitute regular instant oats such as maple and brown sugar, just reduce the amount of brown sugar added to the liquid.

Flax seeds are a wonderful substitution for sesame seeds.

One time I used a pina colada mix in place of the water, ended up with a delicious tropical granola.