Cranberry Orange Granola

My mom wasn't the best example of healthy eating.  She was a superlative Tea Party Lady (and a Chocoholic Extraordinaire), but a paragon of health she was not.  She did occasionally leave the Highway of Food Indulgences to take short jaunts down side roads littered with healthy foods, sometimes intending to lose weight, sometimes just trying to curtail her natural urges.  These side trips into healthy cooking left me with a few (a very few) good recipes that I continue to enjoy today.  However, I do need to mention here that I don't suffer from that nasty habit known as self-control.  I embrace my love of food.  Therefore, although this recipe was healthy when my mom made it, it was a little flat for me.  I have since managed to inflate it to fit my own tastes. :)

Cranberry Orange Granola
1 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp orange extract
8 ounces dried cranberries - orange flavored
5 cups rolled oats
3 cups bran cereal
2 cups chopped nuts ( walnuts, peanuts, pecans)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3/4 cup sesame seeds
5 1/2 tsp powdered milk
3 tbsp orange peel (dried)

Combine dry ingredients (except for cranberries) in a large bowl and mix well.  Combine wet ingredients (oil, honey, vanilla, etc) in a small bowl.  Pour wet stuff slowly over the dry stuff and mix well.

Spoon ingredients into a large cake pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes at 300° F, stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from pan, return to bowl, and mix in the dried cranberries.  Allow to cool.  Keep in an airtight container.  Refrigerated will last for a good long while.

This is such good granola, it's almost the kind of snack you could eat all by itself.  Just grab a handful and munch.  But I like it best with strawberries and cherries, and a dollop of vanilla yogurt.  YUM!

Enjoy!

Comments

[NeoAuteur]

Looks yummy! Thanks for the recipe.

[Relznuk]

This granola sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.