Homemade Granola

Mmmmmmmm granola:) I adapted this recipe from one that I found in The Kind Diet. This recipe makes a big batch of hearty, filling, delicious granola. Store bought cereal often has a lot of sugar in it, and it is expensive! Especially the organic/healthy brands. This recipe is totally versatile and can be made with whatever fruits/nuts/seeds/flavors that you prefer. You can leave out about 1/4 cup of the maple syrup if you prefer a less sweet cereal.

You will need:

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon  ground nutmeg
2/3 cups chopped almonds
2/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup flax seeds
2/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds (the green ones!)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 dried apricots, chopped
1/3 dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place oats on cookie sheets or in a baking dish (I used a 9x13 Pyrex dish and did 2 batches), and toast the oats slightly for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. In the meantime, mix the maple syrup, oil, sugar, vanilla, orange extract, and salt together in s small bowl or measuring cup. Remove oats from oven and mix together with all the nuts/seeds (except coconut) in a bowl (careful, oats are hot!) Drizzle the wet ingredients over top and mix together. Sprinkle on the nutmeg and mix. Spread on the cookie sheet/ Pyrex dish once again and bake for 15 min, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent them getting to dark in spots. Add the coconut in about halfway through. You want the oats to be a toasty golden brown, 15 minutes was my magic number, but it could vary depending on your oven. Remove from oven, and add in the dried fruits. Mix  together and then let cool. Store on the counter in an airtight container.